9 Best Beginner Recurve Bows of 2021
Photo: Pixabay
A beginner recurve bow is a starting point into the world of recurve bows. Though you may not need the best at this stage, you'll still need a good bow.
Choosing a good beginner recurve bow requires an understanding of a few things about recurve bows. This let's you focus on the important features and make the right choice.
This beginner recurve bows review presents you with all these necessary information. And this includes the market's top recurve bows, to make your choice easier.
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9 Best Beginner Recurve Bows – Review
- 1. Southwest Archery Spyder – Best Overall Beginner Recurve Bow
- 2. Samick Sage – 62-Inch Archery Recurve Bow
- 3. Bear Archery AYB6401 – Cheapest Youth Bow
- 4. SAS Spirit Jr. – Stylish Youth Recurve Bow
- 5. WoArchery Combat – Modern Youth Recurve Bow
- 6. Easton Package – Best Youth Recurve Bow Kit
- 7. Crosman Archery ABY215 – Pre-stringed Beginner Recurve Bow Kit
- 8. UteCiA Package – Complete Archery Set for Kids
- 9. Old World Archery Yeoman – Beginner Recurve Bow with Lifetime Warranty
- How to Buy the Best Starter Recurve Bow
- Conclusion
9 Best Beginner Recurve Bows – Review
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PRODUCT |
FEATURES |
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1. Southwest Archery Spyder (Best Overall) |
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2. Samick Sage (62-Inch Archery Bow) |
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3. Bear Archery AYB6401 (Cheapest Youth Bow) |
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4. SAS Spirit Jr. (Stylish Youth Bow) |
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5. WoArchery Combat (Modern Youth Bow) |
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6. Easton Package (Best Youth Bow Kit) |
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7. Crosman Archery ABY215 (Pre-stringed Beginner Kit) |
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8. UteCiA Package (Complete Set for Kids) |
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9. Old World Archery Yeoman (Beginner Bow with Lifetime Warranty) |
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PRODUCT |
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1. Southwest Archery Spyder (Best Overall) |
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2. Samick Sage (62-Inch Archery Bow) |
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3. Bear Archery AYB6401 (Cheapest Youth Bow) |
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4. SAS Spirit Jr. (Stylish Youth Bow) |
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5. WoArchery Combat (Modern Youth Bow) |
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6. Easton Package (Best Youth Kit) |
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7. Crosman Archery ABY215 (Pre-stringed Beginner Kit) |
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8. UteCiA Package (Complete Set for Kids) |
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9. Old World Archery Yeoman (Beginner Bow with Lifetime Warranty) |
1. Southwest Archery Spyder – Best Overall Beginner Recurve Bow
Photo: Southwest Archery
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Bow Length: 62 inches
- Draw Weight: 30 - 60 lbs
- Hand Position: Both hands
Southwest Archery made this recurve bow for all those who need a beginner's bow but who do not want to compromise on quality. It's a quality bow and serves both beginners and intermediates equally well.
The company hand-crafts the riser from wood and it's available in both left-handed and right-handed versions. The included limbs are also easily installed or taken down.
Included in the set are the riser, 2 limbs, a 14-strand extra strong Dacron string, and a stick on arrow rest. Although this beginner bow set does not come with plenty accessories, it includes threaded bushings for extra accessory installations.
You can also turn it into an effective bowfishing bow with the right accessories, for example. Or, you can install a hunting kit on the riser and you're reading to take down whitetails.
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2. Samick Sage – 62-Inch Archery Recurve Bow
Photo: Samick Sage
- Bow Length: 62 inches
- Bow Weight: 2.8 lbs
- Draw Weight: 25-60 lbs
- Hand Position: Both hands
Designed close to a decade ago, this Samick Sage take-down recurve bow has made a mark for itself. It features a unique design, plus all the good qualities you need in a bow, but at a very affordable price.
At 62 inches in length, you get hard maple limbs surrounded with fiberglass for a long and dependable service life.
The riser is available in either a right-hand or a left-hand version , and in 5 different sizes corresponding to draw weights from 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 lbs. Each riser includes pre-installed bushings for accessories, such as a quiver and a stabilizer .
For its disadvantages, this offer only comes with the bow, the bowstring, and an arrow rest . There are no other included accessories like a sight or a stabilizer.
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3. Bear Archery AYB6401 – Cheapest Youth Bow
Photo: Bear Archery
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Bow Length: 51 inches
- Draw Weight: 10-20 lbs
- Hand Position: Both hands
If you're after a functional beginner bow for kids , then here's one that shoots real arrows. Plus, it's the cheapest bow on this list, as well. You get a draw weight between 10 and 20 lbs, which comes from a 20-28 inches draw length.
