Highly R/D Vs. D shaped longbows

[Doug S]

String,
 I think the critical part is both, in the gripping of the bow and in the release of the string. I think R/D are more critical to a flaw or variation in the hold of the bow. When a person might have a flaw is when, say a big buck is in  front of him, hearts pounding ect.  If you can have the same grip and release every time, no problems, You'll shoot better scores because of the flatter/faster arrow.    
 I could be wrong, but this is what I have found.    
Try a looser grip like a recurve type grip and see what happens. Barely hold the bow. Open your fingers a bit.
Fast car,  slow car, hit a pot hole.
Doug

[Holm-Made]

As has been said before.  No matter what the bow the shooter controls the speed with the weight of arrow.

[TNstickn]

I think it varies from bow to bow. I started with a recurve. Shot it for years. Switched to a longbow because it was more "traditional". It was like learning to shoot all over. Had to learn to use the "tools" correctly to achieve my desired results.

SC that might not be the longbow for you. I'm sure you've shot recurves that did'nt feel as good as your go to bow. Same thing with the longbow. Took me a half dozen bows before I really felt comfortable. I still search daily for "the one".( I think O.L. might be hidin it from me. Somehow hes rigged my puter to tell me he's not takin orders. )    

[Gordy]

Originally posted by O.L. Adcock:
The right tool for the job and folks will have different opinions on whether a ballpeen is really needed when a ratchet works as a hammer also!       ...Don't tell me you haven't done it!       ....O.L.

Ok, I won't tell ya, but that don't mean it isn't true !


 

SC - I've struggled with the same thing trying to go from recurve to longbow and found that I was expecting too much from the longbow. Maybe try knocking your spine rate down a couple notches and see what happens. (?)  More FOC and fletching even ?  Just a thought.

[Bullfrog 1]

I think the best of ALL worlds is as much R/D as possible but still having the D shape. Such as a DWYER original. Mohawk too.   BILL

[Bob B.]

Bullfrog,

well, I do not know if i am qualified to comment on this particular posting.  That being said, I can comment on the Dwyers.  I love them, I have shot the Dauntless, wich is a real arrow spitter, more handle forward than the Defiant and oddly quiter and faster with almost no hand shock.  The Defiant is a real great bow, D shaped with a good amount of R/D.  These are quick shooters as well and are real "intuitive", just point and shoot.  My personal favorite is the longbow by him with very mild R/D.  It is dead in the hand and wisper quiet.  I find them to be very fast as well, and the most forgiving of all his bows.  They all have the same locator type grip handle.

I am running on, but I think his bows are truely great quality and often overlooked by many.

Bob.

[Bullfrog 1]

Bob, yes his original is a REAL winner and Dave and Sue are GREAT people to deal with.   BILL

[Scott S.]

I shoot R/D longbows more than other longbows or recurves.  I like their lightness and shortness for hunting.  Given the same arrow weight, they seem to shoot flatter for me as well.  Therefore, when I hunt, I can have more margin for error if I miscalculate distance. I like the little-to-no hand shock of most R/D longbows.  I like both the Shrew-style and a R/D style like my Thunderstick Mag (which has more reflex than one of my recurves).

When I mentioned "faults" of a recurve, I think I over-simplified and over-generalized.  What I meant was some R/D longbows are a little harder to quiet down than a "D"-shaped longbow.  I was thinking here of the limb-slap of a recurve's string. The other part of the recurve's "fault" that I was referring to is really a shooter's form issue.  As I mentioned earlier, I tend to torque some recurves and some R/D longbows if I grip too tightly.

[String Cutter]

I've taken the bow out afew more times and I think She's starting to come together for me.  But I still really have to pay close attention to my release. Even just a small pluck and it's anyone's guess as to where the arrow will. Go???? Soo, I'm going to have to chant while deer hunting" Pick a spot and no plucking!!""

