Zniper Zextant Plunger Button Review | Micro Adjustable Center Shot for Ultimate Precision

[@caidhh]

I was super excited to get this plunger about a year ago due to the adjustability and immediately noticed how soft the aluminum was. It felt very scratchy going in to the riser, and when tightening it with the tool mine deformed right away. I tried to remove it to make some adjustments, but because the hole was deformed the tool slipped and the entire front part of the plunger actually snapped off of the threaded tube that the plunger tip sits in. Not only was the $130 plunger I just bought broken, but the threaded part of it was now stuck in my $450 Hoyt Arcos riser. I was pretty bummed ofc, but I figured it would be relatively easy to remove the threaded piece with some pliers. What followed was several days of trying to unscrew the broken plunger with various methods, including cutting a notch into the back of it so I could twist it out with a flathead, but ultimately what worked was running a bolt extractor through the back of it. I ended up ordering the Beiter plunger but when I got it I couldn’t screw it in because removing the Zniper had completely messed up the threads on my riser. In a last ditch attempt to fix my very expensive mistake, I brought it to a shop where a guy ran a thread tap through the riser and the plunger fit no problem. I’ve had no issues with the Beiter since, and the Zniper definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. It actually gets worse, because when I tried sending it back to Lancaster, it somehow fell out of a sealed package so they received an empty box and told me to file a claim with USPS. The process took months and they never found the pieces and to this day I never got the refund. Oh, Zniper is a German company too so good luck reaching out to customer support. The Zniper zextant was definitely the worst experience I’ve had with a product hands down. The idea of the plunger is fantastic, but poor build quality and weak materials made for one of the most miserable experiences I’ve had with any product. Just get a Beiter

[@staglite]

I have this plunger. I've been using it for a year. The issue point out by Jake regarding the softness of the metal to me is a huge issue. Unlike Jake I don't overly tighten my plunger yet I've managed to deform the hole. Jake's question about the wear of the stem is that I definitely see wear. More wear than I noticed with my Bieter plunger. I didn't even know about the shims. Will have to look into that in upcoming tuning sessions. Despite it's issues the over all design I think is better than most plunger available in the present market place. I will continue to use it and hope that some of the things both Jake and I see will be addressed in upcoming versions.

[@ryanbon]

Shot this for a 4-6 months or so, started seeing my impacts downrange slowly shifting right. Thought it was something form related because I wasn't able to tell at first... but it was due to the pin wearing out. At about the 4 month mark I started seeing a depression in the pin starting to form. I shot it for another two months or so as I shopped around, ordered a new AAE Micro Gold Plunger and replaced it. By the time I took it off after about 6 months the pin was completely deformed, mm's missing and it was concave. Absolutely no damage whatsoever to my arrows though... and the replacement pins are readily available and super cheap. Build quality, features, ease of use and aesthetics were great... overall I would recommend the plunger, just gotta stay on top of your pin to ensure you replace it before it starts to impact your tune... perhaps on a schedule. I also heard rumors that Zniper has since addressed this issue but nothing I have been able to confirm for sure.

[@nicossyn6053]

Zextant better than Beiter or not? I choose between this plungers. Which is better?

[@MiChAeLoKGB]

I have it and like it, but I bought it for my first ever bow and I was tightening it a bit too much and managed to enlarge the tightening hole. It still works just fine, but guys/gals, do not put a lot of pressure in there, since its soft aluminium and the rod is steel. // Edit: I commented with the video paused, since I was watching something else live and didn't notice it was basically the first thing you also mentioned. I wish they had a better system or at least used steel there.

[@juancarlossegadecanosa67]

Thank you for the review, I didn't expect the problem with the locking nut and tool.

[@ramioopgotoguy9642]

i use this, i like it a lot, after 8 months of shooting everyday i had to change the spring and clean it from the inside also i added small amount of machine oil now its very smooth

[@GerritKoornneef]

i have shot my Zextant for a year. the stem was wearing down unevenly (probably do to not perfect alignment with my Zniper) and i did not notice causing my arrows to kick off in wild directions. i really like the plunger but mine has also started to oval in the tightening hole.

[@raynicholl4446]

Hi jake,using the tool you put the end that has the angle in the hole in the ring and use the straight length as a lever,works great and no damage

[@jandieryck1617]

I schoot for a year with the Zextant. A few months back I saw that the pin was wearing out uneven. I contacted Zniper Archery. They have changed the material they use for the pins. The new ons are made of ‘PEEK’ and would last a lot longer. An d the really do. The system to tightening is indeed the weakest point on the Zextant. I was lucky enough to get aware of that, and I use a special pare of pliers with plastic protection. I do have also the Beiter plunger. Performance wise I get the same from both. The Zniper is a lot easier to setup. You can test easily more little changes in center-shot to get the most forgiving setup.

