# First "Compound Bow" to make the cover of an archery magazine!



## CrewDawg (Feb 24, 2011)

That's pretty cool! I remember my da and his buddies having compounds similar to this. They looked pretty complicated to me, as i was using a hand-me down Ben Pearson recurve. I notice one of the articles "are releases legal?" Never knew it was a problem.


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## TWO SWITCHBACKS (Jan 5, 2006)

i have one, anyone else got one lets see photo. they are rare.


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## redboyd7 (Nov 5, 2010)

Releases in the sixties were legal to shoot in competition but they could not have any moving parts. I believe that the first patent for a release was issued to Frank Eicholtz. Frank had an archery shop in San Diego Ca.. I bought one of his releases in 1958. It was called a Bow Lock. By 1971 there were several people making a ledge type release. When the compound became leagal to hunt big game in every state the compounds popularity took over and has never looked back.


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## field14 (May 21, 2002)

Actually, it wasn't until around 1970 that the release made the "scene" at Vegas...and all heck broke loose. Subsequently, the NFAA put out a "National Membership vote" to either legalize the used of release aids, or to outlaw them all together. This, along with the target change in 1976, was the beginning of the ever widening rift in the NFAA concerning equipment and scoring.

Initally, after the "legalize the release aids" passed on National Vote of the membership, the TOP END recurve/finger shooters were still required to shoot in exactly the same division as the compound/release shooters!

Some states didn't "legalize" the use of a release aid on field/hunter, or NAA type rounds until 1974. Ohio being one of those. In fact, OHIO didn't allow the use of a release aid for competition in their 900 Rounds (Or "American rounds) until 1975! We could shoot compound/release INDOORS and on field/hunter...but when it came to the 900 rounds or "American Rounds" we had to go back to fingers/recurve or sit and watch. I recall going to a FITA shoot up in Toledo, Ohio in 1976, and there was a "line in the sand" drawn (a string with flags on it) to mark off and SEGREGATE the REAL FITA side of the field where only recurves and fingers were allowed from the "compound/release" side of the field!! YES...there was that much "heart-ache" over the advent of the releases and compounds in archery back then.

I hear tell that this type of "fight" over sites and no sites was almost as bad back in what, the 1950's? But I wasn't shooting competitively then, so don't know and didn't witness it.

The "bow locks" might have been being used locally...but they didn't make a 'hit' until the 1970 Vegas shoot and then basically all H$$$ broke loose. I remember seeing my first compound bow at a tournament in 1970. Wow, powerful letoff of about 25%...and probably super fast at MAYBE 200 fps.
My first release was a wooden one with a notch in a 'peg'. the notch was barely deep enough to hold the bow string...and YES...we got popped in the lip quite a bit until we learned how to shoot the thing! Then came the vertical ledges...STRING BURNERS...but we shot tons of perfect 300 scores with them, and people started shooting 560's with those around 1971 or so (old target face). Of course, you changed your bowstring every 3-4 field rounds too...otherwise you would have it blow up on you...haha.
field14 (Tom D.)


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## bear-of-grayling (Mar 29, 2008)

refresh


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## loragon (Aug 1, 2011)

The shop I go to, has one of these bows hanging up, I'll snap a pic next time I go there.


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## bear-of-grayling (Mar 29, 2008)

Yes please do. Also on the upper side plate is an etching that tells the story of that bow. See if you can snap a pic of it also. thanks dan


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## bear-of-grayling (Mar 29, 2008)

refresh


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## bear-of-grayling (Mar 29, 2008)

refresh


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## bear-of-grayling (Mar 29, 2008)

refresh


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## bear-of-grayling (Mar 29, 2008)

refresh


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