I recently got the chance to test out a Depth Charge I got through a member here (Mike Austin) via eBay. It's a 15-pound ball, with very low game traffic. The ball had a 2.5 inch pin and average top weight.
The ball is drilled fairly strong. CG is in the palm and the pin is below and to the right of the ring finger, at about the 4 o'clock line.
My local driller told me this ball was pretty rolly, without a lot of violence in the backend and also, in his experience, didn't match up to everyone's games. I've been a big fan of Storm's core/cover combos for awhile, but I'd never thrown this particular core before.
My first test with this ball was on a house condition with quite a bit of carrydown. I hesitate to say the ball "struggled," because I shot 256 with it. But the only line I seemed to be able to play was off the corner, down-and-in, and I had to essentially ride the dry line. The ball didn't have great recovery. It did, however, produce excellent pin action upon impact, in line with other Storm balls I've thrown.
This week, I got the chance to use it on a PBA Regional shot league, Pattern 3. I was testing this ball alongside an X-Factor Deuce, sanded to 1000 Abralon plus polish, and a Dark Thunder, sanded to 600.
Judging from its performance on a house shot, I had started with the Deuce, figuring the Depth Charge would be tamer all around. However, that turned out not to be the case.
The Depth Charge gripped the lane a little earlier than the polished Deuce, but where it was substantially different from the Deuce was in its backend reaction. Whereas it had struggled on a house shot with carrydown, on a reasonably fresh Regional shot, it was more angular in the backend and had a sharp move off the dry. The Dark Thunder was much stronger than either of the other two balls.
The Deuce out-carried the Depth Charge, not a surprise given the complexity of the Deuce's core. But the Depth Charge still carried more than adequately.
I will continue to test this ball in the coming weeks, but because of its versatility it is likely to earn a preferred place in my bag. Another winner from Storm.
Jess