David Potts had been an archery pro shop owner for 10 years and fostered several strong contacts within the archery industry—especially with Mathews Inc. Then in 2008, he started brainstorming some ideas with Bahram Khoshnood from Impact Archery, and before he knew it, he was putting together a business plan.

“In the beginning, we started developing Lost Camo products, which eventually led to the development of our new stabilizers featuring Mathews’ Harmonic Dampeners. Since then, we have grown to be one of the top-five licensed manufacturers for Mathews,” said Potts, national sales manager, Axion Archery.

Success can be hard to measure for some companies, especially one as young as Axion Archery, but that does not seem to be the case here. “I don’t want to get into exact figures, but we experienced a 500-percent growth rate between 2009 and 2010. In 2011 we are seeing an increase of another 300 to 400 percent over that,” Potts humbly stated. By way of proof he went on to declare, “In 2009 Kinsey’s bought a few thousand dollars’ worth of product from us. In 2010 that figure was closer to 50 times that amount. This year they could double what they did with us in 2010. We also have over 25 international accounts and around 1,200 dealers and distributers here in the U.S. carrying our product.”

DNA Drop Away Rest

One of the hottest new products fueling Axion Archery’s meteoric rise is the DNA Drop Away Rest. “The DNA Drop Away is something I brainstormed last year, and Bahram and I went to the drawing board to work out the details,” Potts explained. “It’s not a conventional drop-away. The rest sits at a 45-degree angle or can be ‘preloaded.’ When the rest twists, it raises the arrow to the shooting plane. Then when you shoot, it rotates out of the way—sort of a ‘merry-go-round’ effect. When you are in the middle, you aren’t covering as much ground as if you were out on the edge. This allows the DNA launcher arms to get out of the way faster than a conventional rest for your vane clearance.”

As a bonus, the DNA Drop Away Rest’s design has the benefit of being a full-capture rest, but it provided Potts with a few challenges. “The design wasn’t a problem, but the assembly proved challenging due to the two steel ball bearings and a handful of other parts. We are starting assembly and do not see any problems with having the DNA on the shelves by fall,” he assured me.

I was concerned as to the diameter of shaft the DNA could accommodate, but Potts quickly responded to my concern. “There are two bolts on the bottom plate. By turning those two bolts, you can adjust the arms to hold the smallest shaft all the way up to a Fat Shaft—it will accommodate any size arrow.” The DNA Drop Away is available in Mathews’ Lost Camo, Lost Camo AT, Realtree AP HD, and Carbon Black to match Mathews’ Z7 Xtreme Tactical bow.

Gridlock sights

New for 2011 are the Gridlock and Gridlock Micro sights in Mathews’ Gridlock pattern, which blend perfectly with Mathews’ Z7 bows. The Gridlock features three, five, or seven steel pins, with eight inches of fiber optic, and is available in Tactical Black, Lost Camo and AP Camo. “In addition to the Gridlock’s sleek lines,” said Potts, “it features tool-less micro-adjust and a rheostat light and adjustable level. We just can’t trust glue. The sight level sits on a radius, and once an archer has leveled his bow, he can level the sight to the bow.”

Stabilizers

“Stabilizers have been the main thrust of our business lately,” Potts continued. “We’ve really changed the stabilizer industry from low- to high-end. This year our eight-inch flat stabilizer, the Gridlock 3D Hunter, has really turned some heads. The big difference is the 10-degree ‘down slope.’ It really works to plumb the bow better. Our five-inch GLZ stabilizer is still very popular, but the eight-inch weighs the same and, with the weighted dampener being three inches past the GLZ five-inch, it is ideal for the 3D shooter and the hunter.”

Because every bow and shooter can be just a bit different, the weighted dampener can be placed in one of three different holes for a custom feel. “You can also color coordinate the rubber [dampener] to your other accessories and the string by swapping it out. Of course, you have to go to a local Mathews’ retailer for the dampener. The same is true for all of our stabilizers and sights,” Potts said.

Contact Axion Archery at (330)-343-0900; www.axionarchery.com