Browning Ambush Compound Bow

The Browning Ambush was a budget, entry-tier single-cam hunting bow when new, and on the used market it remains one of the more capable bargains a new or thrifty whitetail hunter can find. The published numbers are modest - a 36-inch riser, 75 to 80 percent let-off depending on version, and an IBO rating of 280 fps that turns into a measured 230 fps with a heavy 450-grain hunting arrow - but those numbers were never the point. The point is that it draws smoothly, holds steady, and shoots accurately enough to drive a clean pass-through on a whitetail inside normal bow range, which is exactly what its owners praise and exactly why some of them chose it over faster bows they already owned. What I keep coming back to with the Ambush is that it was never trying to be a flagship, and judging it as one misses it entirely; judged as a cheap, smooth, dependable deer bow, it holds up. An excellent bow for the first-time or budget-minded whitetail hunter who values a calm, forgiving shot over raw speed, and particularly strong as an easy-shooting, low-maintenance treestand rig inside 30 yards. Buyers who want more speed or a current-production bow with factory support should also look at the Bear Code... read full review