longbow vs. recurve: handshock, speed

[TDHunter]

I've always been a recurve shooter mainly due to I like the speed and smoothness of the recurve. I've tried a tone of longbows borrowed and bought and I end up always selling them because of the hand shock (bugs my elbow) and the speed.

I finally tried an ACS CX (3piece) and it's actually smoother and just as fast as my recurves. I bought one and love it.

Does anybody know of any other longbows that are this smooth and fast. I'd love to find a 1 piece, or just another longbow that is as fast and smooth as my recurves.
Thanks

[Running Buck]

Centaur and Morrison

[MnFn]

Shrew and Pronghorn

[chanumpa]

Try a Big Jims or a Bob Lee

[LBR]

You may or may not realize this, but your asking for opinions that you may or may not agree with.

In some opinions, Hill or Hill style longbows don't have any shock;  others will say the exact same bow kicks like a mule.  Both could be 100% honest in their opinion.

Then the exact same bow could have a lot of shock untuned, but someone may know how to fix it.  For instance, switching from a light arrow to a heavy arrow, replacing a dacron string with a "Fast Flight" type string, adding silencers in the proper location, proper brace height, etc. can all go a long way in reducing, even eliminating percieved hand shock.  

If you don't know to do these things, a bow could have a lot of shock.  If you do know to do them, you might think someone was crazy for saying it had shock.

'Course it helps if you know your stuff and/or know who is offering the advise.  Usually it's easy to figure out when someone knows what they are talking about, if you do.

Then, what recurves are you comparing it to?  In general, recurves have little to no hand shock, but I have shot a couple that literally had the worst hand shock of any bow I've ever shot--worse than the worst longbow.

Anyhow, my point is a question like you asked will garner a whole lot of opinions, but not much else.  The only reliable way to see what you will like is shoot different bows.  You could study Blacky's bow tests in TBM, but even with those your perception may differ from his test results.

[Bowwild]

I have never shot a longbow that didn't hurt my elbow. I've never shot a recurve that did.

Full disclosure: I've shot only one longbow and I didn't tinker with anything other than setting the string at the bowyer's recommended brace height. My experience with this is less than worthless.

Other things, purely aesthetic and in the eye of the beholder keep me firmly planted in the recurve fold.

[David Mitchell]

Well, pure aesthetics and sweet shooting qualities keep me firmly planted in the ever-so-tradtional (read that "Hill style") longbow ranks.  Beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.  

[Stinger]

I hear what LBR is saying, so here is my opinion.  Like you, I have been a recurve shooter for some 40 years but recently started playing with longbows.  I do know how to set up a bow for hand shock, silencers, etc.  I have not found any Hill style bows that I can shoot well or like.  The biggest difference is normally the way the handle fits my hand.  I have also found them to be a little slower compared to a recurve of similar weight.  I have found 2 longbows that I did like.  The Leon Stewart Slammer is very quiet, has no hand shock and seems just as fast as my recurves.  I really like them.  The Bob Lee Stick is a close second.

[LongStick64]

Only had one bow that had enough handshock to bother me, Martin ML-10, looked like a Hill, punched like Frazier.
Also had a Black Widow TF recurve, absolutely dead in the hand.
Personally I like a little bit of thump in the hand, not sure why but I do.

[xtrema312]

Some of this is depending on your definition of a long bow, but an ACS TD is really not a hard core LB.  I love my MOAB and Fire Fly.  I also have a PCH right now.  All the bows are within 2#.  To my eye the MOAB is faster than the PCH.  The PCH faster than the FF.  I shoot the same arrow in all of them.  I would be a little surprised if there was more than 5 fps. between the three.  None of these hurt my elbow, but there have been some that did.  They all have a different feel in the hand on the shot, but none of them I would call harsh and I couldn’t honestly say which was more dead without shooting one after the other a few times to work that out.  I have had and shot quite a few hybrid LB’s and a good number of recurves. These are my favorite LB’s so far.  I can’t say I have a favorite recurve yet. My LB’s are quieter than most of the recurves I have shot.  I don’t find them all that much slower or harder on the hand or elbow than recurves.

