A couple of questions about longbows

[madmaxthc]

Dear Tradgangers,

I have convinced myself to buy me a new hunting bow for the new year; since I have always shot recurves, I am almost tempted to try a longbow (or what some may call an American Flat Bow; I have half a mind to stick with a bow with a shelf).

I am seeking some advice from people who have experience with longbows, specifically:

1) My two recurves are all 62", my draw length is 29"; should I stick with such length, or should a longbow be... longer?
2) I might be flying with it once per year or less, and I have read the tips on how to transport it on this forum. I was just wondering: in your experience, is it going to be a pain? This is my major issue to be honest, the reason both my bows are take down recurves;
3) Do modern longbows loose a lot of speed when compared to recurves?

I'm open to any other suggestion and ideas    

Thanks for your help,
Max

[kennym]

I'm a D/R longbow guy all the way, so this opinion is somewhat slanted...

1] You can get a D/R that will not stack at your draw in 62" easy, finger pinch is only thing you will have. Some folks don't like it, some it doesn't bother at all.  I don't notice it with a 58" and 28" draw but shoot better with longer so shoot a 64"

2] If you fly some, get a TD, a 3 piece will have parts that can be lost and a 2 piece is a bit longer than a 3

3]   Modern D/Rs give up little to recurves, they are mostly as fast, quiet, and I can stick it in my rubber boot top on stand while I wait...

Grip is about everything to me when shooting a bow, and my D/R has a recurve-like grip. Shoot several if you can before you settle on one....

[Sam McMichael]

I am a Hill Style devotee. My preference has always been for 68" bows, even though I have a short draw. They just seem smoother to me. However, as kennym stated, a 64" bow may suit you well. I do not have any takedown bows, but if you intend to travel, that may be a desirable feature. Since I drive to all my distant shooting events, takedown is not an issue for me. You may get a little more speed from a recurve, but I don't think you lose any effectiveness due to the longbow generally being quiet. For a grip, I like a straight or slightly dished grip. I have one Hill bow with a locator grip and it just doesn't feel good to me. So shoot all these grip styles before deciding.

On the plus side, my longbows often handle a fairly extensive range of spine weights quite well. I was a little freaked out when tuning a 53# bow. It shot everything form 50 to 65# adequately; however, it has specific preferance for 50-55# or 55-60# shafts.

Once you get used to a longbow, I think you will like it.

[Bowguy67]

I'm brand new to the newer longbows. Been a recurve guy all my life but did start with longbows.
My experience is very limited but the ease is shooting such bows is amazing.
I did lose a little speed but the trade off in accuracy and forgiveness was well worth it and it's the main bow I'm carrying and shooting.
Can't even say enough about it. It's a Toelke Whip and while I've been corrected as its not a "true" longbow, I care not.
In time I WILL get another. It's 64" btw and I have a bunch of really nice custom recurves yet I can't help but carry/shoot the whip

[texbow2]

The biggest difference you'll find is the grip and hand placement. I shoot my recurves with a straight arm and a high straight wrist. When I go to my A&H CX longbow nothing changes because it has a recurve type grip. On my Robertson and HH longbows the straight arm/high wrist does not work and you need to heel or get more hand on the grip. I struggle with a "real" longbow handle but I'm working on it.

[madmaxthc]

Thank you everyone for the advice. I will definitely try the longbow grip, some variety would be nice    I'll see if I can get used to it.

Cheers,
Max

[Possum Head]

There are many 62" longbows that will comfortably accept your draw length. A number of 54 and 56" versions will. I likem short and long. Like Kenny said try to shoot a few at various lengths.

[MnFn]

My experience is similar to most of the above. I am currently shooting a Tall Tines recurve ( 48#, 55#), a 50# Liberty r/d longbow 64",  and a 66" JD Berry Morning Star, 52# .

I grew up with Recurves, so I naturally feel more comfortable with them.
But I want to shoot longbows also, for some reason.

I also have a 64" 3 piece longbow. It's nice, but I prefer shooting the one piece bows.

I have found that I can shoot 55/60 spine Surewoods out of the 48# recurve, the 50# Liberty, and the 52# JD Berry, so that is nice.

I have never flown with a bow, so have nothi g to offer there.  But I have backpacked in the mountains and a three piece was nice for that.

[Hud]

Try several out first, takes some notes, but realize that some people shoot a recurve better, while others like the American Semi-longbow, the Reflex-Deflex or hybrid. Bows like the Robertson Stykbow (1 or 2 piece), Pronghorn (1 or 3 piece), Black Widow 1 or 2 piece) might be ok in a 62" bow for a 29" draw, but 64" might be the ticket. These three will shoot toe-toe with any recurve and do better than most.

The longbow formula is different, because of the limb design. A 68" bow is recommend by most for a 28" arrow (then add/subtract 2" in length for every 1"+/- change in draw length. Hence a 70" bow for 29" draw, and 66" for a 27").  While they are not as fast as a Reflex-Deflex or hybrid, they may feel better and shoot better for some.

The last thing is the difference in style, due to the lower grip, and limb design. Switching from a recurve to longbow, Reflex-Deflex or hybrid may or may not be easy, and it is always possible to get help and guidance from an instructor while trying out a few.

[Roadkill]

Do not get frustrated if your longbow accuracy does not equal your recurve skills at first.  The things like hand placement can frustrate-do not give up. My longbow is 3 piece and a slightly dished grip. With fast flight string and. Strap on quiver. Rabbits fear that bow!

With any bow that is different than what you are shooting, you will eventually allow your form to meld with the bows requirements.  If you are not willing to do that, stay with what you have.  The biggest advantage of a Hill style longbow is shooting postions and shot timing, but you have to shoot in a style that conforms to the bow to get that advantage. If you try to shoot a Hill style bow target style, save yourself the frustration and get a bow that allows that.

[madmaxthc]

Thanks again for all your advice! I'm even more convinced to try a longbow now!

We'll see how good I get with it!  

[GreyGoose]

In my teens I shot recurves, in my 40s I shot wheelies, and when I came back to trad in my early 50's, I wanted to try longbows. (They were hard to find when I was a teenager.)  Over 6 or 7 years, I've collected 5 bows ranging from 62 to 68 inches, and 45 to 50 #.  I can shoot them all pretty well now, but the two at 62 inches (both R/D) are less comfortable to me that the 64 and 68 inch (mildly reflexed, almost D-shaped) members of the herd.

[Biggie Hoffman]

As the owner of scores of longbows over the years,
each bow will shoot differently, even the same brand and style. One bowyer may suggest his 64" bow while another may look at your set up and suggest his 68" bow.
I just had one built for me by Brian Wessel at Talltines. I know what I want and I'm pretty sure I could order what I think would best suit me but I didn't. I told Brian the weight I wanted and my draw length and my preference for heavy arrows and told him to build what he felt was the best bow using that info. He did, I'm totally happy with it and can't blame my poor shooting on the bow or the bowyer anymore 8-)

Narrow it down to a few bows you like the looks of and talk to those guys. Nobody knows how each bow performs better than the guy that builds them.

[donnyjack]

One thing to note is I found that I drew about 3/4 of an inch less with my long bow as opposed to my recurves due to dropping my hand on the straighter grip. There are some hybrids that will give you a true recurve grip but a lot will be some here between a true straight longbow grip and a recurve grip. Try to shoot as many as you can before buying if possible although my favorite longbow is a mild R/D Fox longbow that I bought without being able to shoot it first.
DJ