Contents
Package Contents
Just a word of caution: This model is not a toy! The poundage may be very low (it is recommended to be used by very young children, after all), but it can definitely hurt or injure people or pets. So adult supervision is highly recommended all the time.
If you have no idea about compound bows so far and want to learn more about them, I suggest you read my short beginner‘s guide here => Beginner’s Guide To Compound Bows.
The Crosman Upland is available in an ambidextrous version only. This means it can be used by right and left-handed archers. When you look at the riser you can see that the arrow rest is on both sides of it and the grip is neutrally designed – that’s why it can be used right and left-handed.
Along with this model comes an adjustable single pin sight. It is very simple but it is enough for starting out. Kids at such a young age (6 – 9 years) don’t need fancy gimmicks. They need to concentrate on the basics instead (Read my article about proper form, where I explain how to shoot a model like this properly => Proper Form For Compound Bow Shooting).
Bowsights need to be sighted in. For doing so you need to ‘follow the arrows’. This means that if you shoot to the right and too low, you need to adjust the sight accordingly (I have a guide about the whole process here => How To Sight In A Compound). Really young kids can shoot it instinctively as well, which means shooting without a bowsight. You focus on a spot and shoot. This may be more fun when starting out, instead of messing around with a sight.
You get 2 26″ long fiberglass arrows. Those have blunt tips and plastic fletchings. Fiberglass tends to crack and splinter when hitting hard objects, so check them from time to time when that happens. You don’t want them to break when your kid is shooting them, as splinters could land in his or her hand!
To be honest, arrows tend to get lost rather quickly – especially with young beginners. It even happens from time to time to seasoned pros, so in case you want to avoid sad faces, you should get a bunch of additional arrows right from the beginning. Maybe look at the Easton Genesis (1820) youth arrows or similar models. Fiberglass arrows are very cheap, but they are heavier and they tend to break. I would go for aluminum or carbon arrows with feathers, not plastic vanes. Feathers are more flexible – in contrary to plastic vanes that tend to hit the rest from time to time which can affect the flight of the arrow.
It is also available in a purple version. Just click the image below to check it out!
The hip quiver is okay for starting out, but don’t expect it to last very long. Most kids leave it alone anyway, as it is not needed for shooting in the backyard at all.
The arm guard is cheaply made as well. It is good enough for getting started, but it may break soon. An armguard is there for protecting your kid’s forearm from getting string slaps. These hurt and can leave ugly bruises, which can kill the motivation to learn and shoot pretty fast. String slaps happen from time to time. If they happen all the time, something is wrong and your child is not shooting with proper form.
You will get finger tabs as finger guard. I would get an archery glove to protect their fingers if needed. Finger tabs are always a bit flimsy – at least for me. Or add finger-rollers to the string (no-gloves).
The target face is pretty simple and won’t survive a single session. I would not buy one of those fancy foam targets anyway. If they are not soft enough, the arrows won’t stick because the Crosman Upland is not that powerful (which is a good thing, because you don’t want your 7 year old running around with a 40 pound beast when starting out), which could demotivate the children. A hay bale with some paper targets placed on it is way more fun. Or attach balloons onto something and watch your laughing kids when they hit ’em.
You will get a 90 day transferable warranty from the date of purchase against defects in materials and workmanship. You will need to keep your receipt, by the way, or the product is warranted for 90 days from the date of manufacture. Usually items like strings, cables and moveable parts are not covered. The warranty gets voided if you mishandle or alter the product, for example if you drill additional holes into the riser or if you dry fire it. Dry firing means shooting without an arrow in place, which happens a lot. I have an article about dry firing here => Dry Firing A Compound.
There is no nocking point on the string. I would add one or two so that your kids can nock the arrow in at the same spot every time they shoot. This is important for consistency and therefore accuracy.
If you cannot get a nocking point that is big enough I would install no-gloves (finger rollers, finger savers) or simply wrap tape around the spot as a workaround. A nocking point is really important and your offspring will be much more accurate with one in place.
Another tip: Get some bow wax and wax the string and cables regularly, to prevent them from getting frayed and prolong their lives. Wax them before shooting the first time and then regularly.
You should not expose the Crosman Upland to extreme temperatures (hot car trunk, hot attic) or leave it in damp places (cellar, garage) for too long as this may damage it irreversibly. Keep it dry and clean instead and don’t place it on one of its limbs.
The manual is a bit confusing because it covers three models at once: The Crosman Upland, The Elkhorn and the Wildhorn. But as you cannot adjust much with the Crosman Upland, this is not a big problem at all in my opinion.
Noise Level / Hand Shock Of The Crosman Upland Compound Bow
This kid’s model sounds pretty normal for me and there is no hand shock at all. Silencing it down is not necessary in my opinion, as it was never meant to be a hunting bow anyway.
Bow Specifics / Limbs / Riser / Grip / String
The Crosman Upland is well made and feels solid and sturdy. Because it is a kid’s model it literally needs to be able to take a lot of beating.
The riser is made from a durable composite material with an ergonomically shaped grip in place. The limbs are made from fiberglass and look durable as well.
Its axle to axle length (ATA) of 36.5″ is small enough for the targeted age range and the net weight of 1.7 lbs is really light, so children can carry the Upland around for hours without getting tired too early.
Draw Cycle / Shootability
The Crosman Upland is easy to draw, shoots relatively stable and is well balanced for a young archer’s model.
Its draw weight is 10 lbs. This is not adjustable.
Its draw length range is from 22″ to 24″. This means it covers all individual draw lengths that fall into this range, it is not adjustable, though. If you want to know how to measure your kid’s draw length, I have a guide how to do that here => How To Determine Your Draw Length.
The let off is 60%, which is pretty generous and good for young archers that are just starting out. This means that they will have to hold around 4 pounds at full draw for aiming, as the let off determines the amount of draw weight that is required to hold at full draw.
The brace height is 7.5″, which is pretty normal for a model like this.
Shooting Speed Of The Crosman Upland Compound Bow
As the Upland is a model for children, there is no information about speed given.
Suitable For Hunting / Kinetic Energy (KE)
There’s no way to hunt anything with this model. Its maximum poundage is way too weak for taking anything in a humane way and it won’t meet a single legal requirement of any state concerning draw weight in the USA. So please stick to target practice and don’t even think about going hunting with it.
Suitable For Bowfishing
You won’t be able to attach a bowfishing reel without drilling a new hole. Apart from that, 10 lbs is way too weak to penetrate the water and hit the fish with proper power. So no, it is not suitable for bowfishing.
Pricing
At a price around 30 bucks the Crosman Upland is a very good option to introduce young children to the world of archery without breaking the bank completely. If you are not sure if your kid’s interest is for real, you cannot do much wrong here. Maybe take a look at the Barnett Tomcat or the Bear Archery Scout as well. If you have to spend a lot more, the Diamond Atomic is an option too.
Pros & Cons
Pros
– great quality
– very affordable
Cons
– accessories are cheap
– only two arrows
Summary
The Crosman Upland Compound Bow Kit is great to introduce your 5 – 9 year olds to archery – especially if you have no idea yet if they are serious about the sport or not. So for testing the waters you cannot go much wrong here. When they have outgrown this one and still are heavily into archery, you can get them a better model, like the Barnett Vortex or the Bear Archery Cruzer.
If your kids are already 10 years or older I would suggest you take a look at the Crosman Elkhorn or the Barnett Vortex Lite for testing the waters.
If they are younger than 4 years I would suggest you stick to something like the Nxt Generation Rapid Riser, because this is a very safe option to introduce children to shooting (suction cup) arrows.
Thanks for reading and shoot straight!
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