How to Choose a Compound Bow | Fitted to Your Body

A compound bow that doesn’t fit your body won’t shoot straight, no matter how fast the IBO rating says it is. The right pick starts with three measurements — hand dominance, draw length, and draw weight — and ends with a test shot at a local shop. Working through each step in order keeps you from getting sold on specs you never needed.

Determine Your Hand and Eye Dominance First

Right-handed shooters naturally reach for a right-hand bow, but eye dominance can override that instinct. To check, extend both arms, form a small circle with your thumb and index finger, and center a distant object inside that circle. Close your left eye. If the object stays centered, you are right-eye dominant and should shoot right-handed. If it shifts, your left eye is dominant, and a left-hand bow will deliver better accuracy. The test takes ten seconds and prevents months of frustration.

What Draw Length and Draw Weight Fit Your Body?

Two numbers matter more than any other spec on the sticker. Draw length is the distance from the bowstring’s nock groove to the grip pivot at full draw. The quick DIY method: measure your wingspan fingertip to fingertip in inches and divide by 2.5. A pro shop can verify this with a measurement bow in under a minute. Err on the shorter side — a d-loop adjustment can fine-tune a short draw, but a long one is much harder to correct.

Draw weight is how much force it takes to hold the string at full draw. Beginners should start at 20–30 pounds regardless of strength, to build tendon and shoulder conditioning before adding load. For hunting, ethical harvests require at least 40–45 pounds, and that target should be worked up to in roughly 5-pound increments, not jumped into on day one. A bow with a broad adjustment range for both draw length and weight gives you room to grow without buying a second setup. The Field & Stream guide on buying a compound bow walks through the full measurement process in more detail.

Test Shoot Before You Buy

Specs do not tell you how a bow feels. Two models with identical draw length and weight can feel completely different at full draw because of cam design, valley depth, and grip angle. Visit a local archery shop — not a big-box sporting goods store — and shoot three or four models at the same poundage and draw length. Pay attention to grip comfort (your hand should relax into it, not fight it), draw cycle smoothness (a jerky draw wears you out fast), and hand shock (a bow that jumps in your hand makes you flinch — the best feel “dead” at the shot).

Budget at least $200 extra for accessories — sight, rest, arrows, and a release aid — since a bare bow is only half the setup. For quality rigs that stay under that total, the best compound bows under $1,000 balance performance and affordability without cutting corners on essential features.

The bow that fits your body, feels smooth at full draw, and matches your budget is the right one. Speed, brand, and cam technology matter less than the confidence that comes from a setup you control shot after shot.