Compound Bow | Draw Weight | Draw Length | Brace Height | IBO Speed | Let-off | AtA Length / Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PSE X-Force Drive See Today's Price on Cabelas | 50, 60, 70 lbs. | 26" - 31.5" | 7.5" How To Choose Arrows | 326 FPS | 75% | 30.5" / 4.6 lbs. |
| Pros: - Excellent value for the money - Perfect attributes for a hunting bow - Great for beginners and advanced archers alike - Up to 31.5″ draw length - Durable string | Cons: - Not ideal for target shooting - Too heavy for some archers |
| Compare prices across top hunting gear sellers | |
The PSE X-Force Drive At a Glance
Welcome to our PSE X-Force Drive review. This compound bow is fantastic for a hunter, though due to its short axle-to-axle length and relatively heavy weight it’s not the best choice for long target shooting sessions. The Drive’s strong points lie in ease of adjustability, excellent power output, stability, and a very dependable and friendly draw cycle. The maximum 31.5″ draw length setting makes it great for taller people.
X-Force Drive Package Contents & Assembly
The package contains only the bow (limbs, riser, cams, cables, string and string suppressor), a printed manual and PSE’s warranty card. No sight or whisker biscuit came with the bow, so if you buy it you’ll need to purchase those separately. Luckily, no assembly is required as the limbs, cams and cables come pre-installed.
The PSE X-Force Drive Eccentric System (cams)
This compound bow comes with DC cams. The great thing about this hybrid cam system is that it gives you the best of both worlds:
- Synchronization between two cams for perfectly straight nock movement
- As easy to tune as single cam systems
The X-Force Drive cam system is without a doubt the best one ever designed by PSE. The posi-lock inner cam allows for an awesome 6.5 inches of draw length adjustment, between 26″ and 31.5″ in 0.5″ steps. The roll-over has very gentle action and includes vibration dampeners as well, which not many other compound bows have. All tuning settings are indicated by laser-engraved markings, which can be used to adjust the stop and valley. By manipulating the Allen head limb bolts, you can adjust draw weight as well (up to 20 lbs. below peak weight). Finally, the string inclued with the Drive is of excellent quality; I’ve shot well over 500 arrows from this bow and the string is still in almost perfect condition and looks like it might last for another 500 shots.
Shooting Speed
The PSE X-Force Drive is one of the few bow where the IBO speed rating (in this case 326 FPS) has not been inflated by the manufacturer. Remember however than all IBO ratings are determined assuming the following:
- 350 grain arrows
- 70 lbs. draw weight
- 30″ draw length
The lower the draw weight, the shorter the draw length and/or the heavier the arrow, the slower your bow will shoot. Learn more about what speeds to actually expect.
Kinetic Energy (KE) Of The X-Force Drive Compound Bow
As with any compound bow, the kinetic energy of the PSE X-Force drive will vary significantly with your bow settings. Here’s are some close estimates of what KE to expect from a few different parameters:
- 70 lbs. / 30″ draw / 350 grain arrows: 78-82 ft-lbs KE
- 70 lbs. / 30″ draw / 425 grain arrows: 80-84 ft-lbs KE
- 60 lbs. / 28″ draw / 425 grain arrows: 60-63 ft-lbs KE
- 50 lbs. / 28″ draw / 425 grain arrows: 50-53 ft-lbs KE
Important: the numbers above are for a poit-blank range shot. To determine the Drive’s kinetic energy output at different distances, subtract around 1.8 ft-lbs. from the values above for every 10 yards of distance from your target.
The Bow’s Draw Cycle
Nothing but good words to say here. A really fantastic and stable back wall, quite a wide valley for a bow with such speeds, and all can be tuned through the eccentric system. The draw is very smooth, much more so than other PSE compound bows I’ve shot. Weight ramp up during the draw didn’t feel aggressive either, and I did not notice any humps anywhere throughout the draw cycle. A solid 10/10 points on this one.
Noise Levels And Vibration
I don’t generally consider PSE’s compounds to be quiet, but the X-Force Drive is a noteworthy exception. Once you release the string, the only thing you’ll hear is the sound of the string hitting the suppressor, and that’s it. I didn’t even need to install string whiskers. I believe some of the reasons for such a quiet and vibration-free performance are: Cable slides include vibration dampeners, which is not something I’ve seen on many other compounds. The string suppressor, which prevents the string from vibrating once its released, is installed right behind and on the same height as the stabilizer installation hole on the front of the riser. As a result, residual energy transferred from the string to the suppressor is then almost immediately sent to the stabilizer (if you install one), preventing it from spreading across the riser. VibraCheck limb bands come pre-installed on the bow and which help absorb residual energy from the limbs when shooting. Pivoting limb pockets secure the limbs firmly in place, while providing extra cushioning and vibration reduction.
Using The PSE X-Force Drive For Hunting
The X-Force Drive is a perfect hunting compound bow due to:
- It’s short AtA length
- It’s very efficient at storing energy and delivering lots of kinetic energy
- It’s stable and well-balanced
- VERY quiet
Depending on the size of game animals you plan to hunt, you’re arrows will need to deliver enough kinetic energy to take them down. Consult the following Easton chart:
| Kinetic Energy: | You Can Hunt: |
|---|---|
| < 25 ft-lbs | Small Game (groundhog, rabbit, wild turkey) |
| 25-41 ft-lbs | Medium Game (Antelope, Whitetail deer) |
| 42-65 ft-lbs | Large Game (black bear, wild boar, elk) |
| > 65 ft-lbs | Largest Game (Grizzly bear, Cape buffalo, Musk Ox, African elephant) |
Limbs, Riser & Grip
I don’t particularly like discussing limbs and risers in reviews, as all modern compound bows are made using materials of superior quality that don’t break, crack or splinter unless abused. So let’s make this quick. PSE uses split, perfectly parallel limbs that virtually eliminate any and all hand-shock. These limbs attach to the riser using very large pockets that provide for a better fit than most other PSE models. Riser twist and flex are significantly minimized thanks to the unique shape and design of the Planar Flex Riser™. (PSE bosts 25% less handle deflection on this riser than on other types, but I have no way of confirming). The shape of the riser has one other unique feature: when shooting an arrow, the riser will tend to flex back and forth, rather than side to side – the result being improved accuracy. The X-Force drive riser is also equipped with my favorite grip – the Raptor. It’s very similar in quality to grips used by Matthews and Martin. It’s fully machined and beautifully contoured, with tiny “grooves” perfectly shaped for the fingers. The Raptor grip is neither to wide nor to narrow – just enough to make grip relaxation easy without creating grip torque.
Value For The Money
This is PSE’s best middle-shelf compound bow. As long as your goal is hunting, it will be an excellent value for the money regardless of:
- Game you want to hunt (Kinetic Energy laws still apply though)
- Your level of experience
- Your height (as long as you’re an adult)
PSE X-Force Drive Compound Bow Review – Summary
Thanks for reading our PSE X-Force Drive review. One of the best hunting compound bows in this price range that you can get. Archers of all experience levels will love it, and beginners will find it forgiving of form mistakes due to the tall brace height. Very powerful, superbly quiet and really comfortable to hold and aim, not to mention a FANTASTIC draw cycle. Highly recommended. See Cabela's current price and customer reviews on the if you have a second.
