Regular bow versus compound bow

[Scoutfish]

Ive been thinking about buying my son his first bow and arrow set.

 

Looked around, and a regular bow starter set with 3 arrows is around $28.00.

 

But at Wal-Mart, I saw a Jr Compound bow and 4 arrows for $30.00

 

Not talking about a compound bow that could kill a deer from 120,000 yards through a 1/4" steel plated wall, but just a basic beginner compound that had ...I think....30 pounds on it.

 

That make sense? 30 pounds?

 

I have shot a bow and arrow maybe 4 times in my life, so I am not an expert by any means.

 

Your advice ?

[Ltfightr]

We got our DS (he's a Bear this year) one of the bows from the Scout Store. I don't know a lot but I think the biggest difference is that a compond bow is easier to pull.

[Basementdweller]

If your goal is to get him to shoot better at camp and earn the golden arrow. I would buy what ever the camp you attend shoots. We travel to a bunch of different camps and have shot everything from the cheapy bears to the Mathews genesis bows. I would buy him the cheapy bear recurve bow to start with. Then in six months buy him the basic compound bow.

 

I really love to shoot, my son has yet to find any enjoyment in it. I shoot a probably 10 year old Ohneida Black eagle. I have taken him to the deer stand the last two seasons.....He just is too young yet to be quiet and not move around too much. The high light last year was was a humming bird sitting on the rail and scolding us for an hour. I could have grabbed him if I wanted. He couldn't figure out what we where. a great memory

[Arrowhead]

I purchased a Bear Warrior-2 (compound) for my son, a bit over a year ago. It has a really nice draw cycle, but, the arrow rest is the weakest element - it's a flimsy piece of rubber - very frustrating to kids, and adults, alike - it's not, in the least, easily replaced with a practical rest. One, if not the best, beginner compound bows is, as Basementdweller noted, the Genesis. Anything else is temporary junk. Just like telescopes - buy the best, or don't buy at all. I graduated my son to a Diamond Razor's Edge ($$) after twelve months. All the "kiddie" junk is just biding time, throwing money down the latrine.

(My CV relevant to this: Range officer for multiple Cub Scout shooting events. I shoot a Bowtech 101st Airborne)

 

PS: I love the USS NC - wish I coulda' been there again with you guys this summer.

 

Best regards,

Eagle 1977

[Nike]

It all depends on the size and strength of your child. In my experience, the el-cheapo bow, compound or recurve, is good for absolute beginners and Tigers/small wolves. 10-16 lbs is generally what we've used at Cub Camp. The biggest obstacle to beginner shooting is not pulling the string back far enough. They feel the resistance while drawing and release pre-maturely. The second biggest obstacle is getting them to stand still. My 7 and 8 year olds have ultra cheap fibreglass recurve bows about 15 lbs, but it gets the job done at home.

 

If you are unhappy with the arrow rest (and I use that term with all intended sarcasm) on your beginner bow, get a nice paperclip. Unfold your paper clip to a 90 degree angle. Epoxy to riser and grip.

 

And lastly, get good arrows, a shooting glove, and keep the nocks in shape. Fingertabs and stretched out nocks are extremely frustrating for beginners.

 

I shoot a Mohegan recurve, because it's pretty.

[Stosh]

It's been a long time since I've bow hunted, but I do remember that the easier # "pull" of a compound is for the hold. Once released the arrow leaves at the bow #'s. If I have a 15# recurve bow and and 30# compound with a 15# hold, just before I release the feel of the bows will be the same. However the impact on the target of the compound will be twice as much as that of the recurve at the same range. Of course the effective range of the compound will be better as well.

 

While for hunting this is important to know, but what about the folks at the range at summer camp? Well, the targets will get twice the abuse and wear out quicker for one thing. And if the arrow glances off the top of the target, it will be traveling at a far greater speed and one will have to chase the arrows maybe twice as far.

 

Putting the effective elevated range aim on a 50' target with a 15# bow is far more dramatic for the boys to understand than with a 30# compound.

 

Learning the theory of shooting a bow can be done with either set-up. However, in a compact area, a 15# bow will do better, teach the same dynamics, and be a lot easier on the boy's arm when he gets string burn. More power may be useful for man-tools and automobiles, but for shooting sports, it has no advantage. I can learn to drive in a 4-banger Honda sedan as well as I can in a 457 CI, bored out, overhead cam, turbo charged,'67 Camero SS.

 

Stosh

[perdidochas]

I think at around the same price level, the conventional bow would probably be of slightly better quality than the compound bow. My boys use the conventional bow that I was given 38 yrs ago as a youth. I doubt that a cheap compound bow would have lasted as long.

 

That said, the advice about the arrow rest was great. The bows our scout camp uses have horrible rests (which is worsened because the staff won't string the bows as recurve, which is how the bows were designed).

