Best Long Range Compound Bows

When it comes to shooting speed and accuracy, you can’t go wrong with a compound bow. Among all other types, compound bows have a bit of a complicated mechanism, which can easily make any beginner overwhelmed.

Draw length, draw weight, brace length, let-off, bow size, weight, etc., are the factors you should keep your focus on before buying.

While looking for the best compound bows, I have found the following 5 bows to be beginner-friendly, which are also ideal for advanced shooters. The list includes top-rated 5 bows based on verified customer reviews and feedback.

Benefits of Compound Bow

Among all types of bow, compound bows are the most commonly used ones for their adjustability, excellent accuracy, and other archery conveniences. Hence, the topmost benefits of using a compound bow are –

Fast Shooting Speed

Compound bows can shoot as fast as 375 fps, which is considered insane speed for arrow shooting. A faster traveling arrow will reach the target from a far distance for target shooting and hunting.

Shooting Accuracy

According to pro archers, compound bows are by far the most accurate bows of all types. Their shooting speed, brace height, and let-off combination make these bows extremely accurate. Thus, these are mostly useful for hunting and competitive target practice.

Less Draw Weight Stress

Holding the bow for aiming is quite stressful even though you are doing it with your ideal draw weight. Unlike other bows, compound bows are less stressful to hold and offer faster arrow release. Thanks to their pulley system, it is a bit easier than other types of bow.

Smooth and Quiet Release

Releasing arrows using a compound bow is much smoother. Also, the noise is relatively low when compared to traditional, recurve, and other types of specialized bows. This significantly helps to achieve a high shooting accuracy while hunting, as the quiet release doesn’t scare animals away.

5 Best Compound Bows 2022

The list includes compound bows for both beginners and advanced shooters. You’ll find the most suitable one according to your shooting skills and ability.

Bear Archery Cruzer G2 Adult Compound Bow

Bear Archery is a well-familiar brand name Among advanced archers. They manufacture hunting and target shooting bows and archery accessories. This ready-to-hunt bow comes with specs suitable for beginners and advanced shooters.

The axle-to-axle length is 30 inches, perfect for both teenagers and adults. Even if you are a 6.5 ft. tall person, this bow length will suit you just right.

Depending on your archery skills, you can adjust the draw length from 12 to 30 inches. If you have a teenage kid, both of you can use this bow for target practice adjusting the draw length as you feel comfortable.

Similar to the length, the draw weight can be adjusted as well. From 5 to 70 lbs. you can easily adjust the weight depending on your drawing ability and shooting purposes.

As the draw length can go up to 70 lbs. for hunting, you’ll find it more than enough. Arrows can travel as fast as 315 fps pretty easily. So, yeah, you can take down your trophy from a great distance. However, keep in mind that the most accurate shooting results will be within 70 yards.

The bow, weighing only 3 pounds, feels extremely lightweight to carry. Thus, there won’t be any issue walking for hours with this bow for hunting sessions to find your game.

Pros

• Shoots accurately within 70 yards of range
• Feels pretty lightweight, easy to carry, and walk for hours
• Fast shooting speed is ideal for taking down a mid-sized trophy
• Adjustable draw length and weight depending on the shooter’s skills
• Shoots arrow smoothly and quietly without dampeners

Cons

• Quiver holds the arrows too stiffly

Short Verdict

For any beginner, it’s the best longbow shooter for its wide adjustable range of draw length and height. Also, for advanced shooters, this would be a value-for-money pick for its speed and accuracy.

Diamond Archery Edge 320 70 lbs. Compound Bow

If you need a bit larger bow for hunting or target shooting, this 32 inches bow from Diamond Archery can be your consideration. The bow is exceedingly accurate and fast at shooting arrows. You’ll be getting a lot of conveniences from it, which are found in more expensive compound bows.

Out of the box, cams are tuned perfectly; a huge plus if you’re a beginner. Holding it in hand, it doesn’t feel that heavy. Weighing only 3.6 pounds, you shouldn’t have issues carrying this bow for hunting.

This bad boy can shoot at 320 fps, which is pretty fast for hunting. With such speed, you can easily take down a mid-sized trophy from a distance.

As it’s a compound bow, you’re exposed to lots of adjustabilities. The draw length is adjustable from 15 to 31 inches, and you can adjust the draw weight from 7 to 70 lbs. So, regardless of your archery skills and shooting ability, this bow got you covered in all aspects. Even taller teenagers will be just fine shooting with this bow.

When it comes to noise, you’ll find it as quiet as some of the expensive compound bows available in the market. So, hunting from a close distance, it won’t make your trophy run away from the spot.

