10 Best Bow For Beginners Reviews | Ultimate Guide in 2021
If you are a beginner hunter or new archery student, you should get yourself a good bow. Whether it is for hunting or target archery, a good bow will help you to improve your skill. They are necessary to improve your aim. With a lousy bow, you may miss out on all the fun archery has to offer. So, for the best experience as a beginner, you should buy a decent bow for practice.
But buying a bow by yourself might be hard. There are a few types of bows in the market. Each bow is differently made. They can be different in shape and sizes. The material choice may vary depending on the price.
Your bow choices may vary depending on your purpose. In this article, we will talk about the ten best bow for beginners. We will also discuss some other bow related things that you should know as beginner archers.
10 Best Bow For Beginners in 2021
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Our Top Picks
Best Seller
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- Easy set up for a beginner
- Best seller bow on Amazon
- Great bow at a great price
- Fantastic Bow!
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Editor's Pick
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- Amazing speed and power
- Very accurate crossbow with great sight!
- Good price point and entry level crossbow
- Best hunting setup for the money
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Budget Pick
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- Great youth beginners bow!!
- Great Bow for a great price
- Great investment into a kids future
- Heavy duty quality
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The 10 Best Bow For Beginners Reviews
There are quite a few types of bows on this list. Here, you will find some traditional bows, takedown bows, compound bows, and even one crossbow. This is a very versatile collection of bows. We choose all these bows for upcoming archers and hunters. But they can be used by intermediate and advanced archers as well. Hopefully, you will find a perfect bow for you from this best beginner’s bow list.
1. Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Recurve Takedown Bow
- Bow Length: 62”
- Riser: Olive Dymondwood and Hard Maple
- Limbs: Hard Maple with black fiberglass
- Weight: 3.4 lbs.
- Draw Weights: 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60
- Draw Lengths: 29”
- Hand Orientation: Both Right & Left
Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow is one of the most popular bows in this article. It is a perfect bow for beginner hunters. The riser is a laminated olive Dymond wood and hard maple riser. The riser has a perfect look. The limbs are hard maple with black fiberglass limbs. This bow has a single tapered knob and metal limb pocket design.
Samick offers this bow in both hand orientation. This length of this bow is 62″. The bow comes with seven different draw weights from 25 lbs. – 60 lbs. The recommended draw length for this bow is 29″. This bow is very durable, and the string is right too.
This bow is an excellent bow for beginner hunters. Some people even use this bow in real hunting. To shoot the arrow further, use at least 40 lbs or higher draw weight. For hunting, use at least 45 – 55 lbs or higher draw weight.
Pros
- Samick offers a wide selection of draw weight for this bow
- The limbs can be upgraded
- Available in both left and right-hand orientation
- Fairly low price
Pros
- The draw distance might be limited for taller people
- Should upgrade this bow with other accessories for real-life hunting
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2. Bear Archery Brave Bow Set
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Specification
- Bow Type: Compound Bow
- Bow Length: 26”(axle-to-axle)
- Draw Weights: 15 lbs – 25 lbs
- Draw Lengths: 13.5”
- Hand Orientation: Right-handed
- Included Items: 2 arrows, whisker biscuit, 1-pin sight, finger rollers, arm guard & arrow quiver
Bear Archery Brave Bow set is a compound bow for child archer. It is an inexpensive bow made for young children over eight. This compact compound bow has 26” axle-to-axle length. The draw weight is adjustable.
The draw weight is between 15-25 lbs. The draw weight is low to keep your child away from fatal injuries. This bow has a draw length of 13.5”. This length is suitable for most children. The brace height of this bow is 5.5”.
This bow set comes with two Safety glass arrows. Other included items are whisker biscuit, 1-pin sight, finger rollers, armguard, and arrow quiver. You can choose this arrow from six different colors. Bear archery brave arrow is only for right-handed archers. This arrow can be a wonderful gift to the upcoming young archers.
Pros
- Very good introductory compound bow
- This bow set comes with all the necessary equipment
- It is very affordable
- Has a wide variety of color to choose from
- This bow is durable
Pros
- The 13.5” draw length is too short for some children
- The draw length is not adjustable despite it being a compound bow
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3. Genesis Original Bow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Compound Bow
- Bow Length: 35.5” (axle-to-axle)
- Riser: Aluminum
- Weight: 2.9 lbs.
