Compound Bow Types

Unleash the power of the Compound Bow

The 'Centre Shot Stone Bow', an early forerunner to the modern compound bow, can be seen in a painting thought to date back to 1440 AD. Despite that, it is generally accepted that Mr. Holless Wilbur Allen invented the contemporary compound bow, and he as a U.S. Patent to prove it. Allen's early designs sported triangular "wheels", and it wasn't until 1982 that the first round "cams" started appearing. The primary advantage of a compound bow over the traditional recurve and long bows is the mechanical advantage that's produced by the bow's system of cables and cams. This mechanical advantage translates to the archer being able to hold less poundage when the bow is at full draw. Because there is less pull-back on the archer's arm, it's possible to hold the drawn bow longer, resulting in better aim and increased accuracy. Today's compound bows come in four styles which revolve around the number and design of the bow's cams. Currently, the most popular styles include:

Single Cams

Hybrid Cams

Close on the heals of the Single Cam in popularity, the Hybrid Cam uses two elliptical cams. The top of the bow holds the "control cam", and the "power cam" is located on the bottom. Hybrid cam affectionados say that this design eliminates the problems with nock travel, requires less frequent maintenance than other styles, and is relatively easy to tune.

Twin Cams

The "Twin Cam" design uses two cams which can be either round, or elliptical, on each end of the bow. Twin Cams are prized for their accuracy, level nock travel, and speed. Because of design complexities, however, these models require frequent maintenance and tuning. Even so, it is a favorite among serious competition shooters.

Binary Cams

Introduced in 2005, the "Binary Cam" model is the newest member of the compound bow family.  This unusual design is much like the twin cam except that the top and bottom cams are slaved to each other, and not to the limbs of the bow. The designers claim that this arrangement automatically "corrects" any imbalances in the bow by compensating for limb deflections and varying lengths of the string and control cables. The binary compound bow is attracting a lot of attention from shooters who say that the bows are exteremly fast, and provide for straight and level nock travel every time.

Before You Buy

Compound bows are not "pick up and shoot" ready. Your bow needs to be adjusted to match your needs, and an initial tune-up is required,. Try different models in order to see which style performs best for you.

Helpful Information
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