New 2025 Carbon Bow | PSE Mach 33 DS First Look

All right, all new for 2025, this is the Mach 33DS from PSE. This is their flagship carbon hunting bow. We threw a D-loop and a rest on this, that way we can shoot some arrows down range. We're gonna test the speed, check the draw cycle, see how well it holds, feel the grip. All right, so we're gonna head into the pro shop. We're gonna pull a couple of dimensions on this thing and see where it is in relation to what the spec card says. So follow along, it should be a fun video. Looking forward to shooting this thing. All right, let's go over some of the specs on this bow. According to the manufacturer's card, like we said, this is the Mach 33. It has the EC2 cams on it. So that's the cams that we actually prefer shooting and they're the most comfortable in our opinion. Factory preset is at 29 inch draw length. It is supposed to be at 70 pounds with that 33 inch axle to axle. So let's give that a double check here. So I am on the outside of the top screw. So the top of the bottom screw here gives us 33 and an eighth center to center, plus or minus an eighth of an inch. The brace height is six and five eighths. We have six and five eighths center of the string. So that's right on the money. Let's check the draw weight. Looks like it's at 71. It's pretty good. Pretty close. All right, so according to the card, it's saying the ATA IBO speed is 334, 335, sorry. So what we're gonna do, we're going to adjust the cams here, put them at 31 inches. We're gonna keep it at 70 pounds. We have a 350 grain arrow. We'll give it two shots of the chronograph and see where it is and see how close it is to that 335 mark. I know it might be shocking to a lot of you, but I'm not actually as tall as I appear to be. All right, we're verifying the weight here of our 350 grain arrow. 350, right on the money. Let's go shoot it. First shot. Do I look 31 inch? 340.1. Now I know I mentioned I was gonna shoot two arrows, but that was a little too sketchy for me. It was way too far back behind my ear. So we're gonna do one arrow. We got what we needed and we got the speed. So it was at 340, which actually outperformed what the factory said it was supposed to shoot at. So that is a plus. I'm gonna set it back down to 29. We'll go over in the speed room, give it a couple of shots, test the back wall, the grip, how well it holds, and then the feel of the shot. So that'll be it. What's up next? All right, we're gonna get this thing back to 29 inch because I really don't wanna rip my ear off. And I wanna enjoy this bow and all it has to offer. All right, so one thing I do wanna mention is that this bow being a 33 inch axle to axle, they also will offer this in a 35 inch axle to axle. So if you're looking for something a little bit longer, probably a little bit slower, they do have that option available for your shooting pleasure. So we're back at 29 inch. Let's check out the draw cycle in the back wall. Oh wow, that's super smooth too. Wow. Good back wall, there's not much sponge. I usually take the rubber stops out on the top, get a little stiffer, but don't need it. It's really dead in the hand too. Kind of surprised, to be honest. Do another one there. Yeah, that's really smooth. Wow. Holds well. Draw cycle is very easy, especially for a 70 pound bow. Dead in the hand. Not a lot of recoil, no recoil at all, which would get even better once you get all of your components on there, your stabilizers, your quiver, additional arrows, sight. It already, like I said, already has a rest, but overall impressions of how it shoots, pleasantly surprised. Very good bow. So we're just gonna get a few more shots through this thing here. Work out all the bugs, make sure there's nothing that I'm not seeing right off the bat that I don't like. The grip feels nice. It's pretty flat back and it's narrow, which I prefer. One thing that I'm not happy with, you could say, is the lack of grip plates. So PFC offers the grip plates, adjustable grip plates, or angled grip plates for their target bows, but for whatever reason, they don't have them for their hunting bows, which I think is a detriment because it's something that allows you to fine tune and micro adjust your draw length if you're a little tweaker. So some of the features to look out for when it comes to buying a new bow, a high-end new bow, is you're gonna wanna have something that has this Picatinny mount system on the front here for your sights. It also has the standard side mount holes, which this actually offers you two different mounting locations. You can pick and choose which one you wanna use. It has the integrate system on the back here for integrate rest if you so choose to use it, and also has the standard Berger hole mount for any side mount rest as well. The threaded holes front and back here for your stabilizers. If you wanna use a back bar, you can run it here, or if you have a back bar mount bracket that would go behind your front bar, you can just put it here. It does have the shim system, the EZ220 shim system, which is a phenomenal system. I still think that Bowtech is probably top of the line when it comes to shimming your cams. You don't even need a bow press for that. This has a rigid cable guard with rollers here. It's a feature that they've used over the last couple years. It's supposed to be a lot better than the Flex Guards or the round bar cable slide rod that comes out. It does come with the standard side mounts here for your bow quiver, and PSC also has their own patented one-piece quiver that would mount right to your cable guard. Keep in mind, this is a carbon bow, so it is going to cost you a little bit more. However, it is a lot lighter than the aluminum bows, and it also offers a warm-to-the-touch feeling, so when you're out hunting in 10-degree weather, your bow won't be cold to hold onto. A lot of guys like that. However, out here, out west, we don't ever tend to have that problem. All right, so now you have an idea of all of the componentry that you're gonna be looking for in a high-end bow this year. This bow offers everything. It doesn't lack in that department. If you're in a pro shop that has this bow, make sure to have them set this thing up for you. Give it a couple test shots. I think you're really gonna love it.