Inside Xpedition Archery: NexLite 30 & 33 Explained

Imagine picking up a 33-inch bow that feels almost weightless, settles like a target rig, and tunes in under a minute without touching a press. That’s where our conversation with Jared McCoy from Xpedition Archery lands as we dive into the NexLight series, a complete rethink of what “light, strong, and simple” can mean for bowhunters who live in treestands and saddle platforms, not just on spec sheets.

We unpack Magnite—the metal nano-composite alloy at the heart of Xpedition’s risers—and why machining it delivers carbon-like weight with the repeatability that serious tuning demands. From there, we walk through the new riser geometry that looks and feels lighter, a cam system that stays smooth with a firm, sponge-free back wall, and quarter-inch draw modules that let you trim fit instead of compromising. The valley is generous without being lazy, and adjustable let-off options let you match hold and shot execution to the hunt. At sub-four pounds—3.6 on the 30 and 3.75 on the 33—you keep the advantage of a featherweight platform while adding stabilizer weight only where it matters.

The X-Loc tuning system is the quiet hero: indexed shims that slide in from the back, no press required, no infinite rabbit holes. Start with a 13/16-inch center shot, set your nocking point, and you’re chasing perfection in minutes, not hours. We also get hands-on with Xpedition’s integrated accessories: eight-ounce quivers, a sub-four-ounce bow stand that folds into the cam on an M-LOK interface, and hardware that keeps the bow light and balanced rather than loading it down.

We talk dealer-first strategy—no direct bow sales—and why that matters for service, education, and growing new archers. Each bow is built to order with premium ABB strings and deep customization at no upcharge, backed by responsive support and fast lead times. And yes, we cover the “Magnite Tough” torture tests: freezing, soaking, dragging, and still shooting. Add in real-world setup tips, long-range practice benefits, and how grip redesign reduces torque, and you’ve got a clear picture of why more shooters are asking to try the NexLight by name.

If you’re ready to feel the difference, stop by your local pro shop, ask for the NexLight 30 and 33, and put them side by side with your favorites. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with a bowhunter who loves gear that just works.

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Transcript

Meet Jared And Expedition

Zakk Plocica 0:00

All right, ladies and gentlemen, I got Mr. Jared McCoy in the house all the way from Gainesville, Florida. Yeah. So I was wrong about where you're from. For some reason, I was thinking South Carolina. I'm like, that's not that far of a drive for him. You're like, oh yeah, I'm here from Florida. I was like, that's a poke, my friend.

Jared McCoy 0:13

Oh yeah. Nine hours.

Zakk Plocica 0:14

Nine hours. So that's a drive. So you are with Expedition.

Jared McCoy 0:17

Yeah. So I'm the regional sales manager over the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Zakk Plocica 0:22

So you got your hands full.

Jared McCoy 0:23

Yeah, it's it's fun.

Zakk Plocica 0:25

And you said, and so with Expedition, you got you manage that, you have a handful of reps that you manage for that territory.

Jared McCoy 0:32

So we've partnered up with OutTech. Outtech reps our line. So I've got five reps in those states. Everybody has a respectable territory and we we work at it and grind.

Zakk Plocica 0:43

Dude, yeah. Because our rep is Lance. And if you know Lance, Lance is awesome.

Jared McCoy 0:47

Oh yeah.

Zakk Plocica 0:48

You know, he's a he's a talker.

Jared McCoy 0:50

Oh, it's it's if Lance is calling, you just cancel an hour.

Zakk Plocica 0:53

Listen, that's what I it's funny. I was talking to one of our other reps the other day, and he was asking about Lance too. Um, and we were talking, I was like, man, if Lance comes in and he catches me, or if I talk on the phone, I'm like, my production for the day is like non-existent.

Jared McCoy 1:09

Oh yeah. And it it's it's not boring conversation, it's always entertaining.

Zakk Plocica 1:13

It's always, and there's always something going on with him.

Jared McCoy 1:15

Oh yeah.

X-Lite Line Evolution

Zakk Plocica 1:16

But you know, good stuff, man. Expedition um is been in our shop, I think this is year two for us, right? So we came in, we brought you guys in, we kind of talked, and we had the X-Lite series, um, which fantastic, Bo. Oh, yeah, right. That line, the the X-Lite series was kind of interesting because you guys had so many different ATA options.

Jared McCoy 1:37

Oh, it was it was three generations of, you know, you had the original 31 and 33 with the XB1 cam, then you had the 29 and 35 that launched the year after with the XB2 cam, and then you had that, you know, the X-Lite 33 that was a true binary cam with all the integrated stuff put onto it. And it it was it's cool to see how that's developed through those three to what dropped this year.

Thinning To The Next Light

Zakk Plocica 2:00

Yeah, I mean, we had a really, I think uh for a first year being in our shop, I think we did pretty well with them. Um the X-Lite, the X-Lite 32 was the bow that I think did the best for us. Yeah, um, and that came in, we finally got it in, it came in in the sniper gray, and we got him, we shot him. We're like, okay, this is an awesome bow, man. And JR actually shot that bow all of last year, took it to tack, um, and really enjoyed it. And uh, and then we got these bows this year, and you guys have really thinned the line. Oh, yeah, right from all those different ATA options, obviously, from all those different iterations now to a 30 and a 33.

Jared McCoy 2:34

Yep. All the X lights are still available. But they are still available. The main line is our next light. The new generation, um, you know, we when we designed that bow, we wanted it to look lighter, we wanted it to be lighter. Um, we wanted a more efficient cam on it. And there were some other things that we tweaked on it that we'll dive into in a minute that that we we got everything we wanted out of that bow. Like when we sat down in April, like what do we want to get when they dropped, when our engineers brought it to us, they hit the nail on the head on it.

Zakk Plocica 3:06

Yeah, I think the response has been pretty good on that bow, uh, or that series, I should say, the next light series. Uh, and do you guys notice? Like, it seems like the sweet spot as far as ATA options is like a 30-33. Like, what is your thoughts on that?

Jared McCoy 3:22

I like a longer bow. Like how long? 33 to 35.

Zakk Plocica 3:26

Okay.

Jared McCoy 3:27

Yeah, you get any shorter than that, I start struggling to shoot it.

Zakk Plocica 3:30

Are you a target guy though, too? No. And you just even for hunting.

Jared McCoy 3:33

Hair and heartbeats. That's all I'm chasing. Now I'll go shoot some tacks, but that's more for the you know, the camaraderie and seeing everybody. And but shooting straight lane targets, yeah, I get bored after about five of them. Yeah, okay.

Zakk Plocica 3:45

So you're you're similar to me, man. I'm a I'm a bow hunter through and through, man. I love that. But interesting, you know, we're talking about um where you're from down in Florida, the hunting down there, and you're talking about shooting a longer ATA bow. I didn't realize the hunting down there for you guys was a lot of spot and stalk like you were talking about.

Jared McCoy 4:01

Well, that's South Florida. So any once you get out of South Florida, it you you get in a tree.

Zakk Plocica 4:05

Okay.

Jared McCoy 4:05

Um, I saddle hunt mostly. Um, I do have some millennium lock-ons over, you know, feeders because we can bait down there. But outside of that, I just you know pop around and get up in a tree.

Zakk Plocica 4:15

And you're shooting a 33 for pretty much everything.

Jared McCoy 4:17

I saddle hunted my 35 last year.

Zakk Plocica 4:19

Did you? Yeah. Okay. I mean, and that's not surprising I guess it's it shouldn't be surprising. The more guys I talk to, and this seems to carry over more so, I would say, in like the the target guys is where I see it. They're like, oh man, you know, 35 is kind of the sweet spot. They're shooting it for everything, whether it's out of a stand, it's off the ground, they like that longer. And for me, I'm like, ah, 32, 33 is like max for me because 35 just is a lot of bow.

Jared McCoy 4:44

Yeah. Well, when your 35-inch bow is sub four pounds, it can get away with a little bit.

ATA Length Preferences

Zakk Plocica 4:49

This is true. This is true. Ultra light, right? Yeah. So when we look at expedition, um, you know, the the bow industry is is kind of we we know is kind of dominated by a handful of brands. It's very, very um, I would say cutthroat, yeah, as far as like the different brands. There's not a ton of brands. Um, and to really inch your way towards the top is is is a lot. And expedition, I mean, how long have you guys been around?

Jared McCoy 5:15

So we've been around for Mark Heck bought the company in 2018.

Zakk Plocica 5:19

Okay.

