One of the myths of Trad Bows

[Rob DiStefano]

i'll offer my 2 cents worth of opinion ...

when it comes to tackle, it ain't the bow or string, or glove/tab, or whatever that matters, it's the arrow.

it's bow ergonomics and fluff that we fuss over.

imo, any modern composite bow is lots more consistent than the person behind its string.

[rastaman]

And i can't shoot a low grip or straight handled longbow worth a flip as we say down here in south georgia. It doesn't matter the make or model. Why? Cause of my lack of consistency.

[vtmtnman]

I'm walking proof that consistantcy is everything.A bow is only as good as the shooter.

Dave knows that better than anybody.    

I will say some bows feel more comfy in the hand,on the shot or on the draw than others.But that's dependent on the shooter.It certainly helps with shot to shot consistnacy.

[George D. Stout]

And price has nothing to do with it either.  Too many folks think a good bow must be expensive.  Too few, shoot enough different models before they buy.  Accuracy comes with comfort...a bow that seems like part of you, whether it's $1000.00 or $75.00.

[vermonster13]

This is true George I've had some expensive bows that weren't worth $1 as far as I was concerned and some inexpensive ones that were dreams and everything in between. It's the shooting them and learning which is which that is the fun part.

[Overspined]

It doesn't seem like a description I can relate to: Black Widow vs HH bow...Hmmmm...I have never seen a shooter as good with a BW as HH was with a straight limbed bow. Seems more have gained fame with longbows vs curves...not a good comparison.

doesn't help that I prefer HH bows..LOL

moving targets/still. close/far. heavy/light arrows. too many variables

it is all shooter and proper training for the equipment they use.

[TonyW]

It's not the bow, arrow, or shooter - it's the target!

 
High Accuracy - Low Precision

 

High Precision - Low Accuracy

[George D. Stout]

Overspined, you have not seen Bob Markworth or Stacy Groscup then.  You have also not witnessed a FITA round or NFAA field where the significance of the recurve comes through.

When you dig into the history or our sport here in the US, you really don't find working recurves much until the 1950's, when unidirectional fiberglass made them more reliable and readily available to the public.
In Howard's heyday, there were basically only longbows or static-tipped (non-working) recurves.  

There's a bow for everyone.  Some like the straight limb longbows; some short little hybrids, and some the various recurve designs.  
Stacy Groscup once hit six aspirins in a row (while the aspirins were in the air) using a Bobby Thompson, 52" Zipper recurve.  Bob Markworth, 1960's/70's, used a Bear Tamerlane target recurve for much of his precision (trick) shooting.   If a bow fits you well, it doesn't matter if the tips are straight, curved or otherwise.

[larry]

TonyW, man I think I just had an epiphany...that's the problem I have with ALL my targets...I'm thinkin' I need to stop buying bows and find me a better target...anybody know where I can find me an accurate target?  

[Ssamac]

I can't even get the aspirins in my mouth without dropping them.        

But I do think that some bows just fit some people better   the grip is key   and you're going to shoot better because the thing doesn't torque around. Some bows just stay put in my hand. Most of them are Bears

sam

[Shaun]

I believe for hunting weight arrows in hunting range, there is no substitute for a "D" style longbow in relatively heavy draw weight. The factor that makes these bows more "accurate" is forgiveness. Human error in form, release, follow through, etc. has less effect with this style bow.

For pure target shooting, that is light arrows and 100's of shots, a long, heavy riser recurve in a lighter draw weight has the advantage.

[LBR]

Forgiveness is in the bow/design, accuracy is in the shooter.  Something I figured out a long time ago.  

The "best" bow won't turn a lousy shot into a great shot, and vice-versa.

I've had days where I didn't shoot my (laminated) longbow or recurve very well at all, but when I switched over to one of my selfbows (about as forgiving as an ex mother-in-law), I shot much better (same course, same stake, higher score).  The difference was in me--the selfbow was slower, much less forgiving, and harder to shoot in general.

Chad

[Angus]

This seems to me very much like the "shotgun" debate-which one shoots best.  We have similar factors at work here, primarily being bow fit to enable you to draw to a consistent anchor point each time, and arrow tuning.  When I'm working up a specific load for one of my scatterguns, I'm looking at pattern results based on, essentially, tuning the round to the gun/forcing cone/choke combo.  We're tuning our arrows and heads to get the most consistent flight from the bow as well.  The difference comes in building a custom shotgun, having it precisely fitted to one's gun mount.  I don't know any bowyers who go to that length to get a bow to precisely fit it's owner.  We tend to spend money on pretty risers, and there's no consideration given to grip, length of pull, etc.  I'm willing to bet you'll find some bows will fit your palm/draw better than others, and will allow a more consistent draw.  

That being said, most of us have more than one bow, and since we shoot `em all, tend to be less intimately familiar with all of them, than if we only shot one bow, all the time.

[NightHawk]

Popcorn!!,Get your Popcorn!! here. Pass that one down would ya? Popcorn!!, get your popcorn!!           lol

[larryh]

reminds me of once a long time ago when chet atkins was in town for a concert. a sound guy walked by backstage as he was running some riffs and said, "wow! thats a great sounding guitar!".
chet quickly put the guitar on the floor and asked him, "how's it sound now?"

[Brian Krebs]

  excellent Larryh !