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The buckler rules say:
"This small metal shield is worn strapped to your forearm. You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so. This penalty stacks with those that may apply for fighting with your off hand and for fighting with two weapons. In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can cast a spell with somatic components using your shield arm, but you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn. You can't make a shield bash with a buckler."
I had always interpreted that to mean that bows and crossbows can be used without losing the buckler's shield bonus, but I've seen bows and crossbows interpreted as falling under the later clause for two-handed and offhand weapons as well recently, and am wondering which is correct.
I interpret "without penalty" to mean "without the -1 penalty we're about to mention for other attacks", given that penalty is a defined term in the game.
Bows / Crossbows are used with two hands. You need your Main-Hand and your Off-Hand to wield them.
When you use your hand with the Buckler to wield a wepon you loose the buckler's AC bonus.
The without penalty part refers to the -1 to-hit.
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I'm going to side with the idea that you lose a buckler's AC bonus when using a bow or crossbow. Since a buckler is small, you're actively moving it around to block attacks. You can't do this when notching an arrow in your bow or aiming/loading a crossbow. Bucklers aren't something you just hold up and hope it gets hit instead of you. They are the diameter of a dinner plate, maybe a little larger at most.
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I once played an archer who used a buckler and the GM was fine with keeping the AC while shooting. I eventually came to feel that i shouldnt though as a bow requires two hands to use and would fall under the second clause.
I don't know that it does though. When you look at the first two clauses:
"You can use a bow or crossbow without penalty while carrying it. You can also use your shield arm to wield a weapon (whether you are using an off-hand weapon or using your off hand to help wield a two-handed weapon), but you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls while doing so"
it makes a distinction between bows and crossbows and off-hand or two-handed weapons. The game also defines all the involved terms- light, one-handed, and two-handed are all classifications of melee weapons, and do not apply to bows. Similarly, the design team has stated previously that the concept of an "off-hand" only applies when you are using the two-weapon fighting option in the Combat chapter, so it would seem you aren't actually using a weapon in your off-hand based on that, though that area is somewhat less clear.
I guess a related question would be Is there a difference between a ranged weapon wielded in two hands, and a two-handed weapon?" because currently the rules do seem to make a distinction.
You lose the buckler's AC bonus if you use your offhand to wield a weapon. Since you can't wield a bow or crossbow one-handed, I've always thought this meant you lose your buckler's AC bonus in a round if you attack with a bow or crossbow.
It's actually a fairly simple question to answer.
In any case, if you use a weapon in your off hand, you lose the buckler's AC bonus until your next turn.
The first three words are key: This means regardless of the situation, such as if using a bow is a penalty or not, if you utilize a weapon in the hand containing your buckler, you lose its AC bonus.
Better put, there's two questions you need to ask that would fit the criteria for the Shield Bonus to apply: Are you using a Bow? Yes. Are you using your Buckler hand to use the Bow? If so, then no AC Bonus from the Buckler.
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You lose the buckler's AC bonus if you use your offhand to wield a weapon. Since you can't wield a bow or crossbow one-handed, I've always thought this meant you lose your buckler's AC bonus in a round if you attack with a bow or crossbow.
Who says you can't wield a crossbow one handed? Crossbows can be fired one handed, with a penalty if it's larger than the hand crossbow. It's just the reloading that's the problem. Though you can easily walk around with one loaded, fire it off in the surprise round, then move to melee. In fact, it's a good way to get sneak attack off in the first round, even if you're a melee character.
If it helps any, this was consistent in 3.5e as well. They even had a feat called Improved Buckler Defense that let you retain the AC bonus when wielding a two-handed weapon.