- Draw Weights: 10 – 20 lbs.
- Draw Lengths: 15” – 30”
- Hand Orientation: Both Right & Left
Genesis Original Bow is one of the best compound bows in this list. It is a great bow for a beginner and intermediate archery student. This bow can be used by any NASP participants. The bow has a great build quality. The riser is an aluminum riser. It also has aluminum cam, idler wheel, and sturdy composite limbs.
The axle-to-axle length is 35.5 inches. The draw distance is between 15”-30”. This draw distance is ideal for most people. The draw weight is 10 – 20 lbs. Its brace height is 7 5/8”. This bow is very lightweight and shoots arrows up to 170 FPS. Genesis original bow is available in 12 colors and for both hand orientation.
This bow is versatile and has great customizability. The new NASP archers will be glad to use this as their first bow. Without any doubt, this is the best bow for beginner archers who are into target archery. Genesis is the beginner compound bow.
Pros
- It is very lightweight and durable
- Ideal for archery beginners in NASP
- It has adjustable draw weight and length
- Excellent built quality with customizability and 12 different colors
- Can be used by any type of archer
Pros
- Not ideal for hunting. The draw weight is not enough for killing an animal
- This bow is quite expensive compared to the most bow in this list
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4. DOSTYLE Archery Takedown Recurve Bow and Arrow Set - Hunting Long Bow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Recurve Takedown Bow
- Bow Length: 52”
- Riser: Hardwood
- Limbs: Fiberglass
- Draw Weights: 40 lbs.
- Hand Orientation: Right-handed
- Included Items: 5 x Arrows, 6 x target faces
DOSTYLE Archery Takedown Recurve Bow is a good practice bow for new hunters. This is a takedown bow that has a high build quality. The riser is made from hardwood. The limbs are stiff fiberglass limbs. This bow has a draw weight of 40 pounds. The bow is only for right-handed use.
This arrow set may help the new hunters to improve their aim. There is a lot of other things included in the package. Dostyle includes five reusable arrows in this set. The arrows are 31.5″ arrow made from mixed carbon. They also include six target faces. The target faces are 60 cm 10 ring targets.
This bow set includes all the necessary things needed to practice archery. You do not need to spend additional money on other accessories. It is one of the best bows for beginner archery lovers.
Pros
- It has enough draw weight for hunting small animals
- The riser and limbs are top quality
- Useful starter kits to start practicing immediately
- Perfect bows for the beginner hunter
Pros
- Dostyle does not have this bow for the left-hand archer
- It is only available in 40 lbs of draw weight. There is no other draw weight option available
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5. BARNETT Whitetail Hunter STR Crossbow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Crossbow
- Bow Length: 18.125”
- Riser: Set through the riser
- Limbs: Fiberglass limbs
- Weight: 6.6 lbs.
- Arrow Speed: 375 FPS
- Included Item: 2 x 22” arrows, lightweight quiver, rope cocking device & lube wax
BARNETT Whitetail Hunter STR Crossbow is a step-through riser crossbow. It is the most expensive bow on this list. This is a heavy-duty bow that is perfect for hunting. This crossbow has sturdier fiberglass construction. The draw weight is 187 pounds. The maximum arrow speed is 375 FPS. The axel-to-axel length is 18.125 inches. This crossbow weight 6.6 pounds.
This crossbow comes with several items. They are two 22 inches arrows, lightweight quiver, rope cocking device, and lube wax. The crossbow has a single bolt assembly. That means you need to load a new arrow after every time you shoot. The limbs are custom composite laminated limbs. It comes with two different 4 x 32 scope. The price varies slightly depending on the scope.
This crossbow is expensive than other bows in this list. But it is a premium crossbow with advanced technology. It is a great crossbow not only for the beginners but also for advanced hunters. But use this crossbow with enough precautions. This is a mighty crossbow capable of killing any human and animals.
Pros
- It has sturdier fiberglass construction
- High draw weight allows it to fire arrows at speed up to 375 FPS
- It is very easy to assemble and use
Pros
- Most expensive bow in this list
- Some people do not like the built-in scope
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6. KAINOKAI Traditional Handmade Longbow Horsebow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Long Bow
- Bow Length: 49.60” – 57.5”
- Riser: Locust wood
- Weight: 1.1 lbs.
