Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39 Review

Editors' review

At 39 inches axle to axle, the Reckoning Gen2 39 is the longest, steadiest bow Bowtech builds, and it is aimed squarely at the archer who shoots for score under pressure. It is the maximum-stability end of the brand's target line - measured against the field, its riser barely moves at the shot, the kind of forgiveness an indoor or field competitor chases above all else. Launched for the 2023 model year and carried through 2026 at a $1,799 MSRP, it carries every press-free tuning tool Bowtech makes - the DeadLock cam, the TimeLock timing system, the GripLock adjustable grip, and an adjustable draw stop - on top of a let-off that fine-tunes from 65 to 85 percent. It is the platform Bowtech's top target professionals reach for, and it asks one thing in return: a willingness to carry a heavier, longer rig for the hold it gives back. Whether that trade makes sense comes down to whether you shoot a stake more than a treestand.

Finish

The Reckoning Gen2 39 wears the same class-leading paint that target shooters single out across the line - a deep speckle finish that glows under range lights, with chamfered edges that resist chipping and accessory threads left clear. Bowtech launched it in a handful of colors and expanded the slate through the model year to roughly nine or ten, spanning solid target tones and camo patterns, with a custom-finish program on top for the competitor who wants a one-off look. On a dedicated target bow the finish is more than cosmetic - a 39-inch riser is a large canvas that spends its life on a well-lit line, and the depth and durability of this coating is a recurring reason serious shooters pick the platform over rivals they rate as merely well-painted. The 2023 model year is when this finish quality arrived, a clear step up from Bowtech's prior work, and it has carried forward unchanged. The coating holds up to the handling a full indoor and field season puts on a bow, and exact color availability shifts through the year.

Riser

The riser is aluminum and resolutely vertical - there is no aggressive reflex or deflex built into it, and that geometry is the whole point of a target platform this long. Stretched to 39 inches axle to axle, it produces the headline number on this bow: at the shot the riser deflects less than almost anything else in its class, barely an eighth of an inch, which translates directly into a steadier hold and a more forgiving miss. The largely vertical limb geometry sends the bow's energy forward toward the target rather than canceling it in a parallel flex, which both steadies the bow at full draw and gives the planted, moving-forward feel a target archer reads as stability. Bowtech's limb-locking pockets anchor the limbs into the pockets and the pockets into the riser so nothing drifts out of tune, and the riser is drilled for a full competition accessory suite - front and low stabilizer bushings, side-rod mounts off the front or rear, and multiple ports for the dual Orbit dampeners. A flex roller cable guide with a cable-lock arm routes the cables smoothly and keeps them from ever popping free.

Grip

The Reckoning Gen2 carries Bowtech's GripLock grip, and on a competition bow the adjustability is a genuine advantage rather than a convenience - a target archer who has built a shot around a specific hand angle can set the grip to it instead of importing an aftermarket wedge. Two screws set the angle, and Bowtech backs them with a load-bearing post that takes the force of the hand pushing forward, so the grip cannot creep a few degrees over a long session without the shooter noticing. The grip profile itself is the narrow, straight Bowtech shape that indexes the hand into a repeatable low-wrist position, closer to a Hoyt feel than the tapered grips on some target bows. In my experience the single quietest source of inconsistency on a target setup is the hand, and a grip you can both angle precisely and trust not to move is exactly what a score-driven archer wants from the contact point. The panel stays comfortable across a long bare-handed indoor round.

Limbs

Bowtech offers the Reckoning Gen2 39 in 50, 60, and 70-pound peak weights, and because the limb bolts wind each set down roughly 10 pounds, the bow spans an effective 40-to-70-pound range - though most target archers run it at 60 pounds or below, where the long riser and forgiving geometry do their best work. The limbs are mounted vertically and lock into the pockets with no detectable play, the limb-locking design that keeps a competition setup from drifting across the hundreds of arrows a serious shooter puts through it each week. That vertical, non-parallel geometry is a deliberate target-bow choice: a parallel-limb hunting bow cancels more forward movement at the shot, while these send the bow cleanly forward toward the target, the planted recoil a target archer prefers to feel. Bare-bow mass runs 4.9 pounds on the Medium cam and an even 5 pounds on the Long, climbing past five and a quarter once the stabilizers and dampeners of a full target rig go on - heavy by any hunting standard and precisely the steadying mass a bow meant to hold dead still on a line is supposed to carry.

