When considering a traditional bow, a longbow always comes to mind. For me, it’s all in the look. In this respect, the interNature Viper Deluxe stays true to the look and feel of a traditional longbow. The limbs are slightly reflexed/deflexed and are laminated with walnut, maple and glass. The reinforced limb tips appear somewhat bulky however and there is obvious transition at the point where the reinforcing limb tips are glued to the limbs. Cosmetically, the bow is fairly well finished, however, it is not a hand crafted, hand finished bow and nor does it pretend to be. The riser is laminated walnut, zebra wood and maple. The dark and light woods show well through the clear glass. The grip is covered with stitched leather and the arrow shelf is radiused, providing good feather clearance. No shelf rug was provided with this bow. A cut-out of sticky-back "Velcro" tape (the furry side) applied to the shelf and sight window quickly made this bow ready to use. This bow can safely use modern low-stretch strings. The supplied "Dacron" string is satisfactory. However, I recommend replacing the original Dacron string with a custom, Flemish Twist, DF97/8125, 10 strand string. Your DF97/8125 string will be less prone to stretch, your bow will be more quiet, hand shock will disappear and I guarantee your bow will shoot faster. Tiller was measured and found to be even. The relatively long length of this bow makes for a smooth, no-stack and no-finger-pinch draw. Overall, the bow is comfortable in the hand, shoots where it is pointed and there is no reason why I would not recommend this bow to any archer, regardless of proficiency. The "Test Study" table below will tell you what to expect for draw weights less/greater than 28 inches. This table is also a good indicator that this bow shows no hint of stacking, up-to 29 inches. This bow gets the highest possible mark for value. Click here for Viper Deluxe pictures.
*When the original Dacron string was replaced with a custom, Flemish Twist, 10 strand, DF97 string, arrow velocity increased from 170 fps to 179 fps.
Kinetic Energy Calculator
Easton's Recommended KE for Specific Game Animals
KE
Game Animals
< 25 ft. lbs.
Small Game
25-41 ft. lbs.
Medium Game (deer, antelope, etc.)
>42 ft. lbs.
Large Game (moose, elk, black bear, etc.)
Many large animals have been cleanly harvested with less KE than advertised in this chart. A well placed arrow is usually the determining factor in a clean harvest. Consult the game regulations in your area for minimum DRAW WEIGHTS for specific animals (i.e., deer - 40 lbs/moose - 50 lbs, etc).
