Bow Package Contents
Contents
If you order the SAS Siege you will get it set to 55 lbs in a right-hand version (it is not available in a version for lefties). The manufacturer is called Man Kung and is based in Taiwan. Overseas? Yep. But concerning the very affordable price you should expect some compromises that you have to take. Man Kung has been in business for a very long time and is manufacturing all kinds of parts for the models of the well known big brands, so as long as those have their quality control in place you should be good to go.
Along with the SAS Siege comes an adjustable 3-pin sight which is, of course, not very good. It is made of plastic and is kinda flimsy, meaning that it can move out of place while shooting which leads to not so good results from time to time. You can counter-attack this by really tightening it a lot, or you can simply get a better sight (maybe something like a a 5-pin fiber optic).
The arrow rest is a cheaply made plastic thing as well. One big negative here is that the rest will rip the fletchings off of your arrows. You can get arrows with feathers as these will be flexible enough to bend around the rest while shooting (instead of plastic vanes) but even those may get ripped off to a certain degree. I would recommend you getting a better arrow rest anyway, as this part is one of the most critical when it comes to getting good results (hitting target, getting tight groups). A Whisker Biscuit will serve you well for years to come.
The SAS Siege is available in three finishes: Black, Silver / Black, Autumn Camo. I like Black and Autumn Camo the most, but that is only my personal taste. The finishes make a good impression as does the whole bare compound.
You also get some paper targets along with this model and a three year warranty from Southland Archery Supply (SAS) who sells this model in the USA. It covers replacement / repair of defective / damaged products only. So dry-firing or handling it inappropriately is surely not covered!
That is all that comes with the SAS Siege. And I am really glad that there is not more cheap junk that you need to switch out after buying, which means more fun tuning it in my opinion. And to be able to do this there are a lot of pre-drilled holes available. You can add a stabilizer, bow mounted quiver, peep sight and D-loop without problems.
This model can be finger-shot as well – even instinctively (without peep sight or fiber optic in place), which makes it not only great for beginners but also for archers that already have a recurve and want to try a compound. The transition will be very smooth for those guys and girls.
The manufacturer of the SAS Siege recommends 30″ long arrows. That means you can use carbons and aluminum ones without any problem. Just make sure that they fit the poundage of the compound and its draw length (which is 29″ in this case, so longer arrows are okay, shorter ones won’t work). I would not use fiberglass arrows as those may break or splinter and end up in your hand due to the force of the compound. They also break easier than carbons or aluminum arrows when missing the target and hitting hard objects. Wanna learn more about arrows? Then read this => Choosing The Right Arrows For A Compound Bow.
There is no nock, peep sight or D-loop on the string. So you will need to go to a bow shop to get those (or you can do it yourself if you have enough knowledge). When you choose the finger-shooting route you need a nock point, when shooting with a release aid you need a D-loop installed. A peep sight is not easy to serve in and it needs to be adjusted to the shooter, so in case you have no idea or this is your first compound just go to a professional shop and have it set up for you there. You won’t regret it. And read my beginner’s guide to learn more about the topic here => Beginner’s Guide To Compound Bows.
One big let-down is that there are no useful instructions included. You have to set up a few parts yourself and for a beginner this might be just too much. And why should you spend hours in front of the PC to dig those things out as they should have been explained in an appropriate manual in the first place.
Follow this link to find a digital manual provided by SAS => Manual
Additionally I have the following tips for you:
Cable guard: There is a slot to screw the guard into the riser (a few people had problems because the pre-drilled hole did not line up correctly) beneath the grip (big hole). The screw to do this is pretty tiny. Actually it is so tiny that it can be overlooked easily. You tighten it with one of the included allen wrenches (the smallest one) until it won’t stick out of the bow anymore. The slide goes between the cable and guard.
3-pin sight: The sight needs to be attached where the two little treaded holes are right above two big sloted ones (a quiver will be mounted here as well). The long open slots of the sight need to go away from the bow.
Arrow Rest: A bit above the grip is a bigger hole which is meant for the arrow rest.
This is all you have to install for yourself. In case this is your first compound ever and you are in doubt I would recommend you go to a professional shop. they can set it up for a small fee for you including adjusting the draw weight, serving in a peep sight, installing a D-loop and getting the right arrows for you.
Noise Level / Handshock Of The SAS Siege Compound Bow
To be honest the SAS Siege has a certain sound when shot and some vibrations. You will feel a hand shock as it has more kick than the modern available models. On the other hand that gives it a certain character that you may or may not like.
For getting the vibrations and the recoil down you will need a big stabilizer (get one around 24 ounces or two of them that add up to this weight). This will get the hand shock out of this model. It will also give more balance and make the shooting process more comfortable overall.
You can also add a string silencer to bring down the vibrations even more.
Bow Specifics / Limbs / Riser / Grip / String
For a compound around 100 bucks it looks pretty sturdy and well made and if you did not know that it is manufactured in Taiwan you would never believe that, as it looks and feels like a lot of the higher priced models out there.
Its net weight (without accessories) is 4 pounds which makes it a rather light model for an adult (which is good for hunting, by the way). It has durable looking solid limbs (ABS compressed) that are held in position by back pivoting limb pockets which should not give much tolerance and thus are good for accuracy while shooting.
