Contents
Bow Package Contents
In case you are a beginner and dont know much about compound bows yet, I would suggest you read my beginner’s guide about that topic here => Beginner’s Guide To Compound Bows.
This model comes fully strung and is available in a version for right-handed or left-handed shooters. Diamond Archery is owned by Bowtech and both brands are well known for their high quality products, so let’s see if the Diamond Core holds what Bowtech / Diamond Archery promises.
This model has a bunch of accessories included that are referred to as R.A.K. at Diamond Archery (Ready, Aim, Kill), which means that this model comes ready to shoot out of the box – more or less. Of course you have to adjust some things so that it fits you, which is essential for getting great results while shooting. I will mention all of these within this review, so keep reading!
The Truglo 3 Pin Apex Sight is made out of plastic and is definitely not at the higher end of things. It is good enough for starting out if you are not planning to go hunting at dusk a lot, though. The sight comes sighted in horizontally, so you only have to adjust it vertically to your needs. 
As this depends a lot on your way of shooting you need to do this yourself. A rule of thumb is to follow the arrows. This means if you are shooting too high you need to adjust the sight accordingly. If you want to read more about sighting in a compound bow, I have a guide about it here => How To Sight In A Compound Bow.
You will want to switch out the Octane Hostage XL Arrow Rest rather sooner than later. It is okay for starting out but overall it is a bit flimsy. I would suggest you get a Whisker Biscuit or a Drop Away rest as soon as possible, as a good arrow rest influences your accuracy and therefore your results a lot.
You also need to check if the arrows are at the centershot (you need to do this with every rest), which means that the arrow is parallel to the riser when nocked in. To check this you have to nock an arrow in. Then you have to measure the distance from the front of the riser to the arrow and from the back of the riser to the arrow (should be the same). If those distances are not equal you need to adjust the arrow rest. Not everyone achieves the best results with centershot though, but you can adjust from there.
The Core comes in the Mossy Oak Infinity Camo Finish, which looks pretty cool, in my opinion. It seems that this is the only available finish, but I don’t care much about that as I would choose a camo finish over all the others any time. But that’s just me.
Along with this compound comes a 5″ Octane Stabilizer, which takes vibrations out of the whole shooting process and gives more balance to the bow in general. You could, of course, get a different stabilizer if you want to, but for starting out this one works quite well.
The 2 String Silencers do a pretty good job taking vibrations out of the cables while shooting, which brings the noise down even more. Not that there was a lot of it in the first place.
I found some statements of customers complaining that the 1/4 inch Alloy Peep comes loose. Well, that’s because a peep sight has to be adjusted to fit the individual shooter. It needs to to fit you first, then you should tie it in. If you have no idea about those things I would suggest you go to a professional shop. Those guys can set the whole compound up for you against a small fee. Basically it works like this: If you are shooting too low, the peep needs to be moved away from the arrow, if you are shooting too high it needs to go towards the arrow. You need to try that in half inch increments at a time. When you have found the best spot the peep needs to be tied in.
A BCY D-loop is already installed on the string. What you need to buy additionally is a mechanical release aid that you can clip to the D-loop for pulling the string back, as compound bows should be shot with release aids in general. This takes your fingers – that tend to twist the string while releasing and thus affecting the flight of the arrow – out of the whole shooting cycle which results in an overall higher consistency and accuracy.
The Octane Deadlock Lite Quiver is bow mounted and can contain up to 5 arrows. It is pretty standard and does its job as good as it gets. The quiver and the arrows will add a bit of weight to the ultra lightweight compound which makes the shooting process a bit more stable as really light models tend to be not that forgiving. But a lot of archers like just that, so it does not need to be a bad thing at all.
The Comfort Wrist Sling prevents the Diamond Core from dropping to the ground after releasing the arrow. It attaches the compound to your wrist, which lets you shoot with a rather relaxed grip. People tend to tighten their grip after the release (because the compound tends to drop a bit to the front), but that can torque the bow and affect the flight of the arrow – missing the target in the worst case. A bowsling enables you to relax your fingers after the release, resulting in a higher accuracy and tighter groups.