Jared McCoy 5:20

In 2020, we brought Magnite to the table. And then in 2021, we really got after it. Uh, you know, post-COVID, right? Everything settled down. Uh so he he is a private owner of the company. He, you know, he's got the Give and Wright hunting show, element outdoors apparel. So he's got kind of an outdoor group that he has. And uh, you know, it's cool having an owner like that that spends 200 plus days in the in the woods a year hunting.

Zakk Plocica 5:46

Yeah, because I think I'm he was at Total Archery in PA. In PA. Where I think I I think that's where I met him. He wasn't there for Tennessee last year. Who was who was in Tennessee?

Jared McCoy 5:56

So Kenneth Lancaster was in Tennessee. He's one of the other guys on the given right.

Zakk Plocica 6:00

Got it. Okay, that's what it was.

Jared McCoy 6:01

That makes sense.

Zakk Plocica 6:02

Yeah, interesting, man. I mean, it's like I said, there's so many, there's there's not that many different brands, and there's only a whole a handful of different brands, and trying to claw your way and earn that market share is tough.

Speaker 2 6:12

Yep.

Zakk Plocica 6:13

Um, and uh so what sets Expedition apart from your standard, you know, run-of-the-mill, everybody else.

Florida Hunting And Setups

Jared McCoy 6:19

So, you know, our Magnite, obviously, our material is is second to none. Um you get the benefits of the lightweight of the carbon, but it's it's machined, so you get more uh repeatability, it's more of a consistent uh tolerance in the riser. Um and we we thrive, we are bow hunters building bows for bow hunters from the customer service ladies to the accounting ladies to the bow builders to the engineers to the president and the VP to the sales guys. Every one of us climbs a tree at some point in the season. Oh, hunter through and through. Hunter through and through, all of us. So you you got people building product for other hunters.

Zakk Plocica 7:00

Huh. Yeah. So I mean, and and I think we you kind of see that you because you guys don't have a target line, right? It's it's solely the the focus this year being the next light series. I mean, you can see that within the product itself. Um, the thing that's kind of interesting too is the material that you guys use, the magnite material. Yep. It's as light, if not lighter, than the carbon stuff. Yes. But the cost is from what we see with it is in line with pretty much your other flagship bows almost.

Jared McCoy 7:31

Yeah. I mean, we we came in at $14.99 and $15.99.

Zakk Plocica 7:34

Which is on par with a standard aluminum flagship bow for the most part with this year.

Jared McCoy 7:40

Yeah, no, I mean everybody else came up, we went down. Um we were able to go from $18.99 down to $14.99 on our 30. So uh that was that was the goal was to get down there, get in that competitive price market. Um because I mean that was the one complaint was it's expensive. Well, you know, it's not aluminum. And trying to sell somebody on, you know, here's two bows, a carbon and aluminum, here's or a carbon and a magnite, here's the difference. I mean, this bow is gonna be stronger, it's gonna be, you know, tighter tolerances. You it tunes consistently every time because it's machined and the tolerance is the same. Versus you get into some of the carbon bows because it's molded, it'll tune a little different. Right. So it makes life easier for the dealer, it makes life easier for the customer because it's gonna hold and keep and be easier to tune from the beginning.

Competing In A Crowded Market

Zakk Plocica 8:30

Yeah, which is critical, especially for like running a shop. Oh, yeah. I mean, the easier a bow is to tune and the easier it is for people to shoot, the easier it is to sell that bow. Sure. And to get people behind the product and believe in it too, right? When they shoot it and they feel it and they're like and they're they're able to shoot it well, it holds well, it shoots well, um, it's got all the latest features, and then it tunes that easy. I mean, that's that makes it easy for us. Sure.

Jared McCoy 8:54

And with this year with the Next Light, we got that X Loc tuning system.

Zakk Plocica 8:58

So that's what I wanted to talk about next, which the tuning system is um pretty unique. When I first saw it, I was like, that doesn't get any easier.

Jared McCoy 9:04

Yeah, no, it doesn't. Yep, Bo doesn't have to look at a press. You and all you gotta do two screws, take both sides out, put two new spacers in, and rock and roll.

Zakk Plocica 9:13

Yeah, I mean, it's um that's a big kind of transition that we've seen within Archery, right? Like everybody be in when I've talked to some other manufacturers, they say it's it seems as though the dealer network is shrinking, right? There's less dealers. Um, and what I one thing I've noticed when I talk to customers, end users, a lot of people don't have quality shops or not able to, you know, they've got to travel um to find a good shop to tune their bow. And we've seen kind of majority, these all pretty much everybody move towards that easier tunability, right? Less tools, less press required in order to tune a bow. Um and we've and you guys have introduced that with the next light series. It's honestly incredibly simplistic. I mean, it you you don't over you don't have to overthink anything. There's no press that's required. It's one thing that I thought was it is cool is the way whenever you take it apart and you pull the shims out, you just gotta pull the limbs apart a little bit to relieve that pressure. Yeah. Put that that shim back in, and then you're back up in the game in a matter of like seconds.

Jared McCoy 10:18

You're going to good. Uh, I went to my local dealer and we set my next light up when I got it, and he timed me. It needed to go to the left a little bit. It took me 45 seconds to swap out the four shims I need to swap out.

What Magnite Is And Why It Matters

Zakk Plocica 10:27

Yeah, it's I mean, it doesn't really get much easier. No, and it works. That's the thing too, though, right? Like sometimes you'll see a system introduced, and you know, it kind of works. Um, you know, it's not always fantastic or easy. This is very, very easy to use, it works extremely well. Um, and pretty much anybody can do it.

Jared McCoy 10:45

Yeah, the one thing we were striving for was when you give somebody an infinite way to mess things up, yes, there's infinite ways they're gonna mess that up. Right. Versus, you know, you have a one, two, three shim, that's all you can move it. And it, you know, if you can't get something to tune moving it that much, you need to look somewhere other than shims because there's other issues.

Zakk Plocica 11:05

Right. Yeah, I mean, as far as for you guys, whenever you guys from like the the the manufacturer side, when we talk about setting a bow up correctly, do you guys run the bow directly through or the arrow directly through the burger hole 1316 from the riser?

Jared McCoy 11:22

Yep, that's it. Yep. Uh we found one knocking point works best. So I always tie mine on top to the d loof on, and and that normally you line it up like that, it's pretty close.

Zakk Plocica 11:34

So you run just the knock point on above the arrow.

Jared McCoy 11:37

Yeah, just the knock point above the arrow is what I have found. Um, I know on a 32s that definitely helped. Okay. Um, but that's it's a 1316ths through the burger hole, it's pretty close.

Zakk Plocica 11:49

Yeah, that's kind of what we've noticed with the majority of them. Um, when when we did set up some of the the next lights we were playing with it, it seemed to hold true. I mean, as long as you're running the right arrow through the right spine, that's a major factor.

Jared McCoy 12:01

The bow through a hooter shooter should tune like that. The person's grip and the arrows, you know, when you throw all those variables in, I it might paper tune for me, it might tear for it just right for you.

Zakk Plocica 12:10

Yeah, well, that's so that's funny enough. I was just I we I did a podcast about this the other week, I think it was last week, and we were just talking about like shops and tuning a bow and you know, kind of what goes into it. And you know, there was a comment that was made talking about a shop had paper-tuned a bow. They did it for him. He never got to shoot it, they ran their arrow through it, their release. He's like, Those weren't even the arrows I was shooting. How is it tuned? And I'm like, Well, it's not not for you. No, you know, that's a that's a real problem. Yeah, so yeah, I don't I don't know. We see um the the tuning side of things is is interesting, and I think that's why we've seen more and more people get more involved in archery and on the do-it-yourself aspect.

Price, Value, And Dealer Support

Jared McCoy 12:50

Oh, a hundred that that is blown through the roof. Because it confidence, yeah. They they know that they can they over-tweak their equipment most of the time, and I'm just as guilty as they are because I've got a press right there in my man cave, and I'll I'll get to tinker and you know it'll be shooting great when I start, and then when I get done, I have changed way too many things, and it's but the DIY, everybody building their own arrows, everybody wanting to set their own bows up, and it it it's it's a confidence thing for them, but it's also like you said, there's there's fewer shops, and if they can do it at home, that's what their head, that's where their head is. Yeah, and I am 100% go support your local dealer. Yeah, buy all your stuff from your local dealer, have your local dealer do it if they can. But a lot of people are getting into this DIY stuff.

