Bow Comparisons: Bowtech Liberty vs Champion Diablo. (SHOOT-OUT: ROUND#11)

THE MAIN EVENT: ROUND #11

ACCURACY & GROUPING: This test is an attempt to determine which bow is more accurate. But this is a difficult thing to prove. If both bows were tuned and functioning properly, then we strapped them into a shooting machine, they would certainly shoot the same. Unless a bow had some serious problem that would cause it to be inconsistent (wobbly cam or wheel, twisted/defective limb, failing string, etc.) it will do the same thing every time you shoot it. So it's hard to argue that one bow is inherently more accurate than another from a pure mechanical standpoint. However, humans are not machines and unlike machines, we do things differently every time. That's where issues of forgiveness and shootability come into play. When you hear the term "forgiving" regarding a compound bow, that's only a fragment of the big idea. The more complete idea is "forgiving to your human errors". Few, if any, shooters have perfect form and technique every shot. We all make small goofs along the way (trigger punching, hand torque, target panic, dropping your arm, etc.). So the more forgiving the bow is to those errors, the more accurate the average shooter will be. The point is, we can't shoot as well as a machine - we need an ergonomic advantage. So it's up to bow designers to create bows that can be shot well by humans. How the bow shoots through a machine is really beside the point. So this test is an attempt to see which bow has characteristics that ultimately yield the best accuracy in the hands of real bowhunters.

LIMITED DATA SAMPLE: To better legitimize our findings, we would rather have conducted a dozen trials with each bow - to give us larger data samples to work from, like we did in our chronograph and decibel test. And although the bows would surely have withstood such lengthy testing, our volunteer shooters could not. At this point in the shoot-out, our guest-judges had drawn and shot each bow many times. So we had to consider the possibility of impending fatigue. In spite of better science, we're going to keep this test short and sweet for the sake of our tiring volunteers, and hope our limited data gives us a clear result. SPECIAL NOTE: Because we were concerned about possible bias, we did not allow our Hunter's Friend staff members to participate in the shoot-out judging. However, since this round involves performance, rather than a subjective judgment, we allowed several of our pro-shop staff members to join in the fun for round #11.

GROUP TEST SETUP: For the accuracy/grouping test, each bow remained set on exactly 62# peak weight and 29" draw length. Each bow was outfitted with a NAP Quiktune 800 arrow rest, a TruGlo TG500 sight, and a 1/8" Jim Fletcher peep sight. Our pro-shop properly tuned, rough sighted, and prepped each bow for competition, making sure to keep every possible parameter the same on each setup. All tests were shot with the same mechanical release (Scott Little Goose). Each shooter was positioned exactly 50 ft. from the target when shooting his group test. We also made a point to rotate bows throughout the test, so one bow wasn't being shot by a fresh shooter and another by a tired-out shooter. But shooters were allowed to rest when and if they felt it necessary throughout the test.

FIRE AWAY: When our shooters were in position and ready, they were each read the following instructions: "For this test, shoot each bow for accuracy. Shoot your best possible 3 arrow groups. Don’t be concerned about hitting the X on the target. Use your best technique to shoot 3 consecutive arrows while aiming at the exact same spot on the target. Your groups will be measured for size and recorded each time you shoot. The closer together your arrows are, the better. You will shoot a total of 9 arrows from each bow, making 3 groups of 3 with each bow. Take your time and shoot your very best groups.” After each shooter had completed his 3 arrow groups, we carefully measured the diameter of each group, using the outside edge of the two outermost arrows in each group. We will use this data to establish an "Average Group" for shooters using each bow. The best group average determines which bow each shooter "chooses" in their performance test. Accuracy/Grouping test results are as follows:

OUR TEST SHOOTERS	D1 Group	D2 Group	D3 Group	AVG Group	L1 Group	L2 Group	L3 Group	AVG Group	BEST WITH...
Eric Adkins	2.56	2.25	1.63	2.15	2.56	1.25	1.75	1.85
Josh Allen	1.88	1.06	1.88	1.60	3.50	1.50	2.81	2.60
Steven Allen	3.75	4.75	1.94	3.48	3.25	2.13	2.88	2.75
Bud Blanton	1.88	2.25	2.25	2.13	2.25	2.00	3.38	2.54
Mike Blanton	0.88	1.25	1.88	1.33	1.31	1.19	1.50	1.33	- TIE -
Tim Fannin	3.88	3.19	2.06	3.04	3.05	3.63	2.25	3.13
Billy Fitch	1.75	2.56	2.00	2.10	2.25	1.13	1.13	1.50
Nathan Frisby	1.44	2.88	1.63	1.98	1.50	1.69	1.06	1.42
Loy Fyffe	2.50	2.44	1.88	2.27	0.69	2.88	1.75	1.77
Jeremy Greene	1.31	1.69	2.00	1.67	1.00	2.25	0.75	1.33
Darrel Parks	1.25	1.88	1.31	1.48	2.31	1.75	2.69	2.25
Rick Picklesimer	2.13	1.75	2.13	2.00	2.00	3.25	2.00	2.42
Deven Runyon	1.75	1.13	1.00	1.29	1.56	2.31	1.75	1.88
Daniel Scott	1.63	1.50	1.33	1.48	1.44	2.33	2.63	2.13
Nathanael Vanhoose	2.00	2.00	2.25	2.08	1.44	3.13	2.63	2.40
Chris Wright	2.00	2.06	1.88	1.98	3.00	1.50	3.25	2.58

		RESULTS:
WINNER	Best Groups with		9
	Best Groups with		6

ROUND RESULTS: More of our shooters performed better with the Diablo, with 9 of the 16 shooters scoring their best group average while shooting the Diablo vs. only 6 with the Liberty. The Diablo wins round #11....10/9.

- - - - - - - - - - END OF ROUND - - - - - - - - - -

SCORECARD:


Bowtech Liberty	10	8	10	10	10	10	10	9	10	10	9
Champion Diablo	9	10	9	9	9	9	8	10	9	8	10

          ON TO ROUND #12
          RING THE BELL -------_>