Best Compound Bow for Beginners in 2023

Archery is a sport involving shooting arrows with a bow. The sport is one of the most archaic activities known to be developed independently in different cultures and times. Archery players often describe their feeling as “super excited and satisfied” when hitting the target. However, getting started in archery can be tough.

For beginners, it might get complicated to find the best starter compound bow that suits you. In this article, we will provide you with a list of the best bows for beginners. Then, a buying guide will be demonstrated to show how to select your first compound bow for beginners and learn new things for your upcoming great experience with archery.

For beginners, it could be a bit confusing to choose your first bow. Especially when you haven’t set your standard yet or haven’t found out which factor should be considered in selecting your first bow set. Here we are providing you with our picks of the best compound bows for beginners so you might get some ideas to make your decisions.

Our Top Picks

• Bear Archery Royale RTH Compound Bow
• Bear Archery Cruzer Lite Compound Bow
• Bear Archery Cruzer G-2 RTH
• Genesis Bow Lost RH
• Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro Bow Package
• Southland  SAS  70 Lbs 31'' ATA Compound Bow
• Sanlida Archery Dragon X8 RTH Compound Bow

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1. Bear Archery Royale Youth

This Compound Archery Bow is a good choice for beginners with its extremely versatile bow that can be easily adjusted, adjustable from 12 to 27 inches in draw length, and from 5 to 50 lbs in peak draw weight.
To all the newbies, purchasing this product from Bear Archery would be a legit investment for your whole new beginning in the archery world.

Key features

• Brand: Bear Archery
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 5-45 lbs
• Draw length: 12-27 inches
• Max speed: 290 fps
• Let off: 75%
• Hand Orientation: Right

Adjustable from 12 to 27 inches in draw length and from 5 to 50 lbs peak draw weight is a great pick for young kids to start with.
Lightweight with only 2. 7 lbs and included accessories that are suitable for beginners.

Pros

• Lightweight
• Small size
• Adjustable
• Good for beginner
• Reasonable price

Cons

• For right hand only
• A little too simple for adult beginners

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2. Bear Archery Cruzer Lite 

Another bow coming from the Bear Archery brand that has amazing features for you to try. This bow is a good choice for young kids and one of the best bows for beginners.

Key features

• Brand: Bear Archery
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 5-45 lbs
• Draw length: 12-27 inches
• Max speed: 290 fps
• Hand Orientation: Right hand

Adjustable

The compound bow's adjustments are made using an Allen wrench with no need for a bow press. This means the product is suitable for youth and adult beginners.

Lightweight

With its lighter weight compared to most of the best beginner hunting bows on the market, this is a nice gift for your young kids to start learning archery.

Great starter bow set

This is a good deal where you get nice pieces of equipment to start your journey in archery. Having a small frame but sturdy construction, the bow set will give you amazing performance in shooting for its accuracy and steadiness.

Pros

• Lightweight
• Highly adjustable
• Reasonable price
• Suitable for young kids and women
• Two cool options of color: Realtree edge, Shadow

Cons

• For right hand only
• Not a great option for the professionals

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3. Bear Archery Cruzer G2 Adult 

This Bear Archery won’t let you down with its adjustable abilities from child to legend. This means not only young kids will grow with their hunting bow but the adult will love their best starter compound bow for its flexible feature and max speed and 315 feet per second.

Key features

• Brand: Bear Archery
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 5-70 lbs
• Draw length: 12-30 inches
• Max speed: 315 fps
• Let off: 70%
• Hand Orientation: Both hands

Fully adjustable from child to legend

This compound bow for beginners can be adjusted from 12-30 inches in draw length and 5-70 in draw weight. This means it is very comfortable to carry during a long hunting day or hold up and down nonstop during target practice.

High shooting speed

Coming with a max speed of arrows at 315 feet per second, this good beginner compound bow is an interesting choice for your next hunting trip. You will find the bow smooth, sturdy, and speedy to show its precise performance and consistency

Pros

• High speed
• Easy to adjustable for both children and adults
• Having a reasonable price
• Light in weight
• Convenient for both hand orientations

Cons

• Not as durable as expected
• Few color options
• A little too noisy for hunting

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4. Genesis Original

The Genesis Original is an official bow that is certificated by the National Archery. With its steady and vintage design, you will have a great experience enjoying the sport with this product as a good starter bow.

