Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 SD Review

Editors' review

Short-draw archers are used to compromise. The bows that fit a 24-inch draw are too often scaled-down or entry-grade, while the competition-tier target rigs start at draw lengths a short-draw shooter simply cannot reach. The Reckoning Gen2 SD is Bowtech's answer to exactly that gap: the full Reckoning Gen2 target platform - the same 36-inch riser, the same DeadLock and TimeLock press-free tuning, the same adjustable draw stop and class-leading finish - built around a dedicated short-draw cam that runs a 23-to-26.5-inch range. Sold from 2023 through 2025 at a $1,599 MSRP and now out of the lineup, it gave a short-draw competitor a no-compromise target bow rather than a fitted-down one. It is slower than its longer-draw siblings by the simple physics of a shorter power stroke, and it has since left the catalog, but for the archer it fits, it remains one of the few true target bows built for a sub-26-inch draw.

Finish

The Reckoning Gen2 SD wears the same class-leading paint as the rest of the target line - a deep speckle finish with chamfered, chip-resistant edges and accessory threads kept clear of coating. It shipped in the line's solid target tones and camo patterns, with Bowtech's custom-finish program available for a shooter who wanted a distinctive look on the line. On a target bow the finish is more than cosmetic: a 36-inch riser spends its life under range lights where a deep, durable coating is part of the appeal, and this is the finish quality that target shooters single out across the Reckoning Gen2 family. The 2023 model year brought this paint quality to the line, a clear step up from Bowtech's earlier work, and the SD carried it for its full run. As with any finish, exact color availability shifted through each model year, and on the discontinued SD the practical reality now is whatever a closeout or used example happens to wear.

Riser

The riser is the same vertical aluminum 36-inch chassis that defines the Reckoning Gen2 36 - there is no aggressive reflex or deflex to it, and that long, upright geometry is what gives a short-draw shooter a genuinely forgiving target platform rather than the short, twitchy riser a scaled-down bow would carry. At 36 inches axle to axle, it steadies the hold far better than the compact bows a short-draw archer is usually offered, and the vertical limbs send the bow's energy forward toward the target for a planted, stable feel at full draw. 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 the full competition accessory suite - front and low stabilizer bushings, side-rod mounts, 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 captured. For a short-draw archer, getting a full-size target riser instead of a cut-down one is the whole point of the SD.

Grip

The Reckoning Gen2 SD carries Bowtech's GripLock grip, and on a target bow the adjustability is a real advantage - a short-draw competitor who has built a shot around a specific hand angle can set the grip to it rather than fighting a fixed throat. Two screws set the angle and a load-bearing post takes the force of the hand pushing forward, so the grip does not creep over a long round. The profile 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 some target bows use. In my experience the hand is the quietest source of inconsistency on any target setup, and a grip a shooter can both angle precisely and trust not to move is exactly what a score-driven archer wants from the contact point - short draw or not. The panel stays comfortable through a long bare-handed indoor round.

Limbs

Bowtech offered the Reckoning Gen2 SD in 40, 50, and 60-pound peak weights, and because the limb bolts wind each set down roughly 10 pounds, the bow covers an effective 30-to-60-pound range - a deliberately lighter window than the 40-to-70 of the longer-draw siblings, matched to the short-draw target archer who shoots lighter and at known distances. The limbs mount vertically and lock into the pockets with no detectable play, the limb-locking design that keeps a competition setup from drifting across the heavy arrow counts a serious shooter logs. That vertical, non-parallel geometry is the same target-bow choice the rest of the line makes: it sends the bow forward toward the target at the shot, the planted recoil a target archer prefers. At 4.5 pounds bare the SD is the lightest of the Reckoning Gen2 family - the short cam on the 36-inch chassis - which makes it the most manageable of the three for a smaller-framed archer to hold steady through a full round.

Eccentric System

The DeadLock cam anchors the Reckoning Gen2 SD, here in a short-draw profile that runs the 23-to-26.5-inch range, and Bowtech wraps it in the same complete tuning suite as the rest of the target line. DeadLock handles arrow flight - loosen a lock screw, turn an Allen key to drive the cam sideways on its axle, and a paper tear cleans up on the line with no press. TimeLock adds press-free cam timing, syncing the cams with a screw at the cable end rather than a bow press and a cable twist. The adjustable triangle draw stop sets the back wall - its broad flat face produces a stop firm enough to read like a limb stop, while rotating it to the point gives the most cushion, so a shooter tunes the wall to how they activate the shot. The FlipDisc Pro toggles Comfort and Performance draw-cycle settings. Speed is where the short draw shows: the SD is rated at a 298 fps IBO, well below the 326-332 of the 36 and 39, the unavoidable cost of a shorter power stroke - for a target archer shooting known distances that is no handicap, but it is the honest number, and no independent short-draw chronograph data is published for this niche variant. Draw length adjusts on the rotating module within the SD cam's range.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

