Knowing the right methods of how to shoot a compound bow is essential if you want to mark your position in the competitive field. For many people out there, archery is becoming a lifestyle, whether it’s bow hunting or just shooting range practice. Many of them are driving themselves crazy to explore their god-given talent in this sport.
The compound bow is one of the most popular gears in this field. People are desperate to skill upon this particular since it’s the most widely used bow by first-timers.
After introducing in the early ’60s, the compound bow progressively became famed among thousands of archers. The design has been evolved since then in many ways to meet the requirements of professionals and hobbyists. Therefore, it is always challenging to learn the proper tricks and adapt a compound bow as a beginner.
Today’s knowledge bundle is all about that. We will share every spoon of our experience with you to make your learning process faster and effective. You will also find the most common rookie mistakes and essentials about the compound bow without the shooting process. Let’s begin without holding you back anymore.
Check the following before start
Before jumping to the how-to section, let’s grab an idea about a compound bow’s components.
Strings
A string connects both ends of the bow. It helps to launch the arrow from your compound bow. You will witness the usual materials in a bowstring are linen, random vegetable fiber, rawhide, hemp, silk, and sometimes sinew. In the case of competitive bows like compounds, natural fibers are not ignored.
Bow Cables
A bit similar to the strings, cables connect both ends of the cam in a compound bow. The thread brings the cams into line whenever the sting wheels the cams, playing an integral role in a compound bow.
Pulleys or Cams
Unlike recurve or longbow, compound bows are equipped with camps. These make the bow-limbs stiffer also delivers a step ahead of mechanical gain. As these are eccentric, they can change the radius according to the rotation. There are two camps, usually in compound bows.
Riser
A riser is positioned in the middle. Usually, these are equipped with sight and arrow-shelf. You may see risers made of aluminum in general. But in the case of compound bows, the standard material is carbon fiber so that you can experience less weight while aiming.
Sight
Sight is one of the prime parts of a compound bow. It helps you to aim at the target point with the support of crosshair. The component holds the fiber-optic pins, which works for a particular range. So, you know the answer to where I can shoot a compound bow. All you need to do is pointing the pin on the desired target.
Magnifying Lens
Magnifying optics is another widely-used component in compound bows is. These allow the archers to magnify the visual of targets. There are two sorts of the magnifying lens system, one-lens, and two-lens system. In the expensive models, you can magnify up to 2x to 4x.
Sight Pin
Sight pins allow archers to aim more accurately. Depending on the sight you have, it can have 3, 4, 5, 6, and more pins. Those pins are going to help you out with determining the yardage. For instance, if there are three pins, the first one indicates a yardage of 10-yard. The second pin will aim at 20-yard, and the third pin aims to seek a 30-yard away target.
Limbs
Basically, limbs store the energy that is generated every time you pull strings. There are two limbs in the compound bow – the bottom limbs and the top limbs. The typical limbs in compound bows are made of fiberglass planks. The riser and the cams are attached to the limbs.
Stabilizers
As the name suggests, stabilizers are equipped with a compound bow to increase stability when pulling the string backward. It also enhances precision. Therefore, it is considered an inevitable component by many professional athletes.
Rest
It is actually a part of the arrow made of horn or metal. For enjoying a quiet shot every time you raise the bow, arrow rest is quite crucial.
Release Aid
With the support of release aid, you can pull draw weight easily. It makes sure that you are not putting the tension on your fingers, preferably on the arm muscles. Nowadays, compound bows are coming in with built-in release aid.
How to Shoot a Compound bow for beginner More Accurately
In this section, we will illustrate all the steps so that you can learn how to shoot a compound bow just like professional archers. Let’s start with the basics first.
Step 1: How to hold a compound bow
Find the most neutral spot on your hand possible so that you can eliminate any torque or twisting of the bow. Otherwise, it will cause your arrows to go off the path. Put your hand out like you tell someone to stop and find the pad on your hand palm and slip that right into the boat.
If you get excessively far to one side on your thumb, you won’t be able to hold. On the contrary, if you get too far in, you will push the bow one way or another. If you put too much heel or down pressure on the bow, it will kick your bow. Similarly, if you had your wrist too high, it puts a lot of strain on your wrist.
Make sure to check your bowstring before preparing for a shoot. Add some wax on the string if the string is frayed a little. It decreases the chances of getting your string too dry.
We might be hunters; still, we are athletes. So follow the athletic style whether we are shooting at range or wild. Bend your knee and lean a little forward. Choose the balanced position that you are comfortable with.
Step 2: Nock it before you try it
It’s time to put on the arrow. We are going to knock it until we hear the click sound. If you are not putting it properly, it could be dangerous. Then we are going to put the arrow in the rest and lock that up. There are tons of different kinds of rests, but they all have the same purpose of serving.
We are going to use our release. Nock it forward and pull back. When we are pulling back the arrow, we have to use both shoulders. If you pull back just with the right arm, it’s becomes pretty challenging. Also, when pulling the bow, a lot of archers point up. Instead, you should try and focus on going straight back.
Step 3: How to aim a compound bow
Find your anchor point now. Many archers like their anchor under their ear, under the jaw, or nose. Whatever the position is, make sure it’s consistent. Otherwise, you might not be able to achieve accurate shots all the time.
