Longbow or recurve

[Want2no]

I know there will be plenty of opinions on this but I'm asking anyway.  What makes you choose one over the other.  I am curently shooting a 64" 40# Hoyt xpert recurve.  I would like to move into the 47-50# range. Is there a drastic between the two?  Please remember i am new to trad.

Thanks.

[Mo. Huntin]

I may be wrong with this theory but I don't think so.  I think a recurve of the same poundage will usually shoot a little faster than a long bow.  I love the looks and feeling I get when I shoot a long bow though does that make sense?  They both get really quiet but I think it is easier to make a longbow quiet because the string does not make contact with the limb. A lot of guys will tell you when you make that jump in poundage you should work out with one of the rubberband systems to build those muscles up instead of just buying a bow that is 10 pounds heavier unless you are carfull.  Please go slow and be carefull I hurt my self when I started out with a 60 pound recurve cuzz I did not know any better.

Some people say that a recurve will be a little more "forgiving" than a longbow. I really think that with todays bows there is not much difference and it all boils down to personal preference and how a particular bow feels in your hand.

Also, Mo.Huntin is right - if you jump up 10# at once it will be hard. 10# does not sound like a lot but it is. I would stay closer to the 47# if I were you.

Bisch

[Mo. Huntin]

You know after seeing the benifits to a bow that is cut to center I think I will always try to have a bow that has a lot of shelf on it so I can tune easier.  One of these days I will buy an arrow saw and then it won't matter.

[Zbearclaw]

Instead of an arrow saw I use a dremel cut off blade then the G5 ASD (arrow squaring device).  Makes fast work and I can get them cut and ready in a very short time.

Just make sure you leave some access shaft from where you want it to end up!

[bushytail]

I like the way the longbow limbs bend when you pull it back.But i`m more of a recurve guy.10# is a big jump.It will be flatter shooting.If you can get to a traditional shoot,there`s always venders their where you could try differant bows out.Then you can see and feel what the differant # are like.If you can handle the extra # COMFORTABLY,go for it.But being OVER BOWED isn`t going to help.Between shoulder injury and getting older i keep coming down in #.Have fun!

[BadKarma]

Bisch and MO are on the money here.

Work up sloooooowly. Take your time and don't rush it. Remember, arrow placement is more important!!!!

as for longbow or recurve, I agree it's mostly personal taste. I shoot both, recurve for big game for the ease of maneuver with the shorter limbs and a longbow for small game just because I love my longbow.  

[pktm]

I think it comes down to fit. I have shot both and really made a hard attempt at shooting a Hill. Really love the bows, but I couldn't shoot them worth a darn bit. Recurves seem to fit me better. I really get into a grove with them, with one exception. I picked up a t/d Black Swan Hybrid longbow from Vermonster. That grip on that bow fits my hand like no other. That has been the only longbow that I am very consistent with. I'm so comfortable shooting that bow,  it's my choice for the woods this year. My Saluki Turk, a complete opposite of the Black Swan. Is a short rocket of a bow, love to shoot that one on a 3D range. Too pretty to get nicked up.

[Jeff Strubberg]

In my experience, the recurve is a little easier to "point", where the longbow is a bit more forgiving of form errors.  The one thing I would nto reccomend you do is switch back and forth between them until you get some shooting experience under your belt.

As for speed, figure 10fps bwteen the two.

I shot a recurve for about five years, been shooting a longbow for fifteen now.

[Curveman]

I think it depends on whether you are comparing longbows to recurves or hybrids to recurves. I genuinely like them all but there are many hybrids that are far closer to recurves than they are to longbows in my opinion (take a Bob Lee for example). In those cases I do not see nor feel THAT much of a difference between a 58" "longbow" and a 58" recurve. Both/all great bows and I'd say it would be more of a looks or style choice as the risers can even be the same and the limbs have even started their journey back to actually being a recurve. I find  however that a "D" shaped longbow with a "traditional handle" will feel and of course look MUCH different than a recurve. You may love it or hate it or something in between and there are rabid fans of both "extremes" and many others somewhere along that continuum. For me, I don't get that "longbow feeling" unless the bow is "D" shaped when strung, at least 64", and NOT cut to center but almost shot off the hand. Tuning the right arrows for it is part of the whole experience. Some will find the perfect bow for them to have a recurve riser, cut past center, but to have a string geometry such that the string doesn't touch the limb so it is quieter but still retains all the best characteristics of a recurve-which it practically is!      Try a bunch or buy both. I may return to my recurve again or even by the new Border hybrid I hear is coming out. ALL tradbows are fun to me!

[George D. Stout]

A longbow is a longbow...not a three piece takedown with a recurve riser.  If you are talking hybrids, there won't be a lot of difference.  You almost need to try a few.  DO NOT take anyone's opinion and use it to make your decision.  What I like may not even remotely suit you.

A true longbow....small handle riser and long limbs will have different characteristics in draw and release and a larger mass riser of the three piece hybrid or recurve.  You must shoot.
As for buying, don't commit if it doesn't fit. 8^).

[coaster500]

I am new to this also. I have tried a dozen different bows, both recurve, hybrids and longbows. The best advise I received is shoot as many different type as you can. I am starting to lean toward the hybrid longbows in 56' to 58" range 47# to 50#s but without shooting different bows I would never have known the difference.

What works for others may not work for you.

[swampbuck]

It,s a personal choice that only YOU can make.

Some LB's or maybe the hybrid ones are faster than the same weight recurve not that speed really matters as some say.

There are NO olympic shooters shooting a LB

On "average" scores will be higher for the recurves than the LB's(some think LBs are more forgiving for them maybe but the score's don't lie)

really YOU need to try some out to see what YOU like since it may not be what I or the next guy like at all.

There's lots of good bows in both types I'd suggest going to a show with plenty of vender's.Don't bring money that way you can't buy the first thing that tickles your fancy just take notes and try as many as possible go back to the ones YOU like and maybe try them side by side

Good luck

[Onehair]

I love the performance of my recurves but I am more likely to pick up my longbow to go shoot. As far as weight goes you can pull more weight with a longbow than a recurve.

[D. Devall]

as said before:

i find a recurve to be more compact, which is good for hunting in thick stuff of from a stand.

i find a longbow to be much smoother and pleasing to shoot, generally quieter, with less hand shock.

that make sence?

[swampbuck]

gator's responce of "with less hand shock."

about a LB is exactly why YOU need to see for yourself.

I find less shock with curves but love my LB as for shock typically D shaped LB's like the hill style will have more than the hybrid type

This stuff is subjective and personal to each of us

as for LB's being long they can be but not all of them are long the shrew line is shorter than many curves and those aren't the only short LBs out there.

again good luck there are lots of good bows both curve and LB

[SpikeMaster]

I like a bow that's light in the hand, some people like just the opposite. It's just personal preference. There's nothing lighter than a short risered one piece longbow. The only way to know for sure what you want is to shoot as many different types of bows as you can. A good way to do this is buy used bows off the classifieds. If you don't like it you can sell it and usually get out of it what you put into it.

[Want2no]

Thanks for your input.  Those were the responses I was expecting.  I appreciate all the advice.  I will just have to pay more attention and look for some shoots  around here.

Thanks again