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Bear Legit Compound Bow Review

 

Bear Legit Compound Bow Review
I am always on the lookout to get a new bow to field test and do a bow review on. So when my daughter wanted a new compound bow, I jumped at the chance to look at the latest compound bows for sale.

As my daughter was still growing, it was important for to get a bow that was adjustable, with a wide range to cater for her age and height. Plus the bow would probably be used by my two younger sons as well at some stage.

After a lot of looking around online at the new bow models and specs, we decided to buy the Bear Legit bow with the RTH (Ready To Hunt.) package.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to do a Bear Legit compound bow review, as well as teaching my daughter about the compound bow. Things like, how to set up and sight the bow in the process. Also working on archery fundamentals of stance, drawing the bow, aiming and how to tune the bow.

Bear Legit Compound Bow

 

Bear Archery Legit bow specifications.

The Legit has a wide range of adjustable draw weight and draw length for the bow. A 16″ draw length range is impressive. Also the draw weight from 10 pounds to 70 pounds is a great range to suit all young ones and also advanced archers.

The bow specs are:

Draw Length: 14″ – 30″ (Adjustable without a bow press.)

Draw Weight 10-70 lbs. in one model.

Axle-to-Axle length: 29 1/8″

Brace Height: 6″

Mass Weight: 3.6 lbs. (Without accessories.)

Let-Off: 75%

Speed: 315 feet per second.

Dual cam system. With changeable draw length modules.

Available in right and left hand models.

The bow is available in 9 camouflage and color options like: Realtree Edge, Wildfire, Toxic, Muddy Girl camo, Undertow, Veil Stoke camo, True Timber Strata, Shadow (Black) and Fred Bear Camouflage.

You can check prices on Bear archery gear and bows at Amazon here.

 

Archery compound bow review.

 

Bow RTH (Ready To Hunt.) package.

The Legit compound bow RTH package comes with Trophy Ridge accessories and includes:

Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit arrow rest.

Trophy Ridge 5 – Spot arrow bow quiver.

Trophy Ridge Joker 4-Pin bow sight. Optic fiber with night light.

Trophy Ridge Blitz stabilizer & bow sling.

No-Tie peep sight.

D loop tied on the bowstring.

With the purchase of the bow package, you receive 3-months with onX Maps that includes GPS hunting maps. You can also save the hunting maps on the cell phone for offline, which is a great idea if you have no cell service.

(For safety when bowhunting and navigating in remote places, learn how to use a map and compass. For more information click on – How to use a compass. For safety gear and survival kit information visit – What should I take in a survival kit?)

 

Initial impressions out of the box.

Bear Archery Legit Bow

For its short compact size, the Realtree Edge camouflage riser with the black limbs, the bow looked like a shooter. The bow felt nice and seemed to balance well.

The compound bow was fitted out with bow sight and arrow rest already installed on it in the box. The bow quiver and stabilizer attached easy.

I did notice two minor blemishes on the finish of it.

One hex limb bolt looked like it had a bit of paint chipped off it. The riser had a small chip out of it. But this was only minor and weren’t a performance or bow safety issue.

However, I did notice the bowstring had a frayed partial strand near the center bowstring serving. Also there was a cut and frayed partial bowstring strand near the peep sight.

Bowstring frayed partial strand frayed.

We were careful getting out of the box and made sure no sharp objects were near the bow or bowstring. So we assumed that it was accidentally damaged beforehand.

As one frayed strand was near the peep sight, I assume it was damaged when someone was installing the peep sight on the bowstring. As it was only a partial strand frayed, it wasn’t a major concern, but it was disappointing. If it was a full strand or so, that could be a start of a big issue.

I thought the bow it might be a touch heavy for a very young child for its mass weight at 3.6 lbs., without accessories on it. But because the poundage went all the way up to 70 lbs., the bow did need to be a solid construction. So I guess it is a trade-off between mass weight of the bow and adjustability when the archer gets older.

The Bear Legit compound bow RTH package doesn’t come with a release aid device or arrows.

