Friday, July 19, 2013

Choosing A Compound Bow

By Justin Phillips


The beginner is strongly advised to use a compound bow rather than a traditional long bow or recurve bow. The compound bow is characterized by eccentric wheels or cams on the upper and lower limbs. The maximum force necessary to draw a bow to its full extent is called the draw weight. The cams allow a compound bow to be held at full draw with only a fraction of the draw weight. That fraction expressed as a percentage is called the letoff. The letoff of most compounds is between 50 and 80%. In other words, when you draw a compound bow you have to use the force of full draw weight, but suddenly the draw weight falls off to the letoff fraction when fully drawn. This is very useful in hunting situations where you may have to wait after drawing the bow for an animal to move into range or favorable position to shoot.

A right hand bow will use your right eye for sight. The same happens with your left eye and it draws your left hand for shooting. Experts will tell you to use your dominant eye for shooting and pick that bow based on this information.

In buying a bow, the draw weight is probably the main factors to contemplate. The minimum draw weight for hunting deer should be 45 lbs. Although you'll be able to kill a deer having a weaker bow, you will end up wounding many that you do not recover. Most bows utilised in deer hunting have a draw weight of 50-70# and therefore are somewhat adjustable in draw weight. Bows tend to be able to shoot best when on maximum draw weight. The major benefit from a higher draw weight bow is that the arrow trajectory is less dense. You have to estimate the length to game when aiming, and a flatter velocity makes errors less of any problem. When choosing a bow you should choose one with a draw weight you can draw quickly and effortlessly. Also keep in brain that a bow that you may easily draw in practice could be too hard to draw smoothly after sitting in the cold in a tree mean an hour or a lot more. To build up the strength for hunting I set my bow on maximum draw weight for practice then adjust it down 5 lbs for hunting. This requires changing the sights from the bow.

Bows should also consider their draw length when buying one. A proper draw is based when the lips is fully drawn. Bows have adjustable draw lengths from 28-30 inches. The bow can be damaged if you don't properly release the cables. Make sure to have a tech do this for you if you are not experienced. If you buy new at a store, the expert may help you by setting the bow up for you. You may have to pay a fee. Some stores sell bows at a discount when the hunting season is over.

If you can't afford a new bow, I'd go used for sure. This is a great way to save some money when just starting. You can find one on ebay for pretty cheap maybe 50 or 100 dollars. Find one in the off season for this price, but expect it to go up fast when hunting season starts. Be sure to check out draw weight and length when shopping even if you prefer to buy online. Remember when you buy that you have to by for that dominant hand and eye coordination. Sporting goods stores can often adjust your draw length for you.




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