Zakk Plocica 13:38

Yeah, I think so. And I think it's more so the guys that are really into archery, and it's becoming easier and easier for people to do. Yeah. Um, and I again I like we talked about, I think it does, it builds confidence in you and your equipment because the more you understand how your equipment works, the more proficient, the more confident that you are within it because you know exactly how the system is supposed to work. And if something's off, you can diagnose that issue, correct it, get back up in the game yourself versus you know, maybe you have to drive just for, I don't know, maybe your limb-driven arrow um rest is not down when it's supposed to be. Something's simple, right?

Jared McCoy 14:14

Yeah, or you're you know, a quarter twist out of time. Out of time, you just your fixed plates aren't playing. Yeah, so it's it's simple stuff. People are learning how to work on at home. Um, but I'm still 100% go to your local bow shop, go buy your stuff from that guy, stay off of Amazon.

Zakk Plocica 14:29

Yeah, and and I think that's the archery shops are the backbone of the archery industry, right? Yeah, like it's it's critical for archery um to have good shops that because I mean the education that comes from the shops.

X-Loc Tuning System Explained

Jared McCoy 14:39

The introduction, absolutely. You you a guy can't walk in off the street that's never shot, go to Bass Pro, buy a bow, and then go home and set it up. I mean, yeah, it's not gonna happen. And uh you know, the local bow shops are the bloodline of keeping this sport growing just from the introduction side. Because, you know, if if a guy buys a bow off the internet, box store or wherever, and he goes home and he sets it up and it's shooting like crap. And after three weeks, he's still not shooting the way he wants to shoot, and he's just getting frustrated, he throws it in the closet, he never looks at it again. Right. Versus, you know, you go see your local dealer and they get you set up right from the rip, give you a little, you know, some tips, introduction, introduction, and now this guy's shooting good and he's liking it. And here you you just planted that seed, you made another archer, another hunter, and this guy's gonna stay, stay with it. It that's more productive.

Zakk Plocica 15:32

I think so too, and I think that's one of the big takeaways is the education that comes from going to a good shop when you get into it. Because I didn't go that route when I first got into it, and I was a mess and didn't even know, honestly, until I shot my first deer and my arrow did not fly like it should have, right? Like hard lessons.

Speaker 2 15:49

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 15:50

Um, but that's one of the big things with what we do is provide is to educate because it does, it builds confidence, and then you want to stick with it, you want to stay in it, and you want to evolve as an archer versus getting into it, not being able to hit what you want to and be like, this isn't for me. Yeah, you know, so yeah, a critical aspect to it. But when we we we're on the topic of dealers, like what is Expedition? Because Expedition Bows, you can buy directly from Expedition Online. No, you can't, no, you cannot. Okay, so you've you've got to buy from the dealer, yes, sir. Uh huh.

Jared McCoy 16:20

Yes, sir. No, we quit that. So once they brought the sales team on, we kicked that off the website.

Zakk Plocica 16:25

I dude, I didn't okay. That's news to me. Oh, well, that's kind of exciting.

Jared McCoy 16:29

No, we don't expect y'all to sell against us. We want y'all watching.

Zakk Plocica 16:31

Oh man, that's awesome to hear. So, like, and like I said, I did not, I was unaware of that. I always assumed that you could order direct from expeditions.

Jared McCoy 16:39

You could two, three years ago, but not anymore. Oh, wow. Okay, so dealers only.

Zakk Plocica 16:44

Oh, that's awesome, man. I mean, that's going back to supporting your dealer. So expedition taking that initiative to support the dealer is huge.

Jared McCoy 16:51

Yeah, that's dealers are our main goal. I mean, customers obviously is the end goal, but you know, taking making sure that our our current XA dealers and future XA dealers are taken care of and they've got our support, you know, selling against them does nothing for anybody.

Zakk Plocica 17:04

Yeah, it's a struggle.

Jared McCoy 17:05

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 17:06

I'm not gonna be out. I mean, when you go like search Google for Expedition Archery, that's gonna pop up before any kind of yeah, any any other dealer. Yeah, and the fact that you guys are pushing them out, man, that's that's a lot.

Jared McCoy 17:15

You can go on and design it, do the custom boat builder, get what you like, and you can bring it to your local dealer. You can um you can use that as a tool for, you know, this is what we got on the shelf. If you want something different, build it out.

Zakk Plocica 17:28

There's a and you guys offer a lot of customization though, too.

Jared McCoy 17:30

Oh man, we I don't know anybody that does as much customization for no upcharge. I mean, you pick your string color, your limb color, your riser color, your acciliary parts color, you pick your limb weights, your jaw length, and it it all comes set.

Zakk Plocica 17:42

Yeah.

Jared McCoy 17:42

Um, you know, all the bows are seracoted, they're not painted.

Zakk Plocica 17:46

So that's one thing about the bows, the the coating is pretty slick.

Jared McCoy 17:49

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 17:49

Like um, I've we've got one behind you. It's uh a 33. It's that olive with the bronze accents. Dude, it's sharp.

Jared McCoy 17:58

It's sharp. It's sharp. You the only thing sharp for that's if you drop some bottom land limbs on it.

Zakk Plocica 18:02

Right. So bottom, dude. Bottom lands is like the pattern at this point. I think the like the last two years has been like the number one pattern for us.

Jared McCoy 18:09

It's gonna be a hard one to knock off. I think the green leaf for the original tree stand might come close, but it's bottom land has got the market right now.

Zakk Plocica 18:17

Dude, it looks super clean. I love that bow, man. We keep that bow on display on the counter up front because it looks so good. You guys also did a good job with your accessories, though, too, this year.

Setup Baselines And Paper Tune Reality

Jared McCoy 18:26

The engineers killed it. Sean Keeney designed those, and uh he he couldn't have done a better job. That X-Loc bow stand with our accessory line. We wanted to make sure that it was it looked light and it was light. There's no reason to sell a super light bow and then stack it, stack it with heavy accessories. So our quivers, our one-piece quivers are eight ounces, the two-piece quivers are eight ounces, the bow stands sub-four ounces. So you put the bow stand on there, you know, you're at 3.6 pounds, so you're right at four pounds with a bow stand on it.

Zakk Plocica 18:55

Yeah, and it's it's good too, you guys. Like your numbers are actually true, like as far as like overall weight and stuff. And you know, one of the big things that people look for when they build a bow out from like a specific brand is a lot of them gravitate towards the brand's accessories. And there always haven't been those options from all the manufacturers. And the fact that you guys are doing that is awesome because in it everything integrates directly into the bow. So it just performs, feels, and shoots better, I think, with the proprietary systems designed around the bow. Oh, yeah. And that bow stand is slick.

Jared McCoy 19:25

Bow stand's hard to beat.

Zakk Plocica 19:26

It is, dude, because so one, it's not overly big, right? It folds up out of the way. So whether you're hunting out of a blind, you're hunting off the ground, you're hanging it in a stand, you can always leave it there. Yeah, you don't have to worry about losing it. The footprint on it is tiny, and like you said, it's super light.

Jared McCoy 19:42

It's three ounces, three, four ounces. I mean, you don't even notice it's there. Right. And I mean, that's you you don't have to take it off to put it in a case. Right. You don't have to take it off to shoot. It folds up inside the cam. So when you put it in, you know, even if you throw uh like a bow sling on it, it's not in the way. Right. I mean, it's just there.

Zakk Plocica 20:00

Yeah, you guys kind of thought of everything when you built that one. That was, I think, is one of the better stands on the market.

Jared McCoy 20:04

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 20:05

Um, specifically for that bow. And it attaches with an MLOC system. Yeah, it's just a straight MLOC system, which is funny because the tactical world is what we originated in, you know, we saw that and we're like, oh, this is kind of cool.

Jared McCoy 20:16

Oh, yeah. And we're working on some things to get them on the old X lights.

Zakk Plocica 20:20

So really coming soon. Oh, cool, man. Yeah, so anybody that's already got the bows, you have options. Yep. Yeah, that's awesome, man. So as far as draw length, these are mod specific bows.

Jared McCoy 20:31

Quarter inch draw length adjustments on the new the NXB cams, and on the 33, it's 24 and a half to 31. So you have a huge spectrum there. Right. And then 24 to 30 on the 30.