Pros

• Great shooting speed for hunting mid-sized trophies
• Much quieter release compared to conventional bows
• Comes ready to shoot condition
• Adjustable draw length and weight for versatility
• Fairly lightweight to carry into the woods

Cons

• Extremely risky for dry firing

Short Verdict

Considering its fast shooting speed, adjustability, and overall construction, it’s one of the best compound bows you can get as a beginner or advanced shooter in this price range.

Sanlida Archery Dragon X8 RTH Compound Bow

Your advanced shooting skills don’t necessarily have to get an expensive compound bow to take your archery skills to the next level. The Dragon X8 from Sanlida Archery is one of their top-rated hunting bows you can get with tons of accessories at an affordable price tag.

The bow is more capable than other options that come at a similar price point. It shoots at 310 fps, which is great for a hunting bow at this price. You can shoot arrows accurately, even from a distance.

However, it’s not that quiet at shooting arrows. But you can reduce the noise by adding some string silencers. Also, there’s no vibration dampener.

You can adjust the draw length from 18 to 31 inches and draw weight from 0 to 70 lbs for adjustability. So, yeah, beginners can opt for this too. Teenagers can also practice with this bow as the axle-to-axle length is 30 inches.

To help you with shooting, it comes with a 5-pin sight, which gets the job done pretty well. The rest of the accessories aren’t going to influence your shooting accuracy, but as a beginner, you will find it a lot more convenient to shoot with this bow.

Weighing 3.8 pounds, it’s not the most lightweight bow on the list. But, carrying it for hours won’t be much of an issue if you are a strong individual.

Pros

• Excellent shooting convenience for the price
• 310 fps shooting speed with great accuracy
• Adjustable draw length and weight for both beginners and advanced archers
• The included sight is pretty accurate
• Ideal size for people of all ages
• It comes with a lot of accessories to enhance the archery experience

Cons

• Not very quiet while shooting arrows
• No vibration dampeners

Short Verdict

Although this one is primarily made while keeping the requirements of advanced shooters in mind, beginners can also go for this option. For all this bow offers at such an affordable price, it stands to be the best compound bow 2022 on the list.

SAS Feud X Compound Bow

Another 30 inches compound bow is on the list. SAS Feud X is one of their top-rated hunting bows for adults. The overall construction of this bow is pretty durable for quality materials. Even the riser is made of aluminum to give it more durability and make the bow a bit lightweight.

Although the bow is advertised to have 30 to 70 lbs of draw weight adjustment, you can adjust it from 40 to 70 lbs. So, it might be a bit harder for teenagers to pull the string. Otherwise, for adults, 40 lbs draw weight is pretty doable.

For draw length adjustments, you can’t do it separately. It will be automatically adjusted according to the draw weight you prefer.

You can shoot at 300 fps using this hunting bow. Taking down targets from a distance shouldn’t be much of an issue for you as an advanced shooter.

The bow comes with a number of accessories to make your hunting a pleasant experience. Worth mentioning accessories are a 3-pin sight, limb dampener, stabilizer, sling, and string silencer. Right out of the box, the sight is an average one.

Regardless of your shooting skills, you’ll find this bow extremely easy to balance, hold for aiming, and shoot. Weighing 3.85 lbs. you shouldn’t struggle much to carry it into the wilderness for hunting sessions.

Pros

• Great balanced hunting bow for beginners and advanced shooters
• The ideal draw weight range for adults
• Pretty accurate shooting results
• 300 fps shooting speed is fast enough for hunting
• Fairly lightweight for its aluminum riser
• It comes with lots of accessories

Cons

• You can’t adjust the draw length manually

Short Verdict

If the price fits your budget, and you are good to go with more than 40 lbs draw weight, this bow would be a good buy whether you’re a beginner or a more skilled shooter.

Karnage Dynamic Compound Bow

Last but not least, a compound bow for serious hunters out there. The bow comes with pretty much all adjustments and mounting options that you would need as an advanced hunter. Needless to say, any beginner can also opt for this bow as it offers adjustments for target practicing as well.

The bow is a ‘ready to hunt’ unit. However, if you have personal preferences for your hunting setup, you’ll have to make some adjustments. But there’s nothing to adjust about it for most shooters except for the draw weight.

With 310 fps shooting speed, the bow takes down targets with great accuracy. Regardless of your shooting experience, you’ll find it accurate most of the time.

The draw weight is adjustable from 40 to 70 lbs. And you can tweak the length from 20 to 30 inches as your arms feel comfortable.

Along with other accessories, the bow ships with a 4-pin sight, which manages to get the work done well. But, if you are an advanced shooter, you may need to upgrade to a better quality sight. Although it also comes with a stabilizer, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference while shooting arrows.

