Times have changed... a little.

[swampthing]

Bows today seem to get more and more slick.
 Back in the middle part of last century, straight limb semi-long, bows, were the way to go for rapid, not "snap" but fast, accurate enough shots at game. The stable and easy pointing nature of these bows made for forgiving shooting, {once one had their form down} probably because of the thick core limbs that resisted twisting and limb oscillation from plucking and torquing the bow/string, and man are the silent.
   Now fast foward 50-60 years. What a difference, but what has, if anything, changed? once one starts to widen' the limb, thin the limb, reflex it, cut pistol grips in it, etc.. etc... did any of these changes take away from the qualities of the straight limb bow or did they make it better even more stable, quieter just ever so much more, not mind much when you "point" it like a good field bred Irish "Setter", or, do you have to "drive" it like a Can-Am race car, with great precision in order not to put it into the "dirt"
Thick limb, mild R/D, colored glass/carbon, low wrist... Are they made so as to be; stable like the Straight Limbs, or are they more for the folks that are a great shot who just wants more cast?

[Jeremy]

Most of the bows I shoot are from the 1950's.  The '58 Bear Alaskan 'semi-recurve' is a dead-ringer for many of today's R/D longbows and that very closely resembles bows from centuries before.  There's nothing truely new in bow design, it just keeps coming back around.

I am a very big fan of narrow, deep-cored bows: R/D longbows, recurves... whatever.  I like the shooting characteristics.  The outer limbs are generally lighter than their wide-limbed counterparts, contributing to less noise, less handshock and greater performance.  The sacrifice is ease in construction.

Limb design has a lot to do with stability/forgivability.  Generally, whatever bow has your hand position farthest forward relative to the tips of the unbraced bow should be the most forgiving of any errors we make. The more forward you get your hand relative to the limb and limb tips the less touchy the bow is to anything you do with it during/after the shot (torque, twisting, dropping etc).  For example, a deflexed longbow is going to be more forgiving than a reflexed longbow.

Most people seem to shoot the r/d bows better than a straight limbed bow of equal net reflex. Less of the limb is trying to move forward of your hand after the shot.  It's definitely the case with me when comparing a r/d longbow with a simple reflexed longbow (same grip on both bows even).

Grip style (low, medium, high) is a matter of personal comfort, regardless of limb profile.  I can put a medium grip on any style bow and shoot it more comfortably than a low or high wrist grip.

[George D. Stout]

I have an old RH 100 Shakespeare Semi-Recurve that looks like a modern hybrid. Nothing is new.  As for performance, a few of the mid 50's Bear Kodiaks will shoot with modern customs, given the same string material.

Grip is everything, but is so personal that one doesn't fit all.  I shoot mainly 50's and 60's bows as well;  right now I have a 59, 61 and 67 models.

Straight limb longbows, to me, don't shoot a whole lot different than a similar mild d/r, but you can generally feel the difference in the draw.