Recurve vs longbow

[doubleo]

I've always shot recurves better than a long bow, but i know guys who are just the opposite.I just got my first TD longbow and i'm shooting that pretty good so who knows. It's all about the challenge and having fun.

[SlowBowke]

For me......
Recurves have the beauty of design and so many are just flat out works of art.

Longbows have the beauty of simplicity which (for me) more stongly links me to "before us", IMHO.

Add "OLD" to either and the beauty is enhanced dramatically and the feeling is deeper.

In 45 plus years Ive never bought a traditional bow based on speed.......and never will. I hunt only and all will whack a deer at ranges we take shots.

What shoots "better" sometimes changes for me, both doing their job IF I do mine, and all shoot as well or better than Im capable.

It's ALL about how it fits ME, MY needs and the feeling I get hunting with such.....both types being equal at many times in my hunting life.

It's more of a feeling each fall that gives the nod to one bow or another, or a few, not any "measured" factor.

Again for me, it's the one the fulfills the feeling I need, a spirit within that needs fed fresh blood, yet I fail horribly when attempting to describe it here, online,.....or locally and, believe me, I am asked.

LORDY there are some higher dollar bows out there (from yesteryear, for me) that would bless me and my life to hunt with, but Ive three (so far) that will likely hit the woods a time or two this fall that I'm pulling from the "leftovers" of bowyers past as I can, the "most costly" was 52.50 to my door.

Other than the undescribable satistfaction I get from shooting them, the single point that leaps forth when shooting them is that they all are as capable of great hunting accuracy as the Widows, Anderson, Asbells, Deathwish,..etc that I have owned.

It is quite common to hand one to a local shooter to only see an astonished look on his face viewing the groups he can shoot with it......from arrow 1.

So, I am in agreement with most here, just more wordy, lol, but for ME, it's more than fitting my hand, my style, etc etc......a whole lot more.

Thank God we all don't think the same.....some bows would REALLY be high dollar, LOL.

As is, we have a plethora of bows to choose from both new and used to fulfill our lives with such as we need to continue down the path we have chosen.

There is no "better" bow to me than the one that graces the shadows of the woods in my hand each fall, be it longbow, recurve..or costing me 25 bucks or 500.

and now Ill shut the H up...

God Bless

[the longbowkid]

ive shot and killed with both, its definitely a butter or margerine sort of thing, whatever you like best. Ive shifted pretty much solely to longbows due to the speed you can get with newer short rd bows. as far as recurves being more accurate, that would be false. there can be a signifigant speed diference, which would make some longbows more challenging to shoot

[LimBender]

Longbowkid, I was really hoping you'd say recurves win hands down.      

I'm too inexperienced and the ones I've shot have been so different, it would be apples/oranges for me.  

What would be cool to see is stat comparisons (draw curve, fps, quietness) on a takedown using thesame riser and same angles, with recurve and lb limbs made of the same materials for different limbs.  But maybe that's a bit too compoundy.    :p

[kongo]

My opinion , unless you're talking about a Hill style L/B , everything else is more recurve then L/B. You will have to work harder to master the L/B .

[Night Wing]

I have no accuracy problems with recurves, but I do have accuracy problems with a longbow. I gave up on trying to shoot a longbow and own only recurves now.

[Friend]

Critters don't know whether you were shooting a curve, longbow or hybrid. However, you do.

Personal fit, personal preferance and personal enjoyment should be the guide if you have to choose one. Many love variety and shoot both. Also, keep in mind that adequate time with each type is required in order to ascertain which may be best for you. Sometimes we ,ourselves, don't know what we really want unitl it is revealed to us.

Curves and longbows can be quite different to shoot with the end results possibly down to splitting hairs. Experience both such that you may not be robbed of what you might find that you personally prefer and come to appreciate what each has to offer.

The only issues I have with either is me.

[Brett Wilmore]

Nobody mentioned yet...maybe because it's fairly obvious but...longbows are usually quieter (if you use string silencers to kill the "boing") due to no string-slap against the limbs.  I've seen them shoot with such a whisper, I can't imagine a deer jumping the string.

Heh that post may provoke some good advice on quieting-down recurves...