The weight of this hunting bow is 4.5 lbs, which is the highest among all bows I’ve reviewed in this article. But, if you are a strong individual, the additional weight shouldn’t bother you that much.

Pros

• Highly accurate hunting bow for advanced shooters
• 310 fps ideal shooting speed for hunting
• Lots of adjustable options for beginners too
• The smooth pulling system doesn’t make that much noise
• Rigid construction for quality materials

Cons

• It may seem a bit heavyweight for ordinary people
• A stabilizer is not included

Short Verdict

This bow is a great value for money product for both a starter archery pack and an advanced shooter. Its excellent shooting speed and adjustability make it one of the best compound bows available in the market.

What to Look for Before Buying

If this is the first time you are in the market for a long compound bow, you need to make sure you narrow down your choices based on the following factors –

Draw Weight

This refers to how hard you can pull the string and how comfortably you can hold it to aim. Usually, draw weight ranges from 0 to 70 lbs. The higher the number, the harder it is to pull.

A teenager can draw up to 35 lbs. comfortably. But taller and stronger teenagers can do more than that.

If you are an adult, you should draw 40 to 50 lbs. at least as an average person. Stronger individuals can do it up to 70 lbs without any issue.

Keep in mind your ability to draw weight will determine how fast the arrows will travel. Therefore, it will also affect the accuracy.

If you don’t know your draw weight, be sure to visit a nearby archery accessory shop and ask them to measure your draw weight. Once you know your ideal draw weight, opt for a bow that can be adjusted according to your drawing ability.

Draw Length

When it comes to drawing length, it refers to how far you can stretch your arms holding the bow in the aiming position. Large individuals with larger arms can stretch further than an average person.

Usually, hunting compound bows come with a draw length from 12 to 32 inches.

If you’re purchasing the bow for a teenager, 15-20 inches of draw length would be perfect.

For an average guy, it ranges from 20 to 25. If you are a strong and taller person, you may do it up to 32 inches without putting much stress on your arms.

Similar to the draw weight, you’ll have to walk into an archery store to figure out your ideal draw length.

Shooting Speed

As for the hunting, you would need a bow with at least 300 fps of shooting speed to take games down in the wilderness. The larger the game, the faster shooting speed is required. Depending on what you plan to game, be sure to opt for a compound bow that can shoot at that required fps.

You’ll find compound bows that can shoot at 375 fps in the market. But speed isn’t everything. A 300 fps bow with decent accuracy is a better option than a faster 350 fps bow with a below-average accuracy.

Keep in mind the type of arrows you’ll use will influence the shooting speed.

Brace Height

This is one of those factors that influence shooting accuracy. Brace height refers to the measurement from the bow’s grip to the string when it’s left in a normal state.

The taller this height is, the easier it’ll be for you to shoot. Oppositely, the shorter the height, the faster and less accurate arrows can travel.

7 inches brace height is the optimal measurement for most shooters. 6 inches are the fastest ones, and 8 inches are relatively slower, which are ideal for competitive shooting.

So, you need to find a bow with a brace height within 6 – 8 inches.

Weight

Your bow weight will depend on the purpose of your archery. If it’s for target practice or competitive shooting, you can go for a heavier bow without any problem.

As for the hunting, the lightweight, the comfort it’ll be for you to carry for hours. The ideal weight would be from 3 to 4.5 lbs. depending on your carrying ability.

Adjustability

You can opt for a beginner-friendly inexpensive compound bow and use it even when you increase your shooting skills by adjusting the draw length and weight. For this, the bow has to have adjustability. So, if you’re looking for a versatile bow, this is a must-have.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most accurate bow?

In terms of accuracy, compound bows are the most accurate. Most archers use compound bows for competitive shooting and hunting as these two types of archery games require higher accuracy.

Is 70 lb draw too much?

The 70 lb draw weight would be tough for an average-sized guy. Only larger individuals with wider arms can do it. However, with an 80% let-off, it might feel a bit easier to hold.

What is the best compound bow brand?

Mathews, Bear Archery, Hoyt Archery, Diamond Archery, Southland Archery, Elite Archery, PSE Archery, etc., are the topmost compound bow brands.

How much should I spend on a compound bow?

Decent quality compound bows start from $200 and can be as expensive as $500. This range is perfect for a beginner as well as advanced archers.

For professional and pro shooters, compound bows can be found for over $1000.

Final Words

The fastest shooting speed doesn’t always mean that the bow is worth considering. Although the highest fps of the above-reviewed bows is 320, these are extremely accurate for hunting and target shooting purposes.

I hope you have a clear idea of the best compound bows and have already decided which one would meet your archery requirements and shooting preferences.