Firenock Titanium Bolt Kit Review

Hunting has always held a special place in my heart, and it is a big part of who I am today.  While I love hunting simply for what it is, I have to admit that a growing interest in modern gear has taken my passion for hunting to a whole new level.  I am fascinated by the technology that has so greatly changed the landscape of hunting over the past few years.  One of the products I have been most interested in over the past year, is the Titanium Bolt Upgrade Kit offered by Firenock.  When Dorge first introduced it to the market, my initial thoughts were, “what’s the point?”.  After talking to Dorge at the ATA Show this past January, I left with a better level of understanding of exactly how this kit can impact my bow.

Now I’m going to be upfront and honest with you before we go too far.  If you are expecting you can put one of Firenock’s Ti Bolt Kits on your bow and suddenly shoot a single pin out to 50 yards, increase your arrow speeds by 40 fps, and have a bow so quiet a deer couldn’t hear it at 20 yards, you need to check your expectations at the door.  This kit does provide many improvements to the performance of your bow, but they are realistic improvements.

For starters, titanium is significantly lighter than the other metals used to manufacture the bolts that come on modern compound bows.  What this means is that your bow will be lighter, and while we are not talking a huge amount, any weight savings when you are trekking up a mountain side is a plus.  To put things in perspective a single limb bolt from my stock 2016 Mathews Halon 6 weighs in at 285.8 grains.  The titanium limb bolt from Firenock’s kit weighs in at 152.8 grains, a savings of 133 grains per bolt; approximately 3/10 of an ounce.  My bow weights in right now at 7 lbs 4.1 oz compared to its old weight at 7 lbs 5.5 oz.  The difference comes out to about 1.4 ounces.  I understand that this is not a life altering change, but there is more to reduced weight that meets the eye.

By installing the Titanium Bolt Kit on your bow, you not only reduce weight, but you reduce heavy mass focus points such as your limb bolts.  What this translates into is a cleaner and more efficient transfer of energy into your arrow at the time of release.  Because these heavy mass focus points are reduced by nearly half, the overall harmonics of your bow are completely changed.  This was a hard concept for me to understand, and I don’t think I really believed it until I fired the first arrow after having my kit installed.  The bow feels…different.  It really is hard to put into words, but you can tell there is noticeably reduced vibration when you shoot.  While I did not gain much in the way of initial arrow speed, my 40 yard vertical point of impact has increased slightly.  Or in other words, my arrow drops a little less at 40 yards that it did previously.  I hope to get my hands on another stock 2016 Halon 6 to do a more side by side comparison of arrow speeds and arrow drop in order to provide hard evidence of increased performance.  Keep an eye out for this article in the near future.

Another area I noticed a definite change was in the sound of my Halon.  Whether this is good or bad, I cannot say.  However, when releasing my arrow the pitch of the sound is slightly higher to my ear.  The sound of my bow releasing is also more muted, and seems to have less of an audible twang.  Using my iPhone 7, I downloaded an application called DB Meter.  I used this app to measure how loud my bow was before and after the kit was installed.  I shot my bow from the same location, with my phone placed in the same spot, and standing approximately 18 inches away.  Prior to the installation of my Titanium Bolt Kit, my three shot measurements were 68, 68, and 69 decibels.  After the kit was installed, my three shot measurements were slightly lower at 65, 66, and 65 decibels.  I’m no acoustics expert, and I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know if this is enough difference to make any real impact, but again…there is a measurable change for the better.

Last but not least, the titanium bolts offer much better corrosion resistance for hunters who often have their bows out in the elements.  You can rest assured that your titanium bolts will look as good in January when deer season begins to wind down as they did in September when you first began.  Rusty limb pockets are a thing of the past with titanium bolts.

I can honestly say I am more happy with my bow since having my Titanium Bolt Kit installed.  I know there are a lot of people who can’t justify the cost to benefit ratio, but I strongly believe that any advantage we can get in the field, is an advantage worth looking into.  The slight reduction in noise, peace of mind knowing your bow will better withstand the elements, and knowing that misjudged yardage will have slightly less of a consequence all factor into increased confidence as I prepare for Ohio’s deer season to open later this month.  If you would like more information on the Firenock Titanium Bolt Kit, you can visit Firenock at www.firenock.com or feel free to reach out to the SELFILMED staff via our contact form here.