You need to find the peephole next. As the peephole rotates, we are going to line up between peep sight and the eye. It is better to have that peephole around the sights.
Once you have picked that up, have a light grip in your hand. Try to avoid having a too-tight grip. If you grip it more, there is a change you torque it.
The bow should be resting in between your index finger and your thumb. You don’t need to grab it at all. While aiming, the posture should be like extending your bow from your body (It’s like gently catching a crazy alpaca which is just trying to attack you. Well, kind of like a terrible analogy, though).
As a result, your elbow will bend out. It will actually avoid the common rookie mistake of having the string hit your arm.
Step 4: Relaxed Release
In the final phase, we will learn about how to shoot a compound bow with fingers. Before you release, make sure you have a light grip with your release hand as well. Using a fully adjustable release is a pro archer trait. You can shorten or loosen it according to your comfort. Your hands should be consistent with the length as well. Or else, the anchor becomes inconsistent, and the draw will be longer or shorter. Those scenes will lead to an inaccurate shot.
There are several ways to grip the release. Some archers like to have fingers pointing out. You can try any comfort zone you want. But typically, you should have the trigger of the release at the end of your fingertip. It’s because that is where all the nerve endings are.
Many first-timers enjoy finger release, thinking of getting a more natural feel. Indeed, it is a bad practice since you are more likely to derail the bow if using finger release. It will cause scratches and also end up you with missing shots.
When you are pulling back, ignore pulling it like a trigger. In the case of guns, you have to be friendly and light. You don’t want it to yank or pull. You just wish to the hand or fingers to go down for the fingers and tap at it.
The release is must be light. If you feel like you have to pull a little, lighten up your release.
After you release, keep the light grip in your left hand and let the bow fall forward. Don’t worry. It is not going to hit the ground. Instead, it will fall for in your hand. That is actually all about how to shoot a compound bow.
Beginners to Intermediary Guide: Compound Bow
You have just learned how to shoot a compound bow. But for every beginner, choosing the right bow and knowing all the bow’s possibilities is unavoidable. If you are messing up with those unknown thoughts about the compound bow, this section will solve that all.
What is the best bow to learn archery?
If considering usability, the compound bows are a bit easier to aim for. The full draw force is reduced in a compound bow. Therefore, newbies find this easy to handle. Another positive trait of compound bows is these are more flexible and smaller yet expensive.
The recurve bows are on the flip side, easy to maintain where compound bows need extra care. Although recurve bows come in at a reasonable price. Indeed, the process of how to shoot a recurve bow is a bit of a traditional style.
You can, however, switch between them after grabbing skill. If the price factor does not bother you, then starting a compound bow journey is always a wise practice.
Is bow press is necessary to unstring compound bows?
Well, certainly, using a bow press is a more relaxed way to replace bowstrings. But if you are not willing to buy one, you can do this without a bow press as well. Follow the steps below:
- Figure out the limb bolts first. Use a wrench to unscrew them. With your feet, step on the string top. Pull the riser up simultaneously until reaching the full-draw position.
- While holding the riser with one hand, change the old string with a new one. You just need to put the loops on the teardrop. Now, lower the bow until both of the limbs are set at the default position.
- Witness the grooves carefully and ensure the loops seats correctly. Next, pull the riser gradually and don’t stop until it reaches full draw. Take out the worn string afterward and tight up the bolts with the Allen wrench.
How long compound bows last?
It depends on how often and how you are going to care about the gear. Typically, the modern compound bows can serve up to 50 years.
What is the maximum shooting range of a compound bow?
We witnessed a compound bow range test by Bow Hunter Planet once. The test proved that you could reach your arrow up to 615 yards at a 38-degree angle. It took a 30″ draw. The arrow weight was 380.7 g. That’s the max limit of a compound bow, but you can’t assure a successful aim, though.
Will compound bow broadheads work in crossbow?
The broadhead you use in a compound bow will certainly work in a crossbow. Since there is no difference between both except the cutting diameter, you might not face any complexity. But people prefer using heavier broadheads in crossbows.
Is it possible to rapid-fire with compound bows?
If you have read the above about how to shoot a bow, you have learned rapid fire is not that easy with compound bows. You can try the rapid firing trick with a compound bow, but it is not recommended. Because of the nature of the compound bows, you will experience a massive amount of detail. If you have a custom compound bow that is specially designed for the purpose without letting off, that might help you.
How about paracord on the bow limb?
For experimental purposes, you can try the paracord handle. Some archers try this to get a better grip, although comfort is at risk with this method during the draw. Besides, it is preferable for those having large hands.
Another wrong side of the paracord handle is its impact on the limbs. Since they are an integral part of the compound bows, the more mess you add, the force and vibration they create.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, bow hunting is a sport of passion. Compound bows are the most widely accepted gear in this field. The skill level you are achieving on it is critical to progress in this route.
Without knowing the basics and related facts, you might not be able to handle a compound bow. Even if you know how to shoot a compound bow is not enough. Some of the intermediates make some basic mistakes while shooting compound bows. It is because of a lack of knowledge. If you follow all the above mention steps this may be the best bow for beginners .
We are thrilled that you are reading until now. Hopefully, the above information will dig out the most of your talent in the hunting field. Best wishes.
