Where Is The Riser In Compound Bow

A key factor in being able to select the right bow for the type of shooting or bow hunting you’ll be doing is having a proper understanding of what all the bow’s various pieces are and how they work.  In the following article we will break down the many components that work in harmony to make modern compound bows the smoothest, fastest and most efficient arrow shooting machines ever developed.

Riser

Most modern compound bow risers are made from aluminum, although some are now made of light weight carbon fiber.

The bow’s riser is the “middle” portion of the bow which contains the grip and is attached to the bow’s limbs.  Most compound bow risers are made from aluminum and are either forged or machined.  The generally feature a multitude of cut-outs that serve to reduce the bow’s overall weight while still maintaining their strength.  In recent years several bow manufacturers have developed compound bows with carbon fiber risers which are said to be stronger than aluminum risers while being extremely light weight and warm to the touch.

Many bow accessories are attached directly to the riser including sights, arrow rests, quivers, wrist slings, stabilizers and more.  All mounting holes on a bow riser are universal size and placement, which ensures you can use virtually any accessory on any bow.  The riser is truly the foundation of what is known as the modern compound bow.

A bow’s limbs are connected to the riser and to the bow’s cam system.  The limbs flex when the bow is drawn in order to help store energy which is then passed to the arrow upon release.  Most modern bow limbs are constructed of fiberglass or other composite materials with some being one solid piece and others consisting of several layers of various materials laminated together.

Some bow manufacturers use a single, solid limb design while others utilize split limbs.  While solid limbs tend to be more prone to failure (cracking, splintering or breaking) some critics of split limbs say they are prone to warping or wearing differently thus affecting arrow flight and accuracy.

Most of today’s hunting bows feature “parallel” limb designs rather than the traditional d-shaped bows of years gone by.   The advantage of the parallel limb design is that each limb bends in an opposite direction and helps to offset noise and vibration during and after the shot.

There are two major types of cam systems found on compound bows; dual cams and single cams.  A dual cam bow utilizes two eccentric cams which are identical to one another on either end of the bow.  In most modern dual cam systems these cams are directly connected to one another via two cables.  Connecting, or slaving, the cams to one another ensures they are less likely to go out of time and thus be more reliable and consistent.  This particular dual cam system is referred to as a “binary” cam.  While there are a variety of small differences between the manufacturers the basics of the dual cam system remain the same no matter who puts their name on it.

Single cam systems use a single, large cam on the bottom limb and an idler wheel on the top.  The single cam feeds the string off the track as the bow is draw, while a single power cable that runs from the single cam to the top limb compresses the limbs to store energy.  Many people believe to their simple nature and lack of timing issues that single cam bows are easier to tune and shoot than dual cam systems.  Although like most things in archery this is simply a personal preference.