# Barebone compound : having a look



## Tereva (Feb 12, 2015)

Hey guys,

I am shooting a barebone recurve since the beginning of the year, and pretty much enjoying myself a lot.
That being said I can't help but notice the wheeler bows at the club. They are pretty damn fast and powerful. However I hate the mechanic part : peep, funny rest, sight... the list goes forever and at each round there is always 1 guys working on his bow to tweak / fix / install / un-install / whatever we are doing.

So my idea would be to get on compound bow but shoot it barebone. But I know nothing about those bows so I have some questions :
- Do I need to look for special model /features ? 
- It doesn't seem to be very popular at the moment : any place / website a bit dedicated to this ?

I am not really ready to pull the trigger, but I will certainly do it in the next months so I better start educate myself right away  

Cheers,

T.


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## curvaceous (Feb 3, 2010)

A longer A to A ( axle to axle ) compound would be the way to go , especially if you wanted to shoot it with fingers , I started out in the 80's shooting bartebow with fingers , long before the dawn of releases necame main stream , drop away rests etc , there were metal pin sights around back then , but I never used them.


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## Tereva (Feb 12, 2015)

curvaceous said:


> A longer A to A ( axle to axle ) compound would be the way to go


Hey, thx.
I have no number in mind. In your opinion what would be the minimum A to A length not to go under ?

T.


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## Paul68 (Jul 20, 2012)

Tereva said:


> Hey, thx.
> I have no number in mind. In your opinion what would be the minimum A to A length not to go under ?
> 
> T.


There's a good sticky at the top of the Main Page on this sub-forum titled "*Which finger bow and why*?" Several pages of posts about the best bows to shoot with fingers (and barebow). Take a look, then decide how you want to jump in.. new bow? Used? How much are you willing to spend? 

From there, you'll most likely be moving to the classifieds. The compound finger shooters just got their own section in the classifieds "bows for sale... compound finger bows" Some good options there, at mostly fair prices.


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## Tereva (Feb 12, 2015)

Paul68 said:


> There's a good sticky at the top....


I read it but there is not a lot of "why" 

A used bow will we better for my wallet, but before going there I want to know what I should be looking for. For some reason the Win&Win Black dragonfly caught my eye, but I think I will be patient and score something from the classified.



> The compound finger shooters just got their own section in the classifieds[?quote]
> Thx for that, I totally missed it.
> 
> T.


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## big cypress (Jul 31, 2006)

boy are you lucky , i have just what you need http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2448199


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

40" minimum, IMO, but depending on your DL maybe longer.


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## Tereva (Feb 12, 2015)

40'' minimum ok. my DL is 29''. 

Will have a look at your bow cypress.

T.


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

Are you in Vancouver BC or WA?

-Grant


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## Windrover (Jan 6, 2012)

The length issue is very subjective. For me my 38" Freak is working very well but I am not getting good results with my 35"" Vector Turbo. Of course target guys want much longer bows but for hunting or 3D I prefer as much speed as I can get and still shoot well.
I have lots opf bows but I enjoy shooting naked compounds best.


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## instinktivfling (Mar 13, 2012)

Have to agree that the ATA length is personal. As far as "Barebones compound", I shoot my compound exactly the same as my recurves...instinctive, no sights, no nothing, no rest...I shoot it off the shelf with fingers and feathers and it feels completely natural, just like the recurve.


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

Yep ATA is personal, but if you look at all the best scores ever shot, they were with long ATA (45") bows. Not saying it can't be done, as I have a couple state records in the BH class with a 36" ATA, but my best shooting is done with the longer bows. More stable, more forgiving. My hunting longbow is 68", my hunting recurve is the same, and my new hunting fingers compounds is just over 45". I have 2 setup now for hunting an 06 Protec with XT 4000 limbs and GTX cams, and a Vantage Pro riser with XT3000 limbs, GTX cams and its sweet. Both are over 45" by a bit, and the BH on the Vantage Pro is over 9".... 

I shoot all my bows the same way, no sights (gap shoot- yes I aim), and fingers.


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## Windrover (Jan 6, 2012)

rsarns said:


> Yep ATA is personal, but if you look at all the best scores ever shot, they were with long ATA (45") bows. Not saying it can't be done, as I have a couple state records in the BH class with a 36" ATA, but my best shooting is done with the longer bows. More stable, more forgiving. My hunting longbow is 68", my hunting recurve is the same, and my new hunting fingers compounds is just over 45". I have 2 setup now for hunting an 06 Protec with XT 4000 limbs and GTX cams, and a Vantage Pro riser with XT3000 limbs, GTX cams and its sweet. Both are over 45" by a bit, and the BH on the Vantage Pro is over 9"....
> 
> I shoot all my bows the same way, no sights (gap shoot- yes I aim), and fingers.


Quite right. The OP should know that buying a shorter finger bow is risky, might not be able to shoot it with fingers. Still some of us are lured by the shorter faster bows. A Protec with GTX cams sounds like a great choice. Thinking about one myself. Have you ever shot one with spirals?


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

Windrover said:


> Quite right. The OP should know that buying a shorter finger bow is risky, might not be able to shoot it with fingers. Still some of us are lured by the shorter faster bows. A Protec with GTX cams sounds like a great choice. Thinking about one myself. Have you ever shot one with spirals?


I have spirals on my ProComp Elite, my one venture into the FS world. They will wear you out...LOL You cannot relax at full draw or those cams will yank you back to reality.


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

*And why?*

Old hat for most guys, but a visual might help a little. Deflex riser tends to be better; higher brace tends to be better (although I have read some recent arguments against this with newer parallel limb bows); and longer ATA tends to be better. At least those are the things you historically read. And then, there is the question of cam design.

First pic is reflexed riser; second is what they called in line (deepest part of throat of grip lines up with pivot point of limbs); third is deflexed riser (throat of grip forward of limb pivot point) Most of the newer bows are at best, in line. Don't see many newer bows that are deflexed, do we? Not sure I can remember one.


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## Windrover (Jan 6, 2012)

rsarns said:


> I have spirals on my ProComp Elite, my one venture into the FS world. They will wear you out...LOL You cannot relax at full draw or those cams will yank you back to reality.


 I am shooting at a low draw weight (42 lbs) so the holding weight is only about about ten pounds, to low for my taste. To remedy that I set the draw length to 29.5 " then set the draw stops to 29" effectively shortening the valley and increasing holding weight. I am told that spirals will accomplish the same thing. They may be less challenging for me because of my low draw weight.


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

Almost all my finger bows are setup at 60#'s give or take a few pounds. I also prefer the low let off cams/modules of 65%. I also play with the cables a bit to almost nullify the valley also...  If you want a cam that you have to hold hard against the wall, well the spirals are for you then. I like them, but like I said, they can wear you out.


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## Blacky (Jun 21, 2004)

Windrover, PSE makes 65% let-off modules for the ME and the Drive cams. I put the module in the drive cam and it's a huge difference how that bow shoots now for me.


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

I think Spirals might have a valley so short they would be sensitive to finger pressure distribution.

-Grant


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## Windrover (Jan 6, 2012)

Blacky said:


> Windrover, PSE makes 65% let-off modules for the ME and the Drive cams. I put the module in the drive cam and it's a huge difference how that bow shoots now for me.


Didn't know that. ( I usually shoot Hoyt). I better look into it.Thanks.


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## Chris1ny (Oct 23, 2006)

Apex 7 is my compound barebow fingers of choice. Love it.


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## madbowhunter (May 16, 2015)

I have a sweet Browning Vanguard 41 in ATA , deflex riser, 60-70 dw, 27-29 DL . This bow is just sittin if anyone is interested


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