Key features

• Brand: Genesis Bows
• Draw weight: 20 lbs
• Draw length: 15-30 inches
• Let off: 0%
• Hand Orientation: Both hands

Certified

This fancy-looking product for beginners is an official bow of the National Archery in the Schools Program as known as NASP. By this, the Genesis Original gains its population by being a great starter pick for beginners in archery.

Sturdy structure

Built with single-cam technology which gives you good experiences when there are no tuning issues, less recoil, less noise, and more accurate shooting. These specifics will make it a cool pick for your next hunting trip.

Pros

• Deluxe design
• Both hand orientations
• Sturdy structure
• Suitable for both children and adult

Cons

• Might be hard for a beginner to start with
• Doesn't have a let-off

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5. Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro Package

The Infinite Edge Pro is the perfect fit when you're looking for a high-quality, versatile, feature-packed bow. With the draw length extended to 31 inches, a whole new category of shooters with longer draws is opened for you to have a good time enjoying the sport.

Key features

• Brand: Diamond Archery
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 5-70 lbs
• Draw length: 15-31 inches
• Max speed: 310 fps
• Let off: 80%
• Hand Orientation: Both hand

Synchronized Binary cam system

The System consists of two perfectly symmetrical cams that are slaved to each other, forcing the cams to turn in perfect synchronization. This provides for flawless nock travel and tuning that you can set and forget, maximizing accuracy and consistency.

Wide draw length range

The range is between 13 and 31 inches. Durable and forgiving, these bows are designed to succeed every step of the way while staying as rock solid as the rest of the Diamond line.

Pros

• Comfortable to carry around with adjustable draw weight
• High speed of an arrow
• Suitable for both hand orientation
• Firm structure
• Redesign structure

Cons

• Not as durable as expected
• Heavy draw weight could cause struggles for beginners
• Included accessories are not as durable as expected

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6. Southland Archery Supply SAS Outrage 70 Lbs 30''

If you want to give your shooters the best chance to develop their talents in archery, choosing the SAS 70 lbs 30 inches product will give shooters the right gear of high quality and durability. Being a lightweight item makes this product a good choice for you to draw them all day hunting.

Key features

• Brand: Southland Archery Supply
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 55-70 lbs
• Draw length: 26-30 inches
• Max speed: 270 fps
• Let off: 70%
• Hand Orientation: Left hand

Great entry

Being an adjustable draw weight type makes this one of the best bows and arrows for beginners to start their hobby. It is also adjustable in draw length to suit every archer.

Steady and sturdy structure

This design structure helps beginners to aim easier while practicing shooting targets. Moreover, the pros can always have good benefits of using this thanks to its flexible adjustments in draw weight and draw length.

Lightweight

This compound bow is a nice entry bow to start with for its lightweight while being a hunting bow with complicated structures. This species can be really helpful for adventurous beginners to carry around during their long hunting day.

Pros

• Good for beginners
• Adjustable in draw weight and draw length
• An exclusive for left-handed archers
• Affordable price for budget-conscious customers

Cons

• Only for left-handed orientation
• Not as durable as expected
• Quite heavy for female archers or beginners, in general, to get used to the draw weight.

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7. Salida Archery Dragon X8 Hunting Archery 

If you are looking for a compound bow for beginners, this is a good deal for you. The compound bow has a large range of adjustable draw lengths of 18-31"; and draws a weight of 0 -70 lbs without needing a bow press. We are talking about the choice for everyone with its ultimate structure will surely bring you amazing performances.

Key features

• Brand: Salida
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 0-70 lbs
• Draw length: 18-31 inches
• Max speed: 310 fps
• Let off: 70-80%
• Hand Orientation: Right hand

Nice and affordable 

This one has ultimate value and comes and will bring you great performance. That will lead you to love this set of bows for beginners no matter you are a newbie or a professional. These are what make it a good beginner bow.

Kits of accessories

This compound bow includes many related accessories to give you nice experiences in archery. They will make a great combination of your bow set with cams, limbs, risers, arrow rest, stabilizer, sight, and wrist.

Pros

• A great option for budget-conscious archers
• Includes nice accessories to start with
• Well-worth the price

Cons

• Single hand orientation
• Pretty hard for beginners to get used to the draw weight
• A great choice for budget-conscious beginners with an affordable price

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8. Predator Archery Raptor Compound Hunting Bow Kit: Limbs Made in the USA

This incredibly unique bow offers versatility for any enthusiast from an adult, youth, and even beginner archers. Whether you are a hunter or simply just into target shooting, this bow will give you an interesting experience with its amazing specifications and features.

