I started life as a deer hunter with a crossbow. It served me well, and still gets plenty of use. In fact I killed a B&C buck this year with a crossbow.

About 8 years back I got really into traditional archery. Killed a few deer with them, had a lot of fun and still do. My next goal is to kill a buck with my recurve since I will probably never top the deer I shot last year.

All that being said I’ve got this nagging urge to scratch the compound itch and round out my arsenal so to speak. I rifle hunt for elk every year but eventually I want to try my hand at archery season. A bucket list goal is a trad bow elk, but doing that from the get go seems like a tall order.

Suffice it to say I’d like to get a decent compound that isn’t going to cost be me an arm and a leg. I’d like to keep the whole setup ~$500ish without going too cheap. I’m dipping my toes so to speak… Nothing too fancy but still plenty capable. Also while I’m well versed in tuning and shooting a trad bow, I know next to nothing about compounds.

Any recommendations? What is the Glock 19 of the compound world?

PS. What are the thoughts on super heavy high FOC arrows for compounds? I shoot a 670 gr 24% FOC arrow with my recurve. 250gr broad head with a 100gr brass insert. I’m of the Ashby mindset that penetration is king, especially if elk might be on the menu. Is that mindset valid for compounds as well?

I’m also wanting to get a compound bow. I have very minimal experience with them, but I did enjoy shooting the ones I had.

OP, I was looking at PSE Stinger ATK. Seems to have good reviews, a entry level compound but with room to grow as skills grow?

Also seems price point is reasonable.

Hopefully the ARFCOM Archery experts will chime in.

Unfortunately the Arfcom archery section is mostly deserted.  I'd recommend TradGang for traditional archery and ArcheryTalk for everything else.  

I've always shot PSE but it's been so long since I've shot a compound I have no idea what's popular today.

Mathews, Hoyt, Bowtech, and PSE are the still the top brands, then there is Elite and Athens which both make a great bows as well.  Buying new the best warranty bar none is Mathews as it is lifetime, not so much for the others.  Say you had a 3 or 4 year old bow, it will be a crap shoot to find parts and if the bow is 10 years old forget about it, but if it's a Mathews they will still have those parts.

Would suggest finding a shop near you where you could test drive some different brands/models out.  Archery talk is a decent forum just tread lightly at first, lol, and they have a decent classified section as well (20 posts & 2 wks req.) but as always buyer beware especially if dealing with a low count person.  I bought a 1yr old top of line Mathews there for half the price of new and it is nice but I have no warranty due to being 2nd hand, just didn't want to fork out $1,900 for a new TRX.

It is going to be tough to get a complete setup for $500 or less.  Perhaps something like the Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro RTH kit (<$400 without arrows) or whatever this year’s model is.  Nothing extravagant, but it is functional.  My son has used one for the last two years and it has been very adjustable as he has grown.  Draw length is adjustable without pressing from 25 inches to 30 or 31 inches, and draw weight is adjustable by tightening or loosening limb bolts, range is 5 to 70 lbs.  I did the initial setup for my son in about 15 minutes, followed by paper tuning and bare shaft tuning.

My son shoots the Diamond as well as I shoot my Hoyt that was triple the price.  I kind of wish that I bought a Diamond for myself.

Humble brag:  In one year, my son went from 23” draw to 27”, and from 24lb draw weight to 57 lbs.  He could easily pull more but I want to get another year out of his 400 spine arrows.  A new dozen arrows will cost 50% of the price of the Diamond bow.  

ETA:  @BuckeyeRifleman, I know you were talking about a compound bow for yourself, not a child.  I mentioned my son’s bow because it has been a great performer for a new bow that was under $400.

I’m in the same boat OP. I’ve been watching classifieds for what the 2-3yo flagship aluminum bows have been bringing, it’s about 1/2-1/3 the price of the current flagship.