It's also just 51 inches long, making it an ideal youth bow. This bow may not be high-powered, but it's still a bow and is potentially dangerous. So, it's not a toy.
You get a load of accessories in this package, including a quiver, 2 arrows made from Bear Archery's Safetyglass, an arm-guard, a finger tab, and a paper target.
More Detailed: Bear Archery AYB6401 Review
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4. SAS Spirit Jr. – Stylish Youth Recurve Bow
Photo: SAS
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Bow Length: 54 inches
- Draw Weight: 12-22 lbs
- Hand Position: Both hands
Designed for left- and right-handed young archers, this Spirit Jr. bow from SAS is a great beginner bow for youth up to 5 feet 4 inches in height.
The bow itself measures 54 inches, the limbs are from maple and fiberglass, while the riser is made from laminated wood and available in 5 different sizes. These woods are highly durable Asian woods and they include chuglam and gmelia arborea.
Also featured on the riser are brass bushings, which have been pre-installed to enable the easy installation of accessories, such as a bow sight, stabilizer and so on.
For downsides, it comes without accessories, and has a relatively low draw weight.
SAS or Southland Archery Supply, which is the company behind this bow also backs it with a 3-year warranty. It's lightweight, accurate, and generally, a very good beginner recurve bow.
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5. WoArchery Combat – Modern Youth Recurve Bow
Photo: WoArchery
- Bow Length: 54 inches
- Bow Weight: 2 lbs
- Draw Weight: 25 lbs
- Hand Position: Both
For those who need a modern looking recurve bow , this take-down recurve from WoArchery fits the bill. Made from strong nylon and fiberglass laminated limbs, it's available in many colors of red, black, orange, blue, and green.
With just 25 lbs of draw weight, this bow is definitely not for hunting, but you can have target-practice fun with it or engage in archery battles: for which it actually got developed.
The bow weighs 2 lbs and is 54 inches long. Its 25-lb draw weight comes at 28 inches, although you could still draw the bow further to 32 inches.
This is an ambidextrous bow, so left and right-hand shooting is okay. It's also both CE and ASTM certified, and WoAchery includes a free stringer in the package for safety.
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6. Easton Package – Best Youth Recurve Bow Kit
Photo: Easton
- Bow Length: 52 inches
- Bow Weight: 1.3 lbs
- Draw Weight: 10-20 lbs
- Hand Position: Both hands
For a company that has sold archery equipment since 1922, Easton does know what archery beginners need. So, this kit packs all those things into one package and at a good price.
This is a traditional bow for beginners, and it includes 3 arrows, a sight pin, arrow rest, an arm-guard, finger protector, and a hip quiver which holds up to 12 arrows.
It's super lightweight at just 1.3 lbs, with a polymer riser and fiberglass reinforced limbs. This bow offers a very good power to weight ratio, and this is ideal for beginners.
You get a draw weight between 10 and 20 lbs, depending on your draw length. The included accessories also help to teach and train your youngster to become a better future archer.
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7. Crosman Archery ABY215 – Pre-stringed Beginner Recurve Bow Kit
Photo: Crosman Archery
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Bow Length: 45 inches
- Draw Weight: 20 lbs
- Hand Position: Right
Here is a very simple but effective bow kit from Crosman Archery. This is not a take-down bow, it comes fully assembled and stringed, so you can just shoot away.
It's a great youth bow and delivers a maximum of 20-lb draw weight, which is enough for target practice and other archery games.
You get a composite riser with composite and fiberglass limbs. The package includes two arrows, with the quiver attached to the bow riser.
If you've planned to get your young ones into archery and you need a good quality bow, but you don't want to deal with the stringing technicalities of a take-down recurve, then here's your chance.
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8. UteCiA Package – Complete Archery Set for Kids
Photo: UteCiA
- Bow Length: 34 inches
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Bow Weight: Very light
- Hand Position: Ambidextrous (both hands)
Designed for kids and other archery beginners, this UteCiA archery set provides a simple and fun way to learn archery without worrying much about safety.
The hand-crafted wooden bow comes with a quiver and 10 arrows, plus 10 target sheets to help your kid better develop archery skills.
Each of these 10 arrows is 18 inches long and comes with a rubber tip. This makes it safe for your kids to play with because they can shoot the arrows in any direction without worry of causing harm.
The bow itself is 34 inches long and features a unique design that makes it very beautiful. It's not exactly a recurve bow, but it's hand-made using solid wood, while the string comes from a quality arch rope.
Both left-handed and right-handed shooters can play with this bow, and the included quiver will give your kids that feeling of being a true archer.
