Editors' review
The Bear Salute is designed to get new shooters into archery without breaking the bank. Ultimately, this means shooters will get a compound bow, with older technology not seen on flagship models at a fairly good deal. Bear has been known for producing bows for every shooter, and the Salute checks all of those boxes. As a starter bow, the Salute is available for shooters with a 20-30-inch draw length, with limbs adjustable from 50-70-pounds. The Salute's dual cam design flings arrows up to 300 feet per second with a 31-inch axle-to-axle length, while sporting a 7.25-inch brace height for shootability and forgiveness. The Salute is not a flagship model, and when compared head to head with those rigs, may have a difficult time competing. However, the Salute comes out of the package Ready to Hunt for a price tag of only $299. The Salute is not meant to compare to flagship models, it is designed to affordably get shooters started in the world of archery. For that purpose, the Salute is a nice shooting rig, and worth a look.
Finish
Bear offers the Salute in one finish option affectionately called "camo" on the Bear Archery Products website. The camo pattern is a traditional looking pattern, but is not a popular designer pattern seen on other products. The dipping process is well done, and the bow looks nice. For a beginners bow, it make sense to not have a ton of finish options form a manufacturers standpoint because it will keep the overall manufacturing costs down. The point of the Salute bow is to get shooters into the sport of archery at a relatively low initial cost. Perhaps some shooters would join archery if there were more finish options of the rig they are looking at, but for the most part, the one camo offering seems to be fine enough for most shooters.
Riser
The Salute's riser is designed to give new archers the best possible platform for shooting with maneuverability, forgiveness, and stability. The overall package comes in at 31-inches axle-to-axle, and has a 7.25-inch brace height. The 31-inches is a fairly compact measurement, which gives shooters the ability to move this bow around in a ground blind or tree stand scenario very easily. The over 7-inch brace height is also great for added forgiveness on the shot. The overall weight of the bow is also right at the magical 4-pound mark. In the past, 4-pounds was used as the standard for telling if bows were heavy or light, and 4-pounds even gives shooters a great weight for their first rig.The bow does feature a rear mounted string stop system to keep the string from moving around too much after the shot. It also helps deaden the noise a bit as well. The stop has a little adjustment, but should come set pretty good right out of the packaging. Although the RTH package does not come with a stabilizer, the front of the riser has a bushing for a stabilizer to be added if desired. The cable containment system used is pretty basic as well with a cable slide system. Many higher end bows have moved toward a flexible system with rollers for less riser torque. Although the Salute does not have this technology, the traditional cable slide containment system was used on compound bows for decades with great results. It may not be the latest and greatest technology talked about in archery magazines, but it will perform well nonetheless.
Grip
The grip on the Bear Salute has a basic shape and feel, and is like the rest of the Bear lineup. There is a non-functioning side plate, which displays the Bear name proudly, but it does not add much to the shape and feel of the grip. The back of the grip is rounded for comfort, and fits in shooter's hands well. The flatback makes hand placement very easy to repeat, and should help shooters make a more repeatable shot with limited user torque possible through gripping the bow incorrectly. Overall, there is not much to talk about with the grip. It works well, feels fine, and is what other Bear products come with in 2019.
Limbs
The limbs on the Salute are available in one configuration with draw weight ranging from 50-70-pounds with the same set of limbs. The limbs are split limb technology, which is featured on the rest of the Bear lineup, and should last a long time under normal shooting conditions. The limb pockets are fairly simplistic as well, but again function despite not including the best Bear has to offer. There is a little felt vibration in the bow after the shot, which could possibly be tamed a bit by adding some dampeners to the limbs. Bear does not include these from the factory, but they can of course be added with aftermarket products if shooters desire to do so. The limbs are also black instead of camo like the rest of the bow. Some shooters will like how this looks, and others may wish the limbs match the riser. Fortunately, the looks of the bow has no impact on how well the bow shoots.
