Image | Length | Bow Weight | Draw Weight | Takedown? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Raging River Zombow See on Amazon.com | 62 inches | Unspecified How to: choose arrows, draw weight, and tune your recurve | 24 to 40 lbs. | Yes |
| Pros - Quiet and accurate - Predrilled and inserted for sight, stabilizer, arrow rest, and quiver | Cons - Only available for right-handed archers - Very little suitability for hunting, except for deer - No assembly instructions included - Not very suitable for hunting |
If you are looking for an inexpensive starter bow to get going in archery, Raging River’s Zombow might be an attractive choice. On the other hand, Raging River is relatively new to the industry, so how well does the Zombow stack up against other comparably priced recurve bows? Let’s take a look and see, shall we?
What’s Included In The Box?
When you unbox your Raging River Zombow, you’ll find the following items in the package:
- The Raging River Zombow recurve bow, including limbs and riser
- Bowstring
- Assembly hardware
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that Raging River includes assembly instructions for the bow, and there also wasn’t a bowstringer or Allen wrench in the package. Fortunately, assembly is pretty straightforward, but you will want to make sure you purchase an Allen wrench and bowstringer along with the bow. This applies even if you’re going to have your bow technician set up your bow for you, since you’ll need those tools to take down and reassemble the bow.
Is The Bow Easy To Assemble?
Assembly of the Zombow is straightforward and simple. All you have to do is align the limbs with the limb pockets, and insert the bolts. Tighten them down with your Allen wrench, being careful not to overtighten. Then string the bow, using a bowstringer.
What About Accessories?
Once you’ve assembled your recurve, it’s time to move on to accessories. The Zombow is inserted for a sight, stabilizer, arrow rest, and quiver, so you can install the most commonly needed accessories on your bow. Once that’s done, you should put on your nocking points, string silencers (if you want them), and any other accessories. Then, it’s time to tune your bow.
For some great tips on tuning your bow, take a read through our recurve bow tuning guide, written in four parts.
Is The Recurve Accurate And Powerful?
The Zombow is available in a wide variety of lengths and draw weights, so how powerful the bow is depends on which configuration you buy. You can find Zombow recurves from 12# to 40#, and that’s as powerful as it gets.
If you aren’t sure what draw weight you need, you can get information on what you can do at various pounds of draw using our handy guide on selecting the right draw weight for your purposes.
As for accuracy, this bow is definitely a straight shooter. My beginner nephew was able to maintain 3 inch groupings from 30 yards, and I can easily peg 2 inch groupings from 40 yards with the Zombow.
Can I Use This Recurve Bow For Hunting?
Unless you go with the 40# version, this bow ain’t gonna hunt more than small game. Even at 40#, the largest you can take down safely and humanely is a deer. Also, the heavier draw weights tend to come on bows that are exceptionally long, designed more for target shooting than hunting, so they don’t maneuver as well in the bush as, say, the Raging River Busa.
Will Beginners Be Able To Learn On This Bow?
This bow seems to have been designed with beginners in mind. It accepts all of the accessories that beginners are likely to need to properly learn the stance and techniques, and the bow itself is very forgiving of poor or undeveloped archery habits. It’s also a very inexpensive bow, making it a great way to get started in the sport of archery.
What Are The Best Arrows To Use With The Bow?
Choosing the right arrows is definitely a personal decision, since it depends in part on your particular draw length. You also need to know what you plan on using the recurve bow for, so be sure to check out our guide to arrow selection for the full treatment on this subject.
How Durable Are The Limbs And Riser On The Recurve?
The riser is made from laminated compressed wood, so it’s fairly durable but I wouldn’t get it wet. The limbs are laminated wood and fiberglass, and seem to be relatively resistant to limb twist. My recommendation, just like one of the rules for the Mogwai, is to not get the bow wet. I also recommend, the same as with any takedown recurve, to disassemble the bow between uses.
What Strings Will Fit This Recurve Bow?
The Raging River Zombow comes with a Dacron string, and the limb tips are not reinforced. So, no using FastFlight or Flemish twist strings with this bow. You can, however, use any Dacron string that’s the appropriate length and draw weight for your particular configuration.
Is It Heavy?
This is a very lightweight bow, coming in at less than 2.5 pounds. It’s easy to maneuver on the archery field, but a bit of a tight squeeze if you try to carry it through brush or woods. I wouldn’t really recommend this bow for hunting purposes, unless you go with the shorter bow lengths.
How Quiet Is The Bow?
This particular recurve doesn’t seem to have been designed to be quiet. There isn’t much vibration in the riser, but there is plenty of string slap. String silencers help some, but don’t expect this bow to be decent for long (or even short) range deer stalking. The lack of vibration makes the bow easy to shoot, but the string smack does cause some fatigue in your hand after a while.
Recurve Bow Summary
Thanks for reading my review of the Raging River Zombow. This beginner’s takedown recurve is excellent for target shooting, but even though Raging River says it’s suitable for hunting, it really isn’t. If you’re looking for a great, inexpensive start to archery, this is your bow. If, on the other hand, you hope to hunt with the same bow, you might want to keep looking.
Take a look at Today's Amazon.com price on the Raging River Zombow if you’re interested in buying.