Diamond Archery gives a lifetime non-transferable warranty to the original owner. You need to register your model 30 days after the purchase online to enforce the warranty, so that damages due to errors in materials or workmanship are covered. Exceptions are string and cables and all moving parts like the accessories etc. The warranty gets voided if you misuse or modify the compound on your own (think drilling additional holes into the riser). What you never ever should do is dry fire the Diamond Core. Dry firing means shooting without an arrow in place or using arrows that are too light, which has the same effect. If you want to learn more about dry firing, please read my article about it here => Dry Firing A Compound Bow.
Some customers were complaining that there were no arrows included. This also makes sense as the arrows need to fit the compound, they need to fit your personal draw length and they need to fit the purpose you are buying them for in the first place (target practicing, hunting). Finding the right arrows usually takes a bit of time. I would go to a pro shop and try out a few models. They will also cut them to fit your draw length and they will make sure that the arrows will have enough weight for the poundage of the bow (if they are too light it can get damaged).
For learning more about arrows in general I have an article here => Choosing The Right Arrows For A Compound Bow.
If you want to know how to measure your draw length, feel free to read my guide here => How To Determine Your Draw Length.
As there is no armg uard included I would suggest you get one before shooting the first time. An arm guard will prevent your forearm from getting string slaps, which happens from time to time. String slaps are a sign that there is something wrong and you are probably not shooting with proper form (don’t know what that is? Read more about it here => Proper Form For Compound Bow Shooting ). As string slaps from a 60 or 70 pound compound bow can be rather painful I would definitely get an armguard for starting out.
Noise Level / Hand Shock Of The Diamond Core Compound Bow
Most of the customers found that this model is very quiet, which is just awesome for bowhunting. Some stated that – for them – the sound of the string being stopped by the string stopper was too loud. This seems to be more of a personal thing, though, as I for example was not bothered by that sound at all. To be honest I found the Diamond Core to be extremely silent.
A hand shock is non-existent, due to the parallel limb design.
Bow Specifics / Limbs / Riser / Grip / String
The Diamond Core is a very well made compound bow. It feels pretty sturdy and durable and if treated properly I am sure it will serve you well for years.
The reflex riser made from aluminum will take a lot of beating, as will the parallel designed solid E-glass limbs. The one-piece synthetic grip is well designed and should fit a lot of hands. There is also a small portion of the grip, which extends a bit above the shelf. This is a good thing as it will keep your broadhead’s blades an inch or two away from your hand while shooting.
While the materials of this model are not the most modern super duper hyper materials available at the moment, they are nonetheless time-tested in durability, sturdyness and reliability (it was made in 2013, so keep that in mind!). On the other hand you will get this model for a very moderate price nowadays, so I think this is a pretty good deal.
The axle to axle length is 31″ which makes this a rather compact model, which is good for having it in tree stands or small ground blinds. The short ATA is also good for small built females, who will have a blast using this model.
Its net weight is an unbelievable 3.2 pounds. For a full sized adult bow this is really ultra lightweight. You can carry it around for hours in the field without getting tired. It is so light that the additional weight of the quiver and arrows is rather welcomed, as it will give a bit more weight and therefore more balance and stability to the shooting process.
The Diamond Core has a single aluminum cam – compared to the Infinite Edge Pro which has dual cams, which have to be tuned to each other over time or when you replace the string. It is not hard to do but you may need a bow press. The single cam of the Core has hash marks which will show you immediately if the cam is properly oriented, by the way, which is much appreciated.
There seems to be a problem with the string, as several customers stated that their string broke pretty fast or showed fraying already after a few shots. This could be due to dry firing or bad luck but to be safe, I would recommend you wax string and cables before you shoot for the first time and then regularly. It is also recommended to switch the string and cables out after 5,000 shots or at least once per year.
Draw Cycle / Shootability
The Diamond Core is very smooth and quiet to draw. It has a smooth release as well, due to the noise eliminating string stop. Apart from that it shoots very accurately, resulting in very tight groups (which depends more on the skills of the shooter, of course).
It is well balanced, so you don’t need additional counter weights. There are no humps before the Core comes to full draw, due to the well working single cam system. The valley is wide enough, which enables specifically beginners to concentrate on shooting with proper form.
