Mike and I were huffing and puffing as we ran up a steep ravine towards a bull that was bugling wildly. We had set up on the same bull the day before and the wind had blown our opportunity. We did not want to setup on the bull in the same place as the day before so we crept around the ridgeline and found a great place to lie in wait. I got setup next to a pine tree while Mike backed off 50 yards and began bugling. The bugling brought the bull snaking his antlers through the pines on his way toward us. My heart started to pump because he was coming in just as we had planned. It was a beautiful sight watching him move his antlers through the branches. As he got closer I could see that he was going to turn broadside to me and I would have the perfect shot. I got ready and as he turned and drew my bow. It was at this moment that my heart sank. The bow that I was shooting was an older bow, which I had considered replacing. As I drew the bow, it slapped against a branch blowing my cover. The bull was gone in one heartbreaking beat.

I am sure that I am not the only one who has lost an opportunity to harvest a great animal because of the bow they were shooting. Archery Accessories Online wants to make sure that you purchase the right bow for your particular hunting situation.

Compound Bows come in many shapes, colors, and sizes. Many factors are involved in the decision-making process for purchasing a bow. It is important for the bow you choose to be comfortable in your hands, in your price range, and meets your hunting needs. For the most part, all name -brand manufacturers produce quality bows. Your task is finding the one that suits your particular needs.

Arguments can be made for each manufacturer’s way of producing a bow. Don’t get caught up in the “my bow is better than yours” argument. There is no best brand or best kind of bow. It simply needs to fit you. Whether it is a single cam, hybrid cam, or a binary cam, each bow has its own strengths and weaknesses. You will never find the perfect bow that has it all. We would all like a bow that has super speed, is forgiving, light weight, has low hand shock etc. The perfect bow simply does not exist. Every one has trade offs. As you are searching for your bow, make sure you are looking for the characteristics that are important to you and that you can live with the trade offs.

Speed

Speed is often the first consideration when purchasing a bow; so let’s start with a discussion about speed. When discussing speed, remember that a compound bow stores the energy that you are able to put into it. The important message here is that if you are struggling to pull back your super fast bow every time you shoot it, you are probably not get much enjoyment from shooting your bow.

To understand speed we need to understand IBO (International Bowhunting Organization) speed. The IBO has developed a test so that the industry could compare the bow speeds of different manufacturers. Most manufactures use the same IBO speed rating. For a manufacture to get an IBO speed they need to test their bow under pre-set conditions. The conditions are as follows:

• The bow must be set at exactly 70#.
• Must have a 30” draw length.
• Shoot a 350-grain arrow.

If these conditions are met then the difference in IBO speeds are products of design differences; e.g. limb design, brace height, aggression of the cams, etc.

Now that we have seen how manufacturers achieve an IBO speed, please remember that there is no independent testing organization that performs these tests. They are all done by the manufacturer. Because they are not independently tested you should look at the IBO speed as the manufacturer’s best estimate at the speed. Remember that your bow won’t shoot at the IBO that the manufacture publishes so don’t be surprised if you chronograph the speed of your arrow and it is less than what the IBO statistic says it will shoot. In making your decision on your new bow I would make speed somewhat important in your search. But, don’t make it the only factor when considering your new bow.

How To Determine The Correct Draw Weight

A significant factor in determing which bow to get is the draw weight. Obviously the higher the draw weight the faster the arrow is going to fly. But, keep in mind what was discussed earlier about speed. That speed is relative to the energy that is used to draw the bow back. If you are struggling to pull your bow back every time you draw, it is not going to be very fun to shoot. So getting the right draw weight is critical.

Research has shown that a bow is more efficient when the draw weight is set closer to its maximum rating. For example, if it is comfortable for you to draw 60# and that is where you want to stay, a 50-60# bow would be more efficient than a 60-70# draw weight. If you were to get the 60-70# draw weight and turn it down to 60# it would not be as efficient as the aforementioned 50-60# bow.

