PSE Sicario Review: The Best Speed Bow We’ve Tested

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We recently tested seven flagship bows from the top compound bow manufacturers. Most of the bows we shot this year were like a luxury sedan, comfortable and packed with features. The Sicario was the lone sports car in the group. It’s bow that’s made for speed.

But, it’s not just an ordinary speed bow. It changed our long-held belief that speed bows are no fun to shoot. It has a comfortable draw, a surprisingly nice valley, and very little vibration. Here are our thoughts on the PSE Sicario after testing it head to head with the best compound bows released this year.

Force Distribution System Cam

The Sicario is a speed bow that doesn’t have the aggressive draw of a speed bow. A big reason for that is the new FDS cam. PSE says the FDS cam is easy to draw because they put the peak draw weight at your strongest position in the draw cycle.

Dead Frequency Carbon Fiber

The Sicario is made from PSE’s proprietary Dead Frequency Carbon Fiber, which is designed to be quiet, light, and vibration free. It works as advertised and is a big reason why PSE has won so many Outdoor Life Editor’s Choice awards. A bonus is that the PSE carbon riser is made in the USA and they’re even made by hand.

Full Draw Stability

A bow with a larger brace height is going to be easier to shoot accurately because the arrow is attached to the string for less time and it reduces torque. But it comes at the cost of speed because the power stroke is shorter. PSE’s Full Draw Stability is a way to get some accuracy benefits of a longer brace height without sacrificing speed.

The Full Draw Stability works through a little bit of black magic, but essentially the way the bow’s limbs flex and cams roll over increases the bow’s dynamic brace height. Dynamic brace height is different from the bow’s actual brace height — distance between the deepest part of the grip to the string at rest. If you draw an imaginary line between the cams at full draw and measured from that line to the deepest part of the grip, you have your dynamic brace height.

EZ.220 Tuning System

PSE’s EZ.220 tuning system allows you to shim the cams without removing the axle and dealing with E-clips. It uses spacers of different sizes to fine tune cam lean. You can purchase the EZ.220 tool and spacers for $60.

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Testing the PSE Sicario

The Sicario did not disappoint when we shot it over the chronograph. It clocked in at 305 fps at 60 pounds and 29.5-inch draw, shooting a 389-grain arrow. That’s 20 fps faster than the next closest bow in this year’s bow test. That means you don’t have to shoot a high draw weight or have a giant’s wing span to shoot a hunting arrow over 300 fps. It also means you can shoot a heavy arrow in the 280 fps range.

Read Next: Everything Bowhunters Need to Know About Arrow Speed

The speed is impressive, but what’s most impressive is that unlike most speed bows, this one is comfortable to draw and shoot.

The Sicario gradually increases in draw weight and hits peak weight after you pull it for about 6 inches. The weight then evens out and it has a smooth transition into the valley. The draw feels stiffer than other bows we shot this year, but its still a smooth draw without any harsh peaks to pull past. At full draw, you’re treated to a forgiving valley and you can keep the stops pinned without breaking a sweat.

We accuracy tested the Sicario at 50 yards. Three different archers shot a total of 45 arrows through the bow and it averaged a 4.04-inch, 5-shot group. That’s a respectable group size, but it was among the larger group averages in the 2026 bow test. Even with PSE’s Full Draw Stability, the Sicario’s 5.25-inch brace height makes it less forgiving than other bows.

Other aspects of the Sicario we liked are its excellent grip, low vibration, and superb craftsmanship.

Final Thoughts

Speed isn’t everything, but it certainly can help. A flatter trajectory means greater forgiveness when that bull is 50 yards away and then takes a step — forcing you to guess if he’s now 55 or 52 yards away. If you want to shoot Total Archery Challenge events where targets exceed 100 yards, 20 extra feet per second will come in handy. The Sicario is especially helpful for anyone who is shooting a lower draw weight or shorter draw length.