Bowtech’s Alliance is short, compact, and maneuverable. From treestand goers to spot-and-stalk roamers, this bow will make a great hunting companion.
by Jace Bauserman
Bowtech made its entrance into the vertical bow-building arena in 1999. Over its 27 years, the brand has established a reputation for being willing to venture beyond conventional boundaries—driving innovation in the compound bow landscape. Whenever I hear Garth Brooks’ song “Against the Grain,” Bowtech comes to mind. I distinctly recall witnessing a remarkable scene at an ATA Show where a group of Bowtech employees marched through the entrance—stoic expressions and focused gazes ahead. It felt as if Bowtech’s team was striding into battle, reminiscent of the Packers entering Lambeau.
While other major bow manufacturers like Mathews, Hoyt, and PSE revealed their 2026 vertical offerings months earlier, Bowtech chose to hold back. Was it to coincide with the ATA Show’s first year of allowing consumer attendance? Or did they simply want to observe the technological advancements introduced by other brands? It’s tough to say. Bowtech has long followed a path of philosophies and design principles, a those principles have served it well for a quarter of a century. If it’s not broken, why fix it?
Introducing the Bowtech 2026 Alliance duo—the Alliance and the Alliance 33. These two new flagship models bring innovative features alongside familiar Bowtech elements, sure to catch attention. The model that landed at my doorstep in early December was the Alliance, boasting a 30-1/2-inch axle-to-axle length, a brace height of 6 7/16 inches, and a weight of 4.09 pounds.
Bowtech Alliance First Impressions
Reflecting on my experience with Bowtech’s 2025 Proven 34, a longer axle-to-axle compound, I recall its silky-smooth draw cycle and seamless transition to let-off. This smoothness increased my pin-on-target time, which I found beneficial. I’ve shot many bows over the years that I had to fight. By fight, I mean work hard to get my pin on target and get that pin settled. That wasn’t the case with the Proven 34. The dual rubber-padded draw stops on the DeadLock Cams contact the inner cable, creating an optimal valley. I despise limb stops and too-stiff cable-stop backwalls.
As a hinge shooter, I want to feel that backwall as I drive my bow hand into the target and my release elbow backward. The process allows me to fire strong shots. Every arrow I fired from the Proven 34 released cleanly, and while I wasn’t particularly fond of Bowtech’s DeadLock Grip, the bow proved easy to tune, accurate, and durable.
I’ve commented in past bow reviews that I typically dislike short axle-to-axle bows; those under 32 inches often feel unstable at full draw. While there have been some outliers, my preference leans toward bows with an axle-to-axle length of 33 to 33-1/2 inches. The Alliance, measuring 30-1/2 inches between the axle pins, is still short, though lighter due to weight-reducing efforts in its riser.
Though my bow arrived in Stealth Gray, I do like Bowtech’s all-new Red Dirt with black limbs. If you’re into solid colors concerning your limbs and riser, Bowtech has some good ones.
Bowtech kept their DeadLock Cam System, which features the tried-and-true FlipDisc. This cam system not only facilitates a smooth, fluid draw but also enables no-bow-press tuning. If you can wield an Allen wrench, you can tune a Bowtech bow.
However, Bowtech raised the bar with the DeadLock System by repositioning the axle assembly, incorporating larger locking and tuning screws, enhancing lockdown with a dual-locking security system, and improving user experience through better laser-etched reference marks. More to come on this.
While the riser unmistakably exudes Bowtech’s identity, it also underwent some transformation. Historically, Bowtech hasn’t specialized in lightweight bows, and despite significant reductions in riser weight, the Alliance still weighs more than 4 pounds. I would like to see Bowtech drop the weight under four pounds on a shorter axle-to-axle bow like the Alliance. I do appreciate the addition of upper and lower stabilizer mounts.
Though I’m not an ardent fan of Bowtech’s GripLock, it is featured again on the Alliance. Two locking screws enable grip angle adjustments for customization. The customization option is great, and the back portion of the grip feels great. However, the riser portion of the grip is a little too thick for my liking. It does narrow at the throat, and a rubberized pad enhances the in-hand feel.
New to the grip are a pair of Alliance-branded grip panels. Both side-plate panels add a touch of class, and this is one area Bowtech engineers were able to carve weight out of the riser. Personally, I’m a fan of grip panels, and these serve their purpose.
