Kids Bow Recommendations

PA Archer

FNG
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Apr 16, 2019
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My oldest boy is turning 8 this summer and wants to get into shooting bow more than just the cheapy recurves for kids. seeing what anyone thinks of any of the mission bows or a bear legit or anything of the likes? Something with a low starting draw weight and shorter draw but with a lot of the adjustability. Thanks
 
Diamond Edge SB-1

Very adjustable (7lb-70lb , 17" i think all the way to 30")

a bow he could use for a long time.
 
i'm eyeing the pse mini burner for my soon to be 8 year old, but would love to know if there's something better. it seems like draw stops are a big weakness on most of the ultra-adjustable bows, and the ones that go up to 60 or 70# are too big/heavy for him to really use.
 
Both of my kids started off shooting in 4h with either the mini Genesis or the original Genesis. They started off with just shooting fingers and bare bow with no sights. This was pretty good for them as it taught them the basics, good form, anchor point etc. My daughter still likes to shoot bare bow at 16, but my son (13) now loves shooting his Blackout Faze with me in the backyard or at the range.
 
My buddies wife and 2 daughters all shoot the diamond bows I think they are the infinite edge or something like that and they seem like very nice bows. They were easy to set up as well we did all of them at the same time, In my home bow shop I say my home bow shop cause it’s in my house but me and my buddy split the cost of everything but since I do most of the bow work it’s in my house.


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Levi Morgan just had a video up with his 10 year old I think is his age with a very nice Mathews kid bow but don’t know how low it will go as far as poundage etc.. plus I think that bow is a thousand bucks and that seems like a lot for a kids bow?


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+1 for the Genesis (or mini genesis if he is small). It is universal draw length and no let off so anyone can shoot it. Super adjustable. My youngest started probably when she was 8 while very small and yes weak.
I think we are going to go shoot it tomorrow some. I am looking forward to it.
 
My oldest boy is turning 8 this summer and wants to get into shooting bow more than just the cheapy recurves for kids. seeing what anyone thinks of any of the mission bows or a bear legit or anything of the likes? Something with a low starting draw weight and shorter draw but with a lot of the adjustability. Thanks

My oldest boy is turning 8 this summer and wants to get into shooting bow more than just the cheapy recurves for kids. seeing what anyone thinks of any of the mission bows or a bear legit or anything of the likes? Something with a low starting draw weight and shorter draw but with a lot of the adjustability. Thanks
We have had really good luck with our Bear cruzer lites. This will be the third year my daughter (11years old) has been using hers, and the fifth year for my son (15 years old). They both have been good bows and adjusting draw length and draw weight has been simple.
 
My 11 year old uses one of the Diamond Edge variants and my younger two each use a Diamond Prism. All have been great with some tweaks and accessory replacement over time.
 
When my son was 6 I got him a Diamond Atomic. He is 13 now and has outgrown it. It will be passed down to his 7 yr old sister. I bought a Hoyt Kobalt for my 9 yr old daughter. Highly adjustable for draw length and poundage. She loves it! My son will probably end up with a Hoyt Kobalt as well. I’ll let him choose his bow this time around.
 
When my son was 8 I got him a Mission Radik. He got first place with it this year in the local 4H district shoot. So, he can attest, it’s very easy and accurate for a kid to shoot. It weighs less than a lot of the adult size bows that adjust super low on weight, like the Diamond Edge.

I did much of the tuning work with him of course, and it tuned easily and feels like a quality product. I could see him taking a deer with it in the next year or two as well. I like it and I’d recommend it for others in the market. There is a good review article for it here on Rokslide as well.
 
I have three kids between 7 and 12 that all started shooting when they were about 6. In my opinion the biggest concern in the very beginning is the actual weight of the bow because they just can't hold up very much weight until they build that strength up. If the bow is too heavy for them they can't shoot it for long, or will start compensating with bad form (high shoulder on bow arm, etc...). You want it to be comfortable so they can enjoy it and ultimately build the strength by sticking with the sport.

I started my kids on mini-genesis and genesis bows, just letting them plink on foam zombie targets and stuff. Teach them fundamentals of archery without worrying about aiming and scoring and all that. My oldest actually won his state tournament in NASP with the Genesis the first year he competed because he already had about 4-5 years of practice on fundamentals. Learning to shoot for scores was easy.

For compounds I have tried the Radik and the Switch, both by Mission. The Radik is significantly lighter (about 3lbs versus about 4lbs for the Switch), which would make a huge difference for an 8 year old in my opinion. My 12 year old pulls 45lbs draw weight on a Switch with a 26" DL. They build the strength insanely fast if they practice consistently.
 
What can he hold up? The Atomic is much lighter than the mission bows. Is he shorter and needs a smaller ATA? A few things to look at before buying but get him to a shop and at least see what he can hold up.
 
I was extremely unhappy with any of the adjustable bows that went all the way up to 70 pounds when they were turned down to 35 or below. Very slow speeds and horrible draw cycle. MY youngest at 10 ended up with a Diamond Prism. It maxes at 55 pounds so will be fine for him until 14 or so. I have it set at 30ish and it shoots just like a normal bow.

You will be looking for arrows also. I highly, highly recommend the Victory VAP Jr with the glue in tip. Nothing is more frustrating for a kid than when his arrows bounce off the target. These arrows are light, fast, and sharp so they stick in anything and you can set a three pin sight at 10, 20, and 30 yards. Lots of "youth" arrows suck and are way too heavy. That Vap Jr was a legitimate game changer for him.
 
Great tip on those arrows. I was just shooting with my 6 year old, his only criteria for a successful shot is it sticking in the target
 
At age 5, I bought my son a Diamond Atomic. It had alot of adjustability and he used it until around age 13. Then I got him a Mission Craze II that also has plenty of adjustability to accommodate his teenage year growth spurts. He started with a Whisker Bisquit until he was strong enough to utilize a QAD drop away rest. He is now 17 and still uses the bow to hunt with. He has harvested several deer with it. It is light, accurate and easily tuned.
 
I got my son a Diamond Edge also. I think its a great bow. Like others have said, its super adjustable and will last them forever.
 
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