When Choosing a Compound Bow

Compound bows are known for their precision and accuracy. From the name itself, compound bows tend to be complex and beginners often find themselves puzzled with the different features in a compound bow. To make your life easier, it can be helpful to think of a number of factors when choosing a compound bow.

The draw weight is determined by the rigidity of the limbs of a bow. Choose a draw weight that allows you to draw the bow back slowly, smoothly, and quietly. The draw length, on the other hand, should be adjustable. Bow manufacturers have added features to compound bows like cam modules and string anchor points to facilitate adjustments to the draw length of a bow.

Axle-to-axle length refers to the length of a bow. Generally, shorter bows are lighter than longer ones. However, longer bows are more forgiving and make it easier for finger shooters to take aim and shoot. The brace height is the distance from the string to the back of the grip. The bow becomes more stable when the brace height is longer. On the other hand, when the brace height is shorter, arrows fly faster. Just like long bows, longer brace heights are more forgiving.

The cost of a bow is also a big factor. You cannot expect to buy the most perfect and most expensive bow when you cannot afford it. And just because you can afford to buy a cheap bow does not mean you have to buy it when it falls way too short of your needs. You can start spending as much as you can on a bow once you have decided to become serious with archery or hunting.

There are other less critical factors to consider but they can have significant impacts on bow selection.

Cams are commonly associated with compound bows. It is typical for a compound bow to have dual cams. More recently, single cam bows have become popular. They produce the same effects as those of dual cams but single cam bows have simpler designs. Hybrid cam bows are also gaining popularity and some enthusiasts refer to them as “cam and a half”.

Other features like hand shock and vibration dampening are also factors to consider when choosing a compound bow. Hand shock is known to be a function of the limb angle. There are bows with limbs that are bent almost parallel to each other and this kind design normally eliminates hand shock. When the bows limbs appear to be more vertical when at rest, you can expect greater hand shock. A lot of more expensive bows have built in vibration dampening systems on their risers to reduce noise and vibration. Vibration dampening may not enhance the performance of the bow but it does have an effect on the noise level of the bow. Vibration dampening systems also increase comfort in using a bow. However, there are vibration dampening accessories that you can purchase separately.

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