Longbow and Recurve equal in performance?

My wife had two recurves that were 38 at her draw, they both killed deer.  She used a 38 pound Hill Cheetah off and on. Then I got her a NAT Lost Creek, same weight, shoots the same arrow the same distance as her faster recurve.   We did a little flight shooting with arrows that weighed 420 to 430 with Hunter's Heads, just see how they flew in the wind compared to old Bears.  Turns out the arrows flew the same and her NAT and her Cheetah Hill get almost the same yardage when flight shooting.   She keeps telling me that the Hill is easier to draw and it must be lighter, they are the same.  She just shoots it stronger.

[John Havard]

The correct answer is:  "it depends".  An optimally-designed longbow limb will have less SE/PDF than an optimally-designed recurve limb.  However, the optimally-designed longbow limb will have a higher dynamic efficiency (DE) than an equally-optimally-designed recurve limb.  So a generalized answer is:  a well designed longbow limb and a well designed recurve limb utilizing the best designs and the best materials available will be within a foot or two per second of one another.  

A dog longbow design versus a well-designed recurve will be perhaps 20 fps slower.  Likewise a dog recurve versus a top longbow might also be 20 fps slower.

For the nerds, please read on:
  http://dryadbows.com/Defining%20Bow%20Performance%20Dryad.pdf

[Sixby]

John said it very well and that is exactly what I tell my customers. If a limb is optimally designed the variables counter act each design to the point of being so minimal it makes no real difference. It becomes simply a matter of whether or not you like a certain look or feel best.

God bless, Steve