Mathews Arc 30 Review – Nov 2025
Just when I thought Mathews couldn’t possibly top last year’s Lift X, they go and drop the Arc 30 and completely blow my mind. This bow is hands down the best compound bow I’ve ever shot, and I’ve owned a lot of flagship bows.
Draw cycle: I came off a 65 lb Lift X and the 70 lb Arc 30 (stock mods) pulls noticeably smoother and easier than the 65 lb Lift did. It’s actually so buttery that I’m seriously considering jumping to the 75 lb mods. Never thought I’d say that about a 30" axle-to-axle bow.
Speed & Quietness: Shooting a 452 grain arrow at a verified 299 fps and it is stupid quiet with zero hand shock. Dead in the hand doesn’t even do it justice it honestly feels like the arrow is just magically gone and the bow forgot it shot. Vibration is nonexistent.
Stability & String Angle: For a 30" bow the string angle is extremely shooter friendly. The limbs are noticeably more parallel at full draw than previous short Mathews bows, and that geometry translates to rock solid aiming and ridiculous forgiveness. I was stacking arrows and shooting dimes at 20 yards after maybe 10 minutes of minor sight tweaks.
Grip & Finish: The new Contour grip with the Bond insert is the most comfortable grip I’ve ever felt. Zero torque, perfect angle, and the Kodiak Brown colorway is straight fire, classy, and looks like a custom Cerakote job.
Bottom line: Mathews somehow made a 30" bow that shoots, feels, and holds like a 33–34" target rig while pushing legitimate hunting speeds and running library quiet. If you’re on the fence about short bows because of string angle or twitchy feel, go shoot the Arc 30. It will ruin every other bow for you.
10/10 best Mathews I’ve ever owned, and that’s saying something.
Kuddos to the entire Mathews machine.....from front office to the CEO and owner you folks have built something special. Congratulations!!