Well guys, I decided I wanted to have a backup bow on hand for the upcoming season. I headed to a local dealer today in hopes that I would be able to find a good deal on a 08' model bow, since most of the 09' models are on the way any day now. Ideally, I was looking for an 08' Allegiance, but I found an even better deal..........an 07' model Allegiance, brand new but leftover in the shop for a smoking price. Since the 07's and 08's are the same bow with only cosmetic differences (cam color, Invelvet, and different standard camo), it was too good of a deal to pass up. So it went home with me. First impression as I handled it in the shop, I really am spoiled on the Invelvet finish on my Marquis. I like the Realtree Hardwoods HD and Hardwoods Green HD finishes better than the older MO Obsession standard camo options from 07. With that said, fit and finish on this bow is amazing, as good as anything else I have seen (other than Invelvet). First thing I did was cut the factory limb supressors off, and install a MeanV supressor. I happened to have a MeanV dipped in MO Obsession sitting around from another bow, after some precision engineering with my Dremel tool it now fits the Allegiance perfectly. :d Tomorrow I plan to pick up a pair of Limb Saver Ultra's on it to replace the factory limb supressors, I just don't like the look of the stock ones. I thought the draw cycle on my Marquis was smooth, well this is honestly much smoother. I was quite surprised and wasn't expecting this. I opted for the smooth mods on this bow simply because I don't need the extra speed with my monkey arms, and I knew it would be plenty fast with either of the mod options. I'm leaving this one with the limbs maxed out, and according to my Pelouze 7710, the bow tops out at 70.6lbs, and is holding 14.6lbs. Just about 80% on the button. At 70 lbs on the smooth mods, it is honestly as smooth as my Marquis at 64. Despite sitting on the bow rack for over a year, when I put the bow on the draw board, the cams were PERFECTLY timed, and the draw length was on the button perfect at a measured 30" AMO on the 30" smooth mods. I set the nock height on this bow perfectly level, and the center shot at 13/16". Just like my Marquis it shot a bullet hole on the first shot through paper. Impression after a good 100 shots tonight in my basement, are that it is smoother than the Marquis, should be just a hair faster IBO rating on the smooth mods, but because it's so smooth, I'm able to pull a bit more weight. Because of the extra weight I should be getting almost 15 extra FPS and it should be shooting my 429 grain hunting arrow around 295-300fps. The Allegiance is definitely a bit louder than the Marquis, but not a huge difference, I imagine with the Limb Savers the difference will be minimal. Overall, I went to the store today looking for a backup bow, but this may likely end up being my first pick in the stable. I plan to head to the range tomorrow to walk back tune it, and sight everything in, and if my opinion on anything changes at that point I will post my thoughts. For now, a few pics to share:
Very nice writeup, Matt. I had the privilege of shooting Rob's Allegiance, and that was truly a smooth bow. It's funny though how spoiled you get by the little things you mention (Invelvet for instance...I love it).
After first reading your Diamond Marquis review a few days ago, I thought I was misreading the title of this post. I guess I AM seeing double.... that is double the fun when you buy TWO hunting bows!! Once again, another good review. Looks sharp and when you get bored of one, try the other!!
