The case for a curvy longbow?

[wihill]

As a young man I learned long ago that I much preferred items with curves over their flat counterparts.  Occasionally they were faster - at getting me in trouble.

Oddly enough, same thing happened with longbows...

 :D

[Pinelander]

Even if the two bows were the best in their category re: bow length, string type, arrow weight, etc.... I would never question the overall pleasure of shooting a "pronounced" r/d longbow compared to a straight-limbed longbow. I'm persnickety about the "liveliness in hand" feeling of straight longbows, just don't like the feel.

If one were lookng to build a screamin' mimee of an r/d longbow with absolutely no handshock, learning more about the design of a Turkey Creek longbow would be worthwhile. Apex, I would be very interested in seeing a photo of your r/d bow in it's unstrung state. Looks like you have a good design there, and I wouldn't doubt for a minute that it does 180 fps at 10 gpp.

[Pinelander]

Nevermind, I see it on your website.... for a high-performance r/d longbow, I think you've got it pegged with the Ossabaw. Nice bow!

[Apex Predator]

Molson, this comparison is of these two bows set up perfectly for me.  I could make performance gains by changing each, but wanted to know the difference in them in real world "hunting" trim.  

I was thinking this might be more of use to the new folks trying to decide what kind of bow to buy.  I love all of them.  The straight ones sacrifice some performance, but are a pure pleasure to carry and hunt with.  They make meat, and will always have a place on my bow rack!

Both have been tested with FF string, no silencers, drawn to 28", and shooting a 10 grain per pound arrow.  The straight bow shoots 159 fps, and the R/D shoots 183.5 fps.

[Molson]

Marty, I didn't mean for any of what I said to sound negative at all if it did. I pretty much like any bow made of wood for one reason or another, although I am partial to 62-66" mild R/D for my style. You mentioned posting for discussion purposes so I just figured I'd add a few different points to ponder.

[Jason_MO]

Very informative thread..
Apex, on the straight one you mention gaining 2fps with D97 over the B50 and that there is increased bow noise with D97.  I am curious after reading thru this post, have you tested this setup with a skinny string? And if so, what was the performance gain and to me, more importantly, did the skinny string quiet the bow down similar to the B50?
If not this particular setup, any similar findings?
Thanks,
Jason

[Shaun]

Too many variables for me - different bow length, string material, draw length, silencers, cut to center. The only constant is the arrow and approx draw weight.

I would expect some difference if all these variables were made equal, but not as much. Particularly the extra 1" of draw is a huge factor.

Can you short draw the R/D bow and shoot it at 28? I bet that will take 10 fps off.

Love the look of your slight string follow bow design. This was the preferred design of HH and he was a pretty good shot.

[Apex Predator]

I've never made a skinny string, yet!  I think I may.  

Shaun the shooter is the same as well, and is the constant that many are missing.  I personally draw the straight profile bow one inch shorter.  That is a result of a combination of things, but mainly shooting with more heel in the grip, and the fact that the riser is not quite as deep on the straight bow.