[@wazz566]

Thanks for the review-- plungers are tough to review unless they are really good or really bad since a lot of it is personal preference, but this was relevant. Would be interested in your review/comments on the Wifler plunger which uses magnets rather than springs to provide tension.. I see some pros using them but have heard no reviews by those who would be critical and knowledgeable.

[@digitaldogs233]

I guess this might be hard to explain in text, new archer so never seen these, what do they actually do?

[@wazz566]

@@digitaldogs233 These plungers use a magnet in the end of the plunger stem towards the unit and another magnet of the same polarity in the unit-- as the unit magnet get screwed down toward the one on the stem the repulsion forces increase - creating tension on the plunger stem. It is a very smooth action and very tunable- but it would be interesting to seem a comparison from someone who really knows plungers..

[@digitaldogs233]

@@wazz566 Oh ok cool, thanks for the reply. I'm really enjoying archery and yes I'm blowing my own trumpet but pretty good at it, my first ever hobby to do with things that project something without the need for fire I.e gun powerder was sling shot, got a really nice one, cost me abit but you get what you pay for mostly, got really good at that, so next best thing because i live in uk was archery, and I'm having a blast, joining my local archery club and you never know, could get to competition standard, I'm already hitting a nice tight bunch, but tbh i have done this before years ago, just used a different kind of bow back then, think it was a called a bone bow, not 100% on that but pretty sure that was what i was using. But yer I'm now trying to soak in as much knowledge as i can, been shooting today and used a couple techniques he mentioned in another video, i used to tend to lean forward abit, and thus my stance wasn't stable, tried shooting with a straight back and made a huge difference in my shots, was kind of surprised such a simple adjustment made a huge difference..

[@mick-d101]

Have been using for approx. 18 months. When the plunger arrived it was missing the locking grub screw on the knurled locking ring. But being relatively new to bare bow recurve I did not know if this was essential. I tightening the locking ring to the body which has seemed to work fine until I found it becoming loose and the whole plunger moving during shooting. To obtain the grub screw Zniper informed me that I would have to purchase a “kit” that shipped would cost approx.40% of the value of the plunger, which I find unacceptable for a QA issue.

[@Redsnake7819]

I have used the Zextant for more than 2 years..... I love the ease of adjustment for tuning without removing it from the riser. Lately, I have found the tip degrading faster than expected. I has also started making squeaky sound as I draw my bow due to arrow dragging on the tip of plunger. Might switch to the white button stick to see difference. I do not like the tightening mechanism and I am careful not to overtighten it. Tightening holes on both sides with a clip wrench would have made the pressure even and avoid damage due to overtightening. Overall, I find it consistent and well made.

[@kurap1kaa]

We had one in our club with it too, and you could see the tip getting a curve really fast. And since at some level a quarter mm offset can change the grouping this was a reason to stop using it. Zniper sent him quite some replacements but they also degraded quickly :( So it was back to Beiter, which isn't as comfortable to tune, but tested and proven.

[@texdoms]

What do you think about plungers that have metal button as opposed to plastic. It’s been great for me but I’m wondering how bad is it for the arrows?

[@timh9246]

I've used the Zextant for many months. It doesn't wear carbon arrows, the plunger tip wears quite quickly, but is cheap to replace, so replacing it regularly is not an issue. As Jake and others commented, the ease of damage when tightening to the riser is a weakness, however that part is not too expensive to replace. I think it should be more robust though. The Sniper is still my favourite out of it, the Beiter and the AAE Gold Micro. My Beiter wears arrows rather than plunger tips, and the AAE micro adjust mechanism failed after less than a year of use.

[@bentasker-mills421]

This might be a stupid question but do you need an allen key in order to adjust the spring tension, been looking at a few plungers and needing tools for spring tension adjustment is a bit of a dealbreaker for me.

