recurve or longbow?

[bowkevin]

This may have been asked before but I was curious which bow would be the easiest to obtain accuracy for a novice. I was with a group of shooters on Sunday who said a recurve is more forgiving than a longbow thus less affected by the form inconsistencies of a novice. Also where would a hybrid fit into this. I love the looks of the longbow and this is one of the things that drew me to this sport. Anyone else have an opinion on this?

[beetlebailey1977]

I suggest you shoot a lot of different bows, recurves and longbows.  Long and short bows and make a decision for yourself as to what you like.  Thats what I did and I prefer a longbow.

[vermonster13]

Best way to obtain accuracy is to find a bow that fits you well, don't overbow yourself, find someone who knows form to work with you and then practice as much as you can in front of the blank bale until you master form. Then work on the fine tuning, various distances, different hunting shots, etc.

[prc]

I recently made the switch from compound to traditional. I went with a longbow for the looks and feel. Start'n over, so start'n with what I like.

[Night Wing]

I've shot longbows and recurves and I'm much more accurate with a recurve. Shoot both styles and find which style you is more accurate for you.

[Rob DiStefano]

it doesn't much matter the *type* of stick bow, what matters most is the holding weight at your draw length, the the length of the bow with respect to your draw length.  

click on the 'new to trad archery?' link ....

[Bird Dog]

I don't think one "style" of bow is any more accurate than another.

[bigbadjon]

I believe that the recurve is the more accurate bow but it is really a matter of practice. If you are more interested in shooting a longbow then I think you will find more success shooting that weapon. Consistency in your form is the number one factor in accuracy regardless of weapon. I also think more people would be better if they adopted an aiming system rather than shooting instictively. I recommend watching Masters of the Barebow vol 3. The first half with Rod Jenkins is very quality instruction and could improve alot of peoples game if they gave it a chance.

[dan d]

Interesting, I always thought a longbow was more forgiving. I guess I base this on the typically longer length and making it more stable. In my early days when I used training wheels I had one of them short bows, it was the most unforgiving thing I ever owned for a bow.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Originally posted by vermonster13:
Best way to obtain accuracy is to find a bow that fits you well, don't overbow yourself, find someone who knows form to work with you and then practice as much as you can in front of the blank bale until you master form. Then work on the fine tuning, various distances, different hunting shots, etc.

Some good advice right here.  

[Mike Vines]

I would also recommend shooting as many as you can, but my preference is the longbow.

[Larry247]

The newer R/D longbows are more forgiving than the hill type bows.

You'll shoot better with whatever you set your heart to, recurve or longbow.

Like everybody has already mentioned, shoot as many as you can.

[Ragnarok Forge]

A longer bow tends to be more forgiving.  How you grip the bow is very important to accuracy.  As mentioned the only way to know which bow works best is to try a bunch.  Go to a trad shoot and chat with folks.  lots of people including bow companies will let you test drive their bows.

[bowkevin]

Lots of great advice. Thanks! I guess I'll stick with my longbow choice for now but will definitely keep an open mind while trying other bows. The guy Im dealing with is letting me try different options before I purchase.

[sawtoothscream]

I perfere my hybrid over my recurve and near polar. Justs great design for me

[Rooselk]

I guess I'm the exception. I started out with longbow but found that there was a much shorter learning curve with a recurve. But perhaps that was just me. However, I do agree wholeheartedly with the suggestions about starting out with a light poundage bow. That's very sound advice regardless of which style bow one chooses to get started with.

[tradshooter]

Try them both and as many styles and lengths in each as you can. I agree with the advice to "Not overbow yourself" that can produce some bad habits or even injury, both of which take longer to fix than starting with a lighter poundage bow and working up in weight, if you feel a need to. After shooting a number of bows you will find one that just works better for you and feels right. That'll be the one for you and the journey begins. Lots of good information, links and videos on this site so don't be afraid to jump in with both feet. Folks here will treat you right and help anyway that they can. Best of luck to you.