 

Changing the draw length on the Bear bow.

How to change draw length on Bear compound bow
My daughter shot a few arrows from the bow and I noticed her draw length could have been about half an inch to a full inch longer.

The bowstring wasn’t quiet near her corner of his mouth and her elbow was in offline a touch. You could tell she wasn’t fully using her back muscles to draw the bow and expand to a solid stance and anchor point.

So I decided to lengthen the draw length a bit. The Bear Legit came with three sets of modules that you use with an Allen key / hex wrench to change the draw length settings. (One set already on the bow. One of the modules was for ½ inch settings.)

I love the fact that you don’t need a bow press to change the draw length. Way to go Bear Archery!

One of my pet hates is poor instructions and over complicated systems for changing the draw length of a compound bow.

The Bear Archery owner’s manual instructions that came with the Legit was average on how to change the draw length. The page that mentioned the Legit bow talked more about the Bear Cruzer G2 bow. I didn’t know if this section referred to the Legit bow on how to change the draw length modules, or the Cruzer G2 bow.

Bear Archery manual instructions.

(Like most major archery companies, I think the bow manuals are written poorly. They seem to have no consideration for someone without any archery experience, which might be trying to follow the instructions. Too make matters worse, the manual might cover several models of bows, not just the one model you purchased. So the images and writing can be confusing about if it relates to your bow or another model.)

I would hate to think how confusing it would be for someone to change the draw length who had no knowledge with modules on the compound bows and how a lot of them work.

My daughter actually said how she would have had problems changing them if she had to just follow the manual. (And my daughter is a lot smarter than me!)

Changing the draw length was pretty simple in theory, (Excluding the instructions.) as you just had to unscrew two Allen screws on the modules and rotate it.

Although one of the screws to move the draw length module was partially hidden behind the limb. So we had to put pressure on the cables slightly to rotate the cam, so we could get to the Allen screw.

Once the screws were undone, the module was just rotated to the desired draw length position.

The module did have a hole in it that you line up with the draw length number. This viewing hole made it simple in that regard, as you put it over the draw length you want. (Rather than over complicated ways that some modules are lined up. As an example, A3, B Cam model = 28 inch draw length.)

 

Shooting the Legit compound bow.

Bear Compound Bow Review. Field test.e
The Bear Legit balanced nicely without the quiver, tilting it slightly forward, which is what I liked.

With the bow quiver attached and arrows in the quiver, the bow tipped slightly to the right side and forward.

(A TightSpot quiver would solve this issue. As they are very adjustable and can fit close to the riser and help with balance at full draw and after the shot. The TightSpot quiver is available from Amazon. Click here for the latest price.)

I shot the bow with Easton Powerflight carbon arrows with 125 grain field points, Super nocks and Blazer vanes. The bow had very little shock and was quiet to shoot.

The bow wasn’t put through the Chrono, but the speed was good for the type of bow model and target market as it spat the arrow out nicely.

The arrow speed is advertised at IBO 315 feet per second, and while I didn’t crank the poundage all the way up, (Or limb bolts wound down.) it seemed a solid speed with the poundage my daughter shot it at and me testing it.

I could see how the bow would fit not only junior archers but teenagers and young adults as well who wanted an adjustable quality bow.

Overall the Bear Legit was fun to shoot. I felt a bit sorry for my daughter as I was shooting the bow more than her.

 

 

The Legit bow riser.

Compound bow riser and bow sight.
The Legit bow we selected had a Realtree Edge camouflage finish on the skeleton cut riser, which looked good.

The handle was bare (No plastic hand piece.) and felt nice, with no sharp or hard edges. Although the grip was perhaps a bit narrow for me.

(This part of the design would be hard to suit every one, as the bow is designed to suit a wide range of heights, builds and hand sizes. Also, generally a narrower grip can be more accurate as there is less torque if shot correctly.)

A narrow grip is an easy fix as you can wrap some tennis request tape, or hockey tape around the grip for comfort. For bowhunting on cold mornings, this is a good idea, as the metal can be freezing to touch. (I normally wear gloves, but exposed cold metal riser and bow grip is no fun.)