Eccentric System
The dual cam system on the Bear Salute offers a ton of adjustability and some decent performance. The rotating module cam system allows for a draw length from 20-30-inches, which can be made in half-inch adjustments. At the 30-inch setting, the Salute is rated for speeds up to 300 feet per second. When compared to flagship models, this number seems a bit slow. However, the draw cycle is not aggressive at all, and 300 feet per second is arguably easier to manage than a speed bow shooting 50 feet per second faster. The let-off is not adjustable like some cam systems are in 2019, and only offered in 70%. To be fair, 70% let-off used to be the old standard, and it feels pretty nice as well. This helps make the bow a bit faster, and gives less dump into the back wall, making the draw and potential let down a bit more manageable as well.
Draw Cycle/Shootability
The Salute is made for newer shooters, and the am system is a huge part of making a bow feel shootable. The dual cams feel nice during the entire draw cycle, and the 70% let-off helps the transition to the back wall feel comfortable. The holding weight may be a bit more than the higher let off bows, but that may not be a bad thing for getting shooters comfortable in proper shooting technique pulling into the back wall hard. The draw cycle is going to feel a lot different for shooters at 20-inches, versus 30-inches, but each draw length will have a fairly manageable cycle with a decent valley. The back wall will feel fairly solid as well, and with only 70% let off, it will be a lot more difficult for shooters to relax and have less than ideal form when holding on target. There is some felt vibration after the shot, and the bow could be a little quieter. However, the vibration could be taken away with an added stabilizer, and the noise is far from loud. For a beginners bow, the shot experience is great. For a bow costing less than $300 fully rigged, it shoots very nice. when comparing it to a bow that costs $1000 more, there is going to be noticeable differences. However, there are not many shooters on the market willing to pay top dollar for a high end bow comparing a beginners bow to the best of the best.
Usage Scenarios
The Bear Salute is a beginner's bow. It is designed with new shooters in mind, and will be a great option for those just starting out in the archery world without having to spend a thousand dollars before adding accessories. This Salute bow also has the ability to be used by a teenager still growing into adulthood. Most dedicated archers will upgrade their rigs to newer models every so often. However, the Salute could be a teenagers first bow and their only bow as an adult given its adjustment range. For those just starting out in archery, or those wanting to try the sport out without breaking the bank, the Salute deserves a serious consideration.
Ready to Hunt Package
The Ready to Hunt (RTH) package is the only way to go with the Salute bow. There is not an option for shooters to buy the bow only in this case. The accessories offered with the Salute package are not top of the line, but they do give shooters the ability to have all the necessary equipment already attached to the bow to get started. The Salute includes the following Trophy Ridge accessories: a three pin sight, whisker biscuit, peep sight, and D-loop. Shooters would need to add a quiver, arrows, broadheads, and a release to hunt immediately. This can make the difficult decision of deciding which accessories to go with, especially as a new shooter much easier. Accessories can always be upgraded later on if shooters want a single pin sight for example later on. For a $299 price with a fully set up bow, the Salute is tough to beat.
Summary
The Salute has some flaws when compared to a flagship model, but those rigs are not in direct competition with the Salute to begin with. The Salute is designed for those wanting to get started with archery without wanting to spend a ton of money on a bow. For comparison's sake, the Salute is the price some shooters spend on a sight alone, and with that considered, the Salute tends to be appealing for different shooters. As a beginners bow, or a bow for teenage shooters to transition into as they grow, the Salute is a fantastic option. There is only one finish option, the accessories are not top of the line, the bow has a little vibration, and it only shoots 300 feet per second. However, it comes fully rigged out for only $299, and is a great platform for newer archers to learn out without spending a ton of money. This bow does not have any direct competition with high end flagship models, but may be in competition with used flagship models on the internet. For a full time warranty and accessories, $299 seems like a more than fair price to pay for just getting started in the great sport of shooting a compound bow.