- Draw Weights: 25 – 55 lbs.
- Hand Orientation: Both left & right hand
- Included Item: 1 x handguard, 1 x finger guard, 3 x arrow target paper, 3 x wood hunting arrow, 1 x bow bag & 1 x bowstring wax
KAINOKAI Traditional Longbow is a very good looking traditional longbow. This longbow can be great for hunting practice and hunting as well. The riser of this longbow is made of locust wood. The bow handle is polished and painted to reduce the wear and tear.
You can buy this longbow with a draw weight from 25 – 55 lbs. The design of this bow allows archers to use it with both hand orientation. The 40 pounds bow can shoot arrows 150 meters distance. Using carbon arrows increases the distance to 200 meters. This bow set includes a lot of supporting items. They are handguard, finger guard, target paper, wood arrow, bow bag, and string wax.
This longbow will be helpful to any beginner hunters. With it, they can enjoy archery as the way it should be.
Pros
- Very well constructed traditional longbow
- It can be bought for draw weight from 25 - 55 lbs.
- Lightweight and can be used in real hunting
- Comes with a lot of supporting tools
Pros
- It is an adult size bow and not intended for children.
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7. Toparchery Archery 56" Takedown Hunting Recurve Bow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Recurve Takedown Bow
- Bow Length: 56”
- Riser: Casting Aluminum
- Limbs: Fiberglass limbs with maple core
- Draw Weights: 30, 35, 40, 45 & 50 lbs.
- Draw Lengths: 30”
- Hand Orientation: Right-handed
Toparchery Takedown Hunting Bow is one of the best bows for beginners. It is a 56” takedown bow. It comes in five different draw weights. They are 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 pounds. The maximum draw length for this bow is 30”.
This bow has an excellent riser. The riser is a casting Aluminum high strength riser. The limbs are also sturdy. They are made from fiberglass with maple core. This bow is made for the right-handed users. Aluminum and carbon arrows are a good match with this bow. This bow is perfect for beginners and intermediate hunters.
This is a good quality bow with a relatively lower price. Toparchery is very confident about this takedown bow. They offer one year warranty for this bow. Every beginner hunter will be glad to receive this bow as their first bow.
Pros
- Good quality inexpensive hunting bows for beginners
- Archers can choose this from a variety of different draw weight
- It has 30” draw distance which is enough for most people
Pros
- The bow is not for left-handed archers. Toparchery only offers this bow for right-handed archers.
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8. PSE ARCHERY Guide Youth Compound Bow Set
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Specification
- Bow Type: Compound Bow
- Bow Length: 23.25”(axel-to-axel)
- Brace Height: 7”
- Draw Weights: 8 – 26 lbs
- Draw Lengths: 16.5” – 26”
- Hand Orientation: Right-handed
- Included Item: 1 x quiver, 3 x finger roller, 2 x fiberglass arrow, 1 x pin sight, 1 x arrow rest & 1 x armrest
PSE archery is making quality bows, and related accessories form 1970. PSE Guide Junior Compound Bow set is no different. It is a perfect compound bow for children. This bow is 23.25″ axle to axle. The brace height is 7 inches. The draw distance of this bow is between 8-26 pounds. The draw length is from 16.5 inches to 26 inches. This bow is made for right-handed use.
This bow is intended for archers over eight years. So this bow is made keeping children’s safety in mind. The string has pre-installed finger savers. So your child does not need any finger tabs. The ergonomic design will fit the small hands of the children.
This arrow set comes with several other accessories. They are a quiver, three-finger roller, two arrows, one pin sight, arrow rest, and an armguard. The bow, along with its included items are more than enough for your kids to start their archery journey.
Pros
- Perfect for beginners archery students
- The bowstring has pre-installed finger savers
- Variable draw weights and lengths
- Includes some good accessories
Pros
- Only for a right-handed user
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9. TOPARCHERY Traditional Recurve Bow - Handmade Horse Bow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Traditional Longbow
- Bow Length: 53’
- Riser: Wood, fiberglass and leather wrap
- Limbs: Fiberglass limbs
- Draw Weights: 30, 35, 40, 45 & 50 lbs.
