Gillo GT review

Is is good for barebow? By Andreas Phillipp

When the Gillo GT recurve riser was announced at the end of 2019, my eyes immediately wandered in the direction of my archery piggy bank. The risers from the Italian manufacturer are among the best equipment available for barebow archers. The Gillo G1 is has almost legendary status and is immensely widespread compared to other barebow risers. With my long arms, a new 27-inch handle had been on the shopping list for a long time.

But I am also spoiled for choice. After all, the Gillo GT now offers six colours to choose from. I chose gray. I like gray. It is also available in three different lengths: 25, 27 and for the very long-armed even 29 inches. There is a variant for Formula limbs too.

At some point I couldn't resist, the order went out, the piggy bank was lighter by around 600 euros, and the long wait began. After four months I finally had the new riser in my hands. Even when unpacking the Gillo GT makes a good impression. The riser comes in a sturdy bag and there is no lack of accessories: warranty card, instructions, clicker plate, four Allen keys for the many screws, and plenty of spare screws too. That's the way it should be, but you might expect a higher price for this.

The 1450 gram riser, is of high quality through and through, milled from an aluminium block and neatly machined. The colour coating is a dream, immaculately anodized and trimmed to a matt finish using sandblasting. It looks classy and pleasantly robust. After around two months in the field and on the course, I couldn't find any flaws. In addition to the gray I chose, the golden anodised click plate looks really classy, if you need it.

The grip was actually a pleasant experience for me. Previously I have usually quickly switched to a custom handle (mostly from Jäger Archery in the USA or recently also R-core in Greece). But the medium grip of the Gillo GT was immediately wonderful to hold. And it also looks good thanks to its hardwood and chic grain; the orange-gray of the handle goes perfectly with the gray mattfinish coating.

What immediately catches the eye are the limb pockets. While the limb pockets of other middle parts are firmly mounted, with the GT the entire pocket is tilted when the tiller is adjusted – so the limbs always have the same position in the pockets. In addition, this mechanism allows significantly more leeway when setting the tiller, and allows the draw force of the limbs to be adjusted up or down by up to 15 percent. I could easily reduce my 30lb Uukhas to about 26 pounds or up to 34 pounds. Whether and what effects these quite extreme changes have on the longevity