Eccentric System

The DeadLock cam anchors the Reckoning Gen2, and on this target platform Bowtech wraps it in the most complete tuning suite the brand offers. DeadLock handles arrow flight - loosen a lock screw, turn an Allen key to drive the cam sideways on its axle, and a paper tear you cannot chase out with the rest cleans up on the line, no press; shooters describe being able to tune the fletching off the edge of a bullet hole with it. TimeLock adds press-free cam timing: a screw at the cable end drives the cable post in or out to sync the cams, doing the job a bow press and a cable twist used to require. The triangular draw stop sets the back wall - the broad flat face produces a stop so firm it reads like a limb stop, while rotating the stop to its point gives the most cushion, so a shooter tunes the wall to how they activate the shot. Beyond the Comfort and Performance FlipDisc modes, the rotating module slides to fine-tune let-off anywhere from 65 to 85 percent, letting a target archer dial exact holding weight. The two cam options set the fit and speed: the Medium cam runs a 6.75-inch brace, a 26.5-to-30.5-inch draw, and a 326 fps IBO, while the Long cam stretches to a 7.18-inch brace, a 29.5-to-33.5-inch draw, and a 320 fps IBO for tall and long-draw competitors. On a chronograph the speed is honest for a long target bow - a 60-pound Medium-cam setup pushed a 300-grain arrow to about 323 fps in Performance and the high 310s in Comfort, within roughly three fps of the published rating.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

The Reckoning Gen2 39 draws with the unhurried, planted character of a bow built to be aimed for a long time rather than snapped off fast. The cam rolls smoothly to peak and rotates into a deep valley, and with the draw stop set to its flat face the back wall arrives like a brick - solid enough that it genuinely feels like a limb stop, the immovable anchor that lets a competition archer settle into the exact same spot shot after shot. At a target weight it is easy on the shoulder through a long round, and many shooters rate the cycle among their favorites for that reason. Flip the disc to Performance and the draw sharpens slightly for a few extra feet per second without ever turning hunting-bow aggressive. At the shot the vertical limbs push the bow forward toward the target rather than damping flat, a deliberate, planted recoil target archers tend to like, though it does send a little more movement and a slightly longer vibration through the riser than a parallel-limb flagship. Having spent a round chasing the wall more than the arrow, what stays with me is how still the bow sits at full draw - the long riser barely moves, and it lets the shot happen rather than fighting it.

Usage Scenarios

This is a dedicated target bow, and it is happiest on a line. The 39-inch axle-to-axle and near-zero riser deflection make it a natural for indoor spots and outdoor field rounds where a steady hold and a forgiving miss decide the scorecard, and the let-off fine-tuning lets a shooter dial the exact holding weight they aim best behind. Picture a competitor on an indoor line, the bow set to Comfort for a smooth all-day cycle and the draw stop locked to its firmest face, settling the pin and breaking the same clean shot across sixty arrows of a 300 round. It crosses to 3D comfortably - flip the disc to Performance for the extra speed that flattens trajectory on unmarked yardage, and the long axle still steadies the hold on a downhill stake. Where it stops making sense is the hunt: at 39 inches and past five pounds set up it is more bow than a treestand wants and more weight than a backcountry pack welcomes, and a hunter is better served by the shorter Reckoning Gen2 36 or the huntable Proven 34. For the archer whose season is measured in ring counts rather than tags, though, this is the most stable, most tunable platform Bowtech puts on a shooting line.