The draw weight range is from 40 to 70 lbs. This covers a lot of archers and will make sure that this model is able to grow along with some of them for years. A highlight of the Diamond Core are the inspection holes, that let you see immediately if the limb bolts are backed out too far (which could result in the compound literally exploding, as these bows are under a lot of tension all the time). As long as you can see the limb bolts in the hole, everything is okay. When you see the tip of the bolt in the hole, you can carefully back them out five or six turns to relax the limbs to a point where you can replace the string or serve a peep sight in without using a bow press. And that’s another big advantage as it can save you a visit to the local pro shop from time to time.
The draw length range is 25″ – 30″. It is adjustable in half inch increments by simply rotating the module (no press needed). This allows adjustments over a 6 inch range without changing the modules.
So adjusting the Diamond Core is really not that hard to do. If you follow the instructions in the manual you should be able to do it without facing any problems.
The let off is 80%, which is quite comfortable and good enough for beginners, who should focus a lot on shooting with proper form, rather than concentrating on pulling and holding a lot of weight. The brace height is 7,31“ which is more on the generous side compared to some of the other available models out there.
Shooting Speed Of The Diamond Core Compound Bow
I assume that the given 313 fps were measured after the requirements of the International Bowhunting Organization (IBO). Those are 70 lbs poundage, 350 grain arrows and a draw length of 30″. With 313 fps this one is not the fastest out there, but it is enough for going hunting with it.
Suitable For Hunting / Kinetic Energy (KE)
Assuming you have it set to the IBO requirements (resulting in a speed of 313 fps) mentioned above and are using 425 grain arrows, you would achieve a kinetic energy of 92.4 ft-lbs. Taking a look at Easton’s Field Chart we can see that the Diamond Core is good for going after large game or even the toughest game with this set up. With 350 grain arrows you would achieve 76 ft-lbs, which is already significantly lower.
Just don’t forget that the kinetic energy will drop fast when you lower the poundage or when you are using lighter arrows (heavier ones penetrate deeper because they save more of the bow’s energy). Bad weather conditions and longer distances lower the KE even further, so be responsible and decide accordingly. The best way of being responsible is to shoot accurately and to hit the game where it counts (vital organs) – one shot, one kill. So if you are just starting out I would suggest you spend some time at the range practicing before going into the field.
If you want to learn more about kinetic energy, please read my article about it here => Kinetic Energy For Bowhunting.
And don’t forget that every state has its own legal requirements for bowhunting. Those can range from 30 to 60 pounds.
Suitable For Bowfishing
As there are a lot of pre-drilled holes in the riser it should be possible to add a bowfishing reel. I did not try it myself and I did not find a statement of somebody who did it, but it should be possible. The poundage is way enough for getting through the water to the fish, though.
Pricing
At a price around 250 bucks the Diamond Core is a pretty good deal. Yes, it is an older model (2013), but that does not mean that it is bad at all. Compared to a lot of other cheap models (SAS Siege, SAS Rage or the AW Pro) this one is a steal. Bowtech’s quality is not well known for nothing.
I would recommend this one to beginners who are on a budget but who still want to start out with a high quality model. For these people the Diamond Core is truly a great option. Just remember that you might want to invest a bit into better accessories (rest, sight), apart from those, this model is as good as it gets.
People often compare this model to the Infinite Edge Pro, which is also from Diamond Archery – so you might take a look at it as well.
Pros & Cons
Pros
– widely adjustable for adults
– very attractive price point
– high quality model
Cons
– arrow rest is a bit flimsy
Summary
All in all the Diamond Core Compound Bow Package is a great option for beginners and seasoned bowhunters. The Core shoots quietly and accurately and can be used by male and female archers. I would recommend it for teens and adults. For tweens it might be oversized poundagewise – but this depends a lot on the individual archer, of course.
Especially at its great price point, the fact that it is an older model would not bother me for a second. It can hold up easily against younger models of lesser known competitiors (SAS, AW, SA, Leader Accessories etc.) and it will serve you well for years to come. So before spending a fortune for an up to date model, I definitely would get the Core and invest the saved money in good accessories and arrows, which you would need to get in either case.
Thanks for reading and shoot straight!
Customer Reviews
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