I have been thinking about changing to shooting a long,bow and hang up my recurves for a while to see if I will shoot any different. My big consurn is the length of the long bow to hunt on the ground or in a blind. I have been a recurve shooter for 27 years and love the curve and stile of the recurve, I do like the feel of the long bow and the weight. Any one of you made a Chang and are glad you did?
I changed to longbow. It took some getting used to because of thr straight grip. I really like it though. I hunt from the ground with a 70" hill style bow. No problem.
Thanks Jerry
I have owned quite a few big name recurves. I got a wild hair this year and purchased a Toelke Whip. My winter 3D scores have gone up on average 30 points. And I feel like its the most accurate bow/grip combo i've ever shot. I have been pleasantly surprised with the performance of the Toelke bows, they're awesome.
After years of shooting recurves, I got my first longbow in may of last year. It took a while to become proficient with it but it is the only bow I shoot anymore.
I just got my first longbow earlier this year. I bought a bodnik slick stick which has a grip similar to a recurve. It is also 58in vs my 62 and 60in recurves. I won't say I think one is superior however now that I have some properly tuned arrows for my longbow I feel I shoot it so much better than my recurves. I will be shooting only this bow all year and using it for hunting turkey and deer. (besides bowfishing)-I use a cheaper curve for that
I started out shooting recurves and within two years got my first longbow. I have never looked back and been shooting longbows since. Sold the recurves.
Bought longbow last fall after a limb-break on my recurve. Just love it! The recurve has got new limbs, but is hangin' on the wall. I'm a longbow man true and true.
I have always shot Black Widow recurves ( 19).years. 1.5 years ago I decided to try to learn and shot a lot grow as well as I shot my Widows. I bought a Big Jims Buffalo Bow. I sold my Widow 2 weeks ago. Nuff said
I started shooting with a recurve, when I got back into shooting in 2008 I started with a recurve but now shoot both LB or recurve, straight grip, low wrist to high wrist doesn't matter, I guess I'm one of the lucky one's but, I do stay after my form, maybe that's it.
Well, if you get a hybrid "longbow" that is as much recurve as longbow you won't find much difference. If you go with what we have usually thought of as a longbow (and since you are concerned with length you probably are)--I mean the "Hill style", then there will be more of a learning curve. But there is something about those light, wand-like bows that gets into your system. Fun to shoot, more than sufficient to take anything you want to hunt. That being said, there is really no need to go exclusively one way or the other--I enjoy all of them--recurves, hybrids, and longbows. Guess I'm just a hopeless addict. :rolleyes:
I shot Black Widow, Dale Dye, Eaglewing recurves, but when I switched to longbows-That was it for me. I will be selling all my recurves!
P.S. I have two 56" longbows for tight situations, but preferr 62".
It all depends on how picky you are about grip feel and how much you are willing to work at it...there are a lot of configurations that might be called longbow and some, as has been stated earlier, are very close to being a recurve...my RER LXR for example is a 3 piece takedown with a set of static tip and a set of radically reflexed longbow limbs...both sets of limbs are the same draw weight and I think I shot them pretty well interchangably...there seems to be some sort of myth out there that the recurve/longbow debate is an either/or...for me it is an "and"...I shoot recurves and longbows on a regular basis having more recurves because of my collecting habit...I just shoot some of them a bit better than others...I have, of course, enjoyed buying bows from people who think it is either/or
DDave
I changed over and am glad I did. It just seems to suit my style. Shooting from brush blinds and elevated stands is not a problem once you learn to allow for the greater length of the longbow. However, it does cause problems in tent blinds, but I don't like them, anyway.
I would suggest you try the longbow but hang on to the curve. Lots of folks commonly shoot both. Shooting one does not rule out shooting the other.
I shot a bob Lee recurve.for about 5 yrs I never really got to the point where I was satisfied with my shooting. I wanted to try something else. Preferably with a smaller grip. I decided I never tried a longbow so I started reading up on them. I stumbled on an article written by Joe Blake on the hybrid longbow and how it takes the best attributes of a recurve and a longbow to give you the ultimate huntimg bow.
So I decided on a Big Jim Buffalo. The bow is 60" long. I wanted a longer one but jim talked me out of it. if I were getting a D style or HH style then I would need longer. So I went with his advice. He did however guarantee it. He said if for any reason whatsoever that I was not satisfied with the bow he would build me another one ASAP. Needles to say I love my buffalo my Bob Lee doesn't se much action any more. and Im very glad I made the switch. I may try a hill style someday but as of right now I'm very happy.
