I have a Hoyt with a machined riser and a Hoyt with a cast riser. This allows me to compare apples to apples. The cast riser Hoyt is lighter, quieter, has less hand shock and is actually a more forgiving bow. It is also a lot less expensive. I was into archery before many bows had machined risers. I can tell you that there has never been a downside to a bow that I have seen that was purely because the riser was cast.

 

I figured it was just a quality issue. Machine being stronger and finishing smoother.

 

Normally, you can spot a machined riser from a cast one by two easy-to-see differences. On a machined riser, the cut-outs have been machined out of a solid block of alloy and they will look like they have been cut out, whereas the cast riser's cut-outs looks more rounded. Also, almost all machined risers have film-dipped camo while cast risers are painted.

In reality, the main reason for machining vs cast is that machined risers are cut out of a forged piece of alloy, which enhances grain structure and strength. Cast risers may have bubbles in them that are generated during the casting process, which could weaken the riser. That is may. Trust me, there are some great bows out there with cast risers.

 

Why cant they film dip em'?

 

Why cant they film dip em'?

Just a guess, but machined risers are very smooth, while cast ones are kind of harsh.

Maybe that's the only real difference between a machined and (good) cast - finish.

 

Machined risers can be built slightly more perfect and are certainly stronger. Cast risers MAY have structural weaknesses as a result of the casting process. I have seen some cast risers actually break in two, but never a machined riser, although it is rare.

Cast risers will always be painted, but machined risers are almost exclusively finished by a high tech process such as anodizing. Cast risers have no sharp edges, but only rounded corners while the machined riser has cutouts and other sharp edged surfaces.

Advantage/disadvantage: cast is lighter and may even be magnesium, but also may be a little less perfect in dimension. Machined risers can be produced dimensionally perfect. I prefer the heavier machined riser bow although sometimes they are not as aesthetically pleasing as a cast riser. Being weaker, cast risers actually can flex slightly during the draw/release but a machined riser is strong enough to preclude dimensional stressing.

A machined riser can be produced with a much thinner grip section because of the material strength issue which makes a more pleasing grip.

Either riser is functionally perfect compared to one another. Scores shot by cast risers of years bygone are just as good as today's scores so there really is no performance advantage for the machined riser.

 

Why cant they film dip em'?

Martins cast risers are dipped.
Also Martins cast risers are only available in right hand,while their machined are available both RH an LH.
I guess with casting you'd need two moulds,while machined is just a different program,,,,,,,,,,,or something like that.

 

Like others have said, plus: Cast = Porosity possibly. Affects paint but likely no big deal. Cast can have much more residual stress built in from the casting process if care is not taken. Residual stress can be bad.

With all that said... I agree that both are ok if process control was there for both. With casting that is a little tougher, lots of variables to watch.