If you’re someone who is new to the sport of archery, ensuring you have the best beginner compound bow for you is extremely important. Increasingly important is when you’re not even sure if the sport is for you; instead, do your research and find a bow that is designed for beginners. Finding the best compound bow for a beginner is actually easier than you might think; if of course, you know what to look for. In the below article, we’ll go over all of the different archery components which important to consider for a beginner and take a closer look at our FAVORITE beginner compound bows.
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What Makes The Best Beginner Compound Bow?
Whenever you make a purchase, you obviously want it to be perfect but in reality, when buying your first compound bow, you’ll want to consider at least a reasonable budget and instead wait for a higher-performance model once you have a bit more experience. Ultimately, you want your first bow to be solid and be adjustable enough to grow with your experience level.
Many of the absolute best compound bow are some great finds as well. Beginner compound bows however are much more affordable but make no mistake; these are not toys and if being purchased for any youngsters should be used with both caution and supervision.
What type of FPS (Feet Per Second) Should I Consider?
Compound bows much like recurve bows are ultimately no more than a slingshot. Despite their fancy technologies and special accessories, they are ultimately ancient in design. When considering the level of speed you want from a beginner compound bow, it’s best to remember a simple rule which is the faster the bow shoots, the more difficult the bow is to draw.
This ultimately means that beginner bows will not shoot as fast as some of the higher-end models but they will be easier overall to shoot. I typically recommend that beginners should stick below advertised speeds of 330 FPS. Anything above this speed and it will become increasingly difficult to both aim and shoot the bow.
What’s The Ideal Draw Weight For A Beginner’s Compound Bow?
Draw weight is extremely important and is obviously touched on above as it’s closely related to FPS. It really depends on who the compound bow is for as a youth will require a much lower draw weight than say a full-grown male. You’ll have to decide on the peak draw weight before you make the purchase and you’ll typically have to choose either a 50, 60, or a 70lbs compound bow for adults.
For small children and younger youth, I suggest a draw weight no larger than 25lbs. For women and teenagers, I generally recommend a draw weight between 30 and 50 lbs while males are 50 – 70lbs. For beginners, I always like to adjust by recommending a bow on the lowest end of the recommended draw weights to ensure it’s not too much of a challenge.
As your strength and accuracy improve, you’ll notice a big difference in the amount of weight you can pull. Keep in mind that the first bow you buy will not be the last bow you buy so after a little bit of practice you can consider upgrading to a sturdier bow.
Hunting With The Best Beginner Compound Bow
If you’re considering using your beginner compound bow for hunting, don’t worry too much about really upping the draw weight when you’re thinking. Ensure however that you do have a draw weight of at least 50lbs as that will generally provide enough kinetic energy to take down your prey. It’s more important instead to have the accuracy to ensure you can hit your target in the most effective area and take down your prey humanely.
Best Beginner Compound Bow
1. Diamond Infinite Edge Compound Bow Package
Diamond bows are made by Bowtech which for those new to the industry, is well regarded as one of the top manufacturers in the industry. If you’re looking for a bow for a young person, a youth, or a female, this is my favorite option for you. And at the same time, there is nothing wrong with an adult male using this bow with the proper settings.
I really like all of the adjustability options that come with this particular compound bow. With the help of a bow press (see your local bow shop) you can adjust the draw weight from 5 pounds all the way up to 50 lbs!
This particular bow maxes out at about 310 FPS which is set with a draw weight of 70 lbs. With a lighter draw weight, you’ll obviously get a lower FPS. But for a young archer learning the craft, this isn’t an issue because speed really isn’t important. Instead, you want to focus on accuracy and above all proper form. With proper form and practice, everything else will fall into place.
I really like this bow overall and is likely my recommended choice for the youth looking for a compound bow. Everything from design, to craftsmanship, all the way to the noise level and vibrations are fantastic. Consider adding a bow sight or hunting arrows with your purchase as well.
2. Bear Archery Cruzer Lite Compound Bow
A great compound bow for beginners with an advertised speed of 290 FPS, we really like the features of this bow that lends itself well with beginners. The package contains the bow along with a printed manual and warranty card. If you want to upgrade the bow with some accessories such as an arrow rest or bow sight, you’ll have to buy that separately.
The compound bow has 290 FPS which is perfect for a beginner. With this power, it will compensate as well for minor adjustments in target distance. This is extremely important if you are intending to hunt with this particular compound bow. The cam system used is Bear’s EZ3 single cam system with rotating modules. This enables the archer to adjust draw length in 1/2 inch increments which are again ideal if you plan on doing some bow hunting as it will allow you to adjust easily especially if you’re using a single pin bow sight.
Great value for your money, it will provide long-term value for the budget-orientated user. Also, for a beginner compound bow, I never like to recommend anything too expensive in case you find the sport isn’t something you’re interested in keeping up with.
3. PSE Surge Compound Bow
All things considered for the price, there is no doubt why it’s so popular for beginners as it’s ready to go right out of the box. The listed IBO speed rating is 320 FPS which is again right in the sweet spot range that we really like to see.
From an adjustments perspective, it’s a great bow as well as you have a number of adjustments that can be made. The PSE Surge features tuneable limb bolts that turn 12 turns which compared to standard bows that allow for 4 turns will allow you to grow and improve while still fitting within your bow.
Another great option is the PSE Surge which replaced the PSE Brute which was a definite favorite of ours. The ready to shoot package includes the following items as well:
- The PSE Surge Compound Bow
- Gemini 3-pin sight
- Flexxtech 3 Stabilizer
- Shadow Quiver
- PSE Neoprene Sling
- Peep Sight
- Nock loop
