Testing the Most Expensive Hunting Bow on the Market

Hoyt has been in the carbon compound game since the Carbon Matrix hit the market in 2010. Since then, they’ve been making changes and improvements every year, and, for 2025, they have arguably put their best foot forward. The 2025 RX-9 Ultra is the nicest-shooting, most accurate carbon Hoyt bow I’ve ever shot. The 33.5-inch bow is light, holds on target like a dream, delivers arrows exactly where the pin settles, and has virtually no aftershock — a rare quality in a carbon bow.

But brace yourselves. While the RX-9 Ultra offers the latest and greatest from Hoyt in technology and performance, it comes with a hefty price tag of $2,149. That price makes it the most expensive hunting bow on the market. To help you decide if the RX-9 is worth buying, I broke down its new features, shot it at 60 yards, chronographed it, and evaluated its shooting experience.

• Weight: 4.3 pounds (measured)
• Axle to Axle: 33.5 inches
• Draw Length:  26 to 31 inches
• Draw length is adjustable in ¼-inch increments, based on five rotating mods
• Brace Height: 6 3/8 inches
• Speed Rating: 340 fps
• Tested speed with 350-grain arrow: 336 fps (30-inch draw and 70-pound bow)
• HBX Gen 4 Cam
• Let-Off: 75, 80, and 85 percent
• Price: $2,149

Cam

The all-new HBX Gen 4 cam powers the Hoyt RX-9 Ultra. This is Hoyt’s first-ever, four-track cam, which means there are tracks on each cam for the bowstring, the cable, and each leg of the split yoke. In the compound bow world, the four-track cam is considered extremely stable, which is why so many bows now feature it including PSE, Darton, and Elite, to name a few. Mathews employs their own variation of the four track, as well.

It is expected that four-track cams aren’t prone to leaning. When the cam stays vertical, the whole bow tends to be more stable as loads on cables and the cam stay more consistent through the draw cycle.

For tuning, Hoyt employs a spacer system that requires removing the axle to change spacers of different thicknesses, allowing the cam to shift left or right. Hoyt expects that with the switch to four-track cams, however, fewer people should need the spacers for tuning, since cam lean is all but eliminated. Indeed, I was able to tune my RX-9 to perfection simply with minor rest adjustments.

Draw Length Adjustment 

In the past, Hoyt was famous for having as many as three cams to cover different parts of the total draw length spectrum for a given bow. That system worked for maintaining efficiency, but it wasn’t the greatest system for archery pro shops, since bows with certain cams were limited to their respective draw length ranges. The HBX Gen 4 cam is uniform across all draw lengths, while Hoyt employs five different modules to allow for draw length changes from 26 to 31 inches for the RX-9 Ultra.

Each module allows for some draw-length tweaking, so you can really dial in the length to feel the way you want. The No. 4 module that I used, for example, has four positions to allow for the draw length to be set at 30, 29.75, 29.5, or 29.25 inches. Those 0.25-inch refinements can make a bow hold steadier for an archer.

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Let-Off

Also on the module, Hoyt allows the archer to switch between 75, 80, and 85 percent let-off. Further, the module end, which Hoyt calls the “foot,” can be swapped between the two cams so that the foot contacts the cable at full draw in different positions to create a different feel at the back wall. The feet produce what Hoyt calls an “extra hard” stop in their regular positions. Indeed, it feels very much like a limb stop, although the foot contacts a cable at full draw. Move the top foot to the bottom and vice versa, and the foot position changes, so the feet produce a “hard” stop. It’s a solid wall, but it’s a bit softer than the “extra hard.” Some archers prefer that in their shot process.

Riser and Limbs 

The riser for the RX-9 Ultra looks nearly identical to the riser for the RX-8, varying only at the top and bottom. The struts that connect to the limb pocket are narrower than they are on the RX-8. That’s to accommodate the new limb pocket that captures the new TXL limbs. Hoyt tweaked the geometry where the pockets meet the riser to achieve better efficiency and performance. I’m guessing that’s one of the factors that make shots from the RX-9 Ultra feel so dead. 