- Draw Lengths: 28”
- Hand Orientation: Both left and right-handed
Toparchery Traditional Recurve Bow is a traditional handmade bow. The design follows the traditional bows from the Chinese Han dynasty. They bow made from epoxy resin glass fiber over wood and leather wrap. The limbs are strong glass fiber limbs. This is an ambidextrous bow. So it can be used by both left and right-handed archers.
This traditional longbow has 53-inch bow length. The draw weights are between 30 – 50 pounds. The draw length of this bow is 28 inches. Twenty-eight inches is a good draw length for many people. This is an excellent practice bow for most adults. People who love traditional bow will appreciate the design and build quality of this bow. This traditional bow is the hunting recurve bow.
Pros
- This traditional bow is well made with excellent design
- It is an ambidextrous bow and can be used by any archers
- Can be found in 5 different draw weights
- Has good draw length
- This traditional bow is cheaper than some bows on this list
Pros
- This bow is not for children under 14
- Good for practice but not for real-life hunting
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10. KESHES Takedown Hunting Recurve Bow and Arrow
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Specification
- Bow Type: Recurve Takedown Bow
- Bow Length: 62”
- Riser: Wooden riser
- Limbs: Wooden limbs with fiberglass
- Draw Weights: 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 & 60 lbs.
- Draw Lengths: 29”
- Hand Orientation: Both right & left-handed
KESHES Takedown Recurve Bow is the best takedown bow in this list. This takedown bow has everything you might want from a bow. The design and material choices are top-notch. This has a wooden riser. The limbs are wooden limbs with black fiberglass. This bow is lightweight and very comfortable to hold.
This bow comes in all possible combinations possible. This bow has 62″ inch bow length. The draw weight for this bow is from 15 – 60 pounds. You can choose any draw weight you want. The recommended draw length is 29 inches. This bow has excellent customizability. You can easily upgrade the bow in the future. KESHES offers this bow to both left and right-handed people.
This bow is a sizeable all-rounded takedown bow. Both beginners and season archers will be satisfied by using this. KESHES is very confident about this bow. They will refund if someone is not 100% satisfied with this bow. That shows the real quality of this beautiful takedown bow.
Pros
- The bow is very well made compared to its price
- Wide range of draw weight form 15 – 60 pounds
- The draw distance is enough for most people
Pros
- This bow is well suited for adult archers
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How to Choose The best Bow for beginners?
Buying a good bow for beginners can be tricky. Many people end up buying a toy like bows instead of good beginners bow. To obtain a decent beginner bow, you should know about these following things.
Bow Type
There are a few types of bow available in the market. The typical bows are longbow, takedown bows, compound bows, and crossbow.
The traditional bow can be used for hunting. An excellent traditional bow has a laminated wooden body. These protect the bow from wears and tears. Many hunters use a traditional longbow instead of takedown bow.
Takedown bow and compound bow are used by archery students. They are very popular in target archery. These type of bows are upgradeable and offers excellent customization. But these features also make these bows slightly harder to get used to.
The crossbow creates a lot of draw weight to shoot arrows at high speed. A good crossbow is useful during hunting.
So, you should always choose the bow according to your needs. If you are a NASP archer, you should buy a takedown or compound bow. Choose a bow accordingly to your needs before buying it.
Riser
A bow riser is the central part of the bow. It holds the limbs of the bow. The raiser may vary for the bow to bow. The most common material for raisers is laminated wood with fiberglass. The compound bows raiser are made of aluminum or light carbon fiber.
Limbs
If the limbs of a bow are poorly made, they may bend in the future. Most of the time, the limbs are made of fiberglass material. These strengthen the limb and help them to last longer. Having the right limbs is essential for traditional and takedown bows.
Draw Weight
Draw Weight means how much force you need to pull the string to its maximum draw length. The arrows will have less speed and penetration force if the draw weight is low. For hunting, the draw weight should be at least 40-45 pounds.
Draw Length
Draw length refers to how far the string can be pulled. The ideal draw length varies from person to person. It may vary from 25 inches to 30 inches, depending on the person. You can measure your draw length in most bows shop.
