Well no secret last years Alaskan/Resurgence was an excellent bow and one of bears best values. I seen the new Alaskan XT when it was still a prototype and was impressed they didn’t just revamp last years Alaskan but actually redesigned it and added some great new features. So I got on the wait list for a new Alaskan XT in black/bottomland. It arrived today and the plan is to use the integrated propel rest. The propel rest is a simple, strong and lightweight new limb driven rest. It looks sleek mounted with the integrate dovetail. I’m going to try out a piccatiny mounted react one pro digital sight with undetermined length hitman stabilizers. I don’t know that I’ll have time to get it all set up and shooting before Christmas with the obvious holiday rush going on but soon as I do I’ll do a mini review here and give my honest thoughts on it. Hopefully it will be everything I think. Or I may have way too much expectations based off of the excellent previous Alaskan and this one fails to outshine it we shall see. Obviously pics will be coming also.
New bear Alaskan XT
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Well no secret last years Alaskan/Resurgence was an excellent bow and one of bears best values. I seen the new Alaskan XT when it was still a prototype and was impressed they didn’t just revamp last years Alaskan but actually redesigned it and added some great new features. So I got on the wait list for a new Alaskan XT in black/bottomland. It arrived today and the plan is to use the integrated propel rest. The propel rest is a simple, strong and lightweight new limb driven rest. It looks sleek mounted with the integrate dovetail. I’m going to try out a piccatiny mounted react one pro digital sight with undetermined length hitman stabilizers. I don’t know that I’ll have time to get it all set up and shooting before Christmas with the obvious holiday rush going on but soon as I do I’ll do a mini review here and give my honest thoughts on it. Hopefully it will be everything I think. Or I may have way too much expectations based off of the excellent previous Alaskan and this one fails to outshine it we shall see. Obviously pics will be coming also.
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Seems like such a solid offering for the money
Seems like such a solid offering for the money
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Just a quick update. Unfortunately the holidays have sucked up all my time but everyone had a great Christmas so now that it’s done I promise tomorrow I’ll get it set up and start reviewing with pics. My initial out of the box opinion is what a nice bow at around the 500 dollar range. The picatinny mount is cleanly done and doesn’t detract from it if you don’t happen to use it. Same for the integrated rest mount. I did have the trophy ridge propel rest already so I did just slap it on to see how well it mounts up using the ims system. It was easier than a Berger hole setup but not much. It’s neat but a couple things I do want to point out and these aren’t specific to this bow but any bow with the ims and picatinny like this bow or my Hoyt both with these options for sight and rest mounts. Both the picatinny and IMS mounting systems prevents you from moving the rest or sight forward or backwards. This has not been an issue for me. I tend to mount my sight as close to the bow as possible and the rest the same way. My limited past experience with torque tuning when experimenting with these distances before using either system gave me limited results and I found for the most part my bows worked best with both closest to the riser or it made no difference. So now a days I run my sights and rests that way using the traditional mounts or not. But I can see where with the shape of some shelf’s combined with the shape of some launchers causing a issue having to be this close. But not for the Alaskan. Also this new rest is not micro adjust. Not a big deal especially for a solid built, limb driven rest but the up and down is adjusted by sliding it up and down the IMS dovetail. Again not a issue with this bow and rest but I could see it possibly limiting your vertical adjustments with some IMS mounts with certain rest combos. I will get it done tomorrow and get some range time in and drop some better reports and pics.
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Sorry I got it mostly set up yesterday but the weather has been terrible so hopefully today is better. I’ll go ahead and post some pics and impressions. First I wish the color scheme was opposite. The riser in bottomland and the limbs black. But it doesn’t look bad with a black riser and bottomland limbs. It also makes it much easier to color coordinate accessorizes. Now for some small issues. Full disclosure I have people at Bear who have been there a long time and I grew up down the road from Gainesville where they are made so I gre up shooting Bear bows and needles to say they were everywhere there. So I’m not a totally unbiased person but I feel like I’m not unrealistic. I own other bow brands and appreciate each company for what they bring to the table.
There is a couple casting marks that can be seen under the finish. This is one area where Bear has not gotten better and in fact is worse than they used to be 10 years ago. Usually the flagships are better in this area and it does vary from bow to bow. Honestly it comes down to how much effort whoever was working that day put into the cleanup stage. I have notified bear many times of this maybe they will do better one day. It’s not terrible or a functional issue but an area they could improve easy enough. Also the top cam adjustment module countersink holes are not machined correctly. It does not affect function but the screws sit slightly proud. It works and I have another on the way but if I was a average Joe and didn’t work on bows or have easy access to parts I wouldn’t accept this bow or sent it back or if picking in person I would have picked a different one. To be fair this was one of the first 70lb black and bottom land Alaskan XT’s to be assembled. But I have seen issues like these once in a while in normal production. But if you have a issue Bear will fix or replace it. They have excellent warranty.