The new TXL limbs are shorter than last year’s limbs, making the bow more compact and enabling faster arrow speeds.

Faster Speeds

The RX-9 Ultra’s speed rating is 8 fps higher than the RX-8 Ultra. That’s at the industry standard 30-inch draw length, 70-pound draw weight, shooting a 350-grain arrow. At some of the shorter draw lengths, Hoyt reports greater speed gains from the RX-9 Ultra over the RX-8 Ultra. At 29 inches, for example, Hoyt says the RX-9 shoots arrows 19 fps faster than this year’s bow. Company officials credit the new limbs, new cam, and tweaked riser geometry for the speed gains.

Accessory Mounting 

For accessory mounting, Hoyt nearly covers the gamut of options available today. There’s a Picatinny rail on the front of the bow for mounting a sight. Picatinny-mounted sights are generally lighter and less bulky than traditional sights, and they eliminate any part of the sight extending to the outside of the riser. Of course, you can attach a sight with standard 10-24 screws as well.  

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At the shelf, there’s a Berger hole for bolting on a traditional arrow rest. And there’s a dovetail that allows for mounting any IMS compatible rest. IMS stands for “integrated mounting system,” which is what’s simply known as an “integrate style” rest. The only feature the RX-9 Ultra lacks is the pair of threaded holes in the dovetail for mounting any of the Hamskea COR rests. That’s Hamskea’s proprietary connection system that allows the company to offer a rest that’s very much like the IMS rests, but without having to pay to use the Integrate dovetail patent.

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Dampener and Stabilizer Mounting 

The RX-9 Ultra comes with a Short Stop 2.0 dampener/stabilizer. This is a new, more slender version of the Short Stop Hoyt began adding to its bows a couple years ago. It mostly attacks vibration generated at the shot, but it does come with two one-ounce weights — you can add more — to add weight below the handle for stabilization. Hoyt offers a low stabilizer mount, just above the lower limb pocket, where the riser extends farther out toward the target than the standard stabilizer bushing under the grip. Mounted in that lower bushing, the Short Stop 2.0 acts sort of like an 8-inch stabilizer would in the standard mounting position. So you get the benefits of an 8-inch stabilizer with just a fraction of the weight and length.

Bow Stand 

Directly under the lower stabilizer bushing is a smaller bushing that is intended for the locking bolt used when the Hoyt Go Stix is attached. The Go Stix is a bow stand that can be bolted to the bow so you can set your bow down and it will stand upright. Since no part of the Go Stix touches the limbs, you can even shoot with it attached without any adverse effects. The Go Stix is sold separately.

Quiver Mounting 

For quivers, Hoyt has unique mounting points on the riser for its own one- and two-piece quivers. Other manufacturers make quivers that match Hoyt’s mounting points as well. And, of course, if you have a sight that attaches to the side of the bow, you can mount a quiver there.

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Testing the Hoyt RX-9 Ultra 

I borrowed a Hoyt RX-9 Ultra from Lancaster Archery Supply for my test. The draw weight was set at 70 pounds, and the No. 4 module was set to a 30-inch draw. 

The first part of the test was setting up the bow to add the rest, peep sight, and sight. For stabilization, I simply kept the Shot Stop 2.0 just to see how the bow shot with only that on it. The build process went smoothly, and then it was time to check the cam timing. A half twist in the cable attached to the bottom cam put the cams in perfect synchronization.

Next up was paper tuning. For that, and for my shooting on the range, I used 300-spine Victory RIP TKO arrows, tipped with 100-grain points. My first shot through paper yielded a slight nock-low tear. I dropped the rest down twice, and my third shot produced a perfect bullet hole.

Next was the speed test. Hoyt lists the RX-9 Ultra’s speed rating at up to 340 feet per second. As mentioned, Archery Trade Association specifications call for the speed to be rated based on the 70-pound draw weight with a 30-inch draw length. Arrow speed is then measured using a 350-grain arrow. I matched all those specs, and my Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph recorded an arrow speed of 336 fps for my bow.

