Bowtech Captain....my thoughts
I was out at my local Bowtech shop today to do a little shooting and decided to also test drive a few new Bowtechs, well, mainly the Captain, since the specs were to my liking.
Overall, the fit and finish of the bow was very nice. The InVelvet finish is amazing. The bow I tested was bare with the exception of a rest.
The draw cycle on this bow, IMO, is not that great at all. Being accustomed to the binary cams for quite some time, I was expecting something similar to my Allegiance, only smoother. Instead, it seems to stack weight gradually until it peaks far into the draw cycle, then break abruptly into the valley. It's really rather harsh IMO.
I set the weight on this bow to 64lbs based on the scale at the shop. After shooting about a dozen arrows through it, it really had my attention just how harsh the cycle of it was. I then picked up my Allegiance, which is set at 65-66lbs and drew it back. Night and day difference. The felt draw weight was significantly easier to pull than the Captain. I jumped back and forth between the two to confirm my initial thoughts.
Now, the shot was simply amazing. It's extremely quiet and shock free. As typical, it doesn't possess much hand shock or vibration at all. With a good stabilizer, it would be absolutely dead in the hand. The bow also, without any accessories balances pretty well before and after the shot.
But I am really dissapointed in the draw cycle. I'll be sticking with the Allegiance for sure. I also shot the S.W.A.T. with is basically a re-cam'd Allegiance and it also pulled very nicely, much like my its "ancestor".
I realize its all a matter of getting used to something a bit different, but I won't be buying this bow. I was contemplating buying the Captain until I got a chance to really shoot it. If they could tame down the draw cycles on the center pivot bows, I might consider it.
If anyone is thinking about a center pivot bow, do a test at the shop you shoot them at. Get it and a S.W.A.T or other non center pivot bow, set them both to the same poundage and compare. I believe you'll notice what I found out today.