What is a compound bow?

Compound bows, target compound bows, hunting compound bows

From the left: Hoyt PCE XL, Mathews Z2, Bowtech 360, PSE Full Throttle, Prime One

Compound bows from different brands have different characteristics, and their advantages and disadvantages are also different. Mathews has a century-old heritage, HOYT has leading technology, PSE has arrow speed and violence, etc., so there is no good or bad bow, only whether it is suitable for you.

All brands of composite bows are composed of several main parts. The bow body is generally made of aluminum alloy, aluminum-magnesium alloy and other materials. Of course, HOYT and Bowtech also have their own carbon fiber bow handles. But most of them are aluminum alloy, and aluminum alloy bow handles are generally made by CNC processing. This can ensure the strength and precision of the bow handle. Each brand also has its own views on the choice of materials.

PSE PRIME ONE Leader

Aim

It is divided into competitive aiming and hunting aiming. The competitive sight consists of a sight frame and a sight head. The sight head of the competitive sight is equipped with a lens, which is generally available in 4x, 6x, and 8x options. There is also the diameter of the sight head, which is 29mm, 35mm, 42mm, etc. Different brands have their own models. The mainstream combination is a 6x lens with a 35mm or so sight head. Some people will ask, why not choose a larger magnification? Because when your sight magnifies the target, it also magnifies your mistakes. The larger the magnification, the greater the shaking will be. This is why bird-watching and target-watching mirrors with high magnifications need brackets. Some bow friends asked if there is an infrared sight. The archery bar arrow adjustment platform has professional infrared sighting tools that can be installed on the sight. However, we have done tests, and the current first-class compound bow shooters in China cannot guarantee that the 18-meter infrared light spot will shake within a diameter of 16cm, which leads to excessive attention to the front, and the more it shakes, the more panicked and dare not release. So there is no talk of accuracy. If you don't believe me, you can challenge it!

Why choose 35mm? Because the sight frame is too small, the peephole on your bowstring needs to be smaller to match. The smaller the peephole, the less light enters, so too large or too small is not suitable for competitive competitions.

Hunting sights are divided into multi-pin sights and single-pin lever sights. Multi-pin sights mean that there are multiple reference sights. If it is a 5-pin sight, your compound bow can have 5 accurate aiming points. Generally, the first pin from top to bottom is adjusted to 18 meters. 18 meters is the closest competition distance of the compound bow. You can test that from 5 meters to 20 meters, the 18-meter aiming point can be very accurate. Why? Because our 18-meter aiming point is actually the second zeroing point. The following picture explains it clearly.

IQ Retina Compound Bow Hunting Sights SURE-LOC SUPERME 550 Shooting Accuracy Competition Sights

The prices of sights vary greatly. The cheap ones are more than 100 yuan, and the expensive ones are several thousand yuan. It's nothing more than the accuracy of adjustment and processing. Of course, new technologies such as Shule Retina Lock are also one of the reasons why it is expensive. Retina technology is very simple. When the black dot is in the middle, it means that your action is standard. Of course, this black dot can be adjusted.

IQ Retina

The adjustment accuracy of the single-pin lever sight is higher, and generally, the single-pin lever sight will be equipped with a matching lens, which has a magnification effect like the competitive sight, but the lens of more than 6x is often not selected, because when you zoom in very much, if the target moves a little, your visual range will be very small, and it is easy to lose the target.

PSE Soldier 2 Sight PSE Soldier 2 Sight

Arrow rest

It is mainly divided into drop arrow rest and fixed arrow rest. Fixed arrow rest is mostly used on competitive bows in competitions. The main advantage is that the structure is simple and more stable. The adjusted arrow rest will not interfere too much with the flight of the arrow shaft at the moment of release. Hunting compound bows rarely choose it because it is delicate and afraid of bumps, and if the bow is not opened with stable force, the arrow is easy to slip off the steel sheet.

QAD HDX Drop Arrow Rest Compound Bow Arrow Rest AAE Steel Sheet Arrow Rest

It is a drop arrow rest with a large number of reserves. This type of arrow rest is almost always installed on hunting bows. It is quiet, safe and durable. There are also differences between drop arrow rests of different brands and models. QAD's Hunter Arrow Rest and QAD's HDX are two models of the same brand. The former is much cheaper than the latter. The main difference is the adjustment and drop speed. If you are an entry-level bow, or the arrow speed is not high, choosing the former will be more cost-effective.

Needle PSE QAD Hunter Drop Arrow Rest

Bow Stabilizer

The vibration of modern compound bows is actually very small. Some brands and models also have a lot of shock absorption on the bow body, such as Hoyt's bow sheet shock absorption, Matthews also has its own unique shock absorption technology, and brands such as Mission and Botech will add some shock absorption on the bowstring. So most of the shock absorption we add to our bow body is for weight and personality. If the center of gravity of your bow is high, you need a heavier shock absorber to balance the center of gravity of the bow, so that the moment the bow is released from your hand will be more comfortable.

The shock absorber rod of the competitive bow should be called the balance rod accurately. Its main function is to counterweight and balance the center of gravity of the bow to meet the needs of different shooters. Personally, the heavier the better when your strength can be controlled.

Shock absorber Compound bow shock absorber Compound bow balance rod FUSE carbon blade

Release

It is divided into wrist release, grip release, and back force.

Wrist release is a release device worn on the wrist, which is suitable for novices to use, more labor-saving and safer. A good grip release has a delicate feel, conforms to ergonomics, and feels very melted.