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9. Old World Archery Yeoman – Beginner Recurve Bow with Lifetime Warranty
Photo: Old World Archery LLC
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Bow Length: 54 or 62 inches
- Draw Weight: 15-55 lbs
- Hand Position: Both hands
Few bows come with a lifetime warranty from their maker, but this one does. The Old World Archery Yeoman is a high-quality take-down recurve bow for youths and beginners.
It features a riser made of attractive laminate hardwood, and which is available in many different configurations. You can get it for both hands, and in different lengths.
There are 9 draw weight options for this bow, ranging from 15 to 55 lbs. This might make it a little confusing during selection, but using the chart in the buying guide below, you can easily figure out your draw weight and make things easier for yourself.
The riser includes bushings for bow sights, arrow rests, and any other accessory that one may like to add. Although it doesn't come with any accessory, it comes with a free bow stringer, which Old World Archery considers very important.
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How to Buy the Best Starter Recurve Bow
In order to make the right bow choice, you'll need to focus on the important features, and they are as follows.
1. Your Archery Purpose
Your reason for buying the bow in the first place is very important. If you just want to target practice, then you'll have different requirements from when you want to go hunting. Even when you're hunting, the particular type of game you're after will also matter.
A draw weight up to 35 or 40 lbs is enough for target practice and for hunting little game, but for larger game like deer, you'll need something more powerful.
2. The Draw Weight
A bow's draw weight is an important measure of how much force it produces when drawn and released. This force also determines how fast the bow can shoot an arrow.
Draw weight is given in lbs and the more a bow's draw weight, the more muscle force you'll need to draw it and to hold it for a while if necessary. For this reason, everyone needs to figure out his or her ideal bow draw weight.
The chart below gives you a quick overview of the average draw weight for different categories of archers based on their body weight.
You should understand that these figures are mere suggestions. And so, while it's advisable to follow the weight suggestions, the goal is to ultimately pick a bow that you're comfortable with.
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Archer's Body Weight |
Ideal Draw Weight |
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1. Small kids around 70-100 lbs |
10-15 lbs |
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2. Bigger kids weighing 100-130 lbs |
15-25 lbs |
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3. Small-frame women of 100-130 lbs |
25-35 lbs |
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4. Small-frame men around 120-150 lbs |
30-45 lbs |
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4. Medium-frame women between 130-160 lbs |
25-35 lbs |
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5. Medium-frame men weighing 150-180 lbs |
40-55 lbs |
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6. Large-frame women of 160 lbs and above |
30-45 lbs |
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7. Large-frame men of 180 lbs and above |
45-60 lbs |
3. Bow Weight
The bow's weight here refers to how heavy the bow is and to nothing else. This usually depends on the material it got built from and on its size.
If you're going hunting for long periods then a lightweight bow around 3 lbs or less will be ideal because it wouldn't weigh you down much. For target practice, the weight doesn't matter that much.
4. Bow Length
When it comes to recurve bows, a longer bow will shoot farther and more accurately than a shorter bow. This makes longer bows preferable for most archers, although portability is often an issue.
For best results with a recurve bow, you'll need a bow that's at least twice longer than your draw length. To measure your draw length, simply measure your arm span and divide by 2.5.
5. Material Quality
A recurve bow can get made from a variety of materials, including wood, aluminum, and different composite materials. The bow's quality, including its string, will depend to a large extent on the quality of these materials.
Lower poundage recurve bows typically have wooden risers, while higher poundage bows have aluminum risers with composite limbs.
6. Hand Position
It's important to make sure the bow offers you the ability to shoot it in a way that's comfortable for you. Most bows are right-handed or ambidextrous, with some bows made exclusively for left-handed archers.
7. Quiver & Other Accessories
Having accessories in the recurve bow offer makes it more valuable. Although a quiver is always a welcome accessory for beginner recurve bows, a bow sight, finger patch, case , and arrow rest can increase the value of the package.
8. Take-Down or Not
If you're planning to travel with your bow, then you'll want to consider a take-down recurve bow, which allows you to easily disassemble the bow to make it more compact for transportation or storage.
9. Warranty
Buying a product with a good warranty is a good thing because it gives you peace of mind, knowing that the manufacturer stands behind its product.
When considering the warranty of a recurve bow to reach your buying decision, a longer warranty is, therefore, better than a shorter one.
Conclusion
We have reached the end of this best beginner recurve bows review and you can see that there are so many types of youth bows out there.
If you just want the best overall beginner bow, then our recommendation is Southwest Archery's Spyder . It features 20-60 lbs draw weight and is available for left and right handers.
For the cheapest beginner recurve bow, you can't go wrong with the Bear Archery AYB6401 .
Else, if you want the best beginner recurve bow package, then the recommendation is
Old World Archery's Yeoman
with its premium design and lifetime warranty.