[dg98adams]

I bought my son a recurve, 1 step up from what WalMart carried... when he was a Wolf/Bear. He's a Life Scout now, and occasionally like to use it out back (we live in the country).

 

When I was a Scout I used my grandfathers recurve long bow and loved it. That thing was 5 foot long!

 

I never went bow hunting so never need to own a compound bow, doubt he'd ever want to shoot a bambi either....

 

So, I suggest finding a recurve that is not a Walmart toy. And some highly reflective wood arrows.

 

Check Gandermountian or Cabelas

 

 

[JoeBob]

Basement nailed it.

 

Start with a recurve for teaching technique and building muscle.

Graduate to a compound once the weight you want to hold for hunting gets too heavy.

Heavier bows for hunting result in better arrow penetration for humane kills. The weight reduction at full-draw (let-off) enabled by compound bows means that you can hold your anchor point longer for better aiming and shot placement.

 

I found a plethora of bows on eBay. Most sporting goods stores will have target arrows. When you move up to hunting, you'll want to have arrows made that fit your draw length and weight.

 

My 11 year-old daughter now shoots her 45 pound 'Black Bear' well enough for us to take her hunting this fall. She wanted new arrows for her birthday. And she loves to rub it in the faces of the neighborhood boys...

 

 

[Scoutfish]

WOW! Thanks. I appreciate all the replies. I'll probably appreciate them more when I translate some of them! LOL!

 

Well, haven't thought about the hunting side of it, just target shooting .

 

Personally, I only hunt with a rod and reel. I used to target shoot an SKS-56 with full metal jacket rounds I bought at surplus for $3.00 a box. But when the gun shop couldn't get those rounds anymore, I started target shooting with a .22 rifle.

 

The next thing I could buy in a 7.62 X 39 were $8.00 a box versus 500 rounds of .22 long shot for $11.00

 

 

Buying a recurve for the same price as a compound does make sense to me- quality wise.

 

I'll go that route and work from there!

[VigilEagle04]

I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to shooting sports, so I won't chime in too much. I'll just say that to me, a recurve is a lot more fun, and a much better bow.

 

But I'm the type that doesn't use compound bows, and for muzzle loader, no percussion caps, only flint. I actually have a short bow that I like to use, no recurve or anything. But again, I tend to be a bit old school.

[JoeBob]

Vigil,

I've a friend who shoots a beautiful wooden recurve and accuses me of having 'training wheels' on my compound...

[VigilEagle04]

JB,

 

Sound like my kind of person, lol! I tend to use recurve more when hunting, just because it provides some extra umph to it, but never a compound. I shot a compound only once. Went through a quiver, handed it back to the guy and said "not for me".

[JoeBob]

Vigil,

Taught camp archery this summer. First day cut down a 2" sweetgum tree behind the range. Let all the cubs crush a leaf and smell the gum. Told 'em I'd do a little work each night, show 'em our daily progress, and we'd have a bow at the end of the week.

1st night - debarked and limbed it.

Day two - Assigned scouts homework to name the bow.

2nd night - carved notches and strung it.

3rd night - added a deerskin grip and two plastic circles (Small saucers with holes in 'em - spindle inserts)

Day 4 - shot the bow for each class - once - sweetgum is not a tight wood! Told 'em I'd try to line up the axles for the cam-wheels.

Day 5 - Brought in my hunting compound bow: "I was up all night working on this thing! The paint was barely dry this morning. etc." Shot a 2 inch group for each class; the kids were impressed with seeing what a bow actually could do.

 

The kicker was when one of the adults asked how long I'd been building bows...

[VigilEagle04]

JB, that's pretty funny right there!

 

My favorite bow experience was at a section conclave (SR-7A All the way!). The host lodge (I believe it was Nawakwa, Heart of Virginia Council) told us of their secret event, that we wouldn't know the details of until we got there. I was Lodge Chief that year, and our theme for the spirit competition was Robin Hood. Naturally, I was Prince John. So we had these short bows cut out and regular string with dowel rod arrows and such for the merry men (not meant to shoot, just look good really), and all sorts of costuming from knights to monks to the merry men.

 

Anyway, when we go to the competition meeting, they hand us this packet. Inside is a bowstring, fletching feathers, and glue. The challenge was to make a bow and arrow, and your Lodge Chief had to shoot three arrows into a target in competition with the other chiefs. Needless to say, the other chiefs were not happy when I showed up with my bow, as they mostly had tree limbs and such. I couldn't help but think back to the tales of how John was a great archer, so obviously, I showed up in costume, as did the rest of my lodge.

 

I won that competition, but to be fair, I showed them that I could shoot fairly well with one of the contraptions that the other lodges had come up with as well. I still have that bow and the arrows though, it's a fond memory of my days as a youth.(This message has been edited by VigilEagle04)