Zakk Plocica 20:42

So pretty, yeah, so pretty solid. The the cool thing, too, is you guys went to the quarter-inch draw length adjustment. So your guys that are super technical and really want that perfect fit have the ability to do that. I was a little confused, however, on the mods when I first started messing with it because I was looking at it, trying to get it lined up. Once you figure it out, it's it's pretty cut and dry. But um that micro adjustment, I think people appreciate that, especially your more techie guys.

Jared McCoy 21:06

And we went to a three-mod system this year. We've we've always had a two-mod system, but we weren't getting the efficiencies we wanted to out of that. So we went to a three-mod system. So whether you're at 24 or 31, it's gonna draw extremely well and it's gonna perform.

Zakk Plocica 21:20

Yeah.

DIY Archery And Fewer Shops

Jared McCoy 21:20

And that's that's the other thing that we really wanted to get out of it, which is to make that bow efficient from the top to the bottom. Yeah. And with the let-off adjustment is nice.

Zakk Plocica 21:28

So what's the let off options on it?

Jared McCoy 21:29

75, 80, 85. So yeah.

Zakk Plocica 21:32

What do you shoot your bow at?

Jared McCoy 21:33

I shoot it at 80. Do you? I I I'm sorry, it's 70, 75, and 80.

Zakk Plocica 21:37

Okay.

Jared McCoy 21:37

And I shoot it at 80.

Zakk Plocica 21:39

Yeah. The so the the thing that you guys have done really good, I think, that's carried over, I really liked on the X Lite series, was the draw cycle on the back wall on these bows. So the draw cycle is, in my opinion, one of the more consistent draw cycles all the way through, right? It doesn't roll over and dump off. Um, it's not overly stiff where you feel like you're fighting. It. It's just it's smooth, it's consistent, it's enjoyable. You can shoot the bow a lot. And then when you get to the back wall, the back wall, as long as the bow is in time correctly, is incredibly solid. It's um it doesn't, there's no sponge in it whatsoever. And then the other thing, the hawking point is the valley on the bow, it's got a really good valley.

Jared McCoy 22:18

It's just deep enough to be comfortable, but it's not so deep you can't get out of it.

Zakk Plocica 22:21

Exactly. And that's a problem with some of these bows, with you know, depending on the let-off option that you run or just the way the cam's designed, is if you feel like you've really got to force that bow down as a bow hunter, it's not fun. It's a nightmare because good luck containing the arrow inside that arrow rest without it smashing around against the riser.

Jared McCoy 22:38

And on the other end of it, it gets so shallow that you're, you know, you're back there and you are having constantly to keep that tension, or it just tries to go.

Zakk Plocica 22:45

Yeah, it does. And you and that's the thing, is like you everybody's different, right, on what they really like or enjoy. But I would say for the most part, what we see is that happy medium, right? A forgiving valley that's not overly forgiving, right? To where it's so hard to force it down, but it's not so short or so shallow that like if you let up a little bit in cold weather or or you relax a little bit, it runs away. Yeah, yeah. That's not good. Yeah, it's um it's definitely a solid bow, man. The camp system on it is is good, it's efficient. Um, the speeds are pretty decent, I would say, for what it is. It's an enjoyable shooting platform. Um, what has the feedback been from the public that you guys have seen? How are you from last from the X light to the Next Light?

Jared McCoy 23:23

It's been it's completely different. Okay. People love the Next Light. Um, and I and I think some of that has to do with brand awareness. Um, just the marketing over the last year has been been huge. I I'm sure you saw that on X drop we did with the Next Lights.

Zakk Plocica 23:36

How was the excuse me, the response on that?

Jared McCoy 23:38

It was insane.

Zakk Plocica 23:39

Was it?

Jared McCoy 23:40

I mean, we had people foot racing, you know, dang near fighting in Mississippi to get to the feds.

Zakk Plocica 23:46

So explain the drop for what you guys did because it was unique, I think, to versus how anybody else has ever done a bow drop.

Dealers As The Backbone

Jared McCoy 23:53

Yeah. So what we did, we uh we partnered with uh Plano Cases, Faradine sent some stuff, we had some broadheads, some releases, um, Element Outdoors, our clothing apparel, uh had a gift card in there. Onyx was a was our big partner. They gave, I think, a year elite membership, and then we worked with them on the app for the drop pins and all that. And uh Tacticam sent some cameras. So six of us went out all over the U.S. and hid these on public land, um, and then set a camera up on the bowcase, set the bowcase up against a tree, and you know, the race was on. And it got the response was incredible.

Zakk Plocica 24:30

Was every bow found?

Jared McCoy 24:32

Every bow was found within 12 hours.

Zakk Plocica 24:35

Oh, that was fast. I'm surprised it took that long.

Jared McCoy 24:39

I dropped one in Georgia over in Hanahatchie Wildlife Management Area in I think an hour. Oh, wow. And the guy was in a tree stand about half a mile from there and like jumped out of the tree and ran over there and got it.

Zakk Plocica 24:51

How did you guys? So, how did you guys launch it? Like, was it all via social? Like, hey, we just dropped another.

Jared McCoy 24:56

So there were, you know, there were some cheaters, some some teasers, should I say. And then when we dropped, we partnered up with Onyx, Onyx, Faradine, all of them. You know, they posted it on their social. We did it on our social, and then uh he got a huge response. We had people calling, like, hey, where can we go shoot these bows? Uh the the people that the stories of the people that found them are awesome. I mean, because they, you know, we caught it on Tacticam. So you get the video, yeah. But then they'd call in and talk to Kenneth and uh give him the story and everything. And it was the the Mississippi one was hilarious. Man, them guys were wrestling over that thing.

Zakk Plocica 25:34

Oh my gosh. How many did you guys give away? Six. You gave away six. What were the main states?

Jared McCoy 25:39

Uh Florida, PA, Mississippi, I want to say Wisconsin. There was one somewhere, and then there were two more somewhere out west.

Zakk Plocica 25:49

Uh oh, so you guys pretty much we covered the country, right?

Jared McCoy 25:52

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 25:52

Well, so where's the biggest response for Expedition Archery as far as like where do you guys have the most bows? Is it southeast? Is it up north?

Jared McCoy 26:00

Man, right now it's pretty even. Isn't it? I mean, there's a lot up north in the northeast, but there's a lot of archery shops up there. Yeah. I mean, PA is so dense with archery shops. It's insane. Um we're we're doing really well out west. Really? Yeah. There it doesn't seem like the brand loyalty out west is as bad as it is down here.

Zakk Plocica 26:20

You notice that here?

Dealer-Only Sales And Customization

Jared McCoy 26:21

Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, no, nobody makes a bad bow. Everybody makes a great bow. So I mean, it's we'd think ours is a little bit better. But of course, you know, it's it could be generational.

Zakk Plocica 26:33

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I I think so. I think um the Southeast in particular is it is hard to get people off a specific brand once they get on it, from what we've noticed. Uh, but that's one of the things that we kind of did with our shop that that was important to me was options, right? Because I believe everybody is different and what works for me might not necessarily work for you. Sure. That's always been important. And as an archery shop, I want to be able to provide those options for people to make the decision onselves, right? Like we provide education, we educate you, give you insights, answer any questions you might have. But, you know, our goal is to let you make an informed decision on what is gonna fit you best and feel best.

Jared McCoy 27:11

Yeah, no, and that's that's a great way to run the shop. I mean, it's you know, obviously, I want you to sell nothing but expedition. Of course. But that's not, you know, that's not reasonable. And uh, you know, they come in here, they shoot five bows and they pick what feels best to them, they're gonna have more confidence and they're gonna be more successful.

Zakk Plocica 27:30

Yeah, and I think it builds confidence in with them in the shop too, and it builds that relationship, and then they know that they can come in with, you know, kind of us being unbiased. And, you know, if they something piques their interest, right? A new bow drops, you know, next light series comes in and they're interested in it, no one's gonna like sway them out of it or sway them towards something else. Yeah, you know, so I think that's a big part of it, man, with the good shops that we see. And I've had the ability to sit down and talk with some guys from like way out in Texas, all the way to the East Coast, that run some pretty high-level shops. And I would notice, you know, that's kind of a trend is they carry a variety of brands and just provide the education and let people, you know, go with what works best for them. Sure. And I think a big part of it too is the manufacturer putting the information out there.

Speaker 2 28:12

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 28:12

So the the manufacturer marketing side of things I think is critical to bow brands because you have to create the awareness for people to come into our shop and ask about it.

Jared McCoy 28:22

Yeah, you got to create the consumer demand on our end so that they're they're wanting it. I mean, that's that's our job. Our job is to get the bows to y'all and then help y'all sell.

