longbow

[BRITTMAN]

Would a 45 lbs recurve (Black Widow PCH) give you the same speed and arrow spine as a  50 lbs longbow like a Whip or BW PL .I did a search but couldn't find any info that I needed.
thanks for your time ,
Mike

[hybridbow hunter]

In real life, with an accurate chrono( indoor and light kit is the more accurate way to test), Let's take a 60" PCH, 62" whip HS and 62" PL, all set up in ready to hunt conditions (silencers, brace height...)
all those bows are within 3-4 fps one from each other's, for same gpp arrows shot @28" DL and 10 gpi from a shooting machine, around the 175 fps mark more or less.

The bows you mentioned are all rather quick in their own category.  Numbers are tough thing to tag reliably.  Unless you are the bottom end of the power needed I would shoot the one you like.  It may be possible to shoot a stiffer arrow from the more center shot recurve than a longbow that is outside of center.  I can also say that a Groves Spitfire at 46 pounds is as fast as a Hill style bow with the same arrows and draw at 53 pounds, add a bit to the draw length with the straighter bow arm form with the recurve and it is a couple fps quicker.

[katman]

Possibly, individual bows even of the same make shoot a little different, feel and speed.

I have a set of Kirk's static tip ILF recurve limbs at 47# that shoots same arrow almost identical speed to a set of Dryad ACS ILF longbow limbs at 55#. Also a 3 piece SS recurve from Kirk at Bigfoot bows 53# that blows them both away.

[BRITTMAN]

The reason I'm asking is that I'm switching from 50 ish long bows to a 45 lbs BW PCH and was just wondering how much performance I may lose dropping down in weight 5 lbs

[McDave]

Personally, I use your same equation, 45# recurve performs like a 50# reflex/deflex longbow, everything else being equal (which of course it never is).  But after shooting many different bows and cronoing many of them, I don't think that's far off the mark.  Certainly I don't believe there is MORE than a 5# difference, probably less: maybe a 46 or 47# recurve is equal to a 50# longbow.  Who really knows, because there are some rd longbows that shoot faster than some recurves, too.

Speed, of course, is only one factor to consider when switching from a rd longbow to a recurve.  While you gain some speed in a recurve (after all, those recurves on the ends of the limbs must be doing something!), you also gain a greater propensity for limb twist, so there is a tradeoff.  As there is within recurves and longbows themselves.  For example, BW could design the PCH to be faster than it is by reducing the amount of deflex.  But the reason people love BW recurves is that they are fast enough, but super reliable and consistent, largely due to the deflex built into the bow.

I spend most of my time when hunting just holding the bow.  I have had a number BW recurves, love the way they shoot, hate the way they carry.  I found that I could hardly wait to hang them on something.  I have lost shooting opportunities from not having the bow in hand when game came in faster or quieter than I anticipated.  5 fps doesn't mean much if I cannot get the shot off properly.

[Friend]

Observed differences will be minimul unless you directly compare the PCH to a longbow limb such as a Dryad LBX.

[Jim Wright]

I have chronographed a number of bows, mostly Toelkes with arrows running 9 to 1 through 12 to 1 grains per pound of draw weight. All Dan's bows shoot heavy arrows well and the recurves have generally been a few f.p.s. faster than Whips but that slight difference closed some when shooting the heavier 12 to 1 arrows. My favorite, the Super Ds are very quick for a D bow and have less f.p.s. variation across the 9 to 1 through 12 to 1 g.p.p. range. At my 29" draw, shooting w/fingers, a new 66" bow chronographs 12 to 1 arrows at 168 f.p.s.
  I wont be the first to mention this but more important than a few f.p.s. through a chrono is how quietly does the bow shoot them. Every bow from Dan of the many that I've owned has been and is "quieter than quiet".

[Jim Wright]

A pretty good indicator of what to expect in the way of bow speed would be the monthly bow reviews that were done for a number of years by Blackie Schultz for Traditional Bowhunter Magazine. These tests always shot arrows weighing 9 grains per pound of draw weight at a 28" draw through a  chronograph with both fingers and a shooting machine. The f.p.s. spread was never very great and a large majority of the recurves were at 180 to 185 f.p.s. with fingers and 5 f.p.s. faster with the shooting machine. D/R longbows were a few f.p.s slower generally.

[Orion]

IMO, you won't get the same speed out of the 45# BW as you would out of the 50# longbows you mention.  It will be less, but close.  Not enough to worry about.

[BRITTMAN]

I did get the PCH and it is very close to the same. The biggest problem I was worried about was having to buy different arrows but that was not the case . One thing that did happen was my draw length increased a full one inch which was a good thing. I have my arrows cut a little long so the extra draw length was a plus . The PCH was quite at 8 3/4 , not Whip quiet but pretty darn quiet with my arrows which are around 550 grains.  In all I'm very happy with the PCH .Thanks for all the info .
Mike

[TOEJAMMER]

''''and "very happy" says it all.  That is the way it should be.  Congrats!