For all its moving parts, a compound bow is a fairly simple machine. At its core is a block and tackle, first described by Archimedes in 250 BC. Limbs, risers, and other components complement the strings and pulleys, transferring user energy into arrows sent downrange.
In the half century since Holless Wilbur Allen built the first compound, its mechanical efficiencies have improved year after year. However, without another major advancement in technology or materials, those efficiencies have reached their limit, and the 50-year foot-race for the title of “speed king” has come to a halt. Instead, engineers now endeavor to soften the compound’s demeanor and produce a bow that not only generates ample speed, but is also a pleasure to draw and shoot.
On the crossbow side, refinement continues, from…