The Reckoning Gen2 SD draws with the same planted, target-built character as its siblings, scaled to a shorter pull. The cam rolls to peak and rotates into a defined valley, and with the draw stop set to its flat face the back wall arrives solid - firm enough to feel like a limb stop, the immovable anchor that lets a short-draw competitor settle into the same spot every shot, the kind of repeatable wall that fitted-down bows rarely deliver. At a target weight it is easy on the shoulder through a long round, and the FlipDisc Comfort setting keeps the cycle smooth for indoor work, with Performance available for a touch more speed on a 3D course. At the shot the vertical limbs push the bow forward toward the target rather than damping flat - the planted recoil a target archer reads as stability - and the long 36-inch riser holds steadier than the short bows a sub-26-inch archer is normally handed. Having shot the platform's wall on the longer cams, what carries over to the SD is how little the bow asks once you are anchored: it holds, and it lets the shot break clean. The trade is purely speed, not feel.

Usage Scenarios

This is a dedicated target bow for the short-draw archer, and it is at its best on a known-distance line. The 23-to-26.5-inch range covers a draw length most competition target bows never reach down to, so a petite shooter, a younger archer moving up from a starter bow, or a short-draw adult who has always shot a compromise rig finally gets a full-size 36-inch target platform built for them. Picture a short-draw competitor on an indoor line, the bow set to Comfort and the draw stop locked to its firmest face, settling the pin and breaking the same clean shot across a 300 round - the same shot process a long-draw archer gets from the 36, now available to someone at 24 inches. It crosses to field and 3D comfortably at a target archer's distances, where the 298 IBO speed is plenty for the yardages and the forgiving riser earns its keep. Where it is not the tool is anywhere raw speed or reach matters - long unmarked 3D, or any thought of hunting - and an archer whose draw has grown past 26.5 inches has simply aged out of its window and should move to the longer-cam Reckoning Gen2 36. Within its short-draw lane, though, it is a real competition bow, not a concession.

Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 SD vs Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36, Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39

Bow	Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 SD	Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36	Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39
Version	2025	2026 Med Cam	2026 Med Cam
Picture
Brace Height	6.62 "	6.75 "	6.75 "
AtA Length	36 "	36 "	39 "
Draw Length	23 " - 26.5 "	25.5 " - 29.5 "	26.5 " - 30.5 "
Draw Weight	30 lbs - 60 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	298 fps	332 fps	326 fps
Weight	4.5 lbs	4.6 lbs	4.9 lbs
Let-Off	85 / 87%	85 / 87%	85 / 87%
Where to buy Best prices online	Not available now. Please check later.	$730 to $1400 Compare prices	$1699.99 Compare prices
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The Reckoning Gen2 SD is the short-draw entry of a three-bow family, and the choice between them is almost entirely draw length. The Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36 at a $1,599 launch MSRP is the same 36-inch chassis and the same price, but with Medium and Long cams covering a 25.5-to-32.5-inch range and a faster 332 fps IBO - and because it also offers a short-draw cam of its own, it is the natural new-purchase path for a buyer who wants the SD's fit now that the SD itself is discontinued. The Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39 at a $1,799 launch MSRP stretches the platform to 39 inches for maximum stability and the longest draw ranges, the choice for a tall long-draw competitor. The SD differs from both only in serving the bottom of the draw-length spectrum, at a lower 30-to-60-pound weight range and a 298 fps IBO that reflects the shorter pull. The decision comes down to draw length and what is available: the Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36 for a 25.5-inch-and-up draw or anyone buying new today, the Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39 for the long-draw target shooter who wants maximum axle length, and the Reckoning Gen2 SD for the sub-26-inch competitor who can find one.

Summary

Sold from 2023 through 2025 at a $1,599 launch MSRP and since discontinued, the Reckoning Gen2 SD was Bowtech's short-draw target bow - the full Reckoning Gen2 platform, with its DeadLock and TimeLock press-free tuning, adjustable limb-stop-firm draw stop, GripLock grip, and class-leading finish, built around a cam that runs a 23-to-26.5-inch draw. On the same forgiving 36-inch riser as the Reckoning Gen2 36 and the lightest of the family at 4.5 pounds, it gave a short-draw competitor a genuine no-compromise target bow rather than a scaled-down one. The honest costs are a 298 fps IBO that trails the longer-draw siblings by the physics of a short power stroke, a 60-pound draw-weight ceiling, and the simple fact that it has left the current lineup. Having shot the platform's rock-solid wall on the longer cams, what defines the SD is that the short-draw archer gives up only speed, never feel or tunability. An excellent bow for the sub-26-inch competitive target archer who has been handed compromise bows and wants a real one. Buyers who want the same fit available new should look at the Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 36 with its short-draw cam, while long-draw target shooters chasing maximum stability should consider the Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39.