Bear has redesigned the cam and modules so the draw length marks and screws are on the same side of the cam. A small but nice change. This bow also comes with an optional limb stop for the top cam. I still like a limb stop and use them when I can. Bear also redesigned the limb stop. It looks better and lighter than the old style. More low profile. I’ll get some pics of it. The screws on the adjustment modules are now countersunk. A nice touch.
The Cams are redesigned from last years Alaskan even though it’s still a hybrid system. I’ll write more about the draw etc once I get some arrows thru it today but first impressions is smooth, very smooth draw. It feels stiffer especially on the start than old Alaskan and my Moment, all of which are hybrid cam bows. But not as stiff up front as my binary cam bows like my Ventum pro 30 or my elite target bow etc. The drop to the valley so far feels very soft and it is adequate and not jumpy. Also if your using the limb stop it allows you to adjust the valley and even the let off. It definitely feels different than the old Alaskan and more linear and feels like it drops into the valley more gently. But I will report more on that as I use it more.
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Take what I say at this point with a grain of salt because things may change after we shoot more and do more tuning. Once I set the ata, brace height and timing I drawed it and it felt stiff very stiff so I checked the draw weight and it was in the high 75lb range! I double checked ata and bh and everything was within a 1/8 inch on the long side so I’m not sure what’s going on I suspect maybe the bow string is a little long maybe. I was running out of time and wanted to get some shooting in so I back the limb bolts out 1 turn and got 70 lbs on the nose. I decided to shoot a few like this then do some more work and see if any stretching or settleimg in changes anything.
So the shooting, first I have a Hoyt ventum pro 30, a bear moment 2017-2018 flagship, a bear resurgence/Alaskan, a bear agenda 6 2014 flagship, A bear approach single cam, a elite 37 target bow can’t remember the model, and my two daughters bear Royal and Diamond razor edge. So I’ve got a few different bows to compare the feel and vibration etc. There’s definitely a quick easy to take vibration on the shot. Compared to last years Alaskan it’s better. There’s a quick buzz on both that dissipates immediately but the original Alaskan had a little bit of a thump and almost a jump feel at the shot along with the buzz. Not at all bad but the XT it’s all gone but the quick buzz. I shot them both with and without stabs. Stabilizers did more for the old Alaskan as far as vibration dampening. Didn’t do a lot for the xt. Granted this is one type of stabilizers the hit man stabs but they usually do good at dampening. I just think the xt is already dampening about all it can in the riser design and the limb dampeners. So a quick little buzz not bad. No worse than the moment just different, not as dead as the ventum pro but the hours much heavier. Speaking of weight the XT came in at 6.4lbs fully dressed. Not bad at all. The draw is what is going to be hard to describe. To me it’s stiffer in the beginning than the Alaskan. It definitely stiffer in the beginning than the moment. It feels a lot like my ventum pro. It’s obviously front loaded. But once you pull through the front part it seems to just slowly start to drop off. Feels nice and linear all the way to the valley where it just kinda slides in. It actually drops into the valley very well. Now this is at 26.5 inches. Which is low on the cam but I drew it at 28 and 26 and it felt the same. I’d say once your used to it is smoother than the Alaskan just more front loaded. It’s very good just different and we compared it to every now and it feels more like the binary bow draws to me. Maybe this will change once we shoot and tune it more but unless it gets stiffer which I doubt it would only be better. I hope. Even if it doesn’t ever change I like the draw. It’s good. Accuracy was excellent and I’m not sure if the new caged risers makes a difference but it holds well as a basic bow and gets better with stabs, very stable and very solid feel. Now I wish they had included the bear paw grip and we did order it separate because I have it on other bear bows and really like it. It has not arrived yet so that will be nice. As for the bare riser grip yeah it’s a bear. What else can I say. It’s a very slim grip. It feels good to me but I have small hands and they still feel small. So all my bears have the add on grips or wrapped in tennis or bat tape but even then they still feel slim and trim, so if you got big hands you may not like it. Then again I’ve seen plenty shooters with big hands prefer slim grips. Sighted in quickly out to 30 and groups were good. No chronograph speeds yet but will do in the future but it’s definitely not slow. I’m sure it’s capable of meeting its ibo of 335 when set up for that. Even at 26.5 its speed is good. I like it a lot so far. It really offers up almost everything you want in a top tier bow but in a mid tier bow and price. What can I say it’s a 500 bow that gives you a picatinny sight mount, integrated rest mount, speed, good vibration control, it’s quiet, has a caged riser, 2 rear stabilizer mounting options , a adjustable roller cable guide and cable or limb stop options. It’s pretty great. Will update as we get more time and fine tuning in.
