what are the ups and downs of one came vs. two cam systems. And which one do you prefer?

Well, legend has it that one cam bows are easier to tune, andat their conception they may have been, but I just don't think that's the case anymore. They were also suppose to be smoother, and again, at their conception, they probably were. Times have changed. Dual cam bows are making a solid comeback, and with good reason. They are smoother than ever, quieter than ever, and faster than ever.

IMHO....a dual cam has a single cam beat in every aspect. But that's just me....I'm all but CERTAIN someone will disagree w/ that.

Dual Cam's Fo' Life

Having shot and hunted with both I like the single cam bow better. I have hunted more with a dual cam bow over the years but since switching to a single I like it and haven't gone back. For me at least I feel it's a simpler design, with only two strings to deal with there areless "timing" issues. My single cam bows seem to need less "tinkering" than my dual camor even my hybrid cam bows do. They (for me) are also easier and faster to set up and tune than a dual.

I'm all about easy and simple when it comes to my hunting bows..................Single for me.

I have to agree with mobow on this. Having shot dual cams for about 20 years and then single cams for seven, and now back to dualies I have my own opinions about each.

The whole reason behind the advantage of the single cam was because of cam sync issues with dualies. Well, with the advent of good quality strings and cable these days that isn't much of an issue anymore. Assuming the cams are in sync the nock travel is always level.

Then you'll hear that single cams can't go out of time, but that is not true. Due to string creep they can. It's been proven and even some manufacturers put timing markes on their cams to show where to set them. There is also the issue that not all single cams achieve level nock travel during the draw cycle.

Each has their own characteristics, but take this to heart. The faster a bow is, the more aggressive the cams are. The more aggressive the cams are the harder the draw cycle and the touchier those cams are to any changes in the length of the string and/or cables. There are only a few companies that put even decent strings and cables on their bows.

So in either case it boils down to individual choice, but one thing remains constant. String creep makes all bows go whacky. With very few exceptions the best thing a person can do is scrap the factory strings right from the start and get good after market ones. Usually a bow will be easier to set up and it will stay in tune a whole lot longer.

Spoken like a true master, not that I know what I'm talking about but everything you said makes sense. Not trying to take over your post but I have a question if someone can answer it. What is the deal with bow techs binary cam, they say that one cam acts as a slave to the other andtherefore will not come out of time, hopefully I read that correctly. Is that BS or is there truth to that.

Very well said, having shot both as well over many years I'm more of a fan of a dual cam bow. I don't have a problem with either but if a particular bow model cam in both single or dual cam options, I'd pick the dually.

I think it really depends on how the cams are designed and what the end use of the bow is. Speed bows rarely draw smooth no matter what the cam design. You can make any cam design draw how you want it, or make it easy or hard to tune. I would focus more on over all design than the type of cam system it has.

I have not been in this game as long as BG, but I have shot both designs, single, dual, round wheels, concentrics and hybrids like the CPS, Cam and a Half and the new bowtech cams. They all have thier good and bad points, but all will shoot well.

I personally do not like the old round wheel and dual cam speed bows with low let off and soft back walls. Ick! I just don't like the way feel. I like a high let off and very solid wall.

I also have an older martin with aggressive dual cams, that sucker is a bear to pull back. Not a smooth draw cycle at all. Then again it was rated at over 300 fps in the late 90's. My bowtech mighty might has a single cam with a much better wall and less let off and it is faster with less draw weight. It does have a pretty aggressive draw cycle as well though.

Then I have a darton with CPS cams that is nearly as fast as the martin but WAAAY smoother to draw and still has a solid back wall and less let off.

With the new bows I don't think there is much of an advantage to either to be honest. Just go with what feels good to you when you shoot it. I really liked the Hoyt Versa Cam as well and it was a single cam. Smooth, fast, easy to tune and had plenty of adjustability. Then you look at a mathews, some are smooth, some are harsh but non have any adjustability nor are that easy to tune in my opinion.

I personally like the hybrid cams myself and that is most likely what my next bow will have. I think that will be many years down the road though. Who knows what sort of technology they will have by then.

Paul

[quote]ORIGINAL: springcaller

Spoken like a true master, not that I know what I'm talking about but everything you said makes sense. Not trying to take over your post but I have a question if someone can answer it. What is the deal with bow techs binary cam, they say that one cam acts as a slave to the other andtherefore will not come out of time, hopefully I read that correctly. Is that BS or is there truth to that.
[/quote

There is some truth to what you ask. Binaries can't go out of time with eah other because the cables don't connect to the far limb. The cables attach to both cams. I'm not totally sn expert on this though. With the cables attached to the cams the cams stay in relative otimum rotation to each other. It should be understodd, though, that any cable or string creep can still roate the cams out of their optimum shooting position. Thus, the reason I always suggest a good set of aftermarket strings.

The one disadvantage of the binaries is that if there is any cam lean there is no way to adjust it out by twisting up one side of a cable yoke, because there is no yoke. I've heard some horror stories about some with extreme cam lean, but have no experience with them per se.

Matt/Pa on here shoots Bowtech so he would have more info on this, albeit maybe a little biased. I'm not bashing Matt. He's a great guy and good shooter. We're not what I'd call friends, but fairly close shooting enthusiasts. Let's just say he's no dumby.

There is some truth to what you ask. Binaries can't go out of time with eah other because the cables don't connect to the far limb. The cables attach to both cams. I'm not totally sn expert on this though. With the cables attached to the cams the cams stay in relative otimum rotation to each other. It should be understodd, though, that any cable or string creep can still roate the cams out of their optimum shooting position. Thus, the reason I always suggest a good set of aftermarket strings.

The one disadvantage of the binaries is that if there is any cam lean there is no way to adjust it out by twisting up one side of a cable yoke, because there is no yoke. I've heard some horror stories about some with extreme cam lean, but have no experience with them per se.

Matt/Pa on here shoots Bowtech so he would have more info on this, albeit maybe a little biased. I'm not bashing Matt. He's a great guy and good shooter. We're not what I'd call friends, but fairly close shooting enthusiasts. Let's just say he's no dumby.

One other thing I'd like to say concerning hard draw cycles, whether it be single, dual or hybrid cams. I shoot what is considered a hard dual cam system with the Martin Nitrous cams. Well, they don't draw hard at all. Quite easily in fact. But something else I've learned over the years is that bows have limb bolts on them for a reason. It's to adjust the bows weight. I've found that I can achieve speeds of 300 fps with a 27" draw and shooting 53# give or take a few. There is no reason to yank the shoulders out of joint to prove I can pull 70#. The only person I'm hurting is me.For that reason I custom order my bows with 55# limbs. Sure, I shoot a comparably lighter arrow, but so what? No deer I've ever shot, be it flesh or rubber has ver known the difference between 70 foot pounds of energy and 50 foot pounds. And as for 3D targets, well, it's easier to pull arrows.

So, you make it easy on yourself and you'll shoot longer practice sessions without tiring. Your shoulders and other joints will last years longer and you'll be able to shoot more accurately in the long run.

Sorry to be so long winded, but as you can see I'm very opinionated. But then I've had my share of surgeries (spelling) due to testosterone.