Archery and the use of bows and arrows date back to the primitive era. The earliest men used bows in hunting. Through the course of several millennia, archery has developed into a sport. Today, it is a popular form of recreation. Modern men still love hunting. And today’s hunters use different kinds of bows in their chase for their game. Compound bows count as one of the most popular kind of bow used.

The earliest form of bow that resembles the modern compound bow is the center shot stone bow. This forerunner to what we now know as the modern compound bow has been represented in paintings that date back to the High Middle Ages. The modern compound bow was first patented by Mr. Holless Wilbur Allen. His early bow designs had triangular wheels on them that we presently refer to as cams. The first round cams came about in 1982. It was in this year that the round cams started to appear.

Modern compound bows typically have a mechanical advantage over traditional bows, may they be long bows or recurved ones. This mechanical advantage is attributed to the cable and cam systems of the compound bow. With these mechanical systems, archers and hunters are able to hold less poundage as they give their compound bows a full draw. Less pull-back on the arm means that it is possible for hunters and archers to hold drawn bows longer. This results to better aim and improved accuracy.

Today, compound bows are often classified into four styles. The number and design of the cams in a bow dictate the kind of modern bow that one has. The most popular compound bow styles include single cams, twin cams, binary cams, and hybrid cams.

A single cam bow has a round idler wheel on one end and an elliptical power cam on the other. Single cam bows are often easier to operate than other types of compound bows. They also produce lesser noise when the arrow is released. However, single cam bows are often more difficult to tune than other compound bows.

Twin cam bows have two round or elliptical cams on each end of the bows. They often provide better speed, accuracy, and level nock travel. On the other hand, twin cam bows require frequent tuning and maintenance due to their design complexities. Nevertheless, twin cam bows remain popular among serious competition shooters.

Hybrid cam bows also have two cams in them. Unlike twin cam bows, hybrid cam bows have control cams at the top and power cams at the bottom part of the bow. In 2005, the binary cam compound bow was introduced. Instead of having cams at the top and bottom of the bow, the cams of binary cam compound bows are slaved to each other.

When buying compound bows, keep in mind that they are not yet ready for use once you have taken them out of their cases. You still need to make adjustments on them so they can best suit your needs. It is also important to give them an initial tune-up.

Tags: archery, bows, compound bows, hunting, outdoors, recreation, sport, Sports

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