Compound Bow Comparator

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. Read full review...

Launched for the 2023 model year at a $1,599 launch MSRP and carried unchanged through 2026, the Reckoning Gen2 36 is Bowtech's target and 3D platform that still hunts. It stacks the brand's complete press-free tuning kit - DeadLock cam shift, TimeLock timing, GripLock grip angle - onto a 36-inch riser and adds the one tool the hunting bows skip: an adjustable draw stop that builds a back wall you cannot pull through. Two cam options and a short-draw variant carry the fit from roughly 23 inches to 32.5 inches, and the chronograph backs the speed for a target bow, 326 fps in Performance at a 60-pound, 300-grain setup. At 4.6 to 4.7 pounds bare and more set up, with non-parallel limbs that send a little movement forward at the shot, it is built to hold dead still on a stake rather than to pack light into the backcountry. Having spent more time on its wall than its speed, what stays with me is how planted it feels at full draw - anchored, quiet, and endlessly tunable. An excellent bow for the target and 3D shooter who wants a flawless back wall, class-leading finish, and complete do-it-yourself tunability in a platform that still crosses over to hunting season. Buyers who want a shorter, lighter, hunting-first rig should look at the Bowtech Proven 34, while those chasing maximum target stability should also consider the longer Bowtech Reckoning Gen2 39. Read full review...

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. Read full review...

• A genuine competition-grade short-draw bow - the full Reckoning Gen2 target platform built around a 23-to-26.5-inch cam, not a scaled-down compromise
• The complete press-free tuning toolkit - DeadLock cam shift, TimeLock cam timing, GripLock grip angle, and an adjustable draw stop - dialed in on the line with a wrench
• A limb-stop-firm, adjustable back wall - the deep, repeatable anchor a short-draw target archer rarely gets in a bow that actually fits them
• Lightest of the Reckoning Gen2 line at 4.5 pounds, on the forgiving 36-inch target riser
• Class-leading speckle finish shared with the rest of the target line, on a full competition accessory platform

• The complete press-free tuning toolkit - DeadLock cam shift, TimeLock cam timing, GripLock grip angle, and an adjustable draw stop - tunes and sets the back wall with a wrench, no press
• Two cam options plus a short-draw variant fit nearly any draw from roughly 23 inches to 32.5 inches for target or hunting
• A rock-solid, elongated back wall that locks you into the valley - the repeatable anchor a target and 3D shooter wants
• Dead in the hand with residual vibration that dies almost instantly, even from a long 36-inch riser
• Class-leading finish quality - a deep, chip-resistant speckle paint that owners consistently rank at the top of the target field

• Near-zero riser deflection at the shot - among the most forgiving, dead-stable holds of any target bow, the payoff of the 39-inch length
• The complete press-free tuning toolkit - DeadLock cam shift, TimeLock cam timing, GripLock grip angle, and an adjustable draw stop - dialed in with a wrench, no press
• Let-off fine-tunes from 65 to 85 percent by sliding the module, so a shooter can set exact holding weight on top of the Comfort and Performance modes
• A limb-stop-firm back wall from the flat draw-stop setting - the deep, repeatable anchor a competition archer builds groups on
• Class-leading speckle finish plus a full slate of front, rear, and low stabilizer and side-rod mounts for a serious target rig

• Discontinued - Bowtech dropped the SD from the current lineup, so it is a closeout or used find now; an archer who wants the same short-draw fit new can order the Reckoning Gen2 36 with its short-draw cam
• Built strictly for the short-draw archer - the 23-to-26.5-inch range and 60-pound draw-weight ceiling fit a specific shooter, so an archer past 26.5 inches or wanting 70 pounds needs the longer-cam Reckoning Gen2 36 or the Reckoning Gen2 39

• The non-parallel limbs give a slight forward movement at the shot - a characteristic target shooters expect and a parallel-limb hunting bow avoids, though the bow settles dead in the hand immediately after
• Built and priced for the target and 3D shooter at a $1,599 tier - a pure hunter who will not use the 36-inch stability or adjustable draw stop gets better value from the shorter, cheaper Proven 34

• Heavy and long by design - 4.9 to 5 pounds bare and past five set up on a 39-inch riser - built to stand dead still on a stake rather than to hunt or pack far; the shorter Reckoning Gen2 36 or Proven 34 fit a crossover or hunting buyer better
• The vertical limbs send some forward movement at the shot and the vibration lingers a touch longer than a flagship hunter - a feel most target archers prefer, but worth shooting in person if you are used to a dead-still parallel-limb bow