Key features

• Brand: Predator Archery Raptor
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 30-70 lbs
• Draw length: 24,5-31 inches
• Max speed: 315 fps
• Let off: 75%
• Hand Orientation: Both hand

Good for both hunting and target shooting

This bow has an adjustable draw weight from 30 to 70 lbs which are as easy as tightening or loosening the limb bolts clockwise to increase draw weight and vice versa. So its weight will not be a problem for beginners to get used to the feeling of carrying their bow around all day. The bow also has 12 draw length adjustment holes for you to adjust the draw length freely according to your arm span.

Nice and well-made details

This is a solid choice for having a fascinating combination of cams, rubber stabilizer, limb, cable guard, cables, D-loop, handle, and self-aligning peep sight. All of these parts bring you amazing experiences in archery.

Pros

• A great choice for beginners
• Available for both left and right hand
• Nice and easy to set up
• Multiple color options

Cons

• The bowstring is not steady and firm as expected
• Take time to learn to adjust properly
• The beginners may find it complicated to learn about different parts in detail

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9. PSE ARCHERY Evolve 28 

Popular PSE ARCHERY brand won’t let you down with the advanced compound bow with The Evolve Cam System. You will love this for its interesting feature below. The bow is made in the US and provides you well performance just by its small frame. With a smart design, the bow is well balanced and feels great at your side when carrying.

Key features

• Brand: PSE ARCHERY
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 70 lbs
• Draw length: 24,5-30 inches
• Max speed: 335 fps
• Let off: 80-90%
• Hand Orientation: Right hand

Perfect fit for adult

The product offers you 28 inches axle-to-axle and draws weight up to 70 lbs. This also means it comes with a humble frame but a big performance by being well balanced and feels nice when carrying.

A legit choice for hunters

The PSE ARCHERY will not let you down for their amazing works on giving this bow the abilities of high-speed shooting, and a high level of let-off. All of its features make it a nice hunting bow for all the hunters out there.

Pros

• Great quality for the price
• Lightweight and easy to pull
• Easy to tune for giving sharp shots

Cons

• Single hand orientation
• Might be challenging for a female archer with 70 lbs draw weight
• Beginners should consider hunting-related features to get better access in using.

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10. Siege SAS 55 lb 29''  w/ 5-Spot Paper Target

This Siege Compound bow comes with a compressed ABS limb that promotes strength, weight, and balance so that it can last the life of the bow. You will find it is perfect for beginners with its draw weight ranging from 40 pounds to 55 pounds and draw length up to 29 inches feels quite adjustable and flexible.

Key features

• Brand: Siege
• Sport Type: Hunting
• Draw weight: 40-55 lbs
• Draw length: 29 inches
• Max speed: 206 fps
• Let off: 70%
• Hand Orientation: Right hand

Compressed ABS Limbs for long life

The compressed ABS Limbs are a great point to consider while thinking of choosing this one as your first bow. This will give the Siege strength, weight, and balance to last a long life.

Adjustable Bow

This is also great for target practicing while being a hunting bow thanks to its adjustable features. The draw length can be custom up to 29 inches and the draw weight from 40 to 55 lbs offers you a better experience playing archery.

Pros

• Adjustable draw weight
• Lightweight to handle
• Comes with a paper target
• A great option for adult beginners

Cons

• Take time to learn to set up
• There are no instructions that come with the package
• Single hand orientation
• Draw weight might be challenging for female archers

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If you have multiple places to buy bows near you, visit a couple of shops to get to know whether the staff is helpful and knowledgeable. You can also look for online reviews to gain more information. The right bow shop will let you know what you should consider in buying a good bow set by good advisors.

There are many features that should be concerned when looking for a compound bow for beginners. However, as a beginner, those features may not be necessary for you to pay attention to. Here is our suggestions of some species to consider:

Price - Budgeting

Depending on your budget, the price may or may not have to be a thing that affects your decision. However, not everyone wants to spend more than 500 dollars for their first compound bow. So if you are looking for an affordable bow with good features that should be considered. You also should adjust your experience and lower your expectations for the future bow. When you are only looking for good value no matter the cost you should stay sane and not throw your money out of the window for a pricey compound bow just because it looks cool. Don’t let the price fool you since not every expensive bow is the best compound bow for you.

So our suggestion is to buy a moderately priced bow as your first. This is going to give you an idea of what you like or do not like. Then when you are ready for your second bow, it would be easier to make a better decision.

