State of the Art Archery: Archery Bows

Compound bows - modern archery at its finest! Just like recurves, compound bows make use of handles. Handles are usually built from plastic or wood. Various kinds of handles are utilized to generate different kinds of arrow shots through holding the bow in slightly different positions. These handles and grips are usually chosen to fit the type of bow, the make and the style that the archer prefers.

A central part of the bow, the riser, holds together the majority of peripherals attached to the bow. This other equipment includes the button, the limbs, and the sight among others. Various risers will influence how the archer holds the bow. Although the riser is somewhat unnoticeable, the effect that you get out of it when you shoot an arrow is very distinguishable. Risers will even sometimes have aerodynamic characteristics to allow the wind to slip through without altering the archer's already steady aim.

One can say that a bow will never be complete without the limbs which are the extensions of the bow that bends with the draw to produce the power needed to project the arrow. Even the limbs are attached to the riser. Many types of limbs are made of multiple layers of various materials enabling smooth flexion and to prevent premature deformities. With a consistent performance attributed to the limbs, a greater accuracy is derived from the bow. Latest designs of which are now made of carbon, a durable yet lightweight material.

We now move on the bowstrings, which are typically manufactured from twinning with several strands of Kevlar or Dacron producing a single, durable, flexible cord. Although Dacron is relatively expensive over Kevlar, the former is prone to creeping or loosening over a period of time. This will result in inaccurate or inconsistent shooting.

The rest is the part of the bow where the arrow is placed right before shooting. Since a longbow does not carry a rest, it makes it quite tricky to use. Other types of bows use plastic and metal rests. There are even more high tech bows which make use of magnetic rest for an even easier operation. Compound bows are rather sensitive to vibrations hence the rest outfitted on compound bows collapse immediately. This is to prevent the rest from being hit by the arrow after shooting.

The plunger, also known as the button, prevents the back end of the arrow from going before the front end. The plunger also ensures that the arrow and the bow is aligned, in turn this prevents the arrow from knocking into the bow once the former is fired.

The sight can be in several different forms, but the typical form for the sight is a circle with a pin or cross-hairs at its center. There are some compound bows which utilize a "spirit level" which informs the archer if his bow is tilted.

Finally, the longrod is an extension of the bow usually measuring around two feet. Its main purpose is to lessen the vibrations generated with the release. It also tilts the bow forward once the arrow is released.