Zakk Plocica 28:30

That's it. That's it. I I think I firmly believe that um the the the shops need to do a good job of marketing as well for the products they sell and promoting. Um, but the manufacturer really kicks that off and creates that awareness and and that interest, and then people come in and asking, and it makes it that much easier for us to put the bow in their hand.

Speaker 2 28:47

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 28:47

So what do you so I one thing I did notice, and this is back to the bow. Sorry, we're jumping all around, but it just popped in my head. The grip on this bow.

Jared McCoy 28:54

It's completely different.

Zakk Plocica 28:55

It is completely different. What are your thoughts on it?

Jared McCoy 28:58

I like it. Um, I think it's very, very hard to torque. Um it just got a better feel in hand.

Zakk Plocica 29:04

It's almost feels tapered.

Jared McCoy 29:06

It is, it is tapered. Just a hair.

Lightweight Accessories And Bow Stand

Zakk Plocica 29:09

Yeah. It yeah, I mean, you can definitely feel the difference between the next light and the X Lite series as far as the grip goes. And I've always kind of gravitated towards a little bit thinner grip. Um and this but in this grip, I will say it is different. Um, that taper feels it took a second for me to get used to. Um, but I will agree with you. When you when I drew the bow back, and every time I look, I one thing I always do is I look up at the cam and the string and make see if I naturally induce any hand torque. And done, even on the short bow. Yeah. So I was impressed with it. It is very repeatable um and consistent. Yeah. I mean, I think that's a big thing for a lot of people. That's really a defining factor for a bow with them is the grip.

Jared McCoy 29:47

Yeah, it's crazy that that's it.

Zakk Plocica 29:49

I mean, it's a massive, but I get that.

Jared McCoy 29:51

Like if it doesn't feel good in my hand, I I'm not gonna shoot.

Zakk Plocica 29:54

If I can't, yeah, if I can't shoot it well, there's no point in it, no matter how good it looks. No.

Jared McCoy 29:58

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 29:59

Interesting enough. So you're shooting a 33, man. How do you got that thing built up? And do you have it? Do you shoot that bow for everything, or do you have bows for specific?

Jared McCoy 30:08

No, I mean, I run that bow all year. I've spent Georgia and Florida this year. Um, I'll probably shoot a tack with it at some point.

Zakk Plocica 30:16

And it's the 33.

Jared McCoy 30:17

It's the 35 pounds.

Zakk Plocica 30:18

Is it a 70 pounder?

Jared McCoy 30:19

No, 65.

Zakk Plocica 30:20

65 pounds. Uh, 65 pounds has always been weird to me. There's a huge demand for 65 pounds, though.

Jared McCoy 30:25

I I can't pull 70. My shoulder does not let me do it. 65 is I mean, I can get it back a couple times, but I can't go out in the yard and shoot 50 arrows. I can't go shoot two tack courses in a day. It just won't let me. But with I mean, modern day arrows and modern day bows, 65 pounds is dude. I can make it do everything.

Zakk Plocica 30:42

Even some of the 50-pound bows, man, depending on how you build your arrow and set up, you can. I mean, we got guys shoot them out 100 yards, 50, 55 pounds.

Jared McCoy 30:50

My wife shot tack at 36 pounds, and uh, you know, we cheated her arrow down as light as I could get it. But I mean, she was shooting we shot prime and she was smoking them. That's crazy. And she's 27.5 inches at 36 pounds.

Zakk Plocica 31:04

You know, make it work, man.

Jared McCoy 31:06

Make it work.

Zakk Plocica 31:07

So, so how was your bow built out? Like what accessory-wise, how did you so that changes by the week?

Jared McCoy 31:13

Does it?

Zakk Plocica 31:13

Oh, dude, see, I'm I'm the opposite, man. When I find something that works, I'm like, this is it.

Jared McCoy 31:17

I I have ran the Trophy Ridge Digital React forever since it dropped. And uh it's it's stayed on my bow for a while. Um, I'm running a QAD REST, and then obviously I'm running our quiver, our bow stand, our stabilizers, and our back bar mount. Yeah, but I'm running the digital.

Zakk Plocica 31:35

Are you? You like it, huh?

Jared McCoy 31:37

Yeah, yeah, it's easy. Yeah, um it it just it takes me five minutes to go change from a hunt and arrow to attack arrow.

Zakk Plocica 31:44

This is true.

Jared McCoy 31:45

So simplicity of it is what I am running it.

Zakk Plocica 31:49

Yeah, no, that makes sense. I I like that concept too. I for me, I'm pretty like whenever I build a bow, like I'm like, all right, this is how this bow is gonna be built. I typically don't change anything, man. Like when I find something that works, I'm like, this is it.

Jared McCoy 32:01

I try not to. I have a tinkering problem.

Zakk Plocica 32:04

Um it gets you in trouble.

Jared McCoy 32:06

It it does. Uh luckily I have time to tinker, but I will run that digital react, and I have I have a single pin, a uh duo head, and a you know, the three pin trio that they sell, and I'll run the single pin with a magnifier for tack. And that's that's a simple switch.

Zakk Plocica 32:24

Oh, you run a magnifier for tack?

Jared McCoy 32:25

Yes.

Zakk Plocica 32:25

Oh, okay.

Draw Mods, Let-Off, And Cam Feel

Jared McCoy 32:26

Yeah, I'm not shooting. I mean, I don't shoot, obviously not the novelty shots, but yeah, I like to see what I'm shooting at. But uh that trio head's what I hunt with. I mean it's just it's nice to have 2030 40 on the on the rack, and if I need to stroll it down, I'll stroll it down. But outside of that, it's it's pretty simple.

Zakk Plocica 32:42

Yeah, I'm I'm similar in my approach. So I like like a I'll run between a ver uh horizontal three pin or a vertical three pin, is what I've kind of gravitated towards because I too I like a 2030-40 fix for hunting scenarios because typically all the shots that I take are within on like 35 yards for like whitetail. Um and I just like that simplicity, but I love to shoot distance, yeah, and I love to be able to dial that side out as far as I need to.

Jared McCoy 33:06

Yeah, I mean I got a I got a block in my yard, it stays at 80, and that's where I practice it. Because then when you get inside 80, it's it's a chip shot. Everything's easy. Yeah, it's that was the that was the one thing that it took me forever to like grasp. Like you'd hear that and you're like, but when you start shooting 80, 90 and 100 yards, and you start you start fine-tuning your your technique and your form and your bow, because I mean, if you're a half inch off at 20, I don't know the exact math, but it's about 10 or 12 inches at a hundred. Yeah, and it's one click, you're one click off at 20, you're a foot to the right at at 100, and it's you really learn to dial your equipment in when you're shooting that far.

Zakk Plocica 33:45

Yeah, I I agree. Like, I have a little 3D range set up behind my house, and I to me, just shooting distance is just fun, anyways. Uh, but yeah, I mean, as soon as you start shooting out those greater distances and you go in close, you're like, it's impossible.

Jared McCoy 33:59

Yeah, you you go to 20, you start clanking arrows, you're like, all right, I'm not shooting the group.

Zakk Plocica 34:04

Yeah, I I agree, man. It makes everything that much easier. Uh, so I mean, did you guys have as far as like the design from the X Lite to the Next Lite series, what was the major problem that you guys were trying to solve? Or what was, I mean, what led to that that series?

Jared McCoy 34:20

Well, um, there were some some things going on there, but we uh we wanted a bow that looked lighter. We wanted a riser that was less reflex. Because if you look back at the X lights, that riser reflexes. I mean, you your pockets were up here, your grip was back there. So we wanted more of a straight up and down riser. We wanted a bow that looked lighter. You know, we had the X light, it was light, but it didn't look light. The next light looks light. When you look at that bow, it looks light. Um and then we just we wanted a more efficient cam. We wanted to get a tuning system in there, uh, just get all the tech up to where we wanted it was our main goal. And uh we did it, we got it where we wanted it.

Zakk Plocica 34:58

So yeah, I mean you can't argue with it. I mean one of the things, and it's kind of kind of interesting too when people pick up a bow, how light it is has a massive wow factor. So what do we got?

Jared McCoy 35:14

Put both hands out. Oh yeah.

Zakk Plocica 35:18

It's like not even it's not even there. So this is the aluminum material. Yep. This is magnite material. Yep. What even is magnite though?

