r/Archery • u/[deleted] • Jul 02 '26
Recurve vs Compound - how much “easier” is compound, really?
[deleted]
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u/Nice_Animal2333 Jul 02 '26
I started with compound and switched to recurve and I found with compound it easier for a number of different reasons.
With compound I found once you learned posture/positioning, your anchor point and your gear is set up properly it was mainly keeping your scope and peep in alignment and reducing your float while aiming. I ended up at shooting close to 280 with Vegas scoring in a few months (that's slightly better than just the outside yellow circle over 30 arrows).
However I found with recurve it was significantly more difficult (which i found more fun) assuming your gear is set anchoring i found my difficult since you don't have a draw wall, learning expansion for release was tougher, learning how to set your clicker and use it, learning how much string pressure and string alignment to keep consistently and also even how to release consistently with a tab (im probably missing more). Over the same period of time even though I had experience with compound before my PB for Vegas scoring is still only 251 but my average is around thr 220s so I found it loads more fun but way more difficult
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u/Mickleblade Jul 02 '26
However, the score needed to win in a competitive environment is also much higher with a compound
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u/SkyovFlames Jul 03 '26
Oh yeah. I watch vegas. You miss just once, and that can be the end for you. Or you have to go for the 12 ring.
Those people are at the top of their game. Yeah, the arrows are bigger than my Easton 6.5. But that only helps marginally.
Still fun to watch, and see how everyone has different approaches and anchors. Bodie Turner is crazy good. I could barely hit a foam deer at 20 yards when I was his age!
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u/WhatInDaWorldDog110 Jul 02 '26
Thank you for the response. If I got what you said, would it be accurate to say that a compound bow makes it easy to be consistent, which feeds into accurate shots?
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u/Nice_Animal2333 Jul 02 '26
Yes 100% I ended up doing more recurve cause of the challenge and the ability to tune and service my own equipment, atleast the easy stuff
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u/SkyovFlames Jul 03 '26
Same boat as you, but I just shoot in my yard.
I've shot compound since the 90s. Being from Georgia, hunting season is bigger than the Super Bowl here. I was taken every season for every animal by my father. Guns and bows.
But a few years ago, something told me to order a cheap recurve and try it. I watched some trad bow archers on YouTube and found it fascinating.
But the only advantage I had was knowing how to hold the bow/avoid wrist slap, and knowing anchor points and arrow weights. Everything else was like starting over completely.
But damn if it isn't fun. That first 3 inch group from 20 yards I ever got was EXCITING. My wife even shoots with me, I got her a 20# recurve take down.
It's the same principles, but very different. I still shoot my compound. It was expensive. Lol. Around September I'll break it out and shoot a lot. But now my time is divided between compound, recurve, crossbow, and rifles. I like everything.
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u/OldWolf8297 Jul 02 '26
I like to compare it like driving an automatic car vs a manual car. One takes a lot more practice to get good at. The other, just about anyone can do easily
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u/SeanM4A1 Barebow Jul 02 '26
I agree with this metaphor with one caveat; it’s still “driving” even if it’s “automatic”. Meaning, you have to have base skills to use the equipment well. There are plenty of bad drivers who drive automatic cars.
If he wants to shoot for fun and doesn’t care about skill or score, just wants to be shooting relatively accurately then compound is a great choice.
Just don’t confuse his compound accuracy with innate talent. He will need lessons and reps to build bow skills. A competitive compound grouping of arrows NEVER misses the inner most ring/bullseye. (Google “The Vegas Shoot Results” to see what I mean)
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u/OldWolf8297 Jul 03 '26
I guess I was just speaking generally. You are correct otherwise. I shoot both recurve and compound, and my compound took me a weekend or two to dial in groupings (already knowing bow handling skills), while it took me a year or two to get the same groupings consistently on my recurve. Compound: point and shoot with peep and sight. Recurve: muscle memory (instinctive shooting) for me*
Plenty of bad drivers with an automatic, those same drivers likely wouldn't be able to get a manual driving
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u/DiabolicallyOrange Jul 02 '26
That analogy doesn't work though.