Tim.
I make the change weekly, sometimes daily. Always have a number of longbows and recurves in my bow rack. I use the bow suited for the task. Usually use a shorter recurve for blind hunting. Other than in a blind, I find that bow length doesn't make much difference in hunting situations.
I'm with Orion. I'd be heartbroken if I was told I could only shoot one.
Was shooting a Silvertip in 1983. Went to a PBS banquet in around 1985 and test drove a longbow and thought I would never shoot one. Next year I build my first longbow and shot one ever since. Go figure!
I shoot both - no plans on ever changing that
I have shot both for many years and hunted with both. I like them both or should say three because I like Hills too.
That all said if a customer is vacillating between a D and R and a Static Recurve I just tell them that when I go hunting now I use a D and R longbow. Why? I love the way they shoot and look and feel but I also am able to push pull string one if I cut or break a string. Its really just that simple to me. I do this for the simplicity and integrity of the entire system. The D and R fits that bill perfectly and as far as I am concerned is the perfect traditional hunting tool.
A well made D and R leaves nothing on the table in speed, shootability or simplicity or quietness. They just have it all IMHO.
God bless, Steve
I shot a Bear Kodiak Hunter for 10 years, then shot a Howatt Hunter for years. Bought a Black Widow longbow in 1993 and have shot longbows since. Have the Black Widow 66", a Howard Hill 68", Have made about a dozen selfbows, and am currently shooting an old Root longbow made in about 1956. My recurves have been collecting dust for quite a few years now. I like the lightweight of the longbow in hand, and haven't had any problems with the length. Most of my selfbows have been 64 to 68".
QuoteOriginally posted by Bladepeek:
I'm with Orion. I'd be heartbroken if I was told I could only shoot one.
I am another one of those boys I like having a good time with all. :archer2:
Started with a recurve. Then went to Hybrid Longbows, then Longbows. Now I own a Black Widow PSAIII and 3 Longbows. A Wes Wallace Royal 2 piece, a 1997 Jim Johnson Legend Longbow, and my newest a Kititinny Tank Killer made by Mike Robin. I have a Wes Wallace Grey Stealth 3 piece takedown on order also. Just love shooting recurves and Longbows. If I'm going hunting ,the day before I'll grab a bow off the rack shoot the snot out of her and take it out the next day.
Same story here, been shooting a recurve since before I was a teen. Got a Daala and it served me well. When I wound up with a Thunder child I was a convert. Now I am rehabbing with my wifes Buffalo and it feels like a bow I've had forever. Deadly accurate with both of them and never looking back. The daala just gathers dust now.
From a $$$$schafer silvertip lb to a yardsale $ben pearson recurve i shoot them all. I like the variety.
A fellow on you tube who is a phenominal archer/hunter shoots the recurve and longbow the same, really well! Lol. Jeff kavanagh. I learned a lot from him. Ie, how,to hold the different bows.
I dont intend to be a world champion shooter or the next Howard. I intend on having fun and meeting awesome people for such a solo sport. Its just you, the bow(s), and the arrow. ;)
Enjoy
I shot Black Widow recurves for years.I always thought they were a little noisy but thought the added mass helped with my accuracy so I stuck with them.I owned a few over the years and just recently sold beloved PSA.I now have a Centaur longbow and am wondering why I didn't switch years ago.This bow is so much quieter and more accurate(for me) than any Recurve I have ever shot.
I shot recurves from the time i was a little kid up until ten years ago when a friend of mine loaned me an old Hill style longbow and three arrows to try out. The first time i drew back it just felt right. Within twenty minutes i was shooting better than i ever had with a recurve.
Since then i have been through several longbows of various makers and handle/limb lengths-designs and have figured out what works best for me. I have tried from time to time to shoot a recurve since my switch but there is no comparison. I just shoot longbows better.
Spot and stalk and calling tend to be my main methods of hunting, and i've never found overall length of a longbow to be an issue.
I only own longbows now. I prefer the straight grip.
How about clearance for hunting on the ground, any thing I should keep in mind when I order one???
For me I started out shooting longbows and have shot them for many years.But in recent years have acquired some nice recurves and have come to shoot them as well as my longbows.I enjoy shooting both equally!
This is crazy but I was deer hunting yesterday (Arkansas is open til Feb 28) and was replying to this very thread when a fox came in.I threw my phone in my pocket,grabbed my bow and nailed it with my new Centaur.I've only had the bow a week and this was my first hunt with it.