Recurve vs. Longbow

[SpankyNeal]

Ok guys, I know this may spark a rather spirited debate but here's my delima. I'm ready to order a new bow but can't decide on what I want-recurve or longbow. I've been shooting curves for years but really want to learn to shoot the LB, problem is that everyone i've tried the grip angle is wrong and the light riser weight and kick through me off target - accuracy is not good! I'm sure that going with a LB with more mass in the riser, hybrid design and a recurve type grip would probably solve the problems i'm experiencing but it seems to me that pretty much negates the advantages of carrying a longbow. So, what are the real advantages of a longbow vs a recurve or vise versa i.e more accurate/stable, better cast etc? The bows i'm considering are a Silvertip (always wanted one), Liberty Chief, Thunderhorn Heartstopper, Thunderstick MOAB, and Cari-bow Perigrine. Cost is not the issue here, i'm really looking for any real world advantages to spending the time and money learning to shoot the LB or sticking with the curves as my main bows. Ok guys, let me hear your ideas and all input is most appreciated!

[Orion]

You have the situation analyzed correctly.  For most people, longbows are a little more difficult to shoot accurately.  Only you can make the decision.  All of the bows you mention are excellent bows, but there are differences re riser mass and limb design as well as the amount of "recurve" grip possible.  Good luck.

[ChuckC]

Ken.  Some of this is truly a game.  You play by the rules you impose.  A longbow can shoot as well as a recurve, but you have to get used to it, via practice.  

Is one better ?      Well, I can probably say that with evey single bit of "improvement" you can get a better tool.  Longbow, to recurve, to compound.   Flintlock muzzleloader to cap and ball, to in-line, to 30-30 etc.  Bare bow, to sights, to sights and release.  One level is possibly better than the next, but you decide what game you want to play.

In my mind, you are comparing two games.  Both are potentially good.  Both have their points.  Some of those points are as simple as "the feeling I get when I carry one or the other", and those really do count. if you let them.

Suggestion, shoot both and make a decision, then go for it with gusto.  Either way, you won't be too wrong.
ChuckC

[Arwin]

I've switched a dozen times and have settled on a longbow. I shot recurves for a while and then got a LB last summer. I couldn't get used to the grip and went back to a recurve, only to go back to a LB. LOL! I had an instance last season where a doe ran up next to the tree I was in. I had to make a funky shot and I think a LB is more forgiving when it comes to strange posture. I was almost shooting the bow upside down as the doe was behind me, on my left side and I didn't have time to turn around in my stand. I hit right where I wanted and she went down within 50yds. I was hooked on a LB at that point!

[bowdude]

If you don't know what to order, you are far from ready to order.  This is like car or truck?  Dirt bike or cruiser?

[Kingstaken]

I too had the same problem with the lightnesss of longbows. But I wanted to get away at the time from recurves with the big beefy handles and high brace heights.
I wanted the romance of a Longbow feel so, I added a bow quiver to the longbow, which had to be done anyway and it made a big difference in handling with the added weight yet still lighter than most recurves.
The liberty chief has a great handle design, one like my JD Berry where it is not beefy at the palm of your hand and slight dish to get hand close to the arrow shelf.
Another thing I like with the longbow is shorter brace height's of 6 1/2" sort of gives a better starting point to draw for me. I personally don't like to start drawing a bow at 7 1/2" or more.

But, good thing with recurves they typically are more  ideal for hunting being that they are shorter and better bang per pound.

Elbeg Longbow makes a sweet longbow in the 50's" length all the way down to a takedown of 48" and no finger pinching. Great Longbow. My next.

One sweet recurve I just recently shot belongs to Guru.. I believe Joe Skipp on Tradgang here sells them.

Now I know I didn't answer any of your questions, just hoping to point out a negative or positive to help ya make your right decision.

I might come down to a decision of just the spinning the bottle.

[SpankyNeal]

Basically I love carrying a longbow - lighter in the hand and more comfortable. The problem is shooting the longbow accurately! I realize that it's not something that you can pick up and instantly master and i'm sure that I eventually will but what i'm asking is this, does the longbow have inherent advantages in forgiveness, accuracy, cast with heavy arrows, etc. that make it a more desirable hunting tool? I know that the recurve is a "technical" advancement but with advancement sometimes comes sacrifice. Keep em coming guys - your thoughts are valuable! Thanks.

[McDave]

I shoot both, and I don't think the longbow has any inherent advantages in shooting, unless that's what you were brought up on; then you might think so out of habit.

The longbow will probably put up with more abuse than a recurve.  I was attending a seminar by Fred Asbell, and he was talking about a hunt where he used his longbow to assist in stream crossings, and at night he would throw it under the fly of the tent to sort of get it out of the rain.  He does tend to exaggerate some, but no doubt limb allignment is probably not as much of an issue with a longbow.

There are hybrids.  For example, Tim Meigs makes a longbow that is about as close to a recurve as you can get.  He doesn't make a lot of bows, and is getting pretty old, but I think he is still in business.

[Gene Langston]

Shoot what you want to shoot, and don't worry about it.

You can learn to shoot a longbow quite well, if you continue to practice.  I shoot both, and don't shoot either particularly well, and didn't have a preference until I had shoulder problems unrelated to bow shooting, but still, I can't hold the weight like I used to.

