Speed bows usually trade manners and forgiveness for velocity. The all new PSE Sicario compound bow posts a 357 fps IBO with a 5.25-inch brace height, yet it tunes quickly and groups like a target bow. I set it up in August, verified sight tapes to 100 yards, and then took it straight into antelope and elk country.
On paper, it’s a rocket. In the woods or on the range, it performs. That combination, real speed and real control, made the difference from the chronograph to shots on game.
What’s New on the PSE Sicario
PSE designed the Sicario to be a true speed platform that you can actually live with through a season.
- FDS Cam System: Adjustable modules at 70, 75, 80, or 85% let-off allow you set the right hold weight for the job. The draw starts stiff at heavy poundage, then glides through the roll to a solid wall.
- Dead Frequency Carbon Riser: Non-conductive carbon is perfect on cold mornings, and built to kill post-shot buzz so you can stay in the sequence and call arrows.
- Full Draw Stability: Geometry plus oversized 5/8-inch cam bearings are there to calm the pin picture. It feels like a target-inspired hold in a hunt-capable frame. The FDS cam is a game-changer.
- Mountain-minded Mass: 3.9 pounds bare keeps the carry honest. Fully set up with my sight, rest, 4-arrow quiver, stabilizers, and a stand, my as-tested field weight was 7.64 pounds, which still came up quick and balanced clean.
PSE Sicario: Specs (Factory)
IBO Speed: 357 fps
Axle-to-Axle: 33 inches
Brace Height: 5.25 inches
Mass Weight (bare): 3.9 pounds
Cam System: FDS Cam System (adjustable modules)
Let-off: 70, 75, 80, 85%
Draw Lengths: 24.5–30 inches
Draw Weights: 60, 70, 80 pounds
Riser: Dead Frequency Carbon
MSRP: $2,099
Setup and Tuning
I don’t fight bows before the season. I brought the Sicario straight to Beau Thiry at No Limits Archery in Denver, because Beau has tuned more of my rigs than anyone and he’s ruthless about results. We set the bow at 26.5 inches and 80 pounds.
The paper was clean in short order. Nothing weird. No mystery tears. We confirmed center shot, leveled everything, tied in the peep, checked cam timing, and then moved directly to the chrono and distance.
The surprise was how “normal” the process felt for a short-brace speed bow. In the past, that spec sheet meant a longer road, shims, micro-rest nudges, and sessions where you earn every clean tear.
With the Sicario and PSE’s EZ.220 Snap Spacer System, tuning was straightforward. If you’ve sworn off speed bows because setup always felt like penance, this one will recalibrate your expectations.
On the Chronograph
With a 420-grain hunting arrow, the PSE Sicario averaged 305 fps at 26.5 inches / 80 pounds out of the bow and boasted speeds of 281 fps at 70 yards, and a whopping 371 fps at 100 yards.
Last year’s bow, same draw length and arrow, ran 285 fps out of the bow. That 20 fps gain tightened pin gaps, flattened my tape, and added meaningful on-target authority.
Quick math puts the setup at roughly 86.8 foot-pounds of kinetic energy and 0.57 slug-ft/s of momentum, plenty for Western work with room for heavier arrows if your broadhead of choice likes more mass up front.
Range Manners
The spec sheet made me cautious: 5.25-inch brace height and a speed-class IBO can expose sloppy form and I’m no Levi Morgan. The first surprise was the draw cycle.
At 80 pounds, the front half is firm, no pretending otherwise, but once you get it moving, the cam glides to the back wall without a hitch. The valley is workable without feeling lazy. The back wall is solid.
Post-shot, the riser feels dead; the Dead Frequency build snuffs out the leftover hum that used to be part of the speed-bow tax.
Where it really separated itself was fatigue. When I started to tire and the bow arm dipped, exactly where a short-brace rig usually punishes you, the Sicario gave feedback without flinging arrows off the target.
I could feel the mistake, correct it, and keep groups in the window. That’s rare in this category and a big reason I trusted it in the field.
Busted at the Range
Sneaking a not-yet-released bow onto a public range is always a risk. I needed perfect sight tapes for elk season, so I verified out to 100 yards.
Another PSE shooter watched a couple of volleys and said, “Dude, what bow is that? There’s hardly any arch at 100.”
Busted. I walked him through the new cams and handed the bow over, set at 81 pounds. His reaction matched mine, surprised at the hold, surprised at the way it rolled into the back wall, and skeptical of the poundage.
This bow draws so well, you have to see the poundage on the scale to believe it.
PSE Sicario Field Use: Public-Land Antelope
My first tag of the season was an over-the-counter archery antelope hunt. Public land, heat, and blown stalks. Late in the day, a buck bedded where a crawl would work, and I slid to what I guessed was 35 yards.