Jared McCoy 35:29

So when I looked it up, it's like rare earth minerals or it is a metal nanos composite alloy that's ceramic nanoparticles and other rare earth metals.

Zakk Plocica 35:38

Rare earth metals, that's what I remember. So it's, I mean, it's significantly lighter than aluminum.

Jared McCoy 35:45

Yes.

Zakk Plocica 35:46

More durable, yes, as durable?

Jared McCoy 35:48

As durable, if not more.

Zakk Plocica 35:51

And as far as the machining process, is it the same process as aluminum?

The OnX Drop: Six Hidden Bows

Jared McCoy 35:55

Yeah, I mean it's an it's an extrude, it's an alloy, so we extrude it, and but yeah, no, I mean it machines machines the same.

Zakk Plocica 36:03

And there's as far as competing with carbon, it the reason it's set apart from carbon is it's at tech it's pretty much as light, but you said it's a stiffer material or more it's it's repeatable.

Jared McCoy 36:15

More repeatable, but your carbon is molded. Yep, so the tolerance is not as tight versus where that's machined, it's coming off that machine the same every time.

Zakk Plocica 36:26

So the consistency behind it is much greater.

Jared McCoy 36:29

Yeah, way greater. So and I I don't know if you watched, we did our uh Magnite Tuff campaign. We were in that we had a uh You guys froze one, didn't you guys? Oh, we froze one, we sunk one in a pond overnight. Um, we ran it over with a truck. We pulled a truck with it. They took a like a buggy, like a Polaris Ranger or whatever, put a chain through one end of the riser, put a chain through the other end of the riser, hooked it to an F-250, and drug the F-250 up the road, up a hill at that.

Zakk Plocica 36:56

Did you guys reassemble it and shoot it?

Jared McCoy 36:58

It never came apart. Never the string came off when it was frozen, when it defrosted, it had some you know more weight on one limb. Strung it up, shot it, tuned, fine. Um heated the riser up to a couple hundred degrees. Put the strings back on it, obviously. Put the strings on there, that heat transfer, it's gonna blow up. But uh put the strings back on it, shot it, no problems. Uh threw it in a pond overnight when they shot it. They didn't clean the mud out of the cam track, so it did derail, but put the string back on it, shot it. We had the bow at ATA sitting in a booth. It was shootable. Did the same thing with the next lights.

Zakk Plocica 37:34

So the durability side is there.

Jared McCoy 37:36

Oh, it's solid as rock, man.

Zakk Plocica 37:38

So as a bow hunter, I mean that's one thing I think that's a critical thing when you look at buying a bow as a bow hunter, right? If you invest all this money in a hunt, yeah, you gotta have that confidence in your equipment. And I mean, clearly you guys have put these bows through the ringer. Yeah, and the durability side is there's no question.

Jared McCoy 37:54

No, no, they're they're as strong as they come.

Zakk Plocica 37:56

Yeah, I mean, that's like I said, I think that's one of the more important things. And then the customer service side of things, right? So let's say something did happen. The customer service side from you guys has been, I would say, pretty exceptional. I mean, you guys have done a really good job as far as one answering the phones and being responsive because it's hard with some companies. Sure. Some are better than others. Uh, and then your lead times have been really good.

Jared McCoy 38:19

Yeah, no, we're we're we pride ourselves on that. You know, we try to be two to three weeks out at the longest, which is crazy.

Zakk Plocica 38:26

Um, because some, you know, some of the the lead times creep up, you know, six, ten weeks.

Regional Adoption And Brand Loyalty

Jared McCoy 38:32

Yeah. Now, I mean, you know, launch, everybody gets back. Well, that's to be expected. But you know, September, you order a bow, we'll we try to ship it that day because our bows are built to order.

Zakk Plocica 38:42

So, so you so the process, whenever somebody like for as a deal, like I place an order with you guys, if it's a custom build, you guys don't have pre-assembled, you guys assemble them and then ship them.

Jared McCoy 38:52

Yep, we build, we build to the order because I mean, yeah, how do you pre-build as much as customizable as we are? Right. Again, we pride ourselves on being able to do that with no upcharge. You know, we they go, they pull all the parts, put the bow together, and out the board goes.

Zakk Plocica 39:05

Do I mean what about the the QC portion for like I it's one thing I've always wondered about like manufacturing? Like when you guys do that, is it just the bows are built so often that is there an inspection process before they go out the door?

Jared McCoy 39:18

We have four boat builders. Oh wow. So uh each guy builds each bow from start to finish. So those guys know what they're looking at. You know, obviously we we've got a guy comes in and kind of checks it over, but the uh each guy building that bow from start to finish, that's putting their name on it. So I mean, like like getting back to you know, hunters building bows for hunters, and they're we're building each bow solely, like one guy. Yeah, so you don't get a bunch of misses going out. Um they all know what to look for, so we can keep our QC tip top.

Zakk Plocica 39:52

Good, yeah. I mean, every bow that we've had come through, I mean, has been phenomenal. I think there's been um, I don't think we've had a single warranty issue with an expedition that since we've had them.

Jared McCoy 40:03

Very few, I mean, even even me covering as many states as I am, I have very few.

Zakk Plocica 40:07

Yeah, I mean, the durability side has just been there, they've just been very reliable. I mean, there I can't think of one warranty that we've had to do since we've carried them, which is good. I mean, that's fantastic. I mean, quality control is clearly there, and the process that you guys have got going out is is working well. Sure. Um, but what about when these bows come to product? Like, whenever you guys were designing the next light first, the X light? Like, is there a series of rigorous tests that these bows got to go through in order to come to production?

Jared McCoy 40:33

Ah, I mean, yeah, like anything, they get cycle tested. You know, you build it out, you put it, you know, shoot it a couple thousand times, find a weak point, fix the weak point, and go. Uh, I'm not saying we had a weak point, but that you know, it's it that's bows manufacturing in general. I think every company is about the same on that. You know, you try to break it before you start selling it. Right.

New Grip Design And Torque Control

Zakk Plocica 40:54

Yeah. I and I that was one thing I I was always kind of worried about, or not worried about, curious about with these bows, especially moving to the new tuning systems. Like, what's the testing, like, what's the testing process like in order to get there? I mean, because as soon as you start integrating like some of these self-tuning systems, it changes, I would assume, the durability side of the bows, but we haven't seen that. All the the systems have been very robust, very durable, and especially this system.

Jared McCoy 41:22

Well, our system is no different than you know your regular standard shims. Yeah. The difference is instead of wrapping around the axle, they slide on from the back. Right. But it's the same material. I mean, you think about that, how many of those shims did you just have explode and pop off? Right. Very, very few.

Zakk Plocica 41:37

Yeah, none. Yeah, I I love the system.

Jared McCoy 41:40

That system's awesome.

Zakk Plocica 41:42

I mean, particularly like as a bow shop, right, right? Efficiency is everything.

Speaker 2 41:45

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 41:46

Because when you got so many bows going out the door a day, you've got to be able to. We put them all through paper, we tune them all, they've all got to be set up correctly. And whenever you can take it without having to press it, bust the axles out, pull the cam all the way out, put in new shim series, put it back together, shoot it just to realize that you need to do it.

Jared McCoy 42:03

That's it, and hope that you got it right.

Zakk Plocica 42:05

Yeah, it just makes it that simple. But with these, with that tuning system again, do you do has it been pretty much what you do the top, you do to the bottom?

Jared McCoy 42:14

Yeah, yeah. I mean, unless you've got something weird, but in all the ones that I've played with and all the dealers I've talked to, it's been pretty identical top and bottom.

Zakk Plocica 42:22

Yeah, that's what we've I think for what the the most part, that's pretty much all we've had is you know, everything we do, it works out really, really well. Very simple. Um I do like to pairing them with a Hamski rest.

Jared McCoy 42:36

The X lights? Yeah, or the next lights.

Zakk Plocica 42:38

Yeah, yeah.

Jared McCoy 42:40

I uh I have shot a cable driver forever.

Zakk Plocica 42:44

Have you?

Jared McCoy 42:45

And I just I don't know, taboo, I don't want to switch.

Zakk Plocica 42:49

No, yeah, no, I get that, man. I think that's why there's options. Yeah, I just really love the durability side that I've experienced with that style of statum-driven rest.

Jared McCoy 42:58

Your string breaks, you just you can fix it in a field. You can't press a bow without a press.

Zakk Plocica 43:03

No, yeah. And I don't care if you use the little clamp on the cable, which we don't. We typically with a cable-driven rest, we split the cable, tie it in. Um, I know some people use the little clamps, but I've never been a fan of it.

