Musings on recurves vs. longbows

[maineac]

Let me start by saying these are observations   I have made, and opinions I have formed on my journey in Traditional archery.  

I love recurves for their beauty and the size of the palate they offer bowyers.  The larger handle allow greater variation in grain and wood combo's.  The larger risers also tend to add mass and can help in accuracy.  In a target situation I can stack arrows with my heavy risered recurve like none of my other bows.  The wider limbs seem to give the recurve a stability as well, like holding the axle of a spinning wheel.  This might be more due to a thicker handle, but my brain links it to the limbs.

Even though the canvas is smaller the right combination of wood laminations and limb veneers can make longbows breath taking. Longbows are lighter and quicker feeling in the hand.  I personally like the smaller feel in the handle.  Even though I am a bit more accurate with my recurve, the longbow feels more natural in my hand and coming up for a shot.  Longbows are also less forgiving in the form category from y observation.  When I shoot my longbows more my form is dramatically better, because if it is not my accuracy is terrible.  

As I have progressed I find myself leaning more towards the long bows.  I recently purchased a used recurve on the classifieds.  It is the most beautiful bow I own, and one of the most beautiful I have seen.  I can shoot it well and for 44#s it flings a 620 grain arrow with authority.  After shooting longbows for the last couple of years it feels big in my hand.
I don't know where this was going, but my wife does not want to talk about this type of thing, so I thought I would share it with those who might have some interest.  Any observations form others who are enjoying the trad life?

[awbowman]

My thoughts exactly with an added comment.  The more I get into this trad bow stuff, the less I care if I can shoot better with a heavy recurve  ....... I WANT to stay a longbow man.

It's not all about the kill anyway, and inside 25 yards, who cares if you can stack then better with the recurve, I am confident with the LB at that distance.  

And no, my wife doesn't understand me either when I talk bows!  

[danderson]

I can not get into a longbow anymore. I started with a 40 pounder but the grip feels very unnatural. Tilting my wrist downwards just doesn't feel right versus the pistol grip design of a recurve, I can find where my hand settles in the same way every time.

I also prefer the way recurves draw, but thats like everything else, to each his own

[Bowwild]

You laid out the attributes of a recurve very well for me! I can't get past them to even try a longbow.

[awbowman]

That's what's so good about trad bows, to each his own.

[7 Lakes]

I just like to push up the string on a longbow and go.  

No worries about twisted limbs or where's my bow stringer.  Bow stringers always seem inherently dangerous to me.  I'm always waiting for one end to break loose and as my mother was fond of saying "you'll put out your eye".

I like simple, beautiful and a long graceful curve.

[BWD]

I have both and shoot recurves better than longbows; however, there's just something about a longbow I can't let go of.
If I didn't shoot recurves better, I wouldn't own any. Don't like to hunt with them, and 1 pc. recurves are a pain to pack up when it's time for them to move away from home.

[Frank V]

I may be disgreed with here, but this is what I've found.
I started in the early 60s with a recurve. It was a Bear Hunter.

I shot recurves for a lot of years, then tried a longbow. Wow I loved it & for about the next 5 years shot only longbows. My recurves hung on pegs. Then I started getting the Bear itch again & bought a new SuperK. I shot it for several years along with my longbow. I find I like them both. I switch depending on what I want to do at the time. Last year I took both Elk hunting & switched off. No Elk, but had a great time. I will probably continue to shoot both as I like both.

I might be a bit more accurate with the recurve, but it's a little bit. I know some who will only shoot one or the other, but I like both & shoot both.
Frank

[hockey7]

Lot's of longbows out there with recurve grips. Get the best of both world's.

[two4hooking]

I find the longbow to be way more accurate for me than the short recurve.  The long straight limbed LBs are way more tolerant of form issues for me.  Less string pinch and a more gradual pull are also benefits for me.

I wish I was good enough to shoot the shorter recurves for hunting ease...but I love the light weight and accurate shot of the long longbow.

