Compound Bows

There are several advantages as to why archers favored the Compound bow to be the most dominant of its kind. One of the reasons will be the draw weight. It increases to a peak and then lets off somewhere between 65 – 80% of its peak weight. There is even one manufacturer – Concept Archery if I am not mistaken – that had been able to come up with a compound bow with a 99% let-off.

The term ‘let-off’ is what happens when the bow’s cam rolls all the way over. As an archer draws the string, the cam turns around to give force, compressing the limb of the bow. Once this happens, and the cam has made its turn all the way around, there’s a least amount of force needed to be applied to the string so the limbs would stay bent. The ‘let-off’ enables the archer to hold his bow while it’s fully drawn, taking his time to aim properly. This also allows the archer to shoot a bow accurately and with a much higher peak draw weight than what he could manage using a longbow or a recurve bow.

Another reason to go for the compound bow is its resilience to temperature and humidity changes. This gives both bow and archer superior accuracy and velocity; A far cry from bows that is made of natural materials. Third reason is the compound bow’s pulley system that includes rubber covered blocks, acting as draw stops; thus providing the archer with something he can draw against. Sort of a solid ‘wall’ if you will. Said draw stops are adjustable to better suit the optimum draw length of the archer. Another favor point is the designs of the pulleys control the arrow’s acceleration directly. A soft cam will accelerate the arrow gently while a harder cam will yield faster arrow acceleration. First time archers typically use soft cams while professionals may choose a harder cam for its speed.

Since bows come with a variety of cams, anything is possible. Another circumstantial advantage of a compound bow is that archers, more often than not, use a mechanical release aid to both hold and release the string. This allows the archer the convenience of releasing the string with a simple squeeze of a trigger or a slight increase in tension. Using a release aid gives archers more consistent release compared to using their fingers on the string. Another good thing is that compound archers are generally allowed to use magnifying sights which is not possible in other bow classes. Add the fact that dampers, as well as stabilizers are well developed for a compound bow, ensures more accurate shots because of reduced movement in the bow whenever the string is released.

With all the functional and conditional advantage there is in a compound bow, it is clear to see why it’s a favorite among professional archers and novices. Catering to every archery enthusiast’s type and need, the Compound Bow is truly a dominant figure among its class.

A type of modern bow which uses a levering system consisting of cables and pulleys to bend its limbs, a compound bow is a contemporary model that requires less force from its archer compared to other bow models. Compared to the limbs of a recurve or longbow, the compound bow’s limbs usually are stiffer, making the compound bow more energy efficient than the other types of bows. However, this poses as a double edged sword as the stiffness makes it difficult to draw comfortably when there’s a string attached directly to the limbs. Which is why the compound bow has its string attached to its cams with one or two of which has one or more cables that is attached to its opposite limb. So when an archer draws back the string, it – the strings - cause the pulleys to turn, thus pulling at the cables which in turn cause each limb to bend and this helps store the energy needed to take that shot.

Confusing? For us newbies in the world of archery all the above description might seem like incomprehensible babble, but to experienced archers, its poses as the main characteristic that makes a compound bow unique. With the use of this one of a kind levering system, the compound bow gives archers a distinct draw-force curve that rise to a peak weight and goes back down to a holding weight that is much lower. Because it is nearly unaffected by temperature and humidity changes, the compound bow gives its archers superior accuracy, distance and improved velocity in comparison to other bows in the market.

First developed by Holless Wilbur Allen in 1966, in Missouri, the compound bow was granted its US patent in 1969 and has since then became increasingly popular, making it the most dominant form among bows even until today. A compound bow’s central riser is oftentimes made of either aluminum or magnesium.

Today several risers are made of the aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum alloy; designing it to be as rigid as possible. And rightfully so, for the riser in the compound bow serves as the central mount for the limbs, quivers, sights and stabilizers. The compound bow’s limbs, on the other hand, is made up of composite materials and are capable of taking and adjusting to compressive, high tensile forces. It’s in the limbs that the bow stores all of its energy as there is no energy stored in either the pulleys or in the cables. At the end of each limb, there is a cam in place as is the most common configuration. The cam’s shape varies between different designs of bows – it actually depends on the concept of how the cams will store energy in the bow’s limbs. For maximum tensile strength and to minimize stretch ability, the cables of a compound bow are made of high-modulus polyethylene to ensure that the bow transfers its stored energy to the arrow in the most efficient way possible.

Compound bow arrows on the other hand have little difference to those used by recurve archers. Shafts are made of carbon or aluminum alloy or a combination of both. Wooden arrows are never an option for the greater forces that a compound bow place on its arrows. Wooden arrows would tend to break.