Well, I may just be a recurve guy........I guess?

[tomsm44]

I started out with a Red Wing Hunter about 5 years ago, and I got pretty good with it, and later, with a lighter weight Ben Pearson Hunter.  I used them the first few years I hunted, but I never got a kill with either one.  Last year I got my first new custom bow, a 47# R/D longbow.  It's a great shooting bow, smooth and whisper quiet, but I never got as consistent with it last year as I was before with my recurves.  I put it down to not practicing as much, which was true, but I was plenty accurate enough to hunt out to 15 yards or so.  Well, this year, I'm still not getting as consistent as I'd like.  Earlier this year I picked up a used Hoots Lil Hoot recurve for my wife to start shooting with me.  When I start getting frustrated, I'll get it out, and my shooting improves from the first shot.  I don't know if it's the grip or what, but I'm just more consistent with it.  The strange thing is that it feels absolutely nothing like my older recurves I shot before, but I still shoot it better.  This bow is a tad louder than the longbow, but it's also noticeably faster using a 50 grain heavier arrow, even though it's 5# lighter draw.  I usually prefer quiet over fast, but I'm beginning to think that in this case, the accuracy will be the deciding factor.  Has anybody else ever had a similar experience?

[TOEJAMMER]

Yes.

[kennym]

The grip is a lot of an individuals accuracy IMO.

[Pine]

The grip can make a big difference as well as how the limbs are tillered .
I tried to shoot a friend of mines longbow that is his personal bow ( he is a bowier ) and at 15 yards I was missing the center of the target by more than a foot .
He then told me it was probably because the bow was tillered for 3 under and I shoot split .

[kennym]

That said I shoot a longbow with a recurvy grip.... (gasp)

[Mitch Edwards]

I'm a recurve guy too. The only longbow I could ever shoot well is a bodnik slick stick. I think it's because the grip is very similar to a recurve grip. I have a really hard time shooting a longbow with just a straight grip with nothing to locate my hand

[Butch Speer]

I normally shoot a HH Half-Breed longbow but recently picked up a Howatt High-Speed recurve. I can shoot either one pretty decent. I have trouble with the grip on the longbow. I don't keep the heel down unless I really concentrate. The grip on the Howatt fits just great. I can shoot the Howatt more consistently than the HH. As much as I love my Half-Breed I will probably be hunting with the recurve.

[Orion]

The biggest contributor to your improved accuracy with your wife's bow is probably the 5# less draw weight.  Maybe it fits you better as well.  

Recurves are going to be a tad louder than most longbows/hybrids because the string contacts the limbs at the curves. Can't change that, but can quiet them enough so the noise they do make is more muffled.

I prefer fast, quiet and accurate.  You don't have to give up one for the other.

[tomsm44]

Orion, it's 5# lighter, but it's also 8" shorter.  The draw weight feels identical to me.  Also, after making my first post, I got out my old Red Wing Hunter just out of curiosity.  It's 53#, so 6# heavier than the longbow and 11# heavier than the Hoots recurve.  I shot it better than either of the other two.  Might be a fluke, but I'm going to shoot just it for a few days and see how things go.  I may be leaving two $500+ custom bows on the rack this year in favor of a mid '60s recurve that was given to me.  Go figure.

[Orion]

Recurve grips certainly position one's bow hand more consistently than straight or slightly indexed grips common on some longbows.  They're usually smoother on the draw as well, not building as much stack as the recurves open and come back rather than together near full draw.  And,of course recurves are usually physically heavier than longbows.  These characteristics should contribute to greater accuracy.

Some bows just feel/shoot better for some folks than other bows. Go with what works best for you.  I shoot all styles of bows so there are always some sitting on the rack feeling lonely.      

[Sam McMichael]

I think there definitely is a difference in shooting a longbow and a recurve. I'm not sure it is just in the feel of the grip. I have been shooting the longbow so long that I just don't care much for the feel of a recurve, at least until I shoot a curve a few times. Then, all is good once again.

[M60gunner]

I guess I fall into the "shoot a recurve better" category as well. I do have my Wes Wallace LB that I shoot every so often but when push comes to shove I get out a recurve.
What is even worst is my fondness for metal risers cut way past center. I know it is the "dark side" of trad but at my age I want to spend more time shooting than putzing around.

[BWallace10327]

I don't believe it really matters.  I used to be sure, sure, sure I was a longbow shooter but my then PCH and now PMA Black Widow recurves disagree. Good form is good form.  I think most people could shoot most bows as well as the next, for the most part, if they wanted too.  The placebo effect is a real and powerful concept.

[tomsm44]

Originally posted by BWallace10327:
I don't believe it really matters.  I used to be sure, sure, sure I was a longbow shooter but my then PCH and now PMA Black Widow recurves disagree. Good form is good form.  I think most people could shoot most bows as well as the next, for the most part, if they wanted too.  The placebo effect is a real and powerful concept.

I don't deny the placebo effect may be part of my problem.  I guess instead of being a recurve guy, maybe I just have a longbow complex.  

[Shadowhnter]

If its a low wrist grip, and you are trying to impore a high wrist style like a recurve, it will throw the whole balance of the bow off. If its a low wrist grip, try putting the pressure in the middle to lower third of your palm instead of upper to thumb web like a recurve, and your shooting will improve dramatically.

[damascusdave]

No because I practice a lot...amazing what that can do for your shooting...I currently own over 40 bows of all shapes and sizes and can shoot any of them well after a few shots...the basics of good form are the same for any bow...just take a look at Terry Greens form clock

DDave