Advice on buying long bow

[Pieter Africa]

I want to start hunting with a long bow.
I want +-70# long bow so I can hunt the bigger game here. There are so many makes and models, what do you guys recommend?

[macbow]

That is a difficult question to answer. The best answer is to be able to visit with vendors and shoot a lot of bows till you find one you like.

If you can't do that maybe you can narrow it down to type. Do you now shoot a recurve bow? if so maybe one of the longbows with recurve style handle would be best. There are so many to choose from. Does price enter into the equation?
Then one of the newer bowyers that are not getting the high dollar might be best.

Might be best to buy used and then buy several till you settle on the type you like.
Sorry can't decide for you, there are a lot of good bows out there. My favorite right now is the Super Shrew from Ron LaClair. My backup bow is the Tomahawk from 3 Rivers, you can't go wrong with it.
Ron

[Pieter Africa]

Thanks for your reply,I have been looking at the Tomahawks they seem good. South Africa is compound crazy but you will not walk into a bow shop and find a decent traditional bow, especially used. There are guys making bows here but they pretty far from where I stay.Price is unfortunately a important factor.Its always good to hear from other guys experiences with different bows.

[vermonster13]

Do you shoot a recurve now?

[swampbuck]

Is it possible to look at take downs with a light set of limbs to go along with a heavy set?

I understand the why of 70#s but for most folks bad habits could form if ya don't already have your form down using a bow thats too heavy to learn with.I personally would stall out right around the 70# mark and certainly wouldn,t wanna hafta train with it.

On the flip side I don't think I'd wanna hunt Africa with a 40#er either having both would be ideal,for me anyway.... Good luck

[Pieter Africa]

I shoot a compound regularly but have picked up my old recurve recently and enjoyed shooting instinctively again, much quicker. I feel no matter how much I shoot my compound it never feels like a extention of me.

[vermonster13]

That's why I was asking if he already shot recurve or not Swampie. 70#s on a longbow is a lot more weight than 70# on a compound.

[BobCo 1965]

If you're learning to shoot or are a beginner, please don't get the #70 longbow right away.

[Pieter Africa]

I have been shooing a bow since I was six. Up until the age of 18 I shot almost exclusively with a recurve. I shot a hell of a lot with a 70# recurve that stacked a lot towards full draw. My draw length is close on 30". I want a long bow because it is usually more forgiving Almost anyone can shoot a 50lb traditional bow accurately but the heavier ones not.I am under no illusions.Advice on makes and models of bows please guys?

[vermonster13]

Black Swan, Morrison, Griffin(Shrews would be a little short at your draw), etc etc. Lots of great bows. what style grip do you like? Do you want an RD, Hybrid, Hill style, etc? Hard to make to many suggestions with out more info.

[dan ferguson]

Pieter, I am not any expert when it comes to longbows, I,ve shot recurves all my life, but this past year I got a 72# 68" @28" razorback longbow from Moosejaw bows and have really liked it, It shoots really good and seems to be really forgiving, it has to be I,m shooting it. I have no desire to try anything else If it did not do what I wanted it to I would not still have it. Smooth, solid, quiet, thats all I want.

[MikeBurns]

Here's a link that might help, some are no longer in business and some that are new are not on the list. It may be a good place to start.
 http://www.women-outdoors.com/traditional/bowyers.htm

[Pieter Africa]

I thought choosing a long bow would be simple was I ever so wrong!!!!What are the differences in the styles and their advantages?

[Dick in Seattle]

Pieter...

I'll try to narrow it, or at least classify it, a bit for you:

Flatbow, or traditional longbow:  this is th Howard Hill type bow... long famous.   Smooth, forgiving, and not terribly expensive.  Straight or relatively straight grip.  A new Hill can be had for around $500 from Hill Archery, and they have made many heavy bows for African use.  Only problem might be that some folks don't seem to be able to adjust from shooting recurves to shooting straight grip bows, but these are a great style bow and there are manufactures besides Hill that make them.  They can be readily found used.  Hills particularly seem to show up in high poundages.  I picked up an #80 pounder used last week and am hoping it will arrive today.

