Compound Bow

From Karate, Kungfu, Wrestling, Mixed Fighting Information Source

The article is incomplete or needs improvement This article covers an essential topic and is in need of expansion by contributing to Wikimartialarts. Please follow the guidelines in the Manual of Style and complete this article to the highest level of quality before continuing on smaller articles.

A Compound Bow is similar to a re-curve but is molded in such a way as to always be in the “strung” shape. A compound bow has “cams” (roller like mechanical devices) on the top and bottom of the bow to assist with the pull of the bow. As the shooter pulls the string back, the “cams” roll down toward the shooter eventually “breaking”. When the cam breaks, the string pull resistance becomes much easier to pull and easier to hold. This is a very popular bow for modern day hunters and can be set to a very great pull weight.

History

Characteristics

Compound bows are so quick and so heavy, they are the hardest to shoot. They do have their advantages though, they are fast and probably the most liked feature is the hold draw reduction. The wheels or pulleys called cams on a compound bow have off set oval shapes to them that act as little levers reducing the pull on the bowstring to as much as 80%. This means you can have a bow with an 80 pound pull feel like 20 pounds of pull at the hold point, you must still pull the full 80 pounds past the break over point. All of the mechanics and speed cause numerous shooting problems. When a Compound bow is shot, it explodes in a very quick jump.

Although the compound bow is very difficult to master, it is considered as a high tech form and is the ultimate development of the bows potential so far. It has developed as a hunting (and military) tool in America where bow hunting is a very popular, and legal, sport. It is short in length for easy carrying and its cam wheels give it a mechanical efficiency, allowing the archer to steadily hold a draw weight considerably more than that of a recurve bow. The result is a powerful, smooth and virtually silent shot. When fitted with a magnifying scope, it is deadly accurate over distance and needs a great deal of skill to be shot successfully.

They are often seen in competitions where they are categorised separately because of their relative advantage over other bow types.