Some people will ask whether to choose a hook or a pliers? Will the hook be unsafe? In fact, there is no need to worry. As long as the brand release device is strictly tested, a bow of dozens of pounds will definitely not be broken. The hook release device will have the least interference with the bowstring when releasing, and the pliers can clamp the bowstring and wait for the prey to approach. The hook is hooked at night and is particularly fast. In short, there is no advantage or disadvantage between the two. Both hooks and pliers can be used. It depends entirely on your aesthetic requirements.

Back-forced release device should not be called that. Back-forced release device is a release technology, which will be discussed later. Those who read this content do not need to worry about it.

Release device Grip release device Wrist strap release device PSE Patriot

Wrist rope

It can prevent the bow from being caught when releasing, which will interfere with the release. A product produced completely for individuality. You can DIY it yourself. You can simply pass the shoelaces through the bow body, or you can ask your wife to make a personalized one, or you can choose a finished product.

Compound bow Wrist rope Bow rope

Peep sight

Choose the appropriate size according to the size of the sight and your own position. The smallest is 1/32 inches, and the largest is 1/2 inches. Our regular choices are 3/64, 1/16, 1/8, and 1/4, which depends entirely on the diameter of the sight. Don't know how to choose? Let the technicians of Archery Bar take care of it. They will help you choose the right one.

Peephole Light hood

Copper buckle and D-string

The copper buckle is used to determine the arrow point and prevent the tail of the arrow from sliding up and down on the arrow shaft. Some people like to use a thin line to wrap a buckle, which also achieves the same effect. D-string is a must for compound bows, unless your release device comes with a D-string. The D-string of a compound bow is used to hang the release device. There are requirements for its length, and this length can also fine-tune your own draw distance.

Copper buckle D-string

Archery shooting, shooting arrows. If you give the world champion a field bow from an archery hall, use your own arrows, and adjust the aiming time for him, I guess we still can't beat him. But if you give him some low-quality arrows, I think the chances of winning will be great. Therefore, the most important archery equipment is the arrow. There are many types and choices of arrows.

Carbon arrows have high straightness, light weight, and fast arrow speed. However, carbon arrows are prone to cracking and have a short lifespan. In addition, when hunting, it is necessary to check before each firing. Sometimes small cracks can cause serious damage. I believe everyone has seen the picture of the burst arrow. I will not post it here because it is easy to make people upset. Of course, this picture that has been circulated in the archery circle for a long time is definitely an individual case.

Compound bow arrow X23 X10
Aluminum arrows, imported aluminum arrows are straighter than carbon arrows and have better durability than carbon arrows. But its disadvantage is that the arrow is heavy and the arrow speed is lower. However, we do not require arrow speed for accurate shooting, and heavy arrows will fly more stably, because aluminum arrows are definitely used in indoor competitions without wind interference. If you are hunting, it is also recommended to use aluminum arrows, at least it is safe and reliable, and the kinetic energy is greater than that of carbon arrows. It is not easy to penetrate small prey arrows, which is more environmentally friendly and economical. Some people will say that aluminum arrows are easy to bend. What I want to say is: please do not compare domestic aluminum arrows with imported ones. We can shoot tens of thousands of arrows in one set without bending at all.

X7
Carbon-aluminum arrows: Whether it is aluminum-coated carbon or carbon-coated aluminum, these are a test of the processing technology, so the cost is higher and the price is more expensive. The truth of "you get what you pay for" is eternal, it's just whether the cost performance is suitable for you. Easton's hunting arrow FMJ (metal back plus) is very durable and strong. To be honest, you really need some strength and luck to bend or damage it. Of course, the penetration of top hunting arrows is quite amazing, because its diameter is not large and the surface aluminum is smooth, so the penetration is extremely strong.

There is also carbon-coated aluminum. The top-level target arrow x10 is this process. The carbon on its surface is a date arc, which means that the arrowhead and the tail are thinner than the middle. This design can better ensure a more stable flight, and the thin arrow shaft also reduces the resistance to the minimum and ensures the arrow speed. Not to mention the indicators such as straightness. If you are rich enough, you can also match it with the original tungsten steel arrow, which is only half the size of the stainless steel arrow, but the weight is the same.

EASTON FMJ Metal Back Armor
Wooden arrows: arrows used in traditional bows, but wooden arrows are difficult to preserve because of their own material properties. It is difficult to preserve them for a long time, so they are not recommended. However, some traditional bow competitions require wooden arrows or bamboo arrows, so I can only bite the bullet.

The indicators of arrows include: length, weight, deflection, outer diameter, inner diameter, arrowhead weight, feather size and other conventional data. The length of the arrow can affect the hardness of the arrow, the weight of the arrow can affect the speed of the arrow, the deflection of the arrow can affect the matching of the arrow and the bow, the weight of the arrowhead can affect the deflection of the arrow shaft, and the size of the feather can affect the flight posture of the arrow. . . . . . . The knowledge of arrows is very profound. The common misunderstanding is that the bow is adjusted by looking at the bow, but in fact, the matching degree of the bow and arrow is adjusted to ensure the correctness of the bow data. For example, a 60-pound compound bow with a draw length of 27 inches will be a little hard if a 340 arrow shaft with a length of 28 inches is used. If an arrow with a deflection of 400 is used, it will be a little soft. What should I do? You can leave the 340 arrow shaft to 29 inches, or cut the 400 arrow to 27.5 inches. Of course, I am just giving an example. The accuracy depends on the work done by the bow. It needs to be debugged with the help of white paper. If fine-tuning is more complicated, I will not explain it here.