Bow Weight
Bow weight may affect the performance of some archers. Heavier bows might have some bad influence on your accuracy with a bow. The weight of the bow should feel comfortable enough to carry and shoot arrows. Being good at archery needs a lot of practice. A heavier bow may shorten your total practice time.
Arrow
Every bow is slightly different from each other. The might have different draw weight, length, and bow height. These things affect the recommended length of the arrow. The manufacturers usually tell the user about the arrow size. The materials also affect how long an arrow can travel. The carbon arrows travel longer distances than others slightly.
Included Items
Before buying an arrow, check what other items are included with it. Some arrow set comes with target paper, armrest, quiver, arrows, and other items. These items will save you some money. Also, they are useful and great to have for practicing archery.
Price
Price is one of the last things you should consider. Most of the longbow, takedown, and compound bows for beginners are cheap. You can buy a good quality bow with just 100 bucks. The price slightly varies from bow to bow.
Others
There are other things like sight and stabilizer that can be added to the riser. These things improve the bows slightly. But these are not that important for the beginners. As an archer get more skilled at archery, they can upgrade their bow in the future with these accessories.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of bow should I use?
This completely depends on the archer and why he wants to learn archery. If someone starts to learn archery for hunting, the type of bow does not matter. For hunting, they need enough draw weight to kill the animal.
On the other hand, if the archers are NASP archers, he should start with a takedown or compound bow. Compound bows are more comfortable to shoot than recurve takedown bows.
What is a good draw weight for me?
The ideal draw weight will vary archer to archer based on their weight and gender. The perfect draw weight is different for children, men, and women.
The ideal draw weight for a female is-
- 25-35 lbs for small framed (100-130 lbs) and medium-framed (130–160 lbs) female
- 30-45 lbs for small-framed female(160+ lbs)
The ideal draw weight for men are-
- 35-45 lbs for small framed male(120-150 lbs)
- 20-55 lbs for small framed male(150-180 lbs)
- 45-60 lbs for small framed male(180+ lbs)
The ideal draw weight for children are-
- 10-15 lbs for small children(70-100 lbs)
- 15-25 lbs for large children(100-130 lbs)
Is archery dangerous?
Archery itself is quite safe for the archers. But archery can be very dangerous if something goes wrong. At worst, someone can even lose their life—practice archery with as much safety as possible. Do not aim arrow at people. Even a 30 lbs draw weight is enough to kill most people.
What is the good age for starting archery?
There is no perfect age to get into archery. You can start at any age as you want. But it takes a lot of practice to be good. The benefit of starting late is that you don’t need too much explanation and help from others.
The downside is you may not have enough time to practice. Like every hobby, if you start at a young age, you most likely become good at it in the future. The USA Archery recommends starting archery form 8 years of age.
Is archery an expensive hobby?
Archery is not that expensive, like other hobbies and sports. You can buy a good bow, arrows and some other equipment within $200. There is some good beginners archery set that cost a little over $100.
The bow, arrows, and other accessories are reusable. If you do not lose them, you can use them for years. But archery targets may be expensive. You can minimize your cost by practicing at school and public shooting range.
How much draw weight for hunting?
For hunting, you need at least 40 lbs draw weight. 40 lbs are enough for killing small animals. To hunt small deer, you should use 45 lbs bow. The larger deer-like elk needs at least 50 lbs of draw weight. For larger animals, you should use more than 50 lbs draw weight.
How much money beginners bow cost?
You will always find some good beginner bows within your budget. There are many good bow cost around $100 to $150. A good bow will last for years. So the price is justifiable.
Final Verdict
Archery can be a great hobby to spend your time with. Archery is not that hard to pick up. You will get a hold of it within a few weeks. But it may take a long time to be good and to improve your aim. For that reason, a good beginner’s bow is always helpful.
They will keep you away from a lot of hassle and frustration. You will enjoy your practice session and improve slowly over time. Archery is an inexpensive hobby and can be a great pastime. Archery will get more enjoyable as you continue to improve your skills.
In this best bow for beginners archer’s article, we choose ten perfect bows from beginners. We cover a wide range of bow with different types and shapes. This guide will help you to find the right bow for your archery journey. Whether you are into hunting or target archery, you will surely find a perfect bow for you.