Stickbow Target Archery Forums

longbowguy, oladcock, and others of you who want to chime in:n
I learned on a recurve, I shoot a recurve, I love the recurve But every so often I get this strange urge to shoot longbow.

The one time I succumbed to this urge, I bought a used 21st Century Edge, and although it is a beautiful and functional bow, it is night and day from a recurve, I decided it was impractical to switch back and forth between recurve and longbow, and I sold it.

But, still, every once in a while, that urge to shoot longbow comes back. So I ask, especially of you who post about shooting both longbow and Olympic recurve, is there a longbow out there for recurve shooters? Or, will it always be a very different animal, and anyone who shoots both must support two very different styles of shooting?

I've been told the Triple Crown from FOX is very recurve like in the handle and riser area. Pictures I've seen seem to support this.

A more affordable option might be the Bob Lee Stick. It has a nice pistol grip and a fairly long riser, by longbow stadards. I sold the one I had because it was too short for my un-naturally long draw, not because there was anything wrong with it otherwise.

Dave

Arc, I'm grew up with recurves too and if you'd asked me 15-20 years ago if I would ever shoot a longbow, the answer would have been not no but hell no! For most even switching back and forth between 2 recurves would mean they probably wouldn't be as efficient with either one then if they picked one and stuck with it. Personally I can do fairly well between 2 bows IF I shoot different styles as in sights and the whole shebang on one and barebow on the other. Can't do 2 different ones barebow for squat.

Longbows are only so much different cause someone built them that way, it's not the "bows" fault...In large part it's the lack of mass in the risers....Any torque or movement during the shot with a 16 ounce bow will be greatly magnified over the same error in a 3 pound bow no matter what limbs it has.
Longbows have been held back in their potential from the preception they are "inferior" and by rules designed to conforn to someones paradigm of what "traditional" is. Longbows all but went extinct in the 50-70's for good reason....Compared to recurves they were not pleasent to shoot and their performance sucked but they only did so cause the great designers of the "traditional" age didn't put any effort into making them better. You'll notice today, the shoots and organizations that put the most restrictions to keep the bows "traditional" have the least attendance and interest. With the majority anyway, you'll always have a few that like root canals! "Traditional" classes are a good thing but have a "Modern" class to so we can see what their potential realy is without arbitrary boundries. Funny story, Norb Mullaney and archery hall of fame inductee likes to shoot a longbow with an elevated rest and has done so since the 60's, got lectured by a youngster who didn't know who he was on that wasn't "traditional".

Yep, they are different animals but they can be tamed with open minds! ....O.L.

ArCaster:
The closest to a recurve grip I've used is the Edge-- pretty good but not very much like a recurve. But I'm able to switch with little difficulty, even to straight handled longbows.

I do try to hold them all in a similar way-- fairly loosely and with the knuckles angled outward about 30 degrees. I place most of the weight of the draw mostly in line with the upper bone of the forearm, inward from the base of the thumb. The rest of the weight is taken by the meat of the thumb just above that. I let each kind of grip, whether a deep recurve one on or a straight longbow one, press the hand and wrist into its own vertical angle subject to the outward angle. I try to keep the wrist and hand as relaxed as I can- neither 'heeling' nor using 'high wrist', but relaxing and allowing the bow to find its position and movement during the shot process. My hand looks more heeled with a longbow and the wrist is higher with the recurve but this is from the shape of the handle, not any muscular effort on my part.
This in turn places the center of the hand's force lower on the bow with the longbow, and that in turn tends to throw the arrow higher, noticable at short range.
I believe my hold also makes longbows more comfortable to shoot than a firm 'suitcase handle' type of hold. I can feel various longbows work in the hand, but I do not perceive this as shock. I take more pleasure from a bow that feels light and lively than one that feels 'dead in the hand.' I do score about 20% higher with the heavy and dead ones, but some other factors, mainly the arrows, go into that.

The heavy and dead one I score 20% higher than my longbow with is a metal riser Olympic recurve. With my old one piece wooden target recurves I score about 10% higher and that I credit to aluminum arrows rather than the wooden ones I use in the longbow. With equal arrows the longbow can hang pretty near a wooden recurve in my experience. But it took a lot of careful work to get the margin down that low. The longbow is very difficult to master. That is part of its appeal.

Start adding metal to the recurve and the mass aids stability. But I don't care to lug the metal through forest and field. Lightness in the hand and simplicity are further charms of the longbow. Add a full recurve handle and a massive riser and it may cease to be a longbow.

LBG, It works the other way too. Some of the worst bows for handshock and keeping control of was recurves with "longbow" grips like some make. Again, it has nothing to do with what limbs it has on it. Does that make them a longbow because of the grip and low mass?? I fail to see the logic if a longbow has a recurve grip it's no longer a "longbow" but a recurve with a longbow grip is still a recurve?? Maybe you are right, it's no longer a "longbow", it's "better" bow! ....O.L.

OL:
I won't argue with that. Hereabouts there are many bowhunters who rarely shoot targets but who have chosen a modern reflex-deflex pistol-grip hybrid type of bow for the fine hunting implement that it is. And I have long supported encouraging them to participate in our various target matches.

I do have an objection to target specialists who bring three piece bows with risers the size of two by four, a deep pistol grip and extra metal such as 'bow quiver brackets', and enter the longbow classes. I have no objection to your lean and graceful longbow designs. There is no bow I would rather outshoot, or try to. And I do think recurve risers and heavy metal belong in the recurve divisions at target events. I note that you have taken aim at FITA recurve with your longbow limbs and I wish you success at it.

But I hope that the ancient, slender and light longbow design will never be entirely pushed aside by by clumsy, massive and metal laden designs.

LBG, Yep, I have no problem with putting the metal risers in the recurve class and I surely have no problem with having a "Historical" or Primitive class. Pretty much after bows began to use fiberglass, any differences in shape and design was because someone that puts their pants on one leg at a time made them the way they were but the sky was the limit. What many consider "Traditional" today would be way different had they not simply copied wood bow designs with glass.

Yep, toying with the target side a bit, I've also done some "D" shaped that nobody can tell from a "Hill" at 6 feet just to show it's a concept, not a design. I've got a lot going on with the target version right now and hope by next spring to have more of them out there....O.L.

"I've also done some "D" shaped that nobody can tell from a "Hill" at 6 feet"n
I could
I saw a picture of one, not even close to the graceful lines of a Hill bow.

O.L. will the D shape longbow have the acs section?

But Hank, you are special! A couple of links so others can judge your agendas, ones a Hill, the other an ACS.....

[url=http://www.bowmaker.
et/images/dsc00297.jpg]http://www.bowmaker.
et/images/dsc00297.jpg[/url]
[url=http://www.bowmaker.
et/images/dsc00300.jpg]http://www.bowmaker.
et/images/dsc00300.jpg[/url]
Redbow, it's a concept not a "design", can be used in any configuration.....O.L.

Sweet! I want one! How much of one of those bows could I get for $300?

Todd, Almost to the bottom of the riser! ...O.L.

LOL....I'll get it one piece at a time....can I assemble it with gorilla glue?