 

Quad limbs and adjusting the draw weight.

The Legit bow limbs were short quad limbs. They looked good in black, combined with the camo riser.

The limb rocker / pocket was plastic, but seemed a solid construction.

To change the bow’s poundage, it was simple like other compound bows. You use an Allen key (Which was supplied.) to wind down the bow limb bolts to increase the poundage.

A clockwise turn increases the bow’s poundage. Counter clockwise decreases the peak weight.

Depending on the specific bow model, one turn of the limb bolt turn will usually change the poundage by around 2 to 4 pounds in draw weight.

So the bow limbs remains an even tiller, I use a sharpie to mark the limb bolts, so you know to rotate the limb bolts a full turn evenly.

The Legit bow had a sticker on the bow saying “Don’t back out more than ten turns.” What this means is that you shouldn’t unwind the limb bolts more than ten turns. (From the fully wound down position, to the un-wound, loosen off position.) Otherwise the limbs will go flying off and it could be dangerous as the bow limbs are strung under a lot of pressure.

 

Brace height.

The brace height on the bow is labelled at 6″. A slightly higher brace height would have been nice, but you can have everything in archery as there is always a trade-off. To design a bow that has speed and stability is hard.

The brace height is measured from the pivot point of the handle (Narrowest point of the grip.) to the bowstring when strung.

 

Arrow rest.

The arrow rest installed on the bow was a Trophy Ridge whisker biscuit. It had two screw holes on the mount so it could be secured properly to the Berger hole on the bows riser.

When the whisker biscuit type arrow rests were first introduced, I wasn’t impressed with them. But since then I have changed my mind and use them on a few hunting bow set ups.

I like the way the whisker biscuit hold the arrow securely on the rest and are great for still hunting and stalking when bowhunting. As you don’t have the arrow bouncing off the arrow rest and hitting the metal bow’s riser and making a noise when the arrow is nocked.

For novices the whisker biscuit is a good arrow rest and a good choice for the bow package.

Field testing the Bear Legit compound bow.

 

The Trophy Ridge bow sight.

The optic fiber pins were very bright on the bow sight. It came with four pins and a light.

The sight bracket had two mount positions on the bows riser. It was adjustable to extend it further way from the riser, or closer to the riser.

Generally for accuracy, the bow sight is better off being further away from the eye, then closer. (Think of the accuracy difference between a rifle with iron sights and a handgun. The rifle is more accurate form the longer sight picture. And barrel length.)

The bow sight bracket also has the mount for the bow quiver on it.

 

Bow quiver.

The bow quiver was a Trophy Ridge quiver in a black finish that holds five arrows.

The bow quiver had a nice quick release system and the connections were not flimsy. It held securely in place when locked onto the mounting bracket.  It was easy to take off and put on. (Although a bit firm, but that is to be expected as it is new.)

As the arrow quiver hood had no foam insert in it, it uses two arrow grippers. (As opposed to a hood that has foam in it and one arrow gripper.).

I didn’t like that the hood without the foam insert that the broadheads slot into it. As the dual arrow grippers made putting back an arrow slower.

However, the arrows did hold firm in the individual arrow grippers and they looked well designed.

The bow quiver did also stick out from the bow a fair bit and could easily unbalance the bow when shooting it, by the bow leaning to the right.

The bow quiver also had a cord loop on the hood. So you could take the quiver off the bow and hang it beside you in a tree stand or hunting blind.

(Although, if you sight the bow in with the bow quiver on the bow, you are better off leaving it on the bow. Otherwise the balance and accuracy can change.)

 

Bowstring.

The bowstring and cables looked nice with the two color combination of orange and tan with black end and center serving.

Quality of the cables and bowstring appeared good quality, with no loose serving threads or excessive bulky knots or low quality bowstring threads. (Except for the frayed strands.)

The bowstring is I believe a Contraband bowstring brand. Which is made from BCY X99 material, and served with quality Halo serving.

