TJ, I have always shot a recurve (30+ years) until 2005 when I bought a Black Widow Longbow. I bought it because it was something new to play with. I struggled with it for a while, until I decided to shoot it just like my recurves using a high wrist grip. My accuracy improved very quickly after making that change. The key was, I liked shooting my recurves and wanted to shoot the longbow also, but to use two different grips was not going to work when I shoot instinctively. Anyways, the longbow is now my main bow. I like its lightness making it very fast pointing. Find someone to loan you one for a while, but be aware :twisted:that the bug may get under your skin also!

It is hard for me to choose witch to hunt with. I love them both.:D

I shot a kit made recurve for the last 15 yrs. Last year I bought a 45# longbow (Viper Deluxe) and was pleasently surprised by my immediate accuracy. Maybe I was doing something wrong with my recurve but I haven’t shot it since. I say give it a try.

Jeremy

Actually, I really doubt that I’ll ever consider a recurve. I really like the feel, the looks, and the way my longbow shoots.

Yes, I’ve considered them for a spell, but decided to stick with the recurve critters, The Longbows I’ve used were not very good and string follow was a serious problem. With a recurve I am a much better archer.

Naw…longbows are for girls.:roll:
Oops…the question was addressed to “MEN”.
Sorry.
Killdeer:oops:

Oh my…my first double-post!
😀

Ah, there’s the sharp wit I recognize from Killdeer.

I only shoot longbows because I can make them.

Killdeer wrote: Naw…longbows are for girls.:roll:
Oops…the question was addressed to “MEN”.
Sorry.
Killdeer:oops:

I wish I would have got that memo before I went and bought my longbow. I guess I should sell it…a sex change is out of the question! 😯

So, Patrick…wanna buy a recurve?:lol:
I got plenty!
Killdeer:P

I have some longbows. They seem to stay on the wall. I shoot the recurve better and feel more comfortable hunting with it.

I love my old Fedora recurve but I just ordered a “Mad dog” Longbow. It will be 45#@26 and 67″ long. I hope I like it.

I’m about to take the longbow plunge. I’ve always shot recurves, then my brother and his hunting buddy started building longbows. The bows they made are pure works of art. When they offered to make me one, I was all over it. Anyway my brother called me last night and said it should be done by Sunday. I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to the new challenge of a different kind of stick.

And that is why there are so many on my wall. They are all different, and each is to be savored for what it is. I try not to compare, just enjoy each for how it does what it does.

Killdeer

i have been shooting recurves only since switching from compounds 15-20 years ago – and some nice ones – bill stewart, howatt,wing,widow,bear,and still own and love them all – but i recently bought my first longbow and i cant put it down! beautiful, light, and i can flat out drive tacks with it! i am quickly getting very fond of this bow – my advice would be to get a longbow that fits your draw and weight and give it a try – you just might find yourself a new best friend!

Longbows do require more work to become proficient with than a recurve, but isn’t it the CHALLENGE that is the allure of traditional bowhunting? Who knows where your traditional journey might take you, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t explore the longbow experience! I picked up a longbow 15 years ago just to see if I could actually use one and discovered a rewarding challenge. Since then I’ve taken deer, elk, bear, antelope, etc. with longbow in hand and haven’t looked back. Your experience might be different, but part of the fun is always seeing what’s over the next ridge…give it a try!

I’ve owned, bought and sold many, many longbows { more than “She Who Must Be Obeyed” knows about:wink::wink: } but I always seem to come back to a Howard Hill LB. Currently shooting a Wesley Special and a Ted Kramer vintage Big Five. But I AM anxiously waiting on a John Scifres selfbow built with a handle modeled after my Wesley….so many bows, so little time!

What makes you scared that you won’t like the longbow? I’ve shot both over the years…these days I’m shooting a take down longbow that I made myself from a Bingham plan. It’s a blast shooting something you built yourself

I’ve been wanting for a while to have a custom bow built for me, although now that I’m married, I know I’m going to have a hard time convincing my wife that a custom bow is worth the money it will cost, especially when I only work about 8 months out of the year. I have been considering a longbow, off and on, but only time will tell. I may have to make it a point to borrow a demo bow at one of the shoots I frequent during the summer months to see where I truly stand on the subject of longbow vs. recurve. We’ll see down the road.

MontanaFord

The bow I shoot the most is a Howard Hill Big 5! Yea I’ve considered them. Frank

Well guys I just bought a BW longbow. It is a very nice looking bow. Although I am not a longbow man I will give it a good try. I like this one better than the other longbows I have owned simply because I can hit the target repeadedly. And that is at 20 yards. I must admit that I like the feel of my old recurve better, but will try the long bow for a while.

my robertson longbow 60lb is all i wanted but after reading many a time that a recurve is easier to shoot and a wee bit faster, i desire it,those awsome curves, that full handle, i always want to tuch them, to feel them, to stroke them, i cant keep my hands to myself.i am looking for a 45 – 48 at 26in,for abot 220 bucks

I tell you critter 40 to 50 pound bows are always in demand, and don’t last long on the sales list. If you see one you better jump on it.