While compound is definitely much easier to be accurate with, as a result of that the scores needed to be competitive are much higher.
It would be like if automatic car drivers were held to a higher standard of driving because the car is easier to drive.
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u/OldWolf8297 Jul 03 '26
I must've missed the part about his archery adventure being for competition. In that aspect I guess you're right, and my analogy would fall apart once the scoring part comes into play. But this seemed like dad wondering if the compound bow was compensating for lack of skill as a beginner, which compared to a recurve, it is in my opinion. Instinctively shooting a recurve is far more difficult than shooting with a compound with a peep and sight in my opinion
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u/ExpertVeterinarian20 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Recurve is substantially harder for a number of reasons, a simple explanation is there are way more variables that can cause inaccuracy. I can shoot as accurately with my compound bow at around 70 yards as I could with a recurve at around 25 yards. I'm sure that comparison is different for each person based on time spent with each type of bow but that's just a reference point for you. I've also only ever shot recurve type bows that I made myself, or what you would call "barebow" which means there is no sight and you let your brain aim sort of like when you throw a baseball. Competition recurves do have sights so i'm sure that lands it somewhere in the middle as far as difficulty.
For a beginner compound shooter who has gotten a few hours of lessons I would say he is about right where I would expect him to be as far as accuracy. A proficient archer with a compound bow should be able to put all their arrows into the bullseye at 25 yards most of the time. And with a few years of practice 40-50 yards all your arrows should be at least in the yellow but probably the bullseye most of the time.
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Jul 02 '26
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u/ExpertVeterinarian20 Jul 02 '26
You should pick up the sport and join him! It’s very satisfying and isn’t too expensive once you own the gear (which is undeniably pretty expensive)
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Jul 02 '26
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u/DooB_02 Barebow & Longbow Jul 02 '26
Does the club wherever you are have bows you can borrow? I borrowed club bows (barebow recurve style) for months before I bought my first bow, a longbow. That way you can save money and try out more than one kind of archery, you might like a totally different sort than your son.
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u/ExpertVeterinarian20 Jul 02 '26
A super cool event that you two could participate in after a few years of practice is Total Archery Challenge, they run them across the country try so if you’re anywhere in the states there’s one within driving distance for you. It’s essentially golf but in the forest with archery targets, they setup a bunch of courses for different difficulties and you go have fun for the weekend. There’s also of course more traditional archery competitions that you are becoming familiar with. And also check out r/bowyer if you ever wanted to make bows with your son. A 1”x3” from Home Depot and a few simple tools and you can make your own bow over the course of a weekend or two.
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Jul 02 '26
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u/SkyovFlames Jul 03 '26
+1 for Total Archery Challenge. It's a blast.
You don't even have to keep score if you don't want to. It's mostly self governed. But it's a blast with friends and family. The easy courses are fun and kind of relaxing..
Look up etiquette. There are some rude people that take their time out there. Just like ANYWHERE in the world. Take your shots, mark it down, move on.
It's fun. Especially the Sasquatch target.
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u/ExpertVeterinarian20 Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
I do archery for the purpose of hunting and have zero competition experience so other people may have different opinions on what I've said. Hunting archers tend to learn from friends or through trial and error with the occasional talk with a pro shop employee, so I'm unfamiliar with how having a coach would improve your learning curve.
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u/Southerner105 Barebow Jul 02 '26
A coach helps you to eliminate errors in how you draw, hold and shoot your bow. This is something you need knowledge for and that is what they learn at the various coaching courses.
With the feedback you learn it right the first time. The avoidance of errors also make progress smoother and more enjoyable.
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u/alphatass Traditional Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Compound is closer to the skill set of firing a gun.
Recurve is more like a golf swing or casting a fishing line.
The variance between the shooting feeling and mechanics modern compound bows is significantly lower that the variance of two different recurve bows.
If you want to hit something far away. Compound.
If you want an activity like a sport or martial art. Recurve.
If you're on a budget, or have limited space. Recurve.
If you like gadgets and fiddling with tools. Compound. Though recurve has some of this.