Cheers!

[PaddyMac]

I could have written Maineac's post. I feel exactly the same way. One thing about form. When I shoot a few dozen arrows in my longbow and then shoot my recurve, my groups are so tight it usually costs me at least a nock or a few feathers.

[Hoyt]

Originally posted by Bowwild:
You laid out the attributes of a recurve very well for me! I can't get past them to even try a longbow.

X-2

I'm stuck on long recurves.

[sticksnstones]

Well I'm only a few years into this trip but I too am loving this journey! For the last year I owned 1 each; D, RD, and a recurve and I switched between them frequently. They all taught me lessons and humility at different points, but most importantly it was a way to discover my style. I feel this is a very personal journey and I'll never disparage someone shooting a bow even if it's one I wouldn't shoot or own personally.

I just began my "fear the man with one bow" year, I have one bow and I plan to shoot *600 shots a week with it wearing out strings and arrows as I go. It's a radical hybrid longbow with a VERY recurve style grip, some might say it's the worst of both worlds, others the best. I'm really happy with it, and to me that is all that counts.

Looking back at my 3 bows from last year; I probably shot the Howard Hill the worst and miss it the most. There is a bit of magic in them Hill bows, when it all comes together...

I don't know where my response was going, but this kinda felt like archery-therapy so I had to participate.
Thom

[Night Wing]

I'm not accurate enough with a longbow to trust myself to take it bowhunting. I dislike the straight grip of a longbow. It feels uncomfortable and foreign to my hand. I also don't like the string slapping my arm upon arrow release. My two recurves don't give me arm slap. I attribute this to my recurves' shelves being cut 3/16" past center.

I tried for two years to master a longbow, but in the end, the longbow mastered me and I sold the longbow to a fellow TG'er.

For me, I'm strictly a recurve man and I've been shooting a recurve now for the last 48 years.

[PaddyMac]

I tried a slight cant with my recurve and everything went flying off low and to the right. I tried shooting my longbow vertical and when I closed my left eye all I saw was the bow limb. Big aha moment. Now cant is meaningless to me. I cant the longbow and the recurve (or not, doesn't matter any more). Another thing is wrist stability. Not such a big deal with the recurve, but when I'd miss, often it is because of a wobble in my wrist. My longbow is like a shock collar on feedback on weak wrist.

[maineac]

I was not trying to paint one better than the other.  I don't have a hill, but a straight wrist d bow, but that is my least favorite.  My two long bows are RD.  I need to give a good hill style bow a chance.  My long bow grips are thinner than my recurve grips, and lower, maybe medium grip.  My shooting if I am on is pretty good with both types, I was just rambling.
Patrick I can identify with your switch from longbow to recurve.  But I feel confident with the longbow out as far as my stands allow, which is close.

[Orion]

I've been shooting sticks for about 50 years.  During that time, I've come full circle about three times, from recurves to longbows to selfbows, etc.  I've always had some of each on the rack, but tended to shoot one style more than another for a fair length of time.  For the past 10-15 years, it's been primarily hybrid longbows. However, killed a turkey a week ago with a 56-inch Bear T?D recurve and will be using it during another turkey season tomorrow.  They're all good.

[PaddyMac]

Originally posted by Orion:
They're all good.

Exactly. There's no way I'm going to stop now... I'm intending quite a habit.

[Sam McMichael]

Maineac, I like your rambling.  It is good to hear about other people's experiences and adventures. Probably, most of us have had some  bad experiences with both types of bow. Also, we have likely had equally great experiences with each. To me it is fun to do both. However, I am primarily a Hill Bow shooter - almost exclusively, but I still ain't planning to get rid of my recurves.

As stated so well previously, theyre all good.

Now the question for myself is whether I am wish-washy or multi-dimensional.

[Biathlonman]

I'm with you all.  I love e everything about a nice R/d longbow, just don't shoot them as well as a recurve.  I think thats why I'm such a huge fans of 50's style bow...