First Bow for my 8 year old?

[MikeC]

Hey everyone.  I'm planning to buy a " cheap" bow for my son for one of his Christmas gifts. Not looking for a hunting bow yet just something to introduce him to archery.  I've seen a number of different ones in different stores. Any suggest a certain brand,  or style? Bear, Barnett,  compound or long/recurve?
I've seen prices ranging from $20-$100.

[BlacktailBowhunter]

Hi Mike,

I don't know how old or how big your son is, but the bow I got for my sister inlaw is actually a really good bow and the price is pretty much unbeatable. She killed a fork in horn with the bow 10 days after she got it. It is called a Velocity Race 4x4. Go to Velocity Archery and watch the videos. It has a draw range of 19" to 29" and a draw weight adjustment from 15 to 55 lbs.

I got hers on E-bay for $139.99, but I got the only one listed for that price. You can buy them everyday for $149.99 to your door. It would be a bow he can grow with and use to hunt.

It is Right Hand only.

There are a couple of reviews that you can find by doing a search. A New Jersey hunter did a review and then I watched the videos and was sold on trying one for the price. It seemed to good to be true, but it is actually about the best value for a bow that I have ever seen.

[jackelope]

Id spend a little more and get a Diamond Atomic.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[shadowless_nite]

I was in the same situation with my daughter a few years ago. When she was 6 I bought her one of those $20 bear recurves, i believe its called a scout. I was testing waters to see if the interest was there and if it was then i could save up cash and invest in a larger purchse that she could grow with and hunt with. After a 2 years of playing with it and really showing an interest in hunting, I decided that for her 8th birthday this last june I would take her to get fitted and set up for her compund and make a day of it. We settled on a bear apprentice 3 in a ready to hunt package. If my mind serves me right we were right at the $400 mark after all the misc things. I know this is significantly more than what your hoping to spend. But id figure i would throw out my suggestion  and what I did. Her mother is 4' 11" and im 5' 6" I dont envision my daughter being a giant so realistically  she would be able to hunt with this bow and grow old with it most likely never having to go past the abilities  of the bows pull or poundage. And if she doest upgrade to something  better, I can then pass it down to my son. Also the bow was able to turn down to 15lb pull while a few others like it only went to about 20 and it was better for her to start comfortable  at 15lbs then have a hard time starting at 20lbs. Good luck  im sure regardless of what you pick your son will love it.

[LeviD1]

Hey shadow just thought ide ask if you could add the weight range, draw length, weight of bow and such for the OP. Those little kid bows are awesome.

[shadowless_nite]

I edited my previous  post it was a bear apprentice 3.

And heres the copy and pasted specs...
The Bear® Archery Apprentice 3 RTH Compound Bow Package is Bear's newest entry into the youth archery market, and it blows the competition away. With a top speed of 265 fps, it's as fast as some adult bows, yet it starts at a 15 lb. draw weight (going up to 60), so that young hunters can start at a beginner's pace. A new string suppression system plus a smooth two-cam system makes it the best way to enjoy every shot, season after season.
RTH Package includes: Trophy Ridge® sight, Whisker Biscuit® arrowrest, quiver, peep sight, and nock loop.
Perfect for boy and girl archers
G3 Cam with sealed bearings
Contra Band strings
IBO Speed: 265 fps
Weight: 2.9 lbs.
Brace Height: 6"
Axle-to-Axle: 27-1/2"
Draw Length: 15– 27"
70% let-off
RTH Package includes: Trophy Ridge sight, Whisker Biscuit arrowrest, quiver, peep sight, and nock loop

[scotsman]

I have taught and coached archery for about 40 years... Its not the popular thing these days but I do encourage beginning archers young or old to start with a traditional bow. Trad bows teach the fundamentals of hand eye / coordination, trajectory and form. Once a person gets the basics of shooting a trad bow it is easy to make the transition to compound but the reverse isn't true.

Take a look at 10 year old Logan and see the precision and enjoyment he gets from shooting his bow:

http://youtu.be/nWbXBSwuVYI

[pianoman9701]

I have taught and coached archery for about 40 years... Its not the popular thing these days but I do encourage beginning archers young or old to start with a traditional bow. Trad bows teach the fundamentals of hand eye / coordination, trajectory and form. Once a person gets the basics of shooting a trad bow it is easy to make the transition to compound but the reverse isn't true.

Take a look at 10 year old Logan and see the precision and enjoyment he gets from shooting his bow:

http://youtu.be/nWbXBSwuVYI

  If you don't want to spend too much, you can get more for your money in traditional bows.

[Seahawk12]

Hey Mike. Sounds like you're going to have a happy kid on Christmas.
I picked up a Diamond Infinite Edge for my 9yo daughter for Christmas.
You may be able to find a used one for a good price.
Here are the specs on it:
•Brace Height 7 Inches
•Draw Length Range 13 - 30
•Draw Weight 5 - 70 lbs
•IBO/ATA Speed 310 fps
•Kinetic Energy 74.7 ft-lbs
•Axle to Axle 31
•Effective Let-Off 75 Percent
•Mass Weight 3.1 lbs
•No bow press needed

I picked this partly because it will grow with her. Buying a $100 bow now and then having to buy a $300+ bow in a few years would have bothered me.
The main thing is to get a bow in your kids hands and spread the joy of archery to the next generation. Whatever you decide on I hope you have a great time with him.