Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: tomh on October 23, 2007, 04:50:00 AM
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I was wondering how everyone decided what kind of bow to shoot in the beginning.
I bought a longbow because I liked the way they look better than recurves. I went into 3 Rivers warehouse and they had a used Montana on the back wall.
They let me shoot it a little, and I got it for a great price. I shot a couple Tomahawks too, but for $150, i could not pass up the Montana.
So I have never shot a recurve yet, but am thinking about it. I may have to find me a nice used one someday soon.
Besides bow hand grip is it a big difference switching back and forth?
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I shot a recurve since 1960. And shot it pretty well too. I was once asked to be on PSE's shooting team when they came out with their recurves back in the 80's.
Iwas at Dan Quillen's shop in Athens Georgia one night when Dan said you need to be shooting a Longhunter, Dan's design of a bamboo longbow. I figured he was kust trying to sell me something but I shot a few bows, shot pretty good and I really felt like I was getting more out of them than I ever did any recurve. I picked up one particular bow and put five arrows in the 5" dot from 20 yards. Hmmmmmmmm...... shot a few more and they shot ok then went back to that one bow and put 4 out of 5 in the 5" circle again. The next Tuesday night I went there again and won the Freeman round Dan used to have against some pretty darn good shooters like DeeDee Quillen, Greg Campbell.
Now I only shoot a recurve on occasion and have made some unconcious shots on game with longbows. They just seem to be more of a natural extension of me.
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I look at it purely from a hunting perspective.
I shoot best with bows under 60" and like short handy bows from which I can shoot vaned arrows from an elevated rest. This pretty much rules out longbows.
My current favorites are a 58" 55#@28" Martin Mamba, 52" 55#@28" Bear K-Mag (for ground blinds), and 60" 55#@29" Kota Prairie Swift...
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I still haven't decided. I have a number of both, and love them all equally. I know for sure I could be a better shot if I just made up my mind and stuck with one of them. But I just like them all too much to do that!
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Originally posted by Whip:
I still haven't decided. I have a number of both, and love them all equally. I know for sure I could be a better shot if I just made up my mind and stuck with one of them. But I just like them all too much to do that!
I couldn't have said it better!! I am the same way.
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I started shooting a old bear recurve, till I found a crack in the riser that was getting bigger. I then got , after trying like 10 bows...My used Shrew 54"... been shooting it now for 2 Years. I also found I shoot a long bow better then recurves.
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what Whip said
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I use to shoot only long bows but a friend hurt his shoulder and I received his custom Brackenbury recurve. It shot so well that I almost quit shooting my long bows.The only problem that I had was that it didn't seem to do as well as my long bows on the awkward shots that seem to alway occur while hunting.I still can't say that I love one over the other.They both are dear to my heart. :)
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I'm still trying to decide. I started shooting in Feb of this year and have owned 2 longbows and 4 recurves. I have settled on two main bows(recurves) and currently think that I am a recurve man. But I like the way many of the new r/d longbows look and will certainly own one again one day. But for now, I need to settle on one or the other to work on shooting form and consistency.
I also like t/d recurves because you get a riser that is cut to or past center which for a newbie, makes arrow tuning much easier.
Mark
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I've only owned and shot acouple of longbows since I started shooting in the very early 60s. My first bow was an old Pearson hickory straight bow. Since I have owned a couple more but I primarily am a recurve shooter. I couldn't really say either is "better" than the other. I've seen phenomenal shooters using each type.I think my bows picked me, they are all (13)very similar to one another.
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I think IT decided. not so much my decision.
ChuckC
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I shoot whichever one suits my fancy on any given day. Started with a longbow then shot recurve for many years because there really weren't any longbows available to me up here. Things changed and now I have both again.
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Can't decide, I own many of both.
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Yeah, What BobCo1965 Said!! :archer: :biglaugh:
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I blew up a borrowed vintage recurve, and said "I don't want to do that again". Hunting partner was shooting a LB at the time and I thought it was cool. Talked to a seller who favored Lb's. I got a LB. Later I got a recurve. It sits on the rack gathering dust. I like the LB... recurves are just not as appealing to me for some reason. That might change...
All comes down to liking what you have.
BobW
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I grew up close to Mr. Hill and met him a few times. Watching him shoot was a big influence on me shooting longbows.
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I too had the same dilemma back then,ended up with a longbow.Reason?? PURE SIMPLICITY!!!
Gil
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I own both but noticed that no matter how much I switched back and forth, there was one bow, an Archery Traditions Patriot recurve, that I always shot best so it became my primary hunting bow. I plan on retiring it when it takes its 100th animal, but don't know if I can put it down. That will probably happen next year some time.
