How useful is a compound bow in survival prep?

First, I have firearms as well, and a panoply of other tools.

I enjoy bow hunting, but I use a recurve. This puts me in the tiny minority of bowhunters; people assume you mean a compound bow if you you mention whitetail archery. But I prefer the recurve because of it's simplicity and the fact that I can adjust it myself. That said, I am contemplating buying a compound bow. Many factors will affect my decision, but here are my specific survival/prep concerns.

-Can you re-string a compound bow yourself, in the field, or do you need a specialized workroom?

-I see books and articles about tuning the compound bow for the individual shooter. Is this something the average consumer can do for him/herself? Or do I need an expert to do this?

-How often does a compound bow require expert-level maintenance?

reply to post by dr_strangecraft


a recurve bow is a better way to go because without a bow press you cannot restring the bow.
and in the field there pleanty of thing that can be used to repair a recurve bow or use for string.
i have a compound and in the process of get a recurve just for that reason.

reply to post by dr_strangecraft

The Bow has served humanity since we learned taught strings launch sticks farther than our arms!


Yes you can restring a bow in the field, as long as you have a spare string and Allen wrenches.
Always retrieve your arrows, though with the proper tools at your "vault" you can create more from the proper aluminum rod stock and super glue.
While Firearms are the current top tier feed yourself tool of the apocalypse, ammo will eventually become scarce and the good ol twang of stick and string will keep you fed and safe longer than steel and powder. Good Luck!
I use a Longbow religiously, I like the extra distance.

I don't know much at all about compound bows, HOWEVER, here's something to think about. In the field, simplicity is survival. I understand the attraction of the compound bow, the power and ease it offers. I don't think it would be a bad idea to have one on hand actually. I just wouldn't rely on it. A normal recurve is a weapon that has been tested for over a thousand years, a well made bow can take just about anything you throw at it and you don't have to worry much about breaking it. On a compound bow, the number of moving parts, simple though they may be, are a handicap, in my opinion. If one small part breaks, the bow may be lost. Most compound bows aren't made to last, to really last. They're made with the expectation of sport use and controlled storage, I just don't see them having the rugged capabilities that a recurve offers.

That said, like I said before, I think it may be a good idea to have one on hand. Think of it as insurance just in case something comes after you that doesn't want to stop and you're out of bullets.

I agree with a recurve. If you try to shoot makeshift wood arrows out of a compound bow it will most likely damage the bow, you need the right weight arrows in a compound. And as others said, simplicity. "KISS"


Deebo

Yeah, I agree with many others here. I bought a high end hunting compound bow for my survival kit. But when it came down to it I found it very difficult to get through the bush quickly and quietly because I was always needing one hand to baby it. Because they are so difficult to maintain in the field and need specialized parts (even the bowstring is impossible to recreate unless you have the proper materials and lots of experience building them) I was always afraid of breaking something on the bow, never mind just bumping it out of alignment. I found a crossbow easier to use and carry (but difficult to maintain) A recurve bow was easier to carry yet, and very easy to maintain.

Now for my SEK I carry a sling bow and survival broadheads. You have to be aware that a sling bow offers significantly reduced range but is a very small package, requires little skill to use and maintain, is rugged, versatile and silent.

reply to post by dr_strangecraft


My two cents:

Use the recurve for regular hunting and save the compound bow for self defense.

It seems the bow was successfully used against helicopters in Vietnam. see pg 112 in JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy

reply to post by crimvelvet


Going to echo that.

As a avid shooter/hunter with both, it is probably more down to earth to consider them slight variations on a theme. When it comes to the spectrum of all tools humans have developed, their differences are hardly worth noting.

Instead of "What-If-ing" like too many prepers get caught up in, a better use of time would be fighting the continual battle of tool proficiency. The one that is better is the one you are more proficient/comfortable on. Period. If you cannot hit crap with it, why bother thinking about fixing it? Unless you need something to do while you are hungry.

I also agree that a recurve bow would be the way to go. Remember though that our native peoples laid their bows down as soon as they could pick up a firearm. I would go with a 22. small game is the best bet in a survival situation.