The aluminum riser of the Siege looks pretty smooth and has a curb appeal. There are a lot of pre-drilled holes to be found where you can add all kinds of accessories to make it even more accurate. The cut outs look like those of the other SAS models which are referred to by the manufacturer / seller as a ‘waffled look’. The grip feels quite comfortable.
A twin cam system makes the draw-cycle rather smooth and works like a charm. The cams look very sturdy and durable as well.
The axle to axle length (ATA) is 41.5“ which is a very good length for an adult compound.
As with every bow you should wax the string and cables before shooting it the first time and then regularly to prevent it from wear. Apart from that the string does look exactly like the strings of the other available models. The only thing that stands out is that it is kinda old school. That means the SAS Siege has one of the old tear drop attachment points (see image) which has two grooves for slipping on a string. This does not affect its performance! You only have to care that the old string is in place when it gets strung with a new one. That’s all.
Draw Cycle / Shootability
The cam system makes the Siege rather smooth to pull and after getting better accessories (arrow rest, sight, arrows etc.) and sighting it in you will have a very accurate compound that shoots well consistently. Like I wrote above already it can also be finger-shot and it can be shot instinctively as well.
Its wide let-off (70%) makes it forgiving and thus very good for archers just starting out as they can concentrate on proper form and aiming instead of pulling back the string and holding it there. A let-off of 70 % means that after the cams activate at the peak of the draw force curve you will be holding only 16.5 pounds if the SAS Siege is set to 55 pounds.
The draw weight ranges from 40-55 lbs and can be adjusted with the bolts on the limbs. Loosening the bolts decreases, tightening increases it. You should never ever make more than three full turns! Additionally the limbs need to be adjusted evenly. So when in doubt, re-tighten the bolts and start over again. One full turn adjusts the poundage 5 pounds up or down.
The draw length is set to 29″. I also found a statement of a customer that has a 30″ draw length who could use the SAS Siege as well. So there seems to be some room if you draw more than the given 29 inches (If you want to learn how to measure your draw length read my guide here => How To Determine Your Draw Length). It is nowhere stated that the draw length is adjustable, but I found a post of a customer who said he thinks that it should work as the modules have three notches (means three different draw lengths) so he bought a bow press and was able to adjust the draw length accordingly. As I don’t know if that affects the warranty and as no one (Man Kung / Southland Archery Supply) mentions that the draw length is adjustable I would take that with a grain of salt, though.
All in all this model seems to be very well suited for beginners and even intermediate or seasoned archers who want to get an additional compound or who want to save some bucks.
Shooting Speed Of The SAS Siege Compound Bow
The manufacturer states a shooting speed of 206 fps for this model. As no one mentions that if that was measured after the IBO speed rating I assume it was not measured that way.
Proper For Hunting / Kinetic Energy (KE)
Given the speed of 206 fps – which is not that much – I would not use this compound for hunting large game. Just look at Easton’s Field Chart to see what they recommend for going after the different types of game animals. If you want to learn more about Kinetic Energy feel free to read our guide here => Kinetic Energy For Hunting
It should be good for small and medium game, though. And don’t get me wrong: You probably can kill a deer with the SAS Siege (set to 50 lbs or more ) but only if you hit it where it matters most (vital organs). But to be able to do this you need to shoot very well. So learn it first, then go hunting! As 206 fps is not that much and Kinetic Energy depends on speed and arrow weight expect it not to be that high – in this case (206 fps at a draw weight of 55 lbs, 425 grain arrow) it is 40 KE. If you lower the poundage it will decrease, if the distance gets bigger it will decrease, if the field conditions are bad it will decrease. So better think twice before shooting at game that requires higher Kinetic Energy compounds.
Proper For Bowfishing
As there are a lot of pre-drilled holes it should be no problem to attach a bowfishing reel to the SAS Siege. And with its speed of 206 fps it should be doing really well if you want to bowfish with it.
Pricing
The price point of this model is just unbeatable. For under 100 bucks you will get a full sized adult entry-level compound bow that is well made and – certain accessories provided – will shoot as accurate as higher priced models (for example the Diamond Infinite Edge Pro, the Bear Archery Cruzer or the Apollo Tactical). It has enough speed and power to hunt small or medium game as it is a good choice for recreational shooting or target practicing. All you need is to invest an additional small amount into better accessories. After doing so, this model rocks!
Pros & Cons
Pros
– very affordable beginner to intermediate compound
– shoots very accurately after some upgrades
– poundage is adjustable
Cons
– no set up instructions
– cheap acessories
Summary
The SAS Siege is one hell of a starter compound bow if you buy some additional accessories. Usually with compounds in this price range the bows are of great quality but the accessories that come along with them suck. With the right components this model shoots as accurate as models that cost three to four times as much. So in case you are not sure if you still will like shooting it in a month or two this model is just great for testing the waters. And even if you like archery as much as I do the SAS Siege will serve you well for years to come as the bare compound is of great quality and comparable to actual models of the big brands.
Coming back to the Arrow TV-show from the first paragraph: With the SAS Siege you definitely won’t fail your city – promised!
Thanks for reading and shoot straight!
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