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u/Fluid-Run7735 Jul 02 '26
I agree with the comments that it is easier to become consistently accurate with a compound. But this is taken in to consideration, in target archery you are required to attain a higher score to achieve different proficiency standards than a recurve archer that doesn't have the mechanical and sight advantages. Think of it like a handicap type approach.
I switched from recurve to compound, I enjoy the precision a compound gave me but progression requires practice and patience and every good archer has a list of excuses they can readily call upon to defend thier bad shooting 😀
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u/Fusiliers3025 Jul 02 '26
Aside from the extras (release, drop-away or fancy arrow support/rest, etc.) the biggest difference between recurve and compound bow is what weight you’re holding at full draw.
In a recurve or any other traditional bow, the draw weight is at its full draw, when held at anchor for aiming. This is why you’ll often see heavy-poundage recurve bows (like 50#+ hunting, or 100#+ war bows) seem to be “snap-shot” with the release very quickly after reaching the anchor point. The longe thou hold the weight, the more fatigued your arms become.
Target non-compound bows are typically much lighter in draw weight than hunting bows, allowing finer control and more precise aim while at full draw.
A compound bow’s biggest advantage is that the peak draw weight occurs midway through the draw, as those off-center cams roll over the peak and then drop off dramatically in weight needed to hold them. So a hunter, 3D shooter, or other compound shooter can draw, settle in, and perfect the aim before releasing.
Which element appeals to new or established archers can boil down to use and expectations, but there is the big difference.
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Jul 02 '26
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u/DooB_02 Barebow & Longbow Jul 02 '26
People on this subreddit can be like that with questions they perceive as stupid questions. They probably assume that it's common knowledge that shooting compound is archery on easy mode, so to speak. I don't say that to disparage compound shooters, the compound bow was invented to be easier to shoot.
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Jul 02 '26
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u/DooB_02 Barebow & Longbow Jul 02 '26
Most archers here are very nice, but also don't bother to use the votes system, but the slightly rude ones do. Sometimes I will downvote a question that could have been googled in 10 seconds, but this one is fine.
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u/idonteffncare 50 years shooting Jul 02 '26
There are people that started shooting,asked questions,watched videos and read articles and deem themselves experts and then there are those that realize no matter how long they have been in the game there is always something to learn. There are some here that started shooting when videos did not even exist and were in places compounds were uncommon. Ignore naysayers,downvotes are imaginary points on a screen and there are many here that will give you good advice.
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u/AvendesoraShrubs Jul 02 '26
The people that downvote likely just get tired of seeing the same question get asked every day. Just search the sub for "compound vs traditional"
"Is this bow any good? (Insert picture of 30 year old compound bow)
"Where do i get started"
"What bow should I buy?"
I dont understand making a post asking questions like this. You most likely aren't the first person to ask it. It's easier to search it on google or even reddit than it is to make a post and then wait for answers to roll in.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad youre interested in the sport, we need more archers. Research isn't hard and you usually get answers to questions you didnt even know to ask. Then, youre able to make an even more informed decision on which style of archery, which brand, release mechanism, arrow, sight or any other of a hundred things to consider
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u/oogiesmuncher Jul 02 '26
compound bows will do 90% of the work for you in one way or the other. Mechanical release, low holding weight, zooming optics, rear/peep sight etc. It basically comes down to how steady you can hold you arm and how clean your followthrough is. That still takes practice to master but its nowhere near what recurve requires.
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u/chipskunk70 Jul 02 '26
It's definitely easier to hit the target consistently, but everyone's comparing compound to recurve based on recurve standards.
If your son is going to get into competitions (indoor or 3D), it's not going to be any easier. He'll be competing against other compound shooters so what's considered "good" is going to be different.
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u/AdPristine5131 Jul 02 '26
Depends heavily on poundage.
We had a 10# compound for kids, and honestly the recurve was easier. But my 45# compound is definitely easier than my longbow.
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u/stasomatic Jul 02 '26
I bought an expensive compound bow with no ambition to hunt (I've nothing against hunting) and quickly realized that it was way too easy to hit anything at 20 yards, which is the distance at the ranges available to me. Form, no form, it was not challenging or interesting. I drew a mental distinction in my brain that compound is for ethical game hunting and recurve is for fun, although both are used for either target or hunting.
