The Archery Bow Buyers Guide

However crossbows in modern archery are mostly used for target shooting and sport hunting.

They have a comparatively short power stroke (the distance the bow's string is drawn back) but these bows are deadly accurate and have a firing range longer than a traditional longbow.

You will find that crossbows come in many styles and sizes from pistol grip crossbows to full size military models and today they are made of many materials, including wood, metals and polymer plastics.

Crossbows have a shorter draw length than bows which results in the need of a greater amount of draw force in order to store the same amount of energy.

Crossbows are rated by their "draw" weight.

Get yourself a crossbow silencer. These are multiple components placed on high vibration parts such as the string and limbs to dampen vibration by up to 80% and suppress the sound of loosing the arrow by up to 20db.

More and more hunters are discovering the fun and excitement of hunting with crossbows but they have to apply the same basic skills and techniques as conventional bow hunters.

Conclusion

So, have a look around at the crossbows that are available right now on the listings here on this page and we hope you find a great crossbow at a great price.

It’s a modern development of the bow which uses a lever system of cables, wheels and cams to draw the limbs back.

They are certainly much more efficient than other bows at transforming stored energy into arrow speed in fact these bows are designed for high arrow velocity, excellent accuracy and ease of use.

One of the biggest advantages to the compound bow is that the shooter does not have to hold the "pull weight" when the bow is fully drawn.

The bow gives you the option to adjust the draw strength within certain limits simply by changing the pulleys and cams on the bow; they often have a peak weight of up to 60lbs, but may only need 15-20lbs to hold the arrow before firing it.

Modern compound bows are significantly shorter than the equivalent recurve allowing them to be taken more easily around forests on field archery rounds etc. Lengths can vary from 840mm to 1220mm (33 to 48 inches) measured from axle to axle.

In tournaments, compound shooters are allowed to use a certain amount of magnification in the bow sight and they can also use a rear sight (known as a peep sight) and can use a mechanical release aid rather than fingers. This is not allowed in other bow classes.

The arrows used with compound bows differ very little from arrows shot by recurve archers but the big difference is that arrows leave a compound bow at an incredible average speed of 275-290 feet per second, which makes them the fastest by far.

Conclusion

Buying a compound bow is certainly a good investment for any archer; it is the most dominant type of bow.

Compound bows are also shot at world level in standard target competitions and will probably become fully allowed at the Olympics (at the moment only 'recurve' or Olympic style bows are shot). So get practicing now.

This bow is so called because of the side-view profile; in contrast to the simple longbow a recurve bow has end tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is held in the shooting position.

They are hard hitting, smooth, reliable bows that are well suited for bow hunting, target archery, and stump shooting. They are also the best bows for hunters in tight situations because they are smaller and more compact.

Recurves typically produce faster arrow speed than longbows of equal pull.

Recurve bows are often made from modern materials such as fibreglass and have limbs made of layers of carbon fiber, fiberglass and laminated wood cores.

Shooting the recurve bow accurately for hunting purposes is not all that difficult but you will find that most archers using a recurve bow often have many other pieces of equipment attached to their bows, such as stabilisers, (for balancing the bow and absorbing some of the vibration) sights (for improving accuracy), and pressure buttons (for fine tuning the arrow's flight).

Arrows

When it comes to arrows you will need arrow rests on modern recurves because of the design of the bow.
In bow events arrows can travel in excess of 150 miles per hour.

You will find that arrows vary in length, weight and flexibility, and the type of arrow you use will depend on the type of bow you are using and the archery you are practicing.

The Draw Weight for a Recurve Bow is usually marked on the bottom limb, at a standard draw length of 28 inches ( 711mm ).

Conclusion

Archery is fun and is well suited for virtually anybody, but choosing your first bow can be a bit daunting, I know, so why not take your time and have a look through some of the Recurve Bows which I have listed for you here and which are currently available right now for sale on EBay.

Please always remember that bows and crossbows are not toys and should always be treated with
respect.