At first, I was thinking Diamond Infinite or PSE Stinger as they are both around the $400-$600 price point for a package. Though the kits have garbage accessories, they’ll get you shooting. You’ll just have to buy better kit if you decide to go up to a higher end model later.

But now I’ve kinda narrowed it down a bit. Current plan is to spread everything out over the next year. Grab a release and Accubow (training aid bow) or that Nock On handle and string trainer so I can practice in the house. Then grab the sight and rest that I want along with the bow. Particularly, a machined aluminum riser flagship from one of the big four with the longest ATA I can find. Ventum 33 or V3/V3X 33 are top contenders but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at an Omen or EVO NTN.

The Stinger ATK is lousy, not up to PSE standards in my opinion, and I don't think it's an improvement over the prior versions. It's a "modernized" version of a bow that should have been retired a decade ago. They need to do a full redesign and stop cutting corners. Even Diamond came out with a whole new design for the Edge series and they've been milking that platform for ages.

Honestly, the bow I'd suggest is the Bear Legit. $420 plus a release if you don't have one, plus arrows if what you have isn't suitable.
As far as entry level compounds for someone who's been shooting, they're quite nice.
If you want single cam, the Species is also nice, just make sure you get the 70# not a 60.
Going up a notch, the Bear Resurgence/Alaskan is much quieter and has a more dead post shot feel, much more like a high end bow.
The Blackout Epic X2, not the original Epic, is also very solid, but like the Resurgence it's more of a $550-600 bow rather than $420. The biggest improvement over the Legit is a bit more speed and less noise. I've shot them all quite a bit and personally shoot the Epic X2 the best but would usually suggest the Resurgence to someone in your position. The adjustable limb stops make for some really fine adjustment possibilities and it's a really quiet bow. The Epic X2 has a bit more of a pop to it, but is better than the Legit and also has adjustable let off which has the effect of letting you fine tune draw length if you want. You get what you pay for in all of them, it's just a question of how much the improvements are worth to you.

OP, did you ever buy a compound?

No, too many other gun projects that need money. Maybe this summer. If I draw my Wyoming elk tag this year I'll be there in early Sept for a family vacation, so I might have a reason. I'll be back for rifle season regardless, but it would kill me to have a tag burning a hole in my pocket without a legal weapon.

After being out of archery for many years, I bought a PSE Brute ATK bow last year and so far, I like it a lot.

I picked up a Bear Legit for my wife to dip her feet into this stuff. Accessories were decent, but not what I'd call "high end" by any means. Cost me about $400 for a "ready to hunt" package, minus arrows, targets and a release.

Not exactly sure this model would be the best fit for you though, as it is designed to go down to lower draw weights / lengths for kids and female shooters.

I asked because I've been shooting pretty much daily for the last ~month.

I was a every-day all-year-round shooter as a kid. Adulthood interfered with that. I'm sure you understand.

I still have my last bow from college, it still functions quite well and has no real drawbacks (ha!) as-is. I also have a bow my dad bought about a decade ago to give archery one last try. And I have a recurve I've shot intermittently since before college.

I'm more or less at a place in life where I have time, again, and I did shoot a deer with a crossbow in 2019, and have plenty of places here on the farm for early season hunting - and of course, the thought of bowhunting the elk rut is always somewhere down deep in my mind.

If you want a great bow at a good price....the Bear Alaskan.

I have toyed with buying a Bear Adapt package.

Something I'm wrestling with, though: most modern bows have a cable-stop to stop the cables. Yeah, the bow feels very 'dead' at the shot, but between my two samples (my ~2001 era High Country and dad's 2013-era Bear Encounter), the older bow without the cable stopper is much quieter overall.

I haven't figured out the theory behind the advantages of making a loud noise to stop cable vibration yet.

Meantime to "I want to try a recurve bow" thread?


I would start with a low draw weight compound and spend some time finding your form

then upgrade to a hunting bow set up

There are good deals to be had on the used rack at an archery shop and they can help you with sizing and form