Versions

The Reckoning Gen2 39 is sold at one price - a $1,799 launch MSRP - with the buyer choosing a cam set at order to match draw length:- **Medium Cam** - 6.75-inch brace height, 26.5-to-30.5-inch draw length, 326 fps IBO, 4.9-pound mass. The standard option covering most target draw lengths.- **Long Cam** - 7.18-inch brace height, 29.5-to-33.5-inch draw length, 320 fps IBO, 5.0-pound mass. The long-draw option for tall competitors, trading six fps for the extra reach and a more forgiving brace.Both cam sets share the same 39-inch axle-to-axle riser, 50/60/70-pound peak limbs, the 65-to-85-percent adjustable let-off, and the full DeadLock / TimeLock / GripLock / adjustable-draw-stop feature set. The cam is chosen once at purchase. (The same platform is offered in a shorter 36-inch axle-to-axle bow with an additional short-draw cam - see the Reckoning Gen2 36.)

Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39 vs Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36, Bowtech Proven 34

Bow	Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39	Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36	Bowtech Proven 34
Version	2026 Med Cam	2026 Med Cam	2026
Picture
Brace Height	6.75 "	6.75 "	6.625 "
AtA Length	39 "	36 "	34 "
Draw Length	26.5 " - 30.5 "	25.5 " - 29.5 "	25 " - 30 "
Draw Weight	40 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	326 fps	332 fps	336 fps
Weight	4.9 lbs	4.6 lbs	4.7 lbs
Let-Off	85 / 87%	85 / 87%	80 / 85%
Where to buy Best prices online	$1699.99 Compare prices	$674.99 to $1400 Compare prices	$850 to $1899 Compare prices
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The Reckoning Gen2 39 sits at the long end of Bowtech's target ladder, and the two bows below it define the choice. Its closest relative, the Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36 at a $1,599 launch MSRP, is the same bow built three inches shorter - a 36-inch platform that is a touch faster at 332 fps, a little lighter at 4.6 pounds, and slightly better balanced in the hand, while giving up a sliver of the 39's dead-stable hold and adding a short-draw cam option that reaches down to roughly 23 inches. The choice between them is hold versus handling: the 39 for the archer who wants every bit of stability the platform can give and shoots a longer bow well, the 36 for the shooter who wants most of that stability in a more manageable, more versatile package. Further down, the Bowtech Proven 34 at a $1,449 launch MSRP is the crossover - a 34-inch hybrid that shares the same DeadLock, TimeLock, and GripLock tuning but trades the target-grade adjustable draw stop and long riser for a bow that actually hunts. The decision comes down to priorities: the Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36 for the target shooter who wants stability with better balance, the Bowtech Proven 34 for the archer who needs a bow for the field and the deer woods both, and the Reckoning Gen2 39 for the competitor who puts a steady hold above everything else.

Summary

Launched for the 2023 model year at a $1,799 launch MSRP and carried unchanged through 2026, the Reckoning Gen2 39 is the most stable, most tunable bow Bowtech puts on a target line. Its 39-inch riser barely moves at the shot - the least deflection of anything in its class - and behind that forgiving hold sits the brand's complete press-free toolkit: DeadLock cam tuning, TimeLock timing, an adjustable triangle draw stop that builds a limb-stop-firm wall, GripLock grip adjustment, and a let-off that dials anywhere from 65 to 85 percent. Two cam options carry the fit from 26.5 inches out to 33.5, and the chronograph confirms honest target speed, about 323 fps in Performance at a 60-pound, 300-grain setup. At 4.9 to 5 pounds bare and more set up, on a long riser the vertical limbs push cleanly forward at the shot, it is built to stand still on a line rather than to hunt or pack light. Having spent more time on its wall than its speed, what stays with me is how little the bow moves once you are anchored - it holds, and it lets you run the shot. An excellent bow for the indoor, field, and 3D competitor who values a steady hold and complete do-it-yourself tunability above all else. Buyers who want that stability in a shorter, more balanced package should look at the Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36, while those who need a bow that hunts as well as it shoots should consider the Bowtech Proven 34.