So the shooting, first I have a Hoyt ventum pro 30, a bear moment 2017-2018 flagship, a bear resurgence/Alaskan, a bear agenda 6 2014 flagship, A bear approach single cam, a elite 37 target bow can’t remember the model, and my two daughters bear Royal and Diamond razor edge. So I’ve got a few different bows to compare the feel and vibration etc. There’s definitely a quick easy to take vibration on the shot. Compared to last years Alaskan it’s better. There’s a quick buzz on both that dissipates immediately but the original Alaskan had a little bit of a thump and almost a jump feel at the shot along with the buzz. Not at all bad but the XT it’s all gone but the quick buzz. I shot them both with and without stabs. Stabilizers did more for the old Alaskan as far as vibration dampening. Didn’t do a lot for the xt. Granted this is one type of stabilizers the hit man stabs but they usually do good at dampening. I just think the xt is already dampening about all it can in the riser design and the limb dampeners. So a quick little buzz not bad. No worse than the moment just different, not as dead as the ventum pro but the hours much heavier. Speaking of weight the XT came in at 6.4lbs fully dressed. Not bad at all. The draw is what is going to be hard to describe. To me it’s stiffer in the beginning than the Alaskan. It definitely stiffer in the beginning than the moment. It feels a lot like my ventum pro. It’s obviously front loaded. But once you pull through the front part it seems to just slowly start to drop off. Feels nice and linear all the way to the valley where it just kinda slides in. It actually drops into the valley very well. Now this is at 26.5 inches. Which is low on the cam but I drew it at 28 and 26 and it felt the same. I’d say once your used to it is smoother than the Alaskan just more front loaded. It’s very good just different and we compared it to every now and it feels more like the binary bow draws to me. Maybe this will change once we shoot and tune it more but unless it gets stiffer which I doubt it would only be better. I hope. Even if it doesn’t ever change I like the draw. It’s good. Accuracy was excellent and I’m not sure if the new caged risers makes a difference but it holds well as a basic bow and gets better with stabs, very stable and very solid feel. Now I wish they had included the bear paw grip and we did order it separate because I have it on other bear bows and really like it. It has not arrived yet so that will be nice. As for the bare riser grip yeah it’s a bear. What else can I say. It’s a very slim grip. It feels good to me but I have small hands and they still feel small. So all my bears have the add on grips or wrapped in tennis or bat tape but even then they still feel slim and trim, so if you got big hands you may not like it. Then again I’ve seen plenty shooters with big hands prefer slim grips. Sighted in quickly out to 30 and groups were good. No chronograph speeds yet but will do in the future but it’s definitely not slow. I’m sure it’s capable of meeting its ibo of 335 when set up for that. Even at 26.5 its speed is good. I like it a lot so far. It really offers up almost everything you want in a top tier bow but in a mid tier bow and price. What can I say it’s a 500 bow that gives you a picatinny sight mount, integrated rest mount, speed, good vibration control, it’s quiet, has a caged riser, 2 rear stabilizer mounting options , a adjustable roller cable guide and cable or limb stop options. It’s pretty great. Will update as we get more time and fine tuning in.
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Solid assessment so far
Thanks for providing this info for us
Thanks for providing this info for us
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Spent more time shooting more arrows. So far I’ll try to sum things up for now. Once we shoot for one more week I’ll do more tuning and shoot and then report back.
So overall compared to last years Alaskan/Resurgence the XT is improved in draw cycle, vibration and sound. Also the XT does seem to hold on target very well. It’s hard to quantify but it just seems to just hang there feels solid and the bear paw grip is a great addition with a nice feel and a good flat back feel but with very rounded edges. I like it a lot. As far as draw cycle I feel it’s more front loaded on the XT but seems to spend less time at peak weight and drops into the valley nicely. Draw cycles are subjective and others may not agree but to me it is improved not a huge difference but better. Same for the vibration and sound. It’s not a huge improvement but it is better. The Alaskan and the XT are set up very close. Same draw length and weight. Same brand stabilizers front and back just 2 inch shorter. Both using limb driven rests. So as close to each other as reasonably possible. I think the XT’s caged riser does contribute to small improvements in vibration and sound. So all in all I think this is an improvement over the Alaskan but if you don’t care about the picatinny mount and the integrated rest option it may not be enough of a improvement for a upgrade from the original Alaskan. Or you may not want to pass up a smoking deal that we’re sure to be seeing on the original Alaskan. But if your looking for a mid tier bow packing the best of what you can get in the midline the XT is a winner.