No time to range. From my knees, I floated my 30 and 40 on hair, pulled through, and watched the buck go down in sight.
It was the first time on that hunt that a short-brace speed bow felt like a helper, not a liability. The flatter tape mattered, but the settled hold and clean post-shot feel mattered more. I walked up to my buck, a little annoyed with only one other archery tag on the calendar. I wanted more days with this bow.
Field Use: Elk in the Steep Stuff
Elk season was the proving ground. I carried the PSE Sicario up and down steep canyons, across ridge tops, in rain and hail, through deadfall, and knocked it over more times than I can count, holding out for a mature bull. This was the type of hunt that drives a man to carelessness.
I was so fixated on finding and killing a giant bull that personal and gear recovery was minimal. Everything I owned was abused in the pursuit of the mission, including the PSE Sicario.
Carry and Weather
The 30-degree mornings didn’t bite through the riser. Afternoon winds didn’t rattle it. In brush and rock, the finish scuffed like any mountain bow, but the tune never changed.
Abuse Tolerance
It bumped rock, snagged on aspen, got dropped when taking my pack off, and took a couple of honest tailgate dings. I shot my small camp target at 60 yards with a sacrificial broadhead; there was no change. The Sicaro took it all and kept going.
At Full Draw
Sidehills and bad footing are where short brace height can get ugly. The PSE Sicario settled fast, let me see the bubble, and didn’t yank the pin around when I was breathing hard.
Moment of Truth
When I finally had a mature bull elk read the script on the very last night of the season. I rose to my knees, settled my pin, and let an arrow fly.
No doubt I killed the bull, but his final resting place was on private property and the outfitter who leases the land ultimately denied me access to recover my animal.
PSE Sicario: Grip and Setup Notes
The grip is intentionally minimal, which suits my hand. If a bow ships with a bulky rubber grip, I usually pull it and add a thin strip of grip tape to the back face.
On the Sicario, that one strip locks repeatable pressure without adding bulk and pairs well with the way the bow settles at full draw. If you’re a torque-sensitive shooter, this minimal profile helps you find the same spot every time.
Tuning, Arrows, and Practical Numbers
If you want the most out of a 357-class platform, you have to choose where to cash in your speed. My 420-grain hunting arrow at 305 fps gave me the balance I like: flatter than last year’s setup, enough KE and momentum for broadheads I trust, and a sight tape that lets me hold bottom pin with confidence further than I could before.
Heavier arrows will tame any leftover whip in a short-brace bow and make noise even less of a conversation; lighter arrows will push your tape flatter but can make the shot feel sharper.
The PSE Sicario let me split that difference and still feel like a hunting bow when wind and unknown ranges are the norm.
Who the PSE Sicario Fits Best
Need for speed shooters who gave up on twitchy, short-brace rigs, insert meme of Leonardo DiCaprio from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood pointing at the TV, saying, 'Here I come.' This bow is it.
This bow will fit Western spot-and-stalk shooters who value tight pin gaps and more forgiveness in ranging errors, and short-draw archers who want meaningful, real-world speed at hunting arrow weights.
It's also just right for treestand whitetail hunters who want a quiet, balanced hold and a bow that doesn’t punish the last sit of the season when temps are frigid.
PSE Sicario: Pros and Cons
Pros
- Real 357-class speed
- tunes fast
- carbon riser feels dead at the shot
- adjustable let-off
- 33-inch ATA makes it super steady at full draw
- carries light and non-conductive carbon great for long days hand holding your bow.
Cons
- Short brace height still demands focus when you’re tired
- 80-pound limbs aren’t for everyone, luckily, they make them in lower poundages
- The $2,099 price tag is steep, but still coming in competitively priced with other carbon bows on the market
The PSE Sicario is a true speed bow that behaves. It tunes quickly, carries easily, and just flat shoots. My as-tested rig, 26.5 inches, 80 pounds, 420 grains at 305 fps, 7.64-pound field weight, made the jump from paper to animals without the usual speed-bow tax.
If you’ve written off short-brace rigs as unforgiving, this one belongs on your shortlist for a real test.
PSE Sicario: Specs as Tested
Field Weight: 7.64 pounds (sight, rest, 4-arrow quiver, stabilizers, stand)
Draw Length / Weight: 26.5 inches, 80 pounds
Measured Speed: 305 fps
Arrow: 420-grain Easton 4MM X10 Paralell Pro
Accessories
Sight: HHA NYTRX PRO
Broadhead: Evolution Outdoors Hyde 125gr
Rest: Hamskea Epsilon V2
Quiver: Sky Line Pro Cutter Stabilizers
Stabilizers Front: Cutter Stabilizers Altitude Pro 12-Inch; Back: Cutter Stabilizers Elevate Pro 8-inch
Stand: Cutter Stabilizers Versa Stand
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