Build It
The Alliance came pre-set at a draw length of 30 inches and set in Bowtech’s Comfort mode. Bowtech offers two shooting modes through its modules: Comfort and Performance. I prefer a smooth draw and comfortable shooting over speed, so I opted to test the bow in Comfort mode. Adjusting the draw length was straightforward; by simply removing three set screws on both the top and bottom modules and following Bowtech’s easy numbering system, I made a quick adjustment.
Using a draw scale, the bow registered a draw weight of 72.38 pounds. I adjusted the limb bolts to bring the draw weight as close to 70 pounds as possible. The limb bolts turned smoothly, without any chatter or popping. There was a time when Bowtech’s limb-to-riser connection was sloppy. That time has long passed.
Attaching the QAD Integrate MX2 rest was hassle-free thanks to the Alliance’s Integrate Mounting System. Bowtech’s CenterMass technology has a purpose, and that purpose is to allow inside-the-riser sight mounting to better balance the bow. While it’s specific to Bowtech bows and Black Gold sights, I much prefer a pic-mount sight or a standard mount sight.
Bowtech Alliance Full Send
If a bow offers customization, take advantage of it. I spent two days last year playing with Bowtech’s GripLock. You should do the same. The grip is one of the most critical features of a bow, and while I don’t love the grip’s overall thickness, I do love the ability to adjust its angle.
After adjusting the GripLock and pulling the grip back five marks from the riser, I drew the Alliance. The Alliance has one of the better draw cycles of any bow I’ve tested thus far in 2026. In fact, I took it down to my buddy’s pro shop to let him shoot it, and his response was, “Man, this thing comes back so nice. No humps or bumps, and those first few inches of the draw cycle when you feel most of the bow’s 70-pound draw weight aren’t noticeable.”
Bowtech rarely does standard, and for this reason, with the Alliance, the let-off in Comfort mode is 83 percent. If you opt for Performance mode, let-off is 80 percent.
I’m not going to tell you that the shorter Alliance held like a rock at full draw beyond 60 yards. It didn’t. At 60 yards, I started to notice increased pin float. Granted, I only had a 10-inch Cutter Stabilizer and Bowtech’s short stabilizer, which is more of a dampener. I think a backbar would go a long way with this bow if you’re looking to improve its aim beyond 60 yards.
Out to 60 yards, shot-to-shot consistency was excellent. At a distance of 45 yards, my second 5MM FMJ Max shattered the Lumenok of the arrow that I’d fired before it.
An area where the Alliance falls a bit short is post-shot noise. No, it isn’t loud. Bowtech doesn’t make loud bows, but there is some post-shot hum. I’ve spoken with others who’ve tested the Alliance, and they agree.
Despite the post-shot hum, the bow feels mostly dead in hand upon release. I’ve been shooting the Alliance at a local indoor league and have been pounding foam targets at distances of 20 to 60 yards for a month. If you’re a whitetail addict who limits their shot distance to 50 yards, a turkey slayer, or just a bowhunter looking for a compact, easy-to-maneuver compound, you’ll find it in the Alliance.
Final Tune
Although I’m not a speed enthusiast, after getting the strings settled in and adjusting the bow to 70.06 pounds, the Alliance achieved a three-shot fps rating of 276 fps with a 467-grain FMJ Max, a 100-grain field point, and four 1.5-degree right helical Flex-Fletch Pro 2.5 Vanes, yielding a kinetic energy rating of 79.01 pounds.
After shooting over 200 arrows, I tested a bare shaft and a fletched arrow through paper. A slight nock left tear was easily fixed by loosening the DeadLock locking screws and turning the “tune” screw clockwise on the top and bottom cams. I adjusted each screw about 1/4 turn before re-locking. A follow-up shot produced a perfect bullet hole, with the nock entering the same hole as the field point. This bow’s left/right tuning system is one of the simplest I’ve encountered.
Bowtech Alliance Specs
- Axle-to-Axle: 30-1/2”
- Weight: 4.09 lb.
- Draw Length: 26-31
- Max Draw Weight: 60, 65, 70, 75 lb.
- Advertised Speed: 338 fps
- MSRP: $1,499