[@timh9246]

@@bentasker-mills421 No, an allen key isn't needed, as long as the Allen screw that locks the spring tension adjustment knob is left untightened. The adjustment knob has a tiny spring and ball bearing mechanism with detents that allow for tool free adjustment, which keeps the knob in place securely without needing to lock it in place (under most conditions). A number of plungers use a similar system that does not require tools, such as the AAE Gold Micro, Beiter, WNS Sf-line, Cartel NX

[@lily3143]

always waiting for new videos

[@_just_me_1568]

A few thoughts: there´s a QR code. use it. The center ring is the locking ring for the centershot adjustment. it´s meant to lock against the body once you´re done tuning your centershot. no need to fiddle with the spring plunger and locking nut. same for the tension side but locking it down to make absolutely sure it doesn´t move seems reasonable. I´m using it since it came out. still on the first tip. Wear is comparable to the beiter tips (iirc beiter tips do fit) and absolutely no signs of wear on the arrows. Mine was quite gritty too. a tiny dab of dry lube fixed it. it´s now as smooth as it can be. Overall it´s my preferred plunger since i got it.

[@digitaldogs233]

Obviously as a very new archar ive never seen this before, would have liked to know what it actually does, so do you have videos on these and are they really important or just a novel way too aim? Thankyou.

[@Garuda16]

Google "what does a bow riser plunger do".

[@mgeelhoed1307]

do you ever remove your button when you pack/store your bow?

[@JakeKaminskiArchery]

When it goes in a case in a plane, every time. If I am carrying the riser, no if it's in a backpack, no.

[@staglite]

I never remove mine.

[@martinpike1729]

@@JakeKaminskiArchery Seems that those shims could easily be mislaid/lost when removing the plunger. That could cause some major issues.

[@mgeelhoed1307]

@@martinpike1729 Just glue the shims in place - fletching glue does great

[@Garuda16]

Never remove mine. Don't want to gamble messing up my setup, especially if it's been right on.

[@BBDaan]

This plunger rattled a lot for me. I've spoken to other shooters using it. Some fix it with a lot of grease and some with Teflon tape. Someone also told me the old version had separate screws for locking

[@rfdsrd]

VERY hard to beat the iconic Beiter plunger.

[@markburban9573]

so i immedietly get the impression that the beiter plunger tools are way superior. but micro adjust centreshot looks awesome!

[@InFerrumVeritas]

The "key" effectively destroyed my Zextant. The travel of the plunger stem was too gritty for me. I was really excited for this plunger, but ultimately wasn't impressed. The adjustable centershot on the Wifler MP-2 works much better.

[@-fazik-3713]

Some hits, some misses. My Beiters work well so not for me ;). Great review though!

[@colingregory7464]

I almost always use cheap plungers and wrap the spring with a thin layer of ptfe tape to minimize the roughness of the spring travel

[@Katzekaze]

so, even by reading the comments, it seems it has real issues with it's metal parts and the tip durability...nay, I'll stick with my Beiter. fucking indestructible and still using the same tip for 4 or 5 years.

[@JakeKaminskiArchery]

The problem with that is that when you have two surfaces (an arrow and a plunger stem) rubbing against eachother, the softer item will wear. If your plunger doesn’t wear, the arrows do. If you’re shooting $350 a dozen x10 shafts I’d rather replace the $8 plunger stem personally.

[@Katzekaze]

@@JakeKaminskiArchery I shoot VAPs V6, they don't cost as much as X10 😆

[@clarkcaldwell6201]

😓 Promo>SM

[@dsds5301]

i don't understand the idea of a plunger even after watching 20 videos.....there is no information what it exactly does or when false installed...

[@David-th2ug]

Jake has several videos on them or just keep hunting for them on KZbin. You're not alone, all I know is that you need one!

[@mcdougles]

I think it is over engineered

[@TracyPicabia]

I have used Shibuya plungers for around 4 years mainly because. a: they seem excellently engineered. b: they're cheap. c: I'm sceptical of the overengineered high end products. So I have to work harder to adjust the Shibuya but I suspect not much.

[@TracyPicabia]

nb. Don't use the gold tip stem as Jake says arrows cost much more than plunger stems!

[@colingregory7464]

I almost always use cheap plungers and wrap the spring with a thin layer of ptfe tape to minimize the roughness of the spring travel

[@mgeelhoed1307]

do you feel the tape stays where it's supposed to stay?

[@colingregory7464]

@@mgeelhoed1307 has never moved far and doesn't wear noticeably (among other pluses, it pulls into the spring as you wrap it, which helps it stay in place)

[@mgeelhoed1307]

@@colingregory7464 Great, thanks for the info. I'm sure to give it a try. Btw I shoot with a Fivics button and LOVE it.

[@colingregory7464]

@@mgeelhoed1307 hope it works for you