So overall compared to last years Alaskan/Resurgence the XT is improved in draw cycle, vibration and sound. Also the XT does seem to hold on target very well. It’s hard to quantify but it just seems to just hang there feels solid and the bear paw grip is a great addition with a nice feel and a good flat back feel but with very rounded edges. I like it a lot. As far as draw cycle I feel it’s more front loaded on the XT but seems to spend less time at peak weight and drops into the valley nicely. Draw cycles are subjective and others may not agree but to me it is improved not a huge difference but better. Same for the vibration and sound. It’s not a huge improvement but it is better. The Alaskan and the XT are set up very close. Same draw length and weight. Same brand stabilizers front and back just 2 inch shorter. Both using limb driven rests. So as close to each other as reasonably possible. I think the XT’s caged riser does contribute to small improvements in vibration and sound. So all in all I think this is an improvement over the Alaskan but if you don’t care about the picatinny mount and the integrated rest option it may not be enough of a improvement for a upgrade from the original Alaskan. Or you may not want to pass up a smoking deal that we’re sure to be seeing on the original Alaskan. But if your looking for a mid tier bow packing the best of what you can get in the midline the XT is a winner.
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Well after shooting and using it for the last month of the season I have to say I think this is one of the Best Buy’s in mid tier bows. If you’re familiar with bears hybrid cam systems over the last few years it’s not changed too much. I stand by my assessment that it’s more front loaded than past versions but still very smooth and maybe more linear draw all around. Not quite as easy as my moment with the ez hybrid cams but maybe a slightly better drop into the valley? All subjective but definitely a smooth draw. It’s also pretty fast even at my draw length. Which is 26.5 but I have it set on 26 for draw modules and stops since this comes close to a true draw of 26.5. Radar chrono at shop this last time with a 358 grain arrow did 289fps. Surprisingly a 409 grain arrow with every thing else the same did 274 fps average. So it seems to get more efficient as arrow weight increases or at least it doesn’t loose a lot of efficiency at shorter draw lengths. Also it was reading 69.8 lbs on their scale. So all and all I think this is one of the best mid tier buys.
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Ps one more thing. I like limb stops and the back wall they give you. I also like the adjustment it allows for let off and valley. You can give yourself a nice big wide valley and although they rate this cam system at 80% let off you can get nearly 85% with a well tuned and timed bow and using the limb stop. I did the math and got to about 84% on average. You can also narrow the valley and let off Down to 70% or less so that you really have to be diligent to stay on the wall like some prefer. So this with their proven hybrid cam system really makes this a very tunable bow. I have bows with the binary and all the other cam systems. I don’t really think binary is better or that hybrid systems are obsolete. Just different ways to set up and tune to get the same results. Both have their advantages and disadvantages but my experience has been I can do the same things with either system including variable let off choices. It’s just laid out to be easier for the lay person with the binary eko system but they are more or less accomplishing it the same way my moving the stops in relation to module settings. Also Bear making the change to having the draw marks on the same side of the cam as your screw is a small but great improvement. Good shooting guys.
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Seeing several saying the strings aren't great. What is your opinion on them? I have one of these on order. Looking forward to having it in hand.
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Can you still put a standard mount bracket for a sight? Or is it picatinny only?
I want to get this bow and put a redline RL-2 dovetail sight (has standard mount), but I can’t find any info online if it’s possible.
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Yes it still has the standard sight mounting options and the standard rest mounting options along with the picatinny options.
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The strings are serviceable. They are made from bcy452x which is a proven material. The issues usually came from the serving. I’ve had a lot of new Bears and I’ve only had an issue twice in many years. Both were serving coming loose prematurely but was easily fixed. I’ve had many more without issue and I’m using the factory strings on several including the Alaskan and Alaskan xt. I think the string issue gets blown out of proportion. That being said if you do have a issue bears warranty and customer service is Aces in most cases.
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I really appreciate this thread. Thanks for sharing your insights. I’m excited to get this bow! I ordered RH 70 lb on October 29 of 2023, and I’m still waiting. I’m being told that there’s an issue with manufacturing. I checked some online sites like Lancaster Archery and they don’t have it available either. Do you know anything about the issues with availability? I’m waiting almost 4 months now. I reached out to Bear Archery via email and haven’t gotten any reply. Thanks
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