Compound crossbows don't make sense to me

[LJC]

I don't hunt with a crossbow but have had one for over 20 years I had what I think was the first compound crossbow bernette demon .

FOR SOME reason the industry is full  of compound crossbows . 

But they  really don't make sense because it's not like a bow that you actually have to hold that weight for minutes at a time waiting for a shot .  You use a cocking aid so it's easy to pull back so the cams are not needed with a crossbow anymore 

Plus they can break much easier then a recurve crossbow .

Am  I missing something here ?

 

[Bojohunter]

Hi LJC. Each hunter is different. I think its whatever floats their boat and preference. It may not make sense to you and me but to others they find it more challenging and more fun. I personally hunt with compound bow and rifle and never really like hunting with crossbow. And where I hunt, you can only use crossbow during rifle season so to me there's no point using it.  That's just my 2 cents. 

[maytom]

Maybe when I get older I may try one then, but for now I will stick with my Mathews.

[LJC]

Yea i like my bow better ,I find them awkward to hold  if you had to walk in woods with one , more so then a bow  So I never botherd with hunting with it  the one that I have and in the zone I live you can only use a bow anyway . The can be  a little more accurate when using a scope but not enough to make a difference when hunting .  I pretty sure that if you used it for hunting and left it cocked for hours at a time day after day . That the string and cables limbs would wear out pretty Fast .

[Buckmaster7600]

Until NY changes the draw weight law a recite in NY makes no sense to me. I will not shoot a crossbow that is slower than my vertical bow. 200lb draw limit takes recurves out of the game. My compound shoots over 80fps faster than the fastest legal recurve and WAY quieter. 80fps is a 20% gain in velocity if I could have vertical bow that could gain 20% in velocity if I had to change the strings and cables every month I would own one.


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[ApexerER]

I don't know a lot about crossbows but I assume the reason they make compound crossbows is because they can make them a lot more narrow and still shoot a fast FPS.

[bugsNbows]

A good, well manufactured compound crossbow is fast, handy and not a maintenance problem...  IMO. 

[Core]

I believe compounds are inherently more efficient than recurve, even if you have a recuve with a very smooth draw that almost immediately hits max poundage like a compound does.

The physics behind a recurve necessitates that The ends of the limbs come toward each other enough to give you the draw length. This creates a simple triangle, so the math of how close the limbs come together is simple and obvious.

However, look at how a compound works. As you draw the string back, you don't gain draw only by the limbs coming closer together; in stead the string is being unwound around the cam, that pivots around the limb. It cannot pivot without limb movement, but it doesn't require as much. As such, the limbs move far less than on a recurve. Less movement = more efficient stroke.

In other words, wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_bow

Quote

 the limbs of a compound bow are much stiffer than those of a recurve bow or longbow. This rigidity makes the compound bow more energy-efficient than other bows, as less energy is dissipated in limb movement.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Core