[HATCHCHASER]

Black Swan, Morrison, Centaur, Dryad, Turkey Creek, Kohannah, Caribow, Toelke.  I'm sure I left quite a few out but these are the ones I have shot that are nearly as fast as recurves with no shock.

[Jeff Strubberg]

Originally posted by LBR:
You may or may not realize this, but your asking for opinions that you may or may not agree with.

In some opinions, Hill or Hill style longbows don't have any shock;  others will say the exact same bow kicks like a mule.  Both could be 100% honest in their opinion.

Then the exact same bow could have a lot of shock untuned, but someone may know how to fix it.  For instance, switching from a light arrow to a heavy arrow, replacing a dacron string with a "Fast Flight" type string, adding silencers in the proper location, proper brace height, etc. can all go a long way in reducing, even eliminating percieved hand shock.  

If you don't know to do these things, a bow could have a lot of shock.  If you do know to do them, you might think someone was crazy for saying it had shock.

'Course it helps if you know your stuff and/or know who is offering the advise.  Usually it's easy to figure out when someone knows what they are talking about, if you do.

Then, what recurves are you comparing it to?  In general, recurves have little to no hand shock, but I have shot a couple that literally had the worst hand shock of any bow I've ever shot--worse than the worst longbow.

Anyhow, my point is a question like you asked will garner a whole lot of opinions, but not much else.  The only reliable way to see what you will like is shoot different bows.  You could study Blacky's bow tests in TBM, but even with those your perception may differ from his test results.

No doubt.  I had to give up "shocky" bows a few years back due to some elbow problems, but I bet my list of no-shooters doesn't match most other archers.

There are a few constants when it comes to handshock, but for the most part it's about what you expect and what you feel comfortable with.

If you're lookign for opinions, I landed with the MOAB from Jim Reynolds at Thunderstik.  Hybrid-style long bow and very, very smooth.

[Bjorn]

We are fortunate to have so many great bows and bowyers to choose from today. You need to shoot as many as you can and not just a few times, to decide what is the right choice for you.

[leatherneck]

Kallamazoo is coming soon. Sounds like you need a road trip.

[S C Mercer]

I owned one of Jim Neaves' original Centuar Double Carbon longbows.  I swear it was as fast as some compounds (to the naked eye).  It had absolutely no handshock and was butter smooth.  Why did I sell it?  Well, with more speed comes less room for error.  In the end, my shooting ability was not good enough to shoot that bow consistantly well.  Sold it.  Most accurate bow I have shot to date was a string follow Hill longbow.  Sold that one when I thought speed was king..  Little did I know.  Steve

[TDHunter]

Your right I should have been more specific. I guess longbow lovers will always say there longbows are fast with no hand shock. Again I fired dozens of longbows and everyone had had shock......again compared to my recurve, which at the moment is a 3 pc Checkmate.

I was just hoping there were some other recurve shooters who've found that longbow that is dead in the hand. Like I said my ACS CX is just that, Fast and silent and 0 hand shock(3pc). I like to find a one piece longbow with similar characteristics.

[JRY309]

That can be true,for me I guess I just don't feel hanshock like others can on some bows.I started out shooting longbows and prefer them.I don't feel handshock from my HH Halfbreed with a low stretch string.With a Hill style bow some love them and others hate them.They type of string on some longbows can increase handshock.

[S.C. Hunter]

There are a lot of longbows out there that are fast and smooth. I guess I have shot longbows so long that I don't really perceive hand shock unless I find a bad one.

[The Whittler]

TDHunter, I agree whole heartedly with the ACS-CX 3pc. I picked one up this past spring 2nd hand and love it.

I too shot a lot of LBs and own 2, a Green Mountain, and JD Berry, which are great  bows but don't compare to the ACS CX.

If your looking for a 1pc like the ACS CX 3pc, I hear the ACS in the 1pc is as good. Also BW LBs are nice.

[Bjorn]

The ACS 1 pc is dead in the hand and no hand shock, and that is a fact.