Jared McCoy 43:13

I don't, I don't, that's just more moving parts.

Zakk Plocica 43:16

Yeah, I agree. Uh, and it uh for it seems like it kind of wears the cable a little bit, depending on how much tight you clamp it down and whatnot. Yeah, I'd agree. I don't know, man. Um Expedition's doing a lot, man. I'm excited to see where they go um in the coming years, because you guys are still a fairly new brand, in my opinion.

Jared McCoy 43:36

Essentially, yeah. I I mean we're 10, 12 years old, but we comp when Mark bought the company and we started the Magnite, we we rebranded. Right. Um you know, new logo, new completely new staffing, and uh the company we just changed the direction the company was going on and changed the way we wanted it to go. Yeah. So I mean we live and die by Magnite. Um is that I mean

Zakk Plocica 44:00

I mean all bows, that is gonna be the material.

Real-World Builds And Sight Choices

Jared McCoy 44:02

So we I mean uh we have our $7.99 reflection that's aluminum, but uh when our main focus is the magnetic bow. Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 44:12

You guys don't have any um I notice one thing a lot of brands are doing is they've got they're introducing mid-price point bows. Yeah. Are you guys no the focus is the flagship bows? Yeah, I think because I look at it two ways when you start doing that. It's like almost kind of like you can water down a company, yeah, maybe take away from, but then I look at it, it's like, oh man, there's a there's a demand for it.

Jared McCoy 44:34

So I don't know what the right answer is, but you're you're chasing two markets there.

Zakk Plocica 44:39

It is two markets, and I'll tell you who dominates the mid-price point bow.

Jared McCoy 44:42

Bear. There's not a uh that crown is being worn for a while now.

Zakk Plocica 44:48

That's a tough one to beat, man. That's a tough one to beat. So as far as with the next light series, you guys have had a really good response. Are you guys constantly opening new dealers?

Jared McCoy 44:57

Yeah, yeah. I mean, uh, the reps are burning it up, we're burning it up. Uh that that's been the goal is to expand our dealer network. What's no go ahead? As much as we can.

Zakk Plocica 45:07

Uh yeah, and I like I said, I think that's I mean, the more bows you can get in the shop, the more people can test them, the more they can get a feel for them and understand what this expedition actually provides and the value that they provide. Because the other thing that we didn't touch on is the strings that come on these bows.

Jared McCoy 45:21

Oh, you're getting a $200 string set, which is insane.

Zakk Plocica 45:24

Yeah, I mean, the ABB strings that come on there, um, $200, $200. I mean, most bows come with, you know, stock strings, right? Stock strings, as we know, from most manufacturers aren't fantastic. You guys have got a string builder that's what they do putting those strings on from the get-go.

Jared McCoy 45:42

If you if you look at what we get what you get with our bow, the customization of the colors, you know, the the strings, the extra modules, you're we're giving if you if you were to buy that from competitive companies, competitor companies, you you'd be over $500 in accessories. We're just giving you.

Zakk Plocica 46:02

Oh yeah. So yeah, it's definitely the the value is there, I think. The performance there, clearly the durability is there. Um, it's just getting more people uh spreading the awareness and getting the bow in more people's hands, I think, is is the ultimate goal, and which really converts people. We could say all these great things, but man, until you shoot the bow, you just really don't understand what it's all about. And I think Expedition has done a fantastic job with this new series that they've come out with. And you get the best of both worlds, right? A 30-inch bow, a 33-inch bow. The customization options are off the charts, the lead times are fantastic on these, you know, two to three weeks. Get them however you want. You get your premium strings, all the accessories now uh and the accessories are fantastic. Uh, the big one that sticks out to me is the bow stand. Bow stands, awesome. Um, the coating on these, there's nothing that was skimped on on these bows, right? They look good, they perform well. Uh, it's just a good overall shooting experience. And I think the bows, too, are easy-to-shoot bows. And what I mean by that is it's a forgiving platform, right? It's got a really good draw cycle, it's got a great valley, great back wall, and they hold really well on target, particularly for me, the 33.

Jared McCoy 47:14

It aims extremely well.

Zakk Plocica 47:15

It aims extremely well. Um, you guys have really nailed it. And I'm hopeful that uh this is a good year, man, yeah, um, for the the next light series. Sure.

Jared McCoy 47:24

And and sub three three pounds or sub four pounds. Yeah, you can't forget 3.75 pounds on a 33 and 3.6 pounds on a 30.

Zakk Plocica 47:32

Yeah, which is pretty off off the charts, uh, in my opinion. And and I I get it. Not speed isn't everything, and a super light bow isn't everything. But the way the bows are designed, they are extremely light, but they hold extremely well. And the cool thing about a light bow, in my opinion, is you can add weight to where you want.

Jared McCoy 47:51

Whatever you want.

Long-Range Practice Benefits

Zakk Plocica 47:52

And that's what sets it apart. It's not just having a light bow, it's having a light bow that you can add weight to in specific spots to make the bow hold um and manipulate the bow easier.

Jared McCoy 48:02

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 48:03

So that's my thoughts on it. Maybe I'm wrong.

Jared McCoy 48:06

No, I agree with you. That's that's why I like it. I mean, because I've I stack my back bar, but I've noticed shooting these, I've been able to take a bunch of weight off of it because the bow just holds better for me.

Zakk Plocica 48:14

Yeah.

Jared McCoy 48:14

I mean, I was running six ounces on my 32, and I think I'm like two on the back. Oh, really? Yeah. I mean, it was it was a substantial cut.

Zakk Plocica 48:21

So you run a front and a back bar? Just a back bar. Just a back bar. Just a back bar.

Jared McCoy 48:25

Interesting.

Zakk Plocica 48:25

Okay.

Jared McCoy 48:26

That's what I have found works for me. The bow bow sits still, and that's that's all I'm chasing.

Zakk Plocica 48:31

Isn't it interesting how there's no absolute way to do this? Like there's so many options, and what works for one person might necess not necessarily work for another, but there's so many different ways to do this, and there's no wrong answer.

Jared McCoy 48:43

No, I mean that's that's what's wild. It's like Legos for growing men. You can build it out however you want, and constantly you can change and tweak and tinker and you know, find what works for you, and then you buy a new bow and you go through the whole process again. And normally it doesn't line up the same way the last one did.

Zakk Plocica 48:58

That's exactly right, man. And I think that's the fun thing about it, man. A hobby, I think um for most people it's good to have a hobby, and I firmly believe in investing in your hobby. Oh, yeah. I mean, I I do. I mean, not just the archery side of things. I mean, there's other stuff that I enjoy from the our camera media side of things to other stuff. It's easy to spend money, and I think uh personally a good hobby, man, is worth investing in. It just you know keeps you keep you busy, keeps you busy, lets you clear your mind, have something else to focus on, decompress, and enjoy. Uh, and archery is a great sport to get involved in. And like I said, there's so many different ways you can do this that there's no wrong way, unless you ask the internet or Facebook, and they'll tell you you're wrong.

Jared McCoy 49:38

Yeah, so you can get many opinions on Facebook.

Zakk Plocica 49:41

Uh, dude, it's almost kind of scary.

Jared McCoy 49:43

It's it's fun to watch. It is. It's fun to watch.

Zakk Plocica 49:46

I can only imagine from like the manufacturer perspective, right? Everyone's got their input, everyone's an engineer.

Jared McCoy 49:51

The stuff people come up with is is awesome. There's a better way to do that. Nobody has bad input. Nobody. Nobody has bad input.

Zakk Plocica 49:58

Nobody, man. Yeah, it's funny, man. What what tack events are you guys going to?

Next Light Design Goals

Jared McCoy 50:01

Um, I for sure we'll be in Texas, uh, PA. I think both Michigan events. Oh, gosh. And possibly Montana. Okay. And possibly Colorado. We're still working on ironing that out.

Zakk Plocica 50:12

Yeah, I think we're gonna do what'd I say? Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and PA. PA's the good one, dude.

Jared McCoy 50:20

PA's the shoot. I mean, it's the shoot.

Zakk Plocica 50:23

It it's great for events. I don't know that it's the shoot for the shooter, though, because there's so many people.

Jared McCoy 50:28

Well, that, yeah. But they run it, I think they added two or three more courses this year. Oh my goodness. They expanded the range. So don't hold me to two or three, but they added some courses to make more room. But oh, then dude. Vendor village-wise, there's not another vendor village.