To help you make your decision, here is a list of recommended draw weight ranges for compound bows:

Very Small Child (55-70 lbs.) 10-15 lbs.
Small Child (70-100 lbs.) 15-25 lbs.
Larger Child (100-130 lbs.) 25-35 lbs.
Small Frame Women (100-130 lbs.) 25-35 lbs.
Medium Frame Women (130-160 lbs) 30-40 lbs.
Athletic Older Child (Boys 130-150 lbs.) 40-50 lbs.
Small Frame Men (120-150 lbs.) 45-55 lbs.
Large Frame Women (160+ lbs.) 45-55 lbs.
Medium Frame Men (150-180 lbs.) 55-65 lbs.
Large Frame Men (180+ lbs.) 65-75 lbs.

Please keep in mind that these are just recommendations. With draw weight make sure you are comfortable with the draw. A test for draw weight is if you can draw the bow back without having to rock the bow up or down when drawing it back. If you rock the bow up or down when drawing and really struggling you will be hesitant to practice and improve your archery skills. So moderation is recommended.

How To Determine The Correct Draw Length

Getting the correct draw length is very easy but often underemphasized. Many people with the idea of getting more speed will opt for a longer draw length. It is recommended that you get the correct draw length. Having more draw length then necessary will lead to inaccuracy and a slap on the forearm, which can be quite painful. You should never sacrifice anything that will compromise your accuracy. To get the correct draw length, measure your arm-span and then divide your arm-span by 2.5. It is imperative that you don’t stretch as stretching will exaggerate your span and your draw length.Most compound bow shooters choose a draw length that is too long leading to inaccuracy. Remember when in doubt choose less draw length.

Brace Height

As we started, you saw an image of the components of a compound bow. Brace height is shown and is another important factor in determining which bow you should get. Brace height is simply the distance from the string to the pivot point in the bow’s riser. You need to get this right the first time because brace height cannot be adjusted. It is what it is.

You will notice in your pursuit for a new bow that shorter brace heights generally have higher IBO speeds. It would be easy to choose a faster bow but you need to know the trade offs. Short brace height bows are considered less forgiving. But what does this really mean. As you shoot a short brace height bow the arrow is in contact with the string for a much longer time. This increased time allows for more time to make mistakes leading to inaccuracy. A longer braced bow will have the opposite effect. Because the arrow is in contact with the string for less time there is less time to make mistakes. You really want to consider the brace height when choosing your new bow. Longer brace bows (7” and longer) may be a little slower but your enjoyment and success in the field will increase your love for archery.

Cam Design

There are 4 types of cam systems all of which have strengths and weakness. There is a lot of hype and debate about the different cam systems. They are each unique in the way they perform.

Single Cam:

The single cam system has an idler wheel at the top of the bow and an elliptical power wheel at the bottom. With one elliptical wheel there is no need for the cams to be in sink. There is also considerable debate as to weather the single cam offers straight and level nock travel. There are several bows with this style of cam that are fast and offer easy adjustability and accuracy. Because of the smoothness and reliability of the single cam it is the most popular choice on bows today.

Hybrid Cams:

The Hybrid Cam system has 2 asymmetrical elliptical cams: a control cam on top and a power cam on the bottom. The system has a single split harness, a control cable and a main string. The hybrid claim is that it provides straight and level nock travel without all of the timing and synchronization issues. Claiming that the system is maintenance-free is debatable. The Hybrid system still needs to be timed right to be efficient and perform. There are many Hybrid systems that are fast, quiet and very impressive.

Twin Cams:

The twin cam system has 2 round wheels or 2 elliptical cams on each end of the bow. When properly tuned this system offers excellent nock travel, accuracy, and speed. This system will take some maintenance to keep it properly tuned and shooting accurately. It should also be noted that with advances in string technology the system is getting easier to maintain. Other than some maintenance issues the only other disadvantage is noise. Even with these disadvantages, the Twin cam is still the choice of many archers.

