How To Tell if A Compound Bow Is Left or Right Handed?

You want to build a compound bow, but you have no clue if your bow is right-handed or left-handed. How to tell if it’s left or right-handed?

When people are hunting with bows they always shoot the arrow right-handed because the right hand is used to grip the bowstring and release the arrow. But left-handed hunters are pretty much a minority.

Since you want to make a compound bow, you need to understand which side of the bow you should set your string on.

If you’re left-handed you want to set your string on the left side of the bow. If you’re right-handed, you want to set your string on the right side of the bow.

If you have any issues in finding whether the compound bow is left-handed or right-handed then continue to read.  

Difference Between Left-handed and Right-handed Compound bow:

Compound bows have two different types of string, called left-handed and right-handed. These bowstrings are also known as “left-handed” and “right-handed” strings.

The left hand of a bow shooter is used to grip the bow. The bowstring is then drawn back and released to shoot an arrow.

Left-handed bow shooters hold the bowstring with their right hand. Right-handed bow shooters hold the bowstring with their left hand. Both are correct ways to use a compound bow.

A right-handed bow shooter will use his right hand to pull the string back and release the arrow. While a left-handed bow shooter will use his left hand to pull the string back and release the arrow.

How to Determine Whether The Bow Is Right or Left Handed?

Many bowhunters spend hours in the woods trying to determine if their bow is right or left-handed. The problem is that many hunters are not sure if their bow is left-handed or right-handed.

What’s more, many hunters are not sure whether their bow is right or left-handed, even though it is an important issue to determine.

There are several ways to determine if your bow is right or left-handed. You can easily check the string-handling grooves on the inside of your bow’s riser. However, this is not always the most reliable way to determine whether your bow is right or left-handed.

The next best way to determine whether your bow is right or left-handed is to use the bow’s grip and see if the arrow rests on the string in the same way that it does on a right-handed bow.

The final way to determine whether your bow is right or left-handed is to try to pull the bowstring to the left or the right and see if the bow pulls to the left or the right.

Learn How To Draw Arrows To Help You Identify Left And Right?

Drawing an arrow helps you tell whether your bow is left- or right-handed. You just need to make sure that the head of the arrow is pointing downward. That’s easy enough, but it does take a little practice.

Start by taking out a paper and a pencil, then dip your pencil in a bottle of water and make sure the end of the pencil is wet. Hold the pencil by the tip and rotate it until the end is facing downward. Then, draw a line from the tip of the pencil to the top of the paper with the pencil in the vertical position.

If the pencil was pointing down when you made the line, then you’re drawing a right-handed compound bow. If the pencil was pointing up, then you’re drawing a left-handed compound bow. It’s that simple.

Why This Matters?

The left hand is for the right eye and the right hand is for the left eye. It’s just a visual trick we all learn when we’re young. As kids, we use our right hand to write with, play with cars and guns, etc.

However, as adults, we start to see things differently and some people prefer to use their right hand to hold knives, forks, cell phones, and other things. 

There’s nothing wrong with this and no harm done to your body if you use your right hand to grip a bowstring. But you should use your left hand to grip the bowstring if you are left-handed because that’s the way you were born.

If you try to hold the bowstring with your right hand, you’re going to put extra pressure on the wrist and that can cause a lot of pain and injury.

Wrapping It All Up:

The compound bow is an effective hunting weapon and is the bow used for all but the most advanced archery hunters. It offers excellent shooting power for the money, and the ability to hold the target.

You’ll be amazed at how much power a compound bow can provide. But, it can also be a bit confusing at times.

Here we have shown you exactly how to identify a left-handed compound bow. I’m not a hunter myself, so I’ll leave the details of how to use the bow for someone with experience. But, hopefully, this guide will help you out a little bit.


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John Robert
By John Robert

BowPicks was founded by me, John Robert, in 2021 for beginners who are looking to learn about archery equipment. I'm a veteran of the US Army and love all things outdoorsy. My favorite thing to do is go hunting with my bow. John first started shooting a bow and arrow competitively on weekends, but soon found his passion shifting towards the academic side of things. I learned about all the different types of bows and arrows out there and wanted to share this knowledge with others. I began BowPicks as a blog that he wrote himself which eventually developed into what it is today: a website with articles, videos, reviews, comparisons, and more!


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