Difference in long bows and recurves?

[Ari]

Is their really that much difference in today's modern long bow and recurves, an what are they?

[lpcjon2]

Recurves are easier to shoot accurately,Longbows need more attention and are not so forgiving and are more manly.     There are a ton of threads on this do a search with the search button up top and search powwow for recurve vs longbow.

[KentuckyTJ]

I have both recurves and R/D shape long bows. My long bows shoot every bit as fast and are as consistent as any of my recurves. Now I have no idea on the D shaped long bows, but very little difference with the hybrids of today.

[Ari]

What is the difference between reflex/deflex and a hybird long bow? So far all I can make out is that a modern long bow will perform just as good as a recurve but is usually lighter with a smaller handle(great for me as I have a small hand) and less likely to have problems like limb twist... sounds like long bows would be a win for me  

Thanks for the advice.

[Ari]

oh I guess I missed the advantage of a recurve is it can be made a bit smaller.

[Crash]

A hybrid is just a more extreme version of a reflex/deflex.  There are short longbow hybrids available as well.

[Ari]

Is their a performance difference between hybirds and reflex/deflex?

[BrokenArrows]

I find the modern longbows easier to tune and shoot than recurves.

My Martin Savannah shoots the same arrows just as fast as my old (60s) Grizzly and Necedah at the same draw weight/Dacron on all.

Speed diffference on new bows?

At 9 gpp/FF strings:

Morrison TD recurve 187 fps
Morrison Dakota longbow 182 fps
Bear TD 183 fps
Martin Dreamcatcher 184 fps
Martin Svannah 180 fps

[Swamp Yankee]

I like G. Fred Asbells defintions of "recurve" and "longbow".  The most significant difference is in the handle design and how each is shot, not the limb design.  From all the performance numbers I've seen, there seems to be very little difference in speed between the two anymore.  Personally, I find bows with recurve limbs to be a little more finicky to shoot than those with straight "longbow" limbs.  Longbows seem to be a little more forgiving of bad technique, but my experience with longbows is limited so take that observation with a grain of salt.

[David Yukon]

I think also that there is a lot of people that shoot longbow with a recurve grip, strait wrist, and that make for a longbow that is now a recurve with straight limbs...

[Ari]

How can you tell if a longbow is a hybird or just a reflex/deflex? Can anybody suggest a few hybird longbow makers?

Thanks Ari

[Koko Bow]

I would say bows like the Mohawk and Great Plains are r/d and bows like the Apache from Roy Hall are hybrids.  I really really like the Apache.  Sold one and regret that.  Went to a Dryad Epic with static tips and the regrets are gone!  Super smooth bow.

[Kip l Hoffman]

It depends on your shooting style.  I take one last "long" look at the "spot" before the arrow is released.  This last look makes a recurve a bit easier to shoot accurately.

If you are the guy that shoots very quickly the long bow is more conducive to this style of shooting.

The bending of the recurve tips softens the last little bit of the draw so it holds easier.  This may not show up on the "force draw" curve but it is inherent in the design.  I suspect that you have to have a lot of experience to "feel" the differnce with the modern r/d longbow. However if you get your self a real long bow built to the English Long Bow standards, the difference is very noticable.

[Ari]

If a bow is 50# its 50#, the longbow might stack on some of its # right at the end of the draw but its still the same 50# you are holding.

[Dave Bulla]

How can you tell if a longbow is a hybird or just a reflex/deflex? Can anybody suggest a few hybird longbow makers?

Thanks Ari

To me, a regular R/D bow is still shaped like a normal longbow when braced.  The limbs are bent in a bow shape when the bow is strung.  A hybrid longbow has more R/D and at brace, the limbs look straight from the riser to the tip instead of bent.  The effect is that a hybrid bow looks sort of triangle shaped when strung.  The hybrid bows will usually pull a little smoother and farther without stacking.  Normally they are a bit faster too.

Regular R/D bows and straight longbows are often not quite as fast but are able to shoot a heavy arrow real well and changing arrow weight has less effect on grouping than with a hybrid bow or a recurve.  I've got several recurves, a R/D longbow and a hybrid longbow.  The hybrid is by far the smoothest, fastest and most fun to shoot bow that I own.  The exception to that is an old Root Targetmaster recurve that I have that is 50# at 28 and will pull smoothly to about 34 inches but it's also a whopping 68 inches long.  Of course, it's not nearly as fast as my longbow either.  My hybrid longbow is 66"

Also, given equal speed between a given recurve and a given longbow, I'd pick the longbow.  Why?  Well, I just like longbows but I like them because they seem more durable, (less likely to twist a limb) they are usually lighter to carry, they point more naturally to me and they are tough as can be.  Last year I left my longbow leaning against the side of my wifes Expedition and drove out of the gravel parking lot where I hunt and it fell down and I drove right over it.  I think the next guy to leave drove over it too.  Another fella happened to come into the lot later and saw it and picked it up.  That was one of the times having my name on the bow and also in the local phone book paid off!!!  I didn't do anything to it other than put a drop of super glue in a spot where the glass splintered on an edge and I've been shooting it like normal ever since.  That happened right about a year ago.  I think if ya drove over a recurve from end to end it'd probably be trash.

[Ari]

Wow that is lucky was no chance my recurve would survive that, was it a R/D or hybird longbow?

Can you suggest a few hybird longbow makers?

Thanks.