Are some types( Brands) of cam more forgiving to Torque/ bad shots?

Wookster

New member
Was speaking to some chaps at the club last week, the consensus was that Hoyt cams were more resilient to a bad shot or torque than say a PSE? Is that the case??
 

bimble

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possibly only on the grounds that it is easier to torque bows with a greater let-off. So Hoyt target bows with their 55-65% let off compared to PSE's 75% might appear to be harder to torque...
 

GoneBad

Member
I would think that the higher the brace height, the more difficult it would be to torque.
Also, when you say Hoyt cams are more resilient than PSE, i agree. I now know of 2 people whose PSE cams have broken and none with broken Hoyt cams. In both of the PSE cases broken nocks caused a partial dry fire and bent/broke the cams.
If I dropped my Hoyt or Mathews on the kitchen floor I would think " I hope that hasn't damaged the tiles".
If I dropped my PSE on the kitchen floor I would just get out the dustpan and brush and go bow shopping.
PSEs are lovely to shoot but are not the most robust pieces of kit
 

jerryRTD

Well-known member
possibly only on the grounds that it is easier to torque bows with a greater let-off. So Hoyt target bows with their 55-65% let off compared to PSE's 75% might appear to be harder to torque...
Agreed, but once you know this you can apply more back tension . It's a matter of not getting lazy and adapting to the lower holding weight.
 

geoffretired

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It is easier to torque a bow that is under little string tension compared to one under higher tension.
It is also easier to torque a bow where the cams, at full draw, are well forward from the archer's face.
With the older bows, the cams were well back from the riser because of the high brace height. At full draw, they moved even further back, and so closer to the archer's face.
Modern bows with low BH and limbs that are near parallel, have cams at full draw that are almost as far from the archer's face as they were at their brace height.
If you imagine two compound bows at full draw, and draw a line between the cams on each bow, that line cuts the arrow at some point. If the line cuts the arrow closer to the arrow rest on one bow, then it will be easier to torque.Assuming holding weight is the same on both bows.
 

geoffretired

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Hi Wookster, It sort of works out like that, but there is a little more to it.
Brace height is a good indicator, but it really depends on how far back, away from the bow grip, the axles, or cams,are when the bow is at full draw.
Imagine a straight stick with a long elastic string on it, like a bow with shock cord. If you try to torque the grip, there is very little to resist that torque.The handle just twist in your hand and the limb tips twist a little too.
Next take a bow that is short like a hunter bow, but capable of being bent way beyond the normal range.It could have a long draw length even with a short string, as the limb tips are a long way back from the bow grip. At full draw any attempt to torque the grip will also move the limb tips way off to one side.A slight pull on the string will exert a force that will easily pull the limb tips back into line and the torque has been corrected.
So, in a bit of a nutshell, two compounds with identical BH could have different resistances to torque.It would depend on how far back away from the grip,the cams or axles move during the draw.Parallel limbs don't move back very much.Old style up and down limbs move further back and offer more resistance to torque.
If both bows had equally parallel limbs, then the high BH bow would resist torque a bit more; at the same draw length and holding weight.
 

Wookster

New member
Thanks Geoff!! I'm getting my head around this now!
Reslly enjoying my recurve after a long break but the Compound is fascinating me at the moment.....my draw is long so a PSE seems to be a good bet but I don't want to write it off while learning!!
 
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