Reflex/Delfex Longbows:  These are the very popular longbows with gently double curved limbs... many brands/makers to choose from. Black Widow is well known and has built for African use, but is expensive.   Some of the smaller custom shops have also.  The grip form is usually a sort of gentle locator type, like a semi-recurve grip.  Some folks shoot them low wrist like a flatbow, others almost high wrist like a recurve.  Check out the used bow pages for many examples.  This is probably the most common type of longbow today.

Hybrid longbows:  These are straight limb bows, or occasionally R/D types,  but with recurve style grips.  I tried a couple but didn't care for them, personally.  However, lots of folks love them and they apparently make the shift from recurve easier.  that was probably my problem... I was trying to go the other way as I had never shot a recurve regularly.

Sorry if I'm telling you stuff you already know, but I thought it might help you to get things into identifiable categories.

Dick in Seattle

[swampbuck]

"I thought choosing a long bow would be simple was I ever so wrong!!!!"

LOL now that was an understatement HAHAHAHA

I prefer an RD LB myself which is more of a hybrid.Unstrung they look like a giant recurve but strung look more like a LB.

Morrison,hummingbird,centuar are just a few nice bows.The link that Mike B put up is a good place to look Good luck

[bentpole]

I shoot a hornesbrush bow which is a hybrid great bow have another on order. I've been looking at their traditionalist longbow really nice heard alot of great things about it. My dream bow? Morrison Dakota There are guys that like Black widow Pl's centaur they'res a hundred depends on what you want to spend check out our sponsors and also check out  www.bowjackson.com  click on to those bowyers too.

[Pieter Africa]

I was looking at Simmons range of broadheads has anyone had some experience with them?Thanks guys for all the advice I realy appreciate it.

[Mr.Magoo]

I would have said the Martin "Savannah" as best bang for the buck, but I see prices are rising.  I have a Horne's Brush Bow on order (haven't shot one yet), but haven't heard anything bad about them.  The Horne's basic bows still seem a decent deal to me.  If you're after a straight limb longbow, I'd go for a Howard Hill (or maybe a Liberty longbow).

As for the Simmons heads ... they can be a little tricky to sharpen (their "wheelie" sharpener does a good job), and I've bent a few of the screw-in heads.  Others have said the glue-on models are stronger.

[Orion]

Dick in Seattle:  A minor point of semantics, I guess, but it's always been my opinion that limb design, not grip design, determined what a hybrid is.  I.e., hybrids have severely reflexed/deflexed limbs.  Some, but probably not most, also have recurve (medium or high wrist) type grips.  Hybrids are usually inbetween recurves and longbows in terms of performance, though some of the better hybrids will shoot right with the better recurves.  A straight limbed longbow generally won't have the performance of a hybrid, regardless of its riser design.  I think G. Fred Asbel made the same distinction you do in one of his books, but I don't think that definition has held up.  Guess we haven't come to universal agreement in the trad community yet.

[Gordy]

Pieter - When it comes to longbows I like the longer Reflex Deflex style.

I draw 29 inches with the longbow and enjoy those that are 64" or longer. I currently shoot a 62", but find the longer ones to be smoother drawing.

That said, there are many fine bowyers and bows out there. I have my second Dwyer longbow coming in the mail shortly (right Dan?     )
It is the "original" Dwyer design, more of a classic D shape bow. 68" long.  Mr Dwyer now makes 3 different style longbows and I can't tell you enough about how much I enjoy shooting and looking at his bows. (I just wish I was a better shot !)

You won't find better folks to talk to or get a bow from than the Dwyers. They are also very reasonably priced and have been shipped to archers around the world.
Give em a look:  dwyerlongbows.com

I have a sister in-law from SA and hope to one day make the trip to her parents place there for some Kudu hunting. Was just talking to my brother in-law this evening about getting him started in longbows !        
Cheers and have fun !