Binary Cams:

The Binary Cam system is relatively new technology and was introduced by Bowtech. The system features a modified 3-groove twin-cam system that slaves the top and bottom cams to each other. Not to the bow’s limbs. This system is “Free Floating” which allows the cams to automatically equalize any imbalances in the limb deflections or string and cable length. According to the manufacturer, this system is self-correcting and should achieve perfect straight and level nock travel. As this is new technology it will continue to change and get better.

As you are shopping please try to overlook all the hype about the cam systems that are available. There are differences among all the styles of cams that are available. Keep in mind that they all accomplish the same thing. I would not make Cam selection a make-or-break decision. All of the systems out there perform very well and will make for enjoyable shooting.

Cam Aggression:

While you are shopping for your bow it is not only important to decide which type of cam you like; you need to take into account how aggressive the cam is. Cam aggression will affect the feel of the bow when you draw it. Please keep in mind that each cam will feel and perform different.

Round Wheels:

Round wheels will have a very smooth feel. This type of cam will rise smoothly to peak weight then gradually to full let-off. This type of bow will store the least amount of energy and will generally have slower IBO speeds.

Medium Cam:

This type of cam typically blends feel and performance. It will come to peak weight and full let-off more abruptly. Because of their design they store more energy, feel heavier, and will have moderate IBO Speeds. This cam is typical of most hybrid and single cams. Hard Cams: This type of cam is very aggressive and will quickly reach peak weight and then, just as quickly, transition to let-off. This cam is built to store maximum energy and develop blazing fast speeds. Bows with hard cams will feel very heavy and will have the fastest IBO speeds. Bows, such as this, are not for everyone, but if speed is what you want you will have to learn how to shoot such a bow.

Bow limbs: Solid or Split?

Today there is much discussion about which type of limb is the best. Each manufacturer has it claims. Solid limb manufacturers claim that their limb is more accurate and split limb manufacturers say they have less hand shock. While the manufacturers battle it out, it seems that the public is choosing solid limbs. In your quest for your bow you should make this a minor consideration.

Hand Shock:

Hand shock is the recoil of the limbs moving back to their original position and is expected due to the force that is stored in the limbs. This shock is sometimes referred to as “jump”. This “jump” can be small or detrimental to accuracy. All bows will have some degree of “jump”. In recent history, bow manufacturers have taken great steps to decrease “jump” and it has lead to the development of parallel limb bows. The high limb angles of the traditional D-shaped bows are the cause of most “jump”. Manufacturers began developing limb systems that lowered the limb angles. With the lowering of limb angles parallel limbs were born, arguably producing some of the best bows of our time. Parallel limb bows produce very little “jump” and offer a very smooth release. Now the argument begins about accuracy and parallel limbs bows vs. D-shaped bows.

There is no evidence that Parallel limb bows are any more accurate then traditional D-shaped bows. Many archers still prefer the D-shape even with the “jump”. The only draw back to PLB’s is that the riser is much longer thus increasing the weight of the bow. Although, we must say that weight may be good because it adds stability to the bow. We would suggest that you not make to big a deal about small differences in weight and focus on other factors.

Axle-to-Axle Length

Bows come in many shapes and lengths. The length of a bow is measured from axle to axle. The axle is the pin that runs through the center of the cam. You should know that bows will measure longer when you take into account the cams. The cams do rise above the limbs adding 3”- 5” depending on the bow. When shopping for your bow, you should make sure that you get the right length bow for the way you hunt. If you are always in a tree stand you should consider a short maneuverable bow. If you are shooting longer distances look for a bow with a longer length. You can’t change the length of the bow later so make sure you make the right decision when it comes to length. The average length of today’s bow is between 31”-34”. Don’t limit yourself to the average; be sure that you look at different lengths. A word to finger shooters; with the acute angles of the shorter bows it can be very uncomfortable to hold the bow back. Make sure you look at longer bows for your comfort.

Conclusion

In Conclusion, we suggest that you consider the following factors when looking for your new bow.

1. Proper fit

2. Brace height

3. Axle to Axle Length

4. Cam Aggression

5. Bow Jump

6. Cam Type

7. Speed

8. Brand name

9. Limb Type