Modern Archery Equipment

Handles are used on recurve and compound bows. These are typically built from wood or plastic. Different kinds of handles are utilized for the purpose of generating different kinds of shots by holding the bow in different positions. Grips and handles are generally chosen to fit the make and type of bow and the individual's personal style and taste.

The riser is the center part of the bow which is there to hold together most of the equipment attached to the bow including the button, the sight, the limbs, and so on and so forth. Different risers affect how the bow is held, though the effects that you get with the riser are more noticeable than the riser itself. There are risers with aerodynamic qualities like holes to permit wind to pass through them and thereby not disturbing an archer's aim.

A bow is simply not a bow without its limbs. The limbs are the longest pieces of the bow, and bending with the draw they produce the bow's power. The limbs attach to the riser. There are specialized limbs that require the use of specialized risers and there are specialized risers that require the use of specialized limbs. Many limbs are made out of multiple layers of different materials to give the limbs a smooth flexion and make them more resistant to deformities. This allows for greater accuracy as a result of greater consistency in performance. In recent times, limbs have come to be often made of carbon, which is at once durable yet light.

The bow's strings are typically made by twining together several strands of Dacron or Kevlar to make a single cord. Dacron is more inexpensive than Kevlar but it's prone to "creeping", that is, over time it tends to stretch and make your shooting inconsistent or inaccurate.

The rest is the place on the bow where the arrow sits right before being shot. The longbow does not have a rest next to the hand which can make shooting with one rather tricky. Other bows use metal or plastic rests, and there are some complex bows which actually have a magnetic rests on them. Compound bows can be equipped with rests that are sensitive to vibrations. These rests collapse immediately after release to prevent the arrow from hitting the rest.

The button, or plunger, is a device which upon the arrow's release prevents the back end of the arrow from overtaking the front end. The button also aligns the arrow with the bow's center and to keep it from knocking into the bow once the arrow is released.

The sight can be in several different forms, but the typical form for the sight is a circle with a pin or cross-hairs at its center. There are some compound bows which utilize a "spirit level" which informs the archer if his bow is tilted.

The longrod is a two foot long extension on a bow which dampens vibrations engendered by the release. Additionally, it tilts the bow slightly forward upon release.