longbow etiquette?

[Carbonkiller]

hey guys, i have hunted and shot recurves for years but i have been itching for a simplier form of shooting. so today i closed a deal on a 58" striker stinger! it should suit my 26" draw well. my question is...do you treat longbows any different than curves? i know with my recurve that i shoot alot, it stays strung unless i'm not shooting it for a week or two. is this still the norm with longbows? any other tips are helpful.

btw- i just realized this is also my first one piece bow:) this is gonna be fun!

[Tim Fishell]

Nope I dont treat any of my bows different than the others.  Recurve, longbow, 1,2, or 3 piece they all get treated the same.    

[Stumpkiller]

They make better tent poles and johnboat pushers.

Theat them the same - though I always unstring my longbow after use.  I have an old lemonwood that lived in grandpa's barn strung for many years and looks the same strung or unstrung.    

[Carbonkiller]

wow! thats pretty wild! i have heard of guys getting bows in garage sales that had been strung up for years...still pulling the same weight! i have also heard that for what ever reason, maybe limb geometry, that black widow says to unstring their longbows when not shooting.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

I would recommend unstringing it after each shooting session.

[ishoot4thrills]

The lemonwood bow in which Stumpkiller is referring to is probably a solid wood bow or at least doesn't have any fiberglass in it. I leave my glass recurves strung all the time without any ill effects whatsoever.

[YORNOC]

All my recurves stay strung unless going on a trip. Never had an issue?

[Carbonkiller]

all mine do to but longbows? im new too.

[youngarcher1]

both my recurves and longbows are unstrung when not being shot, it's not going to hurt so why not.

[Carbonkiller]

well mainly because with recurves, at least, stringing and unstringing can up the odds of twisting a limb. not sure if you can twist a longbow limb though.

[vtmtnman]

Glass bows are fine strung,although I wouldn't leave any bow stung just to leave it strung.If it's your main bow that you shoot everyday leave it strung up.

Do not leave selfbows strung when not in use.

[Jeff Strubberg]

My glass bows stay strung unless they are being transported...recurve or longbow.

Woodies get unstrung immediately after shooting.

[Carbonkiller]

so is my thinking right? that it seems that a narrow thicker longbow limb is really hard to get a twist compared to a wide thine recurve limb.

thanks for all the comments so far guys!

[Terry Lightle]

Always treated laminated bows the same,now selfbows are a different animal Enjoy it!

Thick cored longbows will tend to set if strung for long periods.  I left a Schulz strung for three months and it had less pull and lost some of its shape for a while, but it came back after a few days of being unstrung.  I was checking to see how stable it was after I fell with it and broke a tip, then retillered it to its two inches shorter length. It is the smoothest and most accurate short draw longbow I own in its current sad state.  I have seen a Hill that had been left strung for two years that took on a permanent set and lost a few pounds of draw weight, but it probably shot nicer and was easier to pull for its owner, originally 92 pounds.

[Stumpkiller]

Originally posted by Carbonkiller:
so is my thinking right? that it seems that a narrow thicker longbow limb is really hard to get a twist compared to a wide thine recurve limb.

thanks for all the comments so far guys!

I'd say "yes".

I watched a guy demonstrate how flexible a recurve limb is by taking his recurve and twisting the limb while strung.  The string jumped the groove and the limb twisted around on itself sideways with a lot of nasty crackles.  Did not seem to do any real damage but didn't do it any good for sure.  From the look on his face t may have taken years off his life, though.      

A longbow is much less apt to twist in the same way - but what we call "longbows" real longbow makers call "flatbows" and you can still twist one with enough mishandling.  Usually you can straighten them out pretty easily, also.

[Steve H.]

Any 58" longbow will 99% be closer to your recurves than an actual longbow.

[the longbowkid]

depends what kind of longbow, might have to adjust the was you grip it. sometimes using a recurve grip will make your longbow want to shoot left, just change your hand position to a more wrist-down traditional style and it solves the problem

[hunt it]

I leave my longbows, three piece and one piece strung unless I'm travelling.

[sagebrush]

I left a bow strung once for several years because it was a little heavy. I thought maybe it would lose some weight. It didn't. Gary