The Compound Bow
Compound bows are made primarily from composite materials and lightweight materials including aircraft grade aluminum and/or magnesium and each part of the bow has a very distinct purpose. Bow parts are broken down as follows.
- Riser - central mount and handle for limbs, pulleys, sight and stabilizers.
- Limbs - Located between each pulley and the riser they store all energy.
- Pulleys - Located at the end of each limb they hold the strings or cables.
- Strings - Made of high tensile strength materials, minimal stretchability.
- Sights, Stabilizers, Quivers, Accessories - can all be attached to the riser.
Compound Bow Advantages
Unlike the longbow and recurve bow the compound bow requires little strength to maintain a drawn position. This allows an archer to concentrate on accuracy without worrying about fatigue. Compound bows store between 65% and 80% of the energy or draw weight, on average, within the limbs. This is achieved thru the use of off centered pulleys which once drawn act as release stops.
An archer using a compound bow can expect to feel full resistence when initially drawing the string until the pulleys rotate enough to reach a comfortable ‘letoff’ point. The letoff point is customizable via configurable pulley setup. Competition archers using a compound bow benefit from being allowed to use a magnifying sight which is not allowed on other bows in most archery competitions.
Compound bows aren’t as succeptible to changes in air moisture and weather.
Compound Bow Disadvantages
When fully drawn compound bow accuracy is more succeptible to some types of archer form errors in part due to low draw weight and some archery activities, such as bowhunting, can offer little time in which to achieve perfect form.
Compound Bow Arrows
Compound bows share the same arrow types used with recurve bows. The greater acceleration forces produced by the compound bow in a short amount of time suggest using non wooden arrows to avoid breakage and injury. A wide range of aluminum alloy and carbon fiber arrows are available to chose from and an archers strength and pulley characteristics play a large role in chosing the right type of arrow. Arrow stiffness also plays a major role in overall accuracy.
Compound Bows For Sale
When you’re up to speed on archery history and you’ve read all the archery tips you can find the next step is to find your ideal compound bow and take part in some archery games. There are MANY top notch archery goods manufacturers but one source you shouldn’t overlook is at auction. Here are some current and up to date compound bows for sale. Ask owners/sellers your questions!
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2004 Bowtech Liberty RH Compound Bow w/ Accessories Current Price: US $175.00 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 14:16:22 PDT |
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COMPOUND BOW ROBIN HOOD BRAND 50LB PULL Current Price: US $0.99 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 13:35:48 PDT |
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BROWNING MICRO MIDAS R/H COMPOUND BOW NO RESERVE L@@K Current Price: US $25.00 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 13:33:10 PDT |
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Mathews Conquest 2 Compound Bow Current Price: US $350.00 End Date: Tuesday Jul-29-2008 13:28:10 PDT |
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Darton Ranger II Youth or Lady's Compound Bow Current Price: US $209.95 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 13:27:52 PDT |
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LH ProLine Point Blank Compound Bow Camouflage Mongoose Current Price: US $19.99 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 13:13:09 PDT |
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PSE Infinity SR500 Compound Bow Current Price: US $25.00 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 13:08:44 PDT |
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Compound Bow Current Price: US $50.00 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 12:50:32 PDT |
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Avalanche Darton Compound Bow Current Price: US $800.00 End Date: Tuesday Jul-29-2008 12:44:04 PDT |
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PSE NOVA COMPOUND BOW Current Price: US $95.00 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 12:42:52 PDT |
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PSE BANDIT YOUTH COMPOUND BOW LEFT HANDED LH Current Price: US $39.99 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 12:03:34 PDT |
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MATHEWS CLASSIC SOLOCAM COMPOUND BOW Current Price: US $100.00 End Date: Saturday Jul-26-2008 12:00:00 PDT |
If you own a compound bow please share your thoughts in a comment below.