[Dave Bulla]

Hmmm, I've got a mild R/D, a strong R/D and a bunch of recurves.  My go to bow is the strong r/d hybrid.  It' pulls smooth to my 31.5" draw and even beyond if I want ta mess around.  Not twitchy at all as far as I can tell but it's got a slightly dished (upper area) grip that locates well.  

Having shot Hill style bows, all I can say is the grip felt WAY too thick front to back in my hand (and I've got big hands) and since it's all on the belly side of the bow it seems to me to be the style of handle easiest to torque of anything I've shot.  

In my mind, the shallower and rounder the grip, the less I'm able to torque it.  Picture a Dean Torges style selfbow handle for my idea of a great handle design.  A handle like that will virtually untorque itself if you don't grip it hard and purposely rotate it.

As for your longbow, I'd go back to basics on the tuning and play around with everything from arrow spine and point weight to brace hight and nock position.  If you are trying to shoot the same arrows as you shoot out of a straight bow of the same weight, you're probably underspined.

If you get everything dialed in and it STILL feels twitchy, look for another bow is all I can say.

[Rob DiStefano]

If the bows in question - r/d and D - are quality weapons, the performance, consistency and accuracy is up to the archer.  

All quality bows will be far better - in terms of performance and consistency - than the archer.

The arrow is always more important than the bow.

IMO, switching bows just introduces another set of parameters that takes getting used to - the perfect reason to stick with one bow, or as few as you can.  

There is no "magic bow", there's only magic in learning how to adapt to the bow, and not vice versa.  

YMMV, but it shouldn't.

[Arwin]

I would say that it's the amount of time you put into each different bow, than the bow itself. Quality being equal of each design.
 I am guilty of switching bows often and know it's going to take a good couple days before I can rely on decent accuracy. Some bows I can pick up and shoot like I've owned them for years.
 I have owned both R/D and "D" bows and haven't found much difference other than speed. Right now I have a RER with mild R/D. Not a speed demon, but very stable and easy to shoot.
 I think it's all about matching the right bow to the shooter, but the only way to get there is trying out a few. If a "D" works for ya, then stick with it. From there you can try out different woods, weights and lengths to get "your" perfect bow.
   

[O.L. Adcock]

Rob, Well said and I couldn't agree more. One thing I've watched over and over going to shoots and shows, you can hand a fellow a bow and watch them scatter arrows all over the bail, hand the same bow to another and watch them start shooting 3" groups at 30 yards from the get go....Same bow, same arrows....Good shooters are good with any bow and the bad ones are bad no matter what. While the good shooter is looking for performance, subjective "feel", and a 1" difference in groups, the poor shooter is typically looking for that holy gail. Designs that incorporate set back limbs, "forward" handles, less reflex or recurve do make bows more forgiving, but at the expense of performance. Good shooters won't notice the "forgivness" factor as much as the poor shot will.

Another factor...Tuning....Most beginners and those that don't want to be bothered, if handed a bow and you're lucky enough that the arrows are fairly "close", they'll be impressed with the bow. Hand them arrows that don't fit well with the bow and they'll see it as a "bad" bow they can't shoot...Same bow, nothings changed about the bow. So I think many that find that "magic" bow are ones that don't pay much attention to tuning (or realize it's importance)and when the stars align by random default, they fall in love.

Couple of funny things over the years, I was getting ready to shape a grip for a really good shooter and was expecting him to be picky about it. When questioned how he wanted it, he said "oh just do what ever you want, I'll figure out how to shoot it"! Another who happened to be on the US Olympic team when questioned generically about grips said "just do what ever you want, no one will like it anyway and will modify it to suit themselves!" Very profound and telling insights by some of the best. While I've had beginners and known poor shots get very picky and detailed on how they want the grip just so so. I learned something from that. Falls inline with what Rob's observations are....O.L.

[Apex Predator]

O. L., I couldn't agree more with your assesment of shooters and the "holy grail" of bows.  Wow, you have put into words what I've been thinking all along.  Good post!