No, that’s not quite 340 fps. But in my experience, getting 336 fps out of a bow rated at 340 fps is pretty good these days. Also, my bowstring had a peep and a D-loop on it. Anything you put on the center third of the bowstring will reduce arrow speed. The peep and D-loop easily could have accounted for the 4 fps difference between the speed I recorded and Hoyt’s advertised rating.

Out of curiosity, I also shot my 440-grain Victory RIP TKO over the Garmin to see how fast it flew out of the RX-9 Ultra. That arrow clocked in at 304.8 fps.

This bow is built with Western hunters and other long-range archery enthusiasts in mind. Sixty yards is the farthest bale on the archery range at the club I belong to, so I spent my time there with the RX-9 Ultra. Here’s what I found. First, the arrow flight was flawless. With bright pink fletchings on my arrows, I can see when they wiggle after leaving the bow. They didn’t wiggle coming out of the RX-9 Ultra. They looked like lasers heading down range.

And they found their mark with consistent ease. I’m not a pro archer and I know my capabilities. I feel confident that I can hit what I’m aiming at, but my form can be inconsistent. That’s when I get fliers. I’ve been shooting long enough, however, to call my fliers the second they leave the bow.

I get frustrated with some bows when I feel like I made a perfect shot, but the arrow doesn’t hit where I thought it should hit. That wasn’t an issue with the RX-9 Ultra. The arrows went where I expected them. And what impressed me most — what makes me say this is the best Hoyt carbon bow I’ve ever shot — is that I didn’t have to work hard to be consistently accurate. 

If the bow fired when my pin was near the 3-inch dot, the arrow hit the dot. When I came to anchor and settled my pin on the dot, it stayed on it or relatively close to it without much effort on my part. With some bows, it’s a struggle to keep the pin on my aiming point at 60 yards. I have to work hard to keep it where I want it. Shooting the RX-9 Ultra was not like that.

I’ll say the draw cycle is stout. That is, this is not a bow where the 70-pound draw felt like 60. It felt like 70 pounds. But as long as I kept moving through the draw cycle, the string came back and the cams rolled over smoothly. When I slowed down the draw halfway through, the bow tried to get my shoulders to collapse toward one another.

When it comes to bows and arrow speed, a favorite saying of mine is “speed ain’t free.” Bows capable of speeds in the 340-fps range aren’t going to be the smoothest to draw. That doesn’t mean they must be harsh or have trash draw cycles. It just means they’re not going to be the bows that feel lighter than the draw weight. The draw cycle has to have some beef to it to get those arrows moving. Some bows at the top of the speed chain do indeed have harsh draw cycles. But the RX-9 Ultra isn’t one of them. Just keep your draw moving, and the string will come back fine.

Where the RX-9’s draw cycle shines is at full draw. Once you get the string back, it sits nicely against the wall. This isn’t one of the bows that doesn’t let you relax at full draw. The valley between the cam rollover and the wall is deep enough that you can settle in and aim.

The post-shot feel is where the RX-9 Ultra gets an A+. Carbon bows historically have a thump at the shot. Through the years, bow manufacturers have been reducing the amount of thump the archer feels. I will admit it’s to the point now where the thump of today’s carbon bows is basically irrelevant. It doesn’t affect the shot, nor does it affect the shooter anticipating the shot.

When you shoot a bow that has minimal, if any, thump or vibration at the shot, however, you notice it. I’ve been shooting Hoyt carbon bows for years. The first time I released the string on the RX-9 Ultra, I said, “Whoa,” out loud. The lack of thump was noticeable. Again, I wasn’t worried about the thump affecting my shot, but when there is no thump, it just makes the shooting experience a bit nicer. I’ve come to expect that dead-in-the-hand feel from today’s aluminum bows, but it definitely caught my attention with the carbon RX-9.

Final Thoughts on the Hoyt RX-9

The 2025 Hoyt Carbon RX-9 Ultra is a long-range bowhunting machine and It’s the best carbon Hoyt bow I’ve ever shot. Is it worth shelling out the cash for the most expensive carbon bow on the market? That’s something you have to decide for yourself. What’s certain is that, if you are in the market for a new carbon bow, your time would be well spent to check this bow out. It raises the bar for the carbon experience.