Bear Archery AYB6501 Review: Comfortable Youth Recurve Bow

Bottom Line

A comfortable and easy to use recurve bow that comes ready to shoot with arrows, target, and other accessories, and it is also well-built and easy to draw.

Introduction

Whether you are looking for a bow to introduce your kid to archery or want to give them something to help sharpen their skills for an upcoming competition, the Bear Archery AYB6501 will be perfect for you.

This 60-inch recurve bow is meant for kids 12 years and older, and it will come with a wide enough draw length and weight to accommodate different athletic abilities and shooting styles. To make this an even better purchase, it is also highly durable and ambidextrous for use by any kid.

Bear Archery AYB6501 Review

Performance: Kids Will Love How Easy It Is To Use

Bear archery makes this recurve bow for kids at least 12 years old. However, those younger than this but with enough experience using recurve bows will still find using this one a breeze. That said, older youth archers will also enjoy using this bow.

Because it will come with an ambidextrous rise, this recurve bow also works for both left and right-hand archers. Also, it is good enough for use by both boys and girls, and it can accommodate different athletic abilities.

At 60 inches long, this is an almost adult-size recurve bow, but it is still manageable for kids. This size means that they will get the feel of shooting an adult bow but without the extra weight and hassle that comes with using one.

Flexibility: Wide Enough Draw Weight and Length Range

This youth recurve bow is designed to accommodate different body sizes and athletic abilities, and so Bear Archery makes it to be flexible enough to ensure this. Most of its flexibility stems from the wider draw length and weight.

With this bow, you get a draw length of between 22 to 28 inches, which is where most youth in its intended category of use will have their draw length.

And when it comes to the draw weight, you get 20 to 29 pounds. What this draw weight means is that even at maximum draw weight, it will be easy for almost any kid out there to draw this bow and make successful shots.

Design & Construction: Built for a Long Service Life

With the Bear Archery AYB6501, you can be confident that you will not need to buy any other recurve bow for your kid for a long time to come as it is designed to offer a long service life. The only time you will need to get them a new one is when they outgrow this one.

The design includes some highly durable composite limbs that are designed to be almost indestructible. Whether you are doing some target shooting or are out in the woods hunting small animals, you can be sure that this bow is designed to take the abuse that comes with it.

Also, with the industrial-strength strings, you can be sure that you will hardly ever need to replace the strings as they will last for almost as long as the rest of the bow.

The design is also meant to make sure this recurve bow will be as comfortable as possible. It will incorporate a molded poly handle grip that will give the kid a secure place to hold when shooting. Also, this grip is nonslip to ensure the kids can maintain a firm hold of the recurve bow.

Overall the design is also simpler with no complicated parts and components. And it will come mostly assembled to ensure the only setup that you will need to do is stringing it, which only takes a few seconds for experienced archers.

Noise & Vibrations: Louder but Still Okay

Noise is probably the most significant drawback with this recurve bow, and it also seems to have a little more vibrations than what many archers would like.

However, this is not a unique problem to this model as it is typical of most recurve bows, and should hence not be a deal-breaker.

Most of the noise will come from the string slapping on the frame when you release the arrow as there does not seem to be much done on it to dampen the noise. When hunting small game, this can scare away the prey.

The good news is that there are simple tricks that you can use to dampen the noise to make this a more silent bow. To start with, you need to ensure the string is tight enough to minimize slapping after arrow release.

Also, the whisker string silencers that are widely available online and in physical hunting gear stores will be very useful in dampening noise when using this bow. And you can even apply felt on the bow's limb just beneath where the string hits it.

Accessories: There Is Everything Required In the Package

Quoting the manufacturer , “For more than 80 years, Bear Archery has been America's No. 1 brand in youth and institutional archery. The Titan Youth Bow Set comes ready to shoot with two Safetyglass™ arrows and a target. The set also includes a sight pin, finger tab, armguard, and arrow quiver.”

From this description, it is clear that this bow will come with everything you need to start using it immediately, which is quite convenient and cost-saving as you will not need to buy these other components separately.

Most of the components are also high-quality and durable just like the rest of the bow and are meant to ensure you get a long service life and are all highly useful when shooting. For example, the finger tab makes drawing easier, comfortable, and safer as it will protect your fingers.

The target is also large enough and clearly labeled to ensure your kid will have an easy time practicing their shots to improve their skill fast. And besides coming with arrows, the inclusion of a quiver means that keeping your arrows organized will be easier.

Price: Affordable Youth Recurve Bow

Given that this is a youth recurve bow, it is expected to be inexpensive. But, even for a youth bow, the Bear Archery AYB6501 is still highly affordable, and given the superior build quality and performance, you can be certain you will get great value for your cash.

To make sure that it will work for all kinds of potential buyers, this recurve now is available in two options, which are bow only and the bow set with various accessories. But, regardless of which option you chose to go with, you will still spend under $100.

For a 60-inch bow that is almost full-size with a complete set of the accessories required to start shooting immediately, you will need to spend way much more cash to get anything better than this model.

Verdict

Powerful and long enough recurve bow that provides a wide draw weight and length range and comes ready to shoot.

Bear Archery AYB6501 is designed to ensure youth archers will love using it as it is easy and comfortable to draw. With 20 to 29 pounds draw weight and 22 to 28 inches draw length, it is also a flexible enough bow, and it also well-built and comes with several accessories.