Compound Bows

A compound bow uses a lever system that consists of cables and pulleys to bend the limb of the bow. The limbs of a compound bow are usually stiffer than those of other bows and therefore more energy is created when drawing the bow.

Compound bows are not affected by humidity or temperature like traditional bows are and give the shooter amazing velocity, accuracy and arrow distance. This is achieved when the cams roll all the way over during draw and compresses the limb of the bow. The draw weight increases to a peak and then lets off, giving the shooter a higher peak draw weight than other bows would.

With most compound bows the efficiency is usually between 70 and 85%, meaning it is this much of the stored energy during the draw which is transferred to the arrow upon release. This high transfer of energy to the arrow makes compound bows very popular with bow hunters as they need the speed of the arrow to be high in order to hit their target and penetrate the animal enough to kill it.

Compound bows are also a favorite for target shooters due to their accuracy. Many also use dampeners and stabilizers with their bows for increased accuracy as they movement of the bow is greatly reduced during release.