Zakk Plocica 50:43

There is not a better one, man. Like if you go to a TAC event like PA is the one to go to specifically, they have so many courses. The courses are awesome. Yes, they get kind of congested, but you're there, hang out, chill, relax. What's the rush? What's the rush? Right. And then the Villa Vendor Village is absolutely insane because everybody is at this one. Yeah. And there's deals and you get to test everything. So if you don't have a local bow shop to you, you can go to this place, test everything you want, ask questions from the manufacturers and the dealers themselves. Um, it's a killer event. I think it's the best event for Archery personally.

Jared McCoy 51:17

I'd say so.

Zakk Plocica 51:18

Dude, it's gotta be. It brings all the bow hunters together.

Jared McCoy 51:20

Yeah, no, I mean you you you get 8,000 like-minded people there. I mean, that that come with a bow.

Zakk Plocica 51:26

Yep.

Jared McCoy 51:26

That know what they're doing, know enough to be dangerous. Yeah, that's right.

Zakk Plocica 51:30

That's right. Dude, uh, I didn't ask you though, backtracking. You guys went to ATA.

Jared McCoy 51:34

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 51:35

What was your thoughts on it for this year?

Jared McCoy 51:36

The consumer side was awesome.

Zakk Plocica 51:38

That's so that's what I heard from a couple different people.

Jared McCoy 51:41

So, you know, that's either going to be a sink or swim swim deal. They swam. It was awesome. I mean, we I don't know how many thousands of people they had. We're still waiting on numbers. But the Rushmore, and it wasn't all people shooting the Rushmore Rumble. I mean, we asked, you know, kind of did a poll, and you had you had some people there for the shoot. The shoot was huge. Really? Um, but there were people there that drove up from Tennessee, Kentucky, drove up just to come see the show.

Zakk Plocica 52:07

Dang. So there was that. I was worried that there wasn't going to be the response. So they must have marketed did a good job marketing it.

Jared McCoy 52:13

Well, you know, it's the first year it's ever been open to the public. Everybody wants to see what it was about. And uh, you know, I think the the vendors, I think there were a few more vendors this year than normal. Um it all in all, it was a good show. I mean, the dealers showed up. Um, I think a lot of the dealers came to see what the consumer side was gonna look like.

Zakk Plocica 52:32

I'm kicking myself for not going. I was it didn't line up how I needed to. I was in Kentucky, which is literally only a couple hours from where I needed to be, but I had to come back to North Carolina and it just wouldn't have made sense. And I'm kicking myself for not just committing um because I did hear that the response was pretty good from the consumer side. And I just wanted to be able to go and talk to all the manufacturers and see the people we know. Uh, but I think definitely we'll probably be there next year.

Jared McCoy 52:55

Yeah. And I and I mean just like the tax, you had, you know, you get into some consumer shows, they're not archery people, they're hunters, right? But they're not archery people. So you get here and there, but you have some very non-technical conversations about the post. Right. Everybody at the ATA consumer show was an archer, and you could go right into technical conversations. It was fun. We had a really, really good time and it stayed busy.

Zakk Plocica 53:18

Yeah, I think that's I mean, that's promising then.

Jared McCoy 53:21

Yeah, no, I um I agree.

Magnite Tough Tests And Durability

Zakk Plocica 53:23

Uh yeah, I'm hopeful that uh it sticks around. I was because I figured like this is gonna be the year. It's like, what direction is it gonna go? And you know, you don't ever want to see anything go away that's been around forever. Um, and if they can kind of reinvent themselves and get the turnout and the response is that good, I'm you know, I'm kind of excited to go next year um and check it out. We'll definitely be there. I'll I'll make sure everything lines up.

Jared McCoy 53:46

Indy's a good time.

Zakk Plocica 53:47

Oh, dude, no doubt.

Jared McCoy 53:48

India's a blast.

Zakk Plocica 53:49

No doubt.

Jared McCoy 53:50

I've I've done it in St. Louis. It was not fun, but Indy is a blast. It was not fun there? Oh, I was uh St. Louis is yeah. Not not your No, we went to a hockey game one night, and I mean you were standing outside the stadium listening to gunshots. That's a hard pass, man. Yeah, I was yeah, we were ready to go home. Hard pass, hard pass.

Zakk Plocica 54:09

So what else we got, man? What are we missing? We got the new Next Light series. There's a 30 and a 33. Expedition is doing a good job of starting to promote the brand. We're getting awareness out there. The bows are fantastic. You can tune them without um presses. They got all the latest features. I mean, what else is there?

Jared McCoy 54:25

Not much, man. Um, obviously get out, support your local bow shop, whether it be Zach if you're close here, or you know, find your local bow shop, make a relationship, and buy from there. Or, you know, at least shop there.

Speaker 2 54:38

Yeah.

Jared McCoy 54:38

Because these guys when your bow breaks, Amazon can't fix it. You gotta go to these guys. So without without your support supporting them, they you know, they hurt.

Zakk Plocica 54:50

Yeah.

Jared McCoy 54:51

And it's archery doesn't exist without the little little guy. That's right. That's who fixes your bow.

Zakk Plocica 54:57

That's it. And that's I mean, if you wanted to go anywhere and try anything, yeah, that's the place to go. You're not gonna be able to, you're not gonna be able to try it online and then return it. Um, so yeah, I would definitely agree, man. Support your local bow shop, it's critical. The archery shops are the backbone of the industry. Um, anything that's misunderstood about Expedition?

Jared McCoy 55:13

I don't no, I don't think so. I mean, you know, there we way back in the day, we had a little, you know, some issues, but it's a completely new, completely new company. You know, we we say that was Expedition, this is XA.

Zakk Plocica 55:25

Yeah, okay.

Jared McCoy 55:26

So, you know, it's magnite bows, customer service is second to none. I mean, you give us a call, you're gonna get, you know, Miss Liz or Nathan on the phone. Um, from the dealer side, you're gonna call us. We answer the phone. Um parts ship pretty quick. Yeah, you know, bows ship pretty quick. So that's we we we thrive on the customer service side of things.

Zakk Plocica 55:46

Yeah, we I can I can agree and I can attest for that. You guys have done a very good job taking care of us, um, and you know, answering any questions, provide value, and just being incredibly responsive, um, which makes it easy for us as a dealer to relay that information back to our customer. Sure. Right? When there's that downtime and we don't have an answer, it can be frustrating for the customer, but you guys are on it, man.

Jared McCoy 56:06

Yeah, man. So cool, dude.

Zakk Plocica 56:09

I appreciate you coming on, man. Um, and like I said, I hopefully looking forward to seeing you again at maybe some of the Total Archery events.

Jared McCoy 56:15

Yeah, man. Thanks for having me.

Zakk Plocica 56:16

Of course, man. I think it's important, man. You guys got a killer product, and it's uh it is pretty technical, and you've done a good job of explaining it what the difference are because Magnite is it's it's a name if you don't understand it.

Jared McCoy 56:26

No, 100%. And and that's that's our big push is the education on the material.

Lead Times, QC, And Build-To-Order

Zakk Plocica 56:32

That's it, man. I think it's important. And people, when people understand it, they can appreciate it. It creates more interest, they want to test it, and then they shoot it and they're like, uh, all right. Yeah, it's everything it says it is and more. Uh, and and you guys have done a good job, man. The next light series, building off the X Light series is absolutely fantastic. And uh, I'm hopeful that we're gonna have a good year with you guys. Sweet, man. So, Jared, again, I appreciate you, man. Um if you guys got questions, man, about any of the Expedition Bows, you can always reach us to out to us here at either the Archer Project, call my shop, the Extreme Outfitters. We'd be happy to help you out. If you want to shoot the bows, go see your local dealer. We stock them all here. Um, and if your dealer doesn't have them, encourage them to bring them in, man. Open the account, bring the bows in, give them a chance. I'm pretty sure um you will be excited for what you get. The customer service, like I said, is fantastic. The bow, the the quality of the equipment that you get is there. I mean, it's premium everything.

Jared McCoy 57:28

Yeah, it's we slouch on nothing.

Zakk Plocica 57:30

On literally nothing, man. Strings included.

Jared McCoy 57:34

Yeah.

Zakk Plocica 57:34

So that's it, guys. I appreciate you guys, everybody listening. Again, man, appreciate your time. Um, we got to get back to it. Got questions, got comments, drop them, let us know. And again, that's another episode of the Air Tree project. See you guys in the next episode.