[Stumpkiller]

Can't pass up on a topic like this to pass the mud season.

Used-to-was a longbow was a different beast than a recurve.  Now, if someone lined up 20 bows and took a picture that only showed the inner 30" of a bow you couldn't tell which were recurves vs. longbows for most of them.  We have hybrid American flatbows that have overwhelmed the longbow niche.

Here's my spin on "Hill Style" (why not Bill Negley style?) longbow vs. a Ben Pearson style recurve.

Firing 10 arrows at a 10-X target:

The longbow may yield a score of 96 with 2 in the 10-X, 5 in the 10, two 9s and one 8.

The recurve may yield a score of 96 with 6 in the 10X, two 10, one 9 and one 6.

The recurve will throw that six if you miss one moment of concentration or a form flaw creeps in.  The longbow may not produce the same number of Xs. but it is overall more consistant.  At least that was my observation (well, if you swap a "76" for the "96" score with either).  I tended to have an "altitude" error at various distances as my longbow was a snoozer vs. the much flatter trajectory of the recurves . . . though  have a couple slow recurves as well.

[ARCHER2]

Yep, like Mr. Rob said, whatever feels the goodest to you, lol.......and shoots the bestest for you! I like both. Good luck whichever way you go.
                             Charlie

[Bjorn]

I shoot both and can't tell the difference anymore-I can differentiate between bows-as in 'I like this more than that'- but not between LB and RC.

[Plumber]

I own both I really just started with a recurve.I have shot recurves in the past but never stayed with them long enough .I just seem to see around a longbow better.It is also what I started with maybe that has something to do with it.but I can assure you of one thing my friend you cant go wrong with either,.

[bartcanoe]

I've always shot recurves, but I may be a longbow convert.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=101740

[Knapper]

Howard Hill was once asked why he did not shoot a recurve and his answer was that he could not shoot one as well as a long bow.

[Tulku]

I enjoy this topic quite a bit.

Personally I started with Recurves and eventually came to appreciate longbows as my go to bows.

I have always been a sucker for a beautiful recurve, but I started shooting heavy bows 3-under (well, heavy for me at 65 to 70lbs) and I've noticed that recurves are more sensitive to this than longbows.

I have also come to appreciate that 'Longbow' feeling, and as much as I am attracted to beautifully constructed recurves I would not choose a recurve over a longbow because it was more attractive IMHO, (I can say that now, but only because I have tried my fair share of beautiful recurves)
To be honest I still get caught up in the Recurve mystique now and then and I will from time to time pick up a new one to have a summer fling with, but after the glamor wears off I Thank God my Longbow is still there when I come back to my senses...

I am not so sure that one can always declare how a bow will shoot based on the curve of the limbs. I have Howard Hill style bows that are faster than recurves that I have owned at the same draw length and weight. I have shot deer and pheasants on the move with recurves and Hill style bows.  As far how a bow will affect how I shoot it depends more on the handle than the shape of the limb.  If a bow  has a high grip it will require that your hand go straighter into it and that your bow arm needs to be straighter or your hand will tend to torque off of some deep grip shapes. For those that shoot low wrist recurves and low wrist long bows of the same degree there is no change in form to adapt from one bow to the next. Almost any good bow that is properly tuned and tillered will shoot fine.  Now, if you want to get into the Howard Hill style and shoot them more like Hill, you may need to rethink how you use your gear and how you adapt your form.  It is possible to shoot a Hill bow with the same form as a recurve if it has a locator grip, but if it has a traditional Hill style grip you will have more fun and rewards by taking the advise from the experts with those bows, like John Schulz and Howard Hill.  I never try to reinvent a wheel that someone else has perfected.  While there may be aspects from person to person that vary from the Hill form model, it is either the starting point or the ending goal of most who shoot them.  When one looks at how good the Hills and Schulz boys can shoot, it certainly gives credence to philosophy of how to shoot a longbow.

[Sixby]

I'm kind of like Bjorn. I shoot both equally. and no I am not going into which direction the equally is.

God Bless you all, Steve

[Dave Thaxton]

I have both and shoot both. I really don't have a preference of one over the other. It just depends on which bow comes off the rack on any given day.

Dave