The d – loop was tied on, depending on fussy you want to get, I thought incorrectly. It was safely secured, however the knots were both on the same side of the string.

Tying one knot one side on the bowstring and the other knot on the opposite side, can help align to the natural angle of the face when at full draw.

This also helps get a cleaner bowstring release as it doesn’t press into the face as much. I am probably being pedantic, but hey it is archery and everything we can do physically and mentally can help our performance, mindset and confidence with the set-up.

For more information on how to tie a d-loop correctly click on, How to tie a d-loop.

The bowstring had a tied on bowstring noc set, which was set up to be below the arrow when nocked on the bowstring. Which is a great idea, as a d loop tied on without any other noc set, can slide up and down the bowstring, thus affecting accuracy.

For information on how often should you wax your bowstring, click on Bowstrings.

 

Speed nocks and bowstring silencers.

The bowstring had speed nocks which also were a type of hard rubber bow string silences on it. I was interested to see how these would hold up after plenty of shots. I know that in the past a lot of factory bowstring silencers fell apart quickly.

(I remember doing a bow review on a new compound bow and seriously after around nineteen shots, the bowstring silencers disintegrated! And this was a quality bow brand.)

They seem to quite the bow down. I think the combination of the string stoppers and correct arrow weight, stabilizer, weight of bow quiver and mass weight of the bow helps reduce the noise and vibration as well.

 

Bow stabilizer.

The bow stabilizer I was disappointed with, as it had no weight at the end to help with reducing torque when aiming and shooting the bow. The bow stabilizer was a short bowhunting stabilizer more designed as a noise / vibration dampener and not a true stabilizer with weight on it.

One nice thing about the stabilizer was that it was coated with a rubber material along the whole length. This material would be quiet if you did bump it against something hard when still hunting and make less noise.

A B-Stinger stabilizer would also help balance the bow and stay on target better with a correctly balanced end weight. The B-Stinger stabilizer is my favorite stabilizer and is available from Amazon.  Click here for the latest price.

 

Bow stabilizer and string suppressor.

String suppressor.

The Bear Legit had a bowstring stopper on it and is adjustable in length. Ideally it should be set so there is a small gap between the bowstring at rest and the string suppressor.

String stoppers are a great idea and work well for helping reduce vibration and noise if set up properly. They stop the bowstring from recoiling too far back and can also help reduce string slap on the bow arm.

 

Cable guard.

The cable guard seemed solid, nothing flash but does the job. It has an end cap on the cable slide rod. Which I don’t know if it will pop off after a time or if it is glued on.

The cable guard rod is straight, not offset and is adjustable with two Allen screws in the riser.

The cable slide is a basic plastic slide and doesn’t look like it is Teflon coated.

 

Peep sight.

I have never been a fan of the peep sights that the rubber tube connects to the bowstring. It is designed so it can rotate the bowstring and peep sight into alignment with the archer’s eye and bow sight.

They are just one more item that can break and you hear of a few archers nearly getting hit in the eye when they do snap.

I also saw recently a picture of a female archer with a rubber tubing peep sight set up and the bowstring angle at full draw was altered and distorted. The rubber tubing was too tight and would have affected the bow’s speed and accuracy.

The rubber tubing peep also puts extra strain and weight on the bowstring and cables. (A simpler solution is to use a tri-peep sight or similar brand, where you can see through the peep sight, regardless of the bowstring rotation.)

 

Bow sling.

I removed the bow sling from the Bear Legit bow, as for still hunting it can slow down the shot.

Also for my daughter I wanted her not to get too reliant on the bow sling, as we also shoot longbows and recurves. I wanted her to work on holding the bow with a minimal grip so it doesn’t torque the bow. She can then put the bow sling back later on if he chooses.

Just for your info, the bow sling shouldn’t be confused with the term wrist sling. The bow sling connect directly on the bows riser. A wrist sling is attached to the wrist and goes around the bow, but doesn’t directly connect to the bow’s riser.

A bowhunter when using a compound bow will normally use a bow sling. A compound bow target archer or Olympic style archer using a recurve bow will normally use a wrist sling or a finger sling.

