Back on topic of bows instead of bow shop bashing.
I shot the Creed, Chill, and Ballistic today.
FYIY here is my review:
The Creed just plain looks good to me. It feels good in the hand when just holding it. The bow I shot was the demo they sent the shop. It was 28/70 which is a half inch short for me...usually they are 29/70 which is a half inch long for me. I will take short any day. But at any rate...the Creed draws EXTREMELY smooth. It is the closest drawing bow to the Jewel that I've drawn...which is awesome. For the poundage that the bow was set on (66) I think I actually give it the smoothness edge over the Jewel...since the Jewel just goes to 60. The backwall is what I'm use to with the BowTech and Elite bows...the cam's stop resting against the limb is a good touch IMO...I LOVE solid back walls. Now, the bow shot really well. It was equipped with an HHA single pin sight, a whisker biscuit rest, and an 8" Bee-Stinger Sport Hunter stabilizer. It is a decently quiet bow...didn't chrony it or anything so no idea on speed. The handshock just wasn't present on this bow but there was a tendency for it to want to jump to the side after the shot. Not really a jump..more like it just wants to fall over. Now for the bad. I thought it was rather jumpy at full draw. I couldn't steady the pin with it like I could the other two bows. I actually think the bow is too light weight...it could be remedied with weights on it and balanced out, but the way it was setup, it was a bit jumpy at full draw. Overall though...looks great...I like it better than any of their flagship bows that they've had since the LX. They are going to sell a bunch of these bows.
The Chill. Overall for looks...this bow is the best in the lineup. I'm a fan of the Focus grip and the finish they put on the bow being black, makes it look great. It's almost like they took those roll in bed liner stuff and put it on the riser. Instead of a black glossy finish, it's a dull black and it looks great. The draw was smooth for a two cam bow. The specs were the same as the Creed 28/70 except this one was on 65. This bow is actually smoother drawing than my Elite Answer which is saying a lot. But at full draw...the bow has no backwall to it. It is very very very spongy. The tech said he may work on it a bit and see if he couldn't firm it up a bit...but out of the box, this one was very spongy. It still held for me better than the Creed did...I could hold it better/steadier. How did it shoot? I personally thought it had less jump at the shot than the Creed. That part I really liked about it. It was also a touch quieter. When I shot a 455 grain arrow through it, I was really impressed with how quiet and vibration free it was. It too is a great feeling bow.
Now for the big surprise.
The Mission Ballistic. It looks like the Chill in design. The one they had in the shop is camo...didn't look bad but not as good as the black finish on the Chill. The grip is that rubbery looking cheap Mission grip. I have heard that you can put Mathews grips on these bows...if this is true, then that would fix the ONLY THING I DIDN'T LIKE about this bow!! The grip was it! It is a bit heavier than the Chill...not as much machine work on the riser. BUT...I like heavier bows...can hold them steadier. This was no exception. Great smooth drawing bow...much like the Chill. Still smoother than my Elite. The backwall on this one was a lot firmer...may just have been more in tune than the Chill. I held it very steady with that same 8" Bee Stinger. Just as quiet as the Chill and vibration/handshock free. What I couldn't believe was when I flipped the price tag over on it. $499? For THAT?! IMO...and my opinion only...if I were to have to buy a new hunting bow this year, the Ballistic would be it. IF you can change the grip. I don't even like short bows and this one I had a time putting down.
All 3 are good but for the price and in comparison to one another...the Ballistic got my nod. I would take any of the 3 though. If the Chill had a firmer back wall, it would have been a lot better...but the price tag is steep and there wasn't enough diff between it and the Ballistic to foot the $400 difference. The Creed was a great bow too; just would take some playing for me to get it steady. I'm sticking with my Elite but I will even admit, the Ballistic and Chill drew just a bit better than the Answer. BUT I can shoot that Answer really great and that's what matters most.