Whew! There a lot opinions about longbows vs recurves. In my experiences, longbows tend to be a lot more forgiving with a great deal more kinetic energy at impact. That…is what we strive for when hunting. My 70# Martin Mountaineer has pound for pound more kinetic energy on impact than my 60# recurve which tends to be a little faster out of the “hole” so to speak. I have chosen to shoot strickly with my longbow because at 25 yards it shoots more accurately and with a more flat trajectory than does my recurve. I love them both but I prefer my longbow any day. But…that is only my humble opinion.

Dan

at 50# which is faster, a long bow or recurve? i am asking, not to be a “smart @$$”,but because i dont know. i am a traditional “virgin’ so to speak

Texasota,

That is a tough one! It is like asking “how big is a shoe?” or “What does a carrot taste like?”
There are so many different designs out there that it is impossible to say. For years the recurves had it as a whole but now there are a handful of bowyers (ACS CX carbon longbow, Bob Morrison carbon/foam longbow, Black swan archery carbon/ceramic hybrid) that are making the fastest bows on the planet and they are all skinny limbed carbon backed longbows. That is what makes traditional archery so darn much fun! Someone is always making a better bow so that we have a harder time deciding which one to buy.

Don

thanks donpatch, say how big is a shoe?:lol::lol::lol:

ahhhhhh, a wise guy, huh? are we talking european or american shoe size?? just to throw a wrench in the mix…hehe..:twisted::twisted::idea:

i admire your wit Montana:wink:

why thank you…i do try

Michael

Yes, I did… About 3 years ago and it was like an epiphany, I shot recurves growing up, and switched over to a compound, then due to some faulty surgeries, I couldn’t shoot at all for 5 years, then I picked up a recurve again.. I had yet to shoot a longbow even once till 3 years ago and when I did, it changed things, I’ll always have a sweet spot for recurves as I grew up shooting them, and they brought me back to archery.. But the longbow has been to me like a trusted old friend.. so much so I design and build my own now, they’re hybrids, smoother and faster than that longbow I had, best of both recurves and longbows in one bow, I still shoot a recurve…very rarely though..just to remember from where I come.
Dang TJ skeered… never thought I’d see the day,lol,lol.

I went from compound to recurve to longbow. I love the longbow. I still have my recurve, just to have it but I always use my longbow now.

Hey Tj;
Have You considered a reflex/deflex hybrid desighn? I used a Martin Recurve then ordered a Z58 from Zach Ferguson after reading Byron Fergusons book “Become the arrow”. This design gives yuo the advantages of both recurve and long bow. As others have said try them out first but I rarely shoot my recurve any more. I love my Z58.
Latrans.

Today’s longbow a’ent you grandpas longbow, they where turd’s (just my 2 cents, don’t shoot me) I have shoot them and there fun.

However today’s long bow can out shoot the best recurves

Centaur Chimera

Habu Viperkon dbl. carbon

O.L.Adcock ACX

These are a few that I love

Dan’s experience is opposite most of the rest of the world. Longbows are generally not as forgiving and have less kinetic energy than comparable recurves.
However, if you get the right longbow it can shoot very similar to your favorite recurve. I have a Fox High Sierra recurve and a Thunderhorn longbow. I can switch back and forth using the same arrows without any difference in accuracy. These are my favorite two bows.
Today’s longbows are much closer to recurves in terms of performance.

Tj Craig wrote: “MEN”
I was seriously considering a LONGBOW but at the last minute I got scared that I wouldn,t like it:?, so I ordered another set of limbs for my Silvertip and I think next year I’ll get a One Piece Silvertip.
Tj

The longbow I shoot is a Firefly made by Jim Jones of Michigan. It has a recurve grip. My recurve is a Robertson Peregrine and it has a longbow grip.:!::!:

Tracy Tricket is building me a take-down recurve and it will have…..a recurve grip.
Here is a pic of my Firefly.

I’m a tried and true, died in the wool recurve shooter. Bar none I make no bones about it. But this year me and a Longbow are going through our love hate relationship. (I’ve done this several times in the past) As in one day we love each other and the next day we hate each other.

Never fails. When I’m on with a recurve?? I am DEAD ON. When I am off with a recurve?? I’m still ok!! But when I am off with a longbow?? I’d stand a better chance of chasing a deer down and beating it to death with the longbow than actually hitting it. But again once more I think I’ve matured enough to give them another try and will be toting a new sleek little longbow in to the woods in a few weeks when season opens.

Hey Killdeer!!

When I switched from compound to traditional in ’87/88, I went with recurve largely because I won a Schafer Silvertip. I know, VERY LUCKY me. And I love that bow.

But eventually the longbow beckoned but for several years I struggled with consistent accuracy. I’m pretty positive it was because of inconsistent hand grip/heel pressure/etc. Eventually, I tried to replicate the higher wrist position I was so used to from my compound/recurve background. I learned to tuck my little and ring fingers of my bow hand into my palm, which raised my wrist and somewhat replicated my grip from the rather high-wristed recurve Paul had made for me. And it worked.

Today, even walking around with my bow to the woods or between targets at 3-D’s, that’s the way I hold the bow. It’s second nature for me now, and I don’t even think about it. It may not be the way purists grip the longbow, but the only thing I’m concerned about is that I’m shooting well…better now than ever before.

If anyone makes the switch but then struggles, they might try this little trick.

I love both! My TimberHawk recurve and longbow both shoot well for me. Recently, I’ve had better accuracy with my longbow. I just received a new takedown longbