differences in bows

[melsdad]

O.K. tell me the difference between a flat bow, a longbow, and a selfbow. I understand the recurve the difference is obvious....I think.

Another question I have is What is reflex/deflex?

Thanks
Brian

[R H Clark]

A selfbow is an all natural material bow,no glass or carbon.

If my understanding is correct,a flat bow is just like a longbow but with wider flat limbs,not deep core.

There are many kinds of longbows and are defined differently by different groups.In my experience,the most common def is,a bow that the string doesn't touch the limbs anywhere except the string groves when strung.

[Pat B]

A self bow is made of a single piece of wood (or spliced in the handle)from tip to tip. As R H Clark said, the string on a long bow doesn't touch the limb except at the nock. A flat bow is a type of long bow. Today, most consider a flat bow(rectangular cross section) as an American long bow(ALB)or at least an American style bow and an English long bow(ELB) as a bow with a high crowned(deep, more rounded cross section) belly. Some of the oldest bows found were the Holmsgaard and Meare Heath bows of Europe and they both were considered flat bows.
  These days the line between long bows and recurves is getting blurry as their designs are being hybridized.    Pat

[melsdad]

Thank you for the reply's. That makes some sense now!

[Curveman]

I THINK the English longbows also do not have a rest. The arrow is rested on the forefinger of the bow hand. Europeans have very strict rules in most of their competitions. I know OL's "longbow"/hybrid had to be shot in the recurve class in a tourney there for example (great bow, that is not a "dis" in my opinion). Longbows there must maintain a CONTINUOUS "D" shape to be called American Flatbows or Longbows.

[O.L. Adcock]

Curveman, "I know OL's "longbow"/hybrid had to be shot in the recurve class in a tourney there for example (great bow, that is not a "dis" in my opinion). Longbows there must maintain a CONTINUOUS "D" shape to be called American Flatbows or Longbows."

It depends on the organizing body. IBO even my "target" version is legal in the longbow class. NAA and FITA it falls in the American longbow class and does not have to be "D" shaped. Only the IFAA has the "D" shaped restrictions that I know of. What classes they fit in revolves as much around the arrow and type of rest as it does the bow. In the Flight shooting we are entering them in the recurve classes just because we can!    

Some other variations of the "longbow" is the "composite"..It can wood but can be mulitiple pieces, horn, sinue, ect... unlike the "self"bow. Most anything that doesn't conform to English longbow specs is considered a "flat"bow.For the most part I feel anll these definitions have gone a bit overboard, a bow is a bow and they all function the same way. Any of them could have had recurve style grips, elevated rests, and sights 1000 years ago if they had been so inclined..O.L.