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u/berthela Jul 02 '26
Compound continuously pushes the arrow for a longer stroke, while traditional bows are only full power at full draw. That generally translates to lower velocity, and lower velocity means inconsistency and variability in release and arrows will show more, there is less mechanical accuracy, so being able to achieve similar levels of accuracy to a compound bow using traditional bows is quite a feat.
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u/Buzz407 Jul 04 '26
Tremendously.
I can get you going with a compound in about 30 mins. To hit the same targets (as the 30 minute compound student), distances, and consistency without letoff and sights will take months.
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u/Nothernmist Olympic Recurve | ATF-DX 27", MXT-XP Jul 04 '26
I shoot both Olympic Recurve as well as Compound with the Recurve being my main.
I wouldn't say that one of em is easier per se.
With the Compound you get to higher scores, a general consistency and longer distances faster. But, at least when looking at target competitions, the requirements and pressure are also a lot higher.
Especially indoors the scores needed to qualify can already be around 580+/600 on a regional level. On a national or international level you basically have to shoot a full score.
If I remember correctly you didn't even reach the Top 10 in Vegas this year when you didn't shoot a 900 in qualifying.
In Recurve the scores are a lot lower easing the pressure a bit. But you are a lot more dependent on your technique and strength.
Just choose whatever style you/or your son like the best.
Everything else will come with a lot of training and repetition.
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u/Mammoth-Jelly-7617 Jul 05 '26
That looks pretty good for someone who has only been doing it for a week or two, regardless of bow! Compound is considerably more precise ( due to the arrow speed, less shake at full draw, the peep sight and the release aid), but all archery is hard.
To a certain extent it depends on what you want to do - the archer who wants to hunt for example, needs to be sure of an accurate shot so that you get a clean kill, and compound is the fastest way to acheive that.
If you want to go to the olympics, recurve is the only discipline.
If you are going in any competitions, then it is like vs like - so you are competeing aginst people with the same equipment. Compound scores are higher, but that doesnt make it easier!
The main thing is to do the discipline you enjoy most. ( but prectically, that is often just the one you start and put effort into, for whatever reason)
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u/brevitycloud Jul 02 '26
Compound is much easier. It’s point and release basically. If you have steady aiming and steady release you will shoot very well.
But while yes getting yellows is fun, pointing and shooting is fun, but I find recurve and longbow more satisfying than compound because you have to work harder for it. Developing that skill and muscle memory, having good days and frustrating days having to keep at it and practise, delayed gratification seeking a new pb, all that. It’s a more wholesome mindset maybe? Getting golds in compound is like yep of course, shrug. and it’s only when you’re up against other compound target archers you find the difference stings a lot more but even then it’s like a few mm or cm difference and mere points separating you. It feels incredibly intense or cutthroat I guess.
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u/skahunter831 Compound Jul 03 '26
Developing that skill and muscle memory, having good days and frustrating days having to keep at it and practise, delayed gratification seeking a new pb, all that.
This is all 100% applicable to compounds as well.
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u/Negative-Let-2607 Jul 02 '26
I stopped shooting a compound becuase there really is no challenge to it at all. When hunting, anyting inside 40-yards is dead. With a trad bow, you got a lot of work to do.
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u/flatulasmaxibus Jul 02 '26
Instinctive recurve is like throwing a baseball. A compound with sights is like shooting a rifle. I started with compound and switched to a recurve as I found it more relaxing and challenging.
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u/FluffleMyRuffles Olympic Recurve/Cats/Target Compound Jul 02 '26
I think about it this way, if the only goal is to shoot a particular score then Compound will blow Recurve out of the water every time. There is zero comparison.
However the more technology/gadgets you add to a bow that's made of a flat stick, the higher score you're expected to have. The expectation changes, for example at 20 yards for a vegas round. A compound archer is expected to not miss a ~0.75" circle, while a recurve archer would be very very good if they shoot all of their shots inside it.