Longbow more accurate?

recurve1 · April 13, 2009, 07:49:00 PM

This is NOT a thread to start an argument.

I really am curious why some hunters believe the lb is a more accurate bow for hunting.
This is a sincere question and not intended to start an argument. Thanks.

Predator1 · April 13, 2009, 07:58:00 PM

I don't think it is. I think the trick is finding a bow that "You" can shoot accurately regardless if its a LB or recurve. Sure, some will say I shoot my LB better than my recurve but whos to say he might find a recurve he can shoot better later on. I would buy what peaks your interest more and learn to shoot it. If you really "want" a LB but end up settling for a recurve you will always wish you had tried one instead. Vice Versa.

Terry Green · April 13, 2009, 08:00:00 PM

Heck if I know, I shoot both fine. I recon if you hooked them both up to a shooting machine both would be equal.

Some like heavier recuved risers for more stability...some like longer limbs of the longbow for the same reason. Each one has positives and negatives that heed to each shooter. The longbow might be more accurate for one, and the recurve more accurate for the other.

Find which one suits you best and run with it. I mostly use longbows now just because I don't have to keep up with a stringer, and I like the lightweight in my hand.

I will still use recurves on occasion...specially in tree stands or 'fixed stands'...but if I'm gonna be roaming all day...I'll definitely take the longbow. Although the last 5 critters I killed from a tree have been with the longbow.

vtmtnman · April 13, 2009, 08:10:00 PM

For me the grip is the deciding factor.D longbows and any low wrist grip with no real definition to it will usually decrease my accuracy,but that's more mental than anything.Throw a hybrid LB with a recurve like grip in my hand and I'd love it.

slivrslingr · April 13, 2009, 08:23:00 PM

Seems that accuracy is between the ears, not what's in the hand.

Rob DiStefano · April 13, 2009, 08:32:00 PM

naw, the only gear thingy that matters is the arrow and not the bow ... but it's the bow operator that supremely matters most.

i prefer longbows simply because ...

* there is no limb slap to be concerned about, hence quieter

:D

threeundr · April 13, 2009, 09:05:00 PM

I agree with Terry. I shoot both well but prefer one or the other depending on what I am doing. I pick up the longbow more often but that is just personal preference. I believe it is purely subjective. Shoot what works for you!

-Leonard-

RunninWild77 · April 13, 2009, 09:13:00 PM

I to agree with Terry and threeundr. Its whatever makes you happy, or whatever makes you feel more confident. Some days, or actually, most days you'll find me shooting my LB. But every now and then I'll pick up my recurve, and I'm just as accurate with either one.

recurve1 · April 13, 2009, 09:32:00 PM

Thanks for the response fellas.

Gary Logsdon · April 13, 2009, 10:49:00 PM

My old hunting buddy Byron Ferguson says that the longbow is inherently "more forgiving" due to the thickness of the limbs versus the flatter, thinner, limbs of a recurve. The basic concept is the presumption that an off release, for example, will have less effect on the string/limb's side-to-side movement during the bow's powerstroke. Contrastingly, a recurve's limbs, being thinner, will oscillate more, and are therefore, are less stable or consistant.

Howard Hill decribed the same bow dynamics when he said that he could shoot a longbow better than a recurve. I believe he has been quoted as saying that he "wasn't good enough to shoot a recurve well", although I bet Hill could have eventually figured it out:^)

Personally, I tend shoot my recurves more than my longbows - actually prefer the feel of the recurve, BUT I am a little more consistant with the longbow when shooting in awkward positions in the field.

Gary Logsdon · April 13, 2009, 10:51:00 PM

Sorry about the typos!!

leatherneck · April 14, 2009, 08:07:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by slivrslingr:
Seems that accuracy is between the ears, not what's in the hand.

Ditto that!

swampbuck · April 14, 2009, 08:13:00 AM

Try both and see what "you" like

The one that "you" have the most confidence in is the one you'll shoot better with

all else being equal ... LOL not going there

Dartwick · April 14, 2009, 08:19:00 AM

I suspect people shoot a slower launched arrow more accurately and some people shoot a quickly launched arrow more accurately.

LBR · April 14, 2009, 09:02:00 AM

QuoteSeems that accuracy is between the ears, not what's in the hand.

Exactly! Accuracy is in the archer, not the bow.

Chad

eagle24 · April 14, 2009, 10:32:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by LBR:

QuoteSeems that accuracy is between the ears, not what's in the hand.
Exactly! Accuracy is in the archer, not the bow.

Chad [/b]

and the arrow. Get the right arrow for the bow and they shoot MUCH better!

Jeff Strubberg · April 14, 2009, 11:34:00 AM

I think you are less likely to torque a longbow, and less likely to bounce around with a recurve.

I'd say it comes down to what aspect of shooting you fight more, steady on target or small form deviations.

wollelybugger · April 14, 2009, 11:38:00 AM

I shoot a longbow better than a recurve. I don't have a good reason why but in hunting distances I shoot a longbow better. I seem to be able to send the arrow where I want it to go with a longbow.

BobT · April 14, 2009, 11:47:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by wollelybugger:
I shoot a longbow better than a recurve. I don't have a good reason why but in hunting distances I shoot a longbow better. I seem to be able to send the arrow where I want it to go with a longbow.

Me too !

michigan bill · April 14, 2009, 06:41:00 PM

Some days I shoot them equally well.
Other days I shoot them equally "not so well."
Rarely has there been a day when I shot one well and the other "not so well."
One thing I have wondered though is: Olympic archers could use a long bow if they wanted to, but I believe that 100% of the bows used are recurves. That has to say something...doesn't it?
Bill