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I own plenty of both too but now that the R/D's are getting so good the question is becoming a bit meaningless, for me anyway and switching is 'automatic'.
I'm trying hard to only shoot my ACS but every now and again I fall off the wagon and shoot a Morrison, Fedora, or an old Bear and then wonder why I did that-just an addiction I guess-12 step maybe?
Shooting only one bow and one spec of arrows has really improved my accuracy and arrow making skills.
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When I first started archey again as an adult.
A local guy I was talking to told me to get a Compound bow and to stay away from the Longbows, He said they were to hard to shoot, So I went out and got a Longbow, I like the looks of them....And I love there history....
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I also have both and have shot both for many years. However, like Biggie, I think the longbow just suits my style better. I do not have very good form and that seems to show up more when shooting recurves. I just sold my DAS which is an incredible recurve. But my Black Widow Longbow is just very forgiving of my errors in release and anchor and combined with the forgiveness of a heavy arrow (580 gr +)it quitely delivers the goods to where I am looking.
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I shot a recurve with an elevated rest for several decades; and then switched to a longbow. I shoot off the shelf; and getting to the point where I did that well; was difficult. I still find myself sometimes holding the bow totally vertical; and shooting like I did with the recurve.
When I am practicing I had enough shots that flew so true: that I could not let go of the longbows. It was a Bamboo Quillian longhunter that spoiled me. I have made so many perfect shots that I cannot think of picking up my recurve- even though I loved my bear recurves!
I really desire shooting without effort; like an extention of my being. I have found that with the longbow; and although somedays are diamond and somedays are stone... I really like the way the longbow shoots the arrow.
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i have shot wheel bows recurve bows and longbows and for me its the simple things in life that make this sport a great thing so its got to be longbows you cant get it any more simple than that. any way i have to keep on trying them all and the only way to do that is buy and swap. :biglaugh:
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I still haven't deceided!!! I shoot my Black Widow PSA III the best of all my bows. But I enjoy shooting my Treadway and Horne's longbows alot more. Seems like I am starting to lean more toward longbows. But they are all so much fun to shoot, you just can't have one!!! :biglaugh:
Bill
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I am more consistant with a recurve. That decided it for me. That said...I have a used ACS-CX that I am shooting pretty well. I keep coming back to the Blacktails though.
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What Whip said.
Also, I'll add that my two big issues have always been, 1) how comfortable it is in the hand, I don't like a straight longbow grip and prefer a dished or pistol style grip. 2) how it feels to draw. I don't like short bows (60" and below) and like a smooth draw for a comfortable anchor.
Every bow I've shot had a different feel. Some Recurves I've shot were smoother than some Longbows. Some Longbow handles were more comfortable in the palm than some recruves. So you have to keep an open mind and shoot as many bows you can get your hands on.
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re-curve - more stable upon the loosing of the arrow..longbow - quicker to point and seems a bit more natural to use. The length of the longbow can be hard to get use to in heavy cover
I have shot longbow exclusively since I bought my first from Dan Quillon in 1991. I will also be the first to admit that I am sometimes envious of the stability demonstrated by my fellow shooters using a heavy risered re-curve......Thus, when O.L. finishes my bow it will be the the take down variety to add some mass in the handle.
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After shooting a recurve for a few years, I purchased a JD Berry Yahweh and then a Renaissance. I felt they were part of my arm when extended. I found I like a high hand to point and shoot which they offer. A recent Halfbreed I picker up offers the same style grip.
Also for many there's the romance thing about a longbow. Those who shoot a longbow cannot say it does not exist.
Brace height also made a factor, once I realized different one's existed. I much prefer a low brace height of 6 1/2" which is more typical with a longbow then with a recurve which may be 7 1/2". It feels much smoother to draw then starting what feels like halfway even though there may be onlt 1" difference.
Many also prefer longbow due to no window issues.
I will say though I shot a quikstik Guru owns and would absolutely be the recurve should I want to own another reurve. Maybe at the next LJMBH I'll get to see it again. :pray:
Got the best bow for the best price, but diffinetly shoot both. You may not know what ya missing.
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I like shooting both. I have had many bows over the years I wish I still had both recurve and longbows. I have settled in on 2 recurves, Sovereign and Assenheimer, For longbows I really like Abbots. My shooting style favors the recurve more but there is a mystique about the longbow and keeps me shooting them.
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Yea! What everybody said...... I shot recurves for years. They are fast, accurate and handy but not as quiet as a longbow. Cause I enjoy stalking and still hunting I've gone to the longbow for its' quietness.
... mike ...
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Like everyone, I have shot both. I just love the Martin BushMaster and Steve Abbott....Go figure.