 

 

Bear Archery hat.

The bow package comes with a nice looking green Bear Archery baseball cap and sticker. Nice bonus!

I have a lighter colored green Bear Archery baseball cap, that I wear and got it with a …. I can’t remember if it was included with the Bear Carnage compound bow or Bear Montana longbow I brought a while ago. (Both good bows by the way.)

 

What does RTH package mean? Buyer beware.

RTH means “ready to hunt”, which a lot of archery companies label these package deals like this. The RTH generally means it has a bow sight, bow quiver, arrow rest and bow stabilizer.

For me personally, I do think the bow companies are a bit misleading in their advertising of RTH.

For a person who doesn’t practice archery or bowhunt much, they would probably think they can buy the RTH package, and the bow is ready to hunt with out of the box. After all that is what the name suggests –ready to hunt. But you obviously you need arrows, and for a modern short compound bow, a release aid device to shoot it with.

I suspect that a fair few RTH packages are brought as presents for their child or partner, thinking that it is a complete package, ready to shoot. The person opens the box all excited to have a shot and then they realize it isn’t ready to hunt at all, as there are no arrows with it.

Even if it did have arrows included, there is no good way to draw the short axle to axle bow and to shoot it or release (Loose the bow string.) it, as there is no release aid device.

You can buy a package that does include arrows and a release aid device, for some bow companies they call it something like: RTH Extra package or RTS (Ready To Shoot.)

If you are aware of exactly what you get and don’t receive, then the compound bow packages are a great idea.

(Sense of humor required.) But perhaps they need to change the package name from ready to hunt, to – nearly ready to hunt!

(I am a fan of Fred Bear Archery, so it is not criticism of just Bear itself, but most archery bow companies that label their packages this way. I have seen Mathews Archery, Martin, PSE Archery, Hoyt Archery, Diamond, Darton  and Bowtech and / or pro shop archery dealers do this at one stage or another.)

 

 

Diamond Infinite compound bow vs Bear Legit compound bow.


I have shot the Diamond Infinite bow before and it is a great little bow. I always liked the Diamond Infinite, as you can adjust the draw length and bow poundage from a wide range, just like the Bear Legit.

The Infinite compound is quiet popular with youth and adults and is rated as a good bow. So I was interested in how the Bear Legit specs would compare to the Diamond Infinite edge Pro and give it a run for its money.

 

Bow Specification Comparisons

  Diamond Infinite Edge Pro compound bow Bear Legit compound bow
Draw length range 13 to 31 “ 14 to 30”
Draw weight range 5 to 70 pounds 10 to 70 pounds
Brace height 7” 6”
Mass weight 3.2 lbs. 3.6 lbs.
Bow length. Axle to axle. 31” 29 1/8″
IBO speed 310 fps. 315 fps.

 

As you can see from the above table comparison, both bows are very close in specs.

Note: There are a few models and various names of the Diamond Infinite bow over the years. The specs are based on the Infinite Edge Pro. See the details and check pricing on Amazon here.

 

 

Conclusion – Final thoughts on the Bear Legit compound bow review.

Overall I am impressed with the Bear Legit bow. It is a great little bow that would serve a young or older archer well for many years.

The quality and the design of the bow was good. (Apart from the partially frayed bowstring strand.) The adjustability for the draw length and draw weight make the bow a good choice for the beginner or growing archer.

When I hear, “Are Bear Archery Bows any good?” there are plenty of fantastic model bows that Bear Archery has produced over the years that I think of. This includes a lot of compound bows, longbows and recurve bows. The Bear Legit has the potential to be one of those great model bows.

Bear Legit Compound Bow

We hope you enjoyed the Bear Legit compound bow review.

 

 

Additional resources.

Click on How To Figure Out Your Draw Length, for a table and several ways to find your draw length.

For information on proper draw length and mistakes to avoid, click on Correct Draw Length.

Visit How to measure a bow’s draw length for details.

For learning archery aiming methods, visit – How To Aim A Bow And Arrow.