Brace Height

Brace height is the distance between the back of the handle and the string. If the bow has a longer brace height it leads to a slower arrow speed. The shorter the brace height the faster arrow speed you have.

Draw Weight

Choosing a heavy bow that you find uncomfortable to carry around is not a good idea. Just because you can lift it up doesn’t mean it’s the best one for you to start with. Being a beginner with a bow that has heavy draw weight might lead to bad positions and future unsafe experiences. So it’s essential for you to get your first compound bow with a lighter weight to carry for a long period during your day of hunting.

Axle to Axle Dimension

By measuring from cam to cam in axle to axle length, you could figure out the bow length. Short bows are lighter and more compact which are easier to carry around. But they can also be a bit unstable in shooting compared to the other ones.

Simple Accessories

There are many choices of accessories to complete your first bow set. Many brands that deliver a lot of accessories including stabilizers, sights, whisker biscuits and a nock loop for the trigger, etc… Then you will get all the benefits of being an archer.

Hand Orientation

A dominant hand is the one you use to draw the bowstring while the opposite hand holds the whole bow steadily. According to that, you should hold the left-hand bow in your right hand and draw with your left hand. In reverse, the right-hand bow is held in the left hand and drawn back by the right hand. So you choose your bow based on the hand that draws the bowstring which is your dominant hand.

Because when pulling the string back with your dominant hand, you will be able to give the maximum force while aiming. Moreover, pulling back the bowstring with your dominant hand will make you feel stable and more lively to shoot the targets.

Eye dominance

It is important for you to determine your dominant eye in archery. If your dominant eye is the left eye, you should go for a left-hand bow. Conversely, if your dominant eye is the right eye, you should go for a right-hand bow. However, you can always wear an eye patch for your dominant left eye if you want to use a right-hand bow. So left-eye dominant archers have two options in choosing their bow.

Handle and Shoot Lots of Bows

When you know which shop is the right place for you to get your first compound bow, it’s time to apply all the factors that should be concerned in buying your bow for an entry-level.

After finding out bows that meet your requirements, you should ask to have a demo with every one of them. Shoot some targets to give chances to check the accuracy. Helpful and knowledgeable staff will let you try some shoots on several bows before knowing which one works best for you. When a bow meets all your requirements, and other criteria points, and feels comfortable for you to carry around and shoot, it is the right one for you.

So which one is the best?

After a quite long review, we decide these two compound bows are the best of the best for the new archer, and they are:

Number 1: Bear Archery Royale Youth

This one is a great pick for your kid who is starting in archery. Coming at a reasonable price, the bow is easy to adjust for draw length and draw weight. The Bear Archery has a durable structure that would grow with your kids till the day they can go hunting by themselves.

Number 2: Bear Archery Cruzer Lite

This bow has incredible versatility and is adjustable from child to legend. This bow is not only an amazing gift for your kids but also a superb choice for young adults who are new to archery in general. It is a lightweight compound bow that is good for young kids and women to carry around.

The parts and Terminology 

Before getting your substance bow for novices, it is important to comprehend the numerous components and terms used. Once you comprehend exactly how these parts and also terms relate to the bow, you will certainly locate it less complicated to understand what you are searching for. So below is the list:

Archery shooting form

This is the way you stand as well as hold your bow, in addition to the setting of your arm as well as how you perform your shot. Having the proper shooting form or placement will certainly make it simpler for you to supply constantly precise shots as well as also having safe experiences.

Arrow

Arrows for the compound bows are usually made of lightweight aluminum, carbon, or both of the components. There is another option which is wooden arrows. Nonetheless, they are not practical in searching or target practicing generally. The most effective arrow for compound bows is carbon arrows given that they are durable and also reduced maintenance.

Arrow rest

Arrow rest is the flat place where arrows hinge on previously as well as during capturing. For beginners, arrow rest makes it simpler and also extra reliable for you to fire by maintaining the arrow progressively in position.

Arrow shelf

This convenient shelf is also found on the riser, and also is designed to hold the arrow with all phases of the draw and release. It can likewise protect your hand from uncomfortable injuries.

Axle to axle measurement

As referred to as ATA is the measurement from the top cam on the bow to the one located at the bottom.

Bowstring

A string attached to your bow is called a bowstring. When shooting, you pull the string back as well as purpose to the target. It is very important to recover the bowstring no matter what kind of string they are. You must alter your string when seeing it leaving a location or the hairs begin to break.