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I like both longbows and recurves. I shoot longbows most of the time but when I get a hankering to shoot a recurve I use one that has the same handle/grip so it's not such a big switch. Here's a pair of 54 inchers I'm hunting with this year, one straight and one recurve. They help me overcome my fickleness. :rolleyes: ... :D
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Shrews_%20a_pair.JPG)
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I couldn't ....so I shoot both
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I shoot a longbow and a recurve about the same, but longbows are my first love. The first bow I ever pulled was a longbow my grandpa gave me. It is long gone, but I still like a longbow (make that LONG bow, I prefer at least 66", or more). I have a Martin Savannah and it shoots well, but it isn't as fun or romantic as my 66" Howard Hill-style Ben Pearson longbow!
RonP
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Lots of great answers here and I don't need to add a thing... but I will. It has been a natural progression for me. Training wheels - recurve - hybrid - longbow. The recurve was an easy decision and was made simply because I was tired of the unnecessary homework and gadgetry of the compound. The recurve with a "pistol" grip seemed to be the quickest way to graduate to traditional (I also had a misconception that it would be a more effective hunting tool). I switched to the hybrid because I was trying to find a compromise that would give good performance (speed) while being quieter than the recurve. It seems as though the deer where I hunt are perpetually on edge, and in an effort to get bow noise to an absolute minimum, I changed to a more traditional longbow. I've learned that I can shoot any of the above well enough with proper practice. I've also learned that antsy deer are hard to kill with a loud bow and quiet is what brings home the venison. Personally, I also don't care much for pre-load and like a more smooth progression of the draw force. I still own a recurve and enjoy playing with them but when it's time to get serious I reach for the longbow. I still like a locator grip though, no straight grips for me.
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I got my first bow a Person recurve 45# in 1971, still have and still shoot it. But I also have a longbow. Find I shoot my recurves more, I do enjoy shooting that longbow, even got a good buck with it last year. Just enjoy shooting both.
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Some great answers here guys, thanks. Guess I will just bide my time for a while and shoot what comes my way when I get the chance.
I started out wanting to shoot traditional bows, but the archery shop guys talked me into a shooting a compound with my fingers. I could do that fine, but every once in a while I would get an arrow that just totally went off target and could never figure out why. So at this point I have never killed a deer except with a shotgun or smoke pole.
I shoot the longbow ok, not good enough to hunt yet, but it is way more fun than anything else I have shot. The simplicity is what I was always after.
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really the best thing to do; is to go to a traditional shoot; or a place where traditional shooters practice; and ask them if you can try their bows. You can try different bow types; weights; arrow types... all kinds of stuff.
I love my longbow; but I shot a cheetah HH longbow and fell in love.
However; I know there are other bows out there I will fall in love with; and going out and shooting bows and arrows matched by the person that loves the way their bow shoots is the only real answer for you.
So seek us out; track us down; ask if you can shoot our bows; and then... then decide.
Its not about speed; or muscle; or price. Its about how much your heart is thrilled...
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Hi Brian,
Don't know if you saw my other post asking about who was demonstrating archery at the Bonner County Gunshow late last winter. I did not get the chance to talk to them, but I am trying to track some traditional folks down. Any info about Northern Idaho trad types is most appreciated.
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keep shootin as many bows as possible till the right bow chooses you. then buy a few more different ones for good measure.
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Ha, my only problem is that the things that choose me, end up to be absolute highest price, top of the line ;-)
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Ron what model is the straight bow in the picture? That one looks mighty interesting!
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Tom, it's the Shrew Classic Hunter.
http://shrewbows.com/shrewclassic.htm
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Got into this because of watching videos-wensel and too short actually-I was shootin wheelie bow and just thought that those recurves would be much better suited to hunting situations than a wheelie like I was currently shootin. I was right-bought a tip just like wensel's-now I just got my second one in. Been huntin with em ever since.
I like both-I hunt with a curve, I just like recurves?? I like shooting longbows too and have been looking at the GN flatbow? think it is called the bushbow? but not now-gotta get a canoe first.
J
P.S.
Went into a local pro shop the other day and saw the amount of "stuff" on the wall for wheelies and it is strange.
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J-dog
I just bought my first canoe this spring. I can't wait until I can hunt from it someday. Something about paddling a canoe and shooting a longbow just go together. I saw some pic's on here of Ron La Clair in his canoe, loaded with deer, that were just great. Gets the blood pumping for sure.
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I have to say growing up in MI and having Bear bows made here and for sale at every store made it a very tough choice. :rolleyes:
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I chose a long bow from reading HH's opinions about bows, so, all I have are a couple Hill longbows. Shot a shrew recurve and liked it well enough though and will end up with a shorter bow like that soon enough...