Recurves are faster.  Some might disagree, but pulled to the same length and at the same weight, recurves are faster because they store more energy along a broader range.  But the difference is speed doesn't seem to matter to much to the hunter.

Certain longbows, such as my 21st Century (which is not a typical longbow) has no more handshock than a recurve.  And it's only as accurate as I am.

[SpankyNeal]

Speaking of hybrids, are they not just an attempt at getting the longbow to shoot like a recurve? I mean if you take a longbow, give it a recurve type riser, deflex/reflex the riser and limbs to where unstrung it almost looks like a recurve, and give it more mass to reduce handshock, don't you just end up with an "almost" recurve? My personal opinion is that this takes away from the essence of the longbow. I think that's why i'm having the issue with the longbows that I mentioned earlier as they all have one or more of those features. The longbows that I have (2) are very mild R/D bows and I can't seem to make a lot of progress towards shooting them well. Thanks for the input guys, keep em coming!

[McDave]

I guess some bowyers, like Tim Meigs, see inherent benefits in the longbow design, primarily ruggedness, I suppose, but they also see drawbacks they would like to eliminate, like hand shock, and they also want to improve performance to the extent they can while maintaining the basic longbow design.  Thus they come up with the hybrid design, hoping to get the best of both worlds.  Tim made (makes?) a good living making them for many years, and people still love his bows, so like other people have said....

I can't remember the quote exactly, but when someone asked Howard Hill why he didn't shoot a recurve, he said he didn't think he was good enough to shoot a recurve.  He was joking, of course, as he probably was the best there was at the time, and I'm sure he knew it.  But I think his underlying message was that he felt that recurves were too temperamental and that even he didn't shoot them perfectly every time, so he wanted a bow that was more forgiving.

[The Whittler]

Why not get a 3pc with both sets of limbs. Alan

[ChuckC]

Ken.  I think you are right (my opinion) about that desire to more closely emulate a recurve when they designed the hybrid bows.  I still call them longbows and always will, but I think (again, my opinion) that a hybrid longbow is an awesome tool.  

By no means am I a great shot, but man can I have fun using my 66" R/D hybrid, even screwing around and shooting at stumps while laying on my back or my stomach.  I have a great time playing with it, and when it is time to shoot at game, well, you no longer think, you just do.  I also own and shoot some recurves as well, and I think I can shoot them better, in a technical way, but when it comes to roving or stump shooting....heck, just having fun, I grab the big bow.   A good, well designed longbow can be wonderful to shoot, fast, very quiet, light in the hand, no, or not much hand shock.  On the other hand, there are some bows out there that hurt just shooting them a few times.  Go out and try out a bunch and just do it.  If you really want a long bow...just do it.
ChuckC

[Wallcrawler]

I grew up shooting a Bear recurve, always wanted a longbow.  Now I have a hybrid 56" longbow and I am in love with the design.  The weight is just silly light and I think that anyone could shoot it accurately.  I like a short bow with a well formed grip, I also enjoy a shelfless longbow but will stick to hybrids due to the light weight and ease to shoot.  Not to mention that they are very quiet and fit in the truck nicely.

[kennym]

Read those last 2 sentences in ChuckC's last post. I think that about says it all!      :D    

[Longbows4life]

for me i cant shoot a longbow with a recurve type grip as well as i can a longbow with a very slight dish in the grip with the light riser. i feel more comfortable shooting with a straight grip rather than a high wrist grip it just feels wierd to me. i can shoot better with the recurve up close but farther away its the longbow.my friend is the exact opposite the straight grip and light mass feels wierd to him. but can shoot better up close with the longbow but farther it goes to the recurve. i think you should try a try before you buy type thing like robertson or widow does so you can see what you like.

[mike g]

If your going to be Hunting animals that tend to be moving, I would say get a longbow.
    They tend to do better when you use the swing draw method....
   Take a look at the best shooters of the past and present Howard Hill and or own Byron Ferguson they use Longbows....
    Of course I'm a Longbow shooter so....

[Orion]

Sounds to me like you really want a longbow.  I'd say go for it.  It's not an irreversible decision, to wit all of the bows posted for sale here every day.  If it's any consolation, in my 45 years or so of stickbow shooting, I've come full circle at least three times -- recurve, longbow, selfbow, etc.  Think I may have found my niche, though.  For the past 20 years or so I've been shooting longbows almost exclusively.

[DesertDude]

This is just another way of looking at it. If you want the most accurate type of Bow.  Then look at what they are shooting in the olympics, recurves. That being said, Longbows are round and recurves are square. I shoot both, you get the same hand placement every time with a recurve, more mass in the riser, very stable. longbows are light in hand, quite, and just plain COOL!!.  I'm way more accurate with a recurve, but I love the looks and feel of a long bow..  problem solved, have one of each.

[SpankyNeal]

You guys are absolutely right, I do want to shoot longbows! I love the light weight and the way they feel in the hand. After handling one, my recurves feel like i'm carrying a log! Most likely i'm just shooting the wrong longbows for me. I can see now how the hybrid design could be the best of both worlds - light weight and forgiveness of the longbow but with speed and shock similar to the recurve. I won't give up my Palmer and I eventually will own a Silvertip but I really want to give the hybrids a try. Guess I will just have to do the right thing and own both! Thanks again for the input guys!
Ken