Brace height

Brace height is the distance of the bow from the all-time low of the hold to the string. The close the string to the grip is the simpler it is to fire.

Broadhead

Broadhead is the part that is usually affixed to an arrow. Although there are numerous choices of broadheads for you the most popular two amongst seekers or archers generally are mechanical and also fixed-blade broadheads.

Cables

Cables aid guarantees each shot is appropriately performed on the launch. There is 3 popular type of cables bus cable, cable slide, and cable pole.

Cams

Although cams aid your bow in being steady while its string is drawn back, there are lots of versions of substance bow that do not include a traditional cam system.

Draw weight

The draw weight refers to the amount of pressure you require to draw the string completely back, and it is usually noted in pounds.

Field points

Area points are actually common and handy in target practicing. They assist you to aim far better thanks to its narrow and slim form with the great trip.

Let Off

The let-off is especially handy for hefty draw-weight substance bows. It decreases the draw weight when you pull back the bowstring.

Limbs

Limbs are both adaptable arms that get from the bow's main install to the cams which are indicated to be rigid instead of versatile like in recurve bows. The most common options of limbs are basic limbs and also split limbs.

Nocking point

It is the little part that aids you to hold the arrow on the bowstring while you pull the string back as well as can be made from plastic or steel. However, you can make a DIY nocking point by making a knot on your bowstring.

Risers

Risers play a vital role in the accuracy as well as the speed of the shooting. They are typically made from lightweight aluminum and located in the middle of the bow.

Quiver

A quiver is an accessory that safeguards arrows from the components and also yourself from the sharp part on the pointers of your arrows.

Recurve bow versus Compound bow

A recurve bow is a traditional bow that has a bowstring attached to give it a curve shape. It often is larger than a compound bow but has fewer parts to reduce your confusion such as not having multiple strings.

Even though recurve bow is the only bow allowed in the Olympics currently, a compound is still fun and interesting for beginners to start with. A compound bow may look complicated but is really easy to use. In using the compound bow for beginners, you have abilities to adjust your bow length since it is adjustable.

A compound bow can aim, shoot, and hit with lesser force than you will need for a recurve bow. When you see an Olympics archer aim for the target, they are using more power than you thought they were. However, we can’t tell whether a compound bow is easier to use in target practice nor a recurve bow is easier to use in hunting. They are having their own special aspects which might or might not meet your expectations.

Since both the bows are a great choice so archers usually get their own weapon based on personal taste. Some people love the details and the flexibility, they buy it reversely.

They are usually more powerful and faster since they have a let-off feature and that makes them a go-to for hunters. But recurve bows are easier to take care of thanks to their simple structure. Most target competitions require you to use a recurve such as Olympics competitions. One isn’t better than the other because they’re both great, and you’ll find that the more you love archery, the more you may want to shoot with both of them.

Both these bows are equally good for hunting, range archery, and target practice. But in our suggestion, beginners should start with compound bows for the best experience with adjustable features.

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Compound bows are for hunting: True or False?

In general, compound bows are used in target practice and hunting. They are one of the most popular bows for hunting. When using them, you are able to shoot at high speed and higher accuracy thanks to their structure design for hunting archers. With its levering systems such as cables and pulleys, compound bows might be an excellent option to start learning bow hunts.

Is a compound bow good for beginners?

Compound bows are widely used for target practice and hunting. These products feature a system of pulleys and a bowstring that snakes between them which helps drastically reduce the amount of force required to draw back the string. It’s heavy draw weight will help you to become used to carrying the bow set on a long hunting day. So this is why a compound bow is a good choice for beginners.

Is it legal to own a compound bow?

There is no license required to own a compound bow. Compound bows are not listed as dangerous weapons. You don’t need to get licensed to play bows. Also, it is a regional issue so the county and city codes will be the best places to look but for certainty, you should check your local region's law.

How much should you spend on your first compound bow?

In general, most buyers spend between 550 - 750 dollars on a whole new bow set including bow, arrows, accessories, boarded, case, etc…

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It might be tricky for being a newbie in archery but it is worth trying to practice regularly. But things only go well when you have your greatest compound bow. That is why choosing your first compound bow is very important.

We believe if you follow our guide for selecting the first bow, you are going to have a good bow-buying experience. Hopefully, this article gives you ideas of what you are looking for in a first future bow set.

When you know all the considerations you need, you are ready to pick what is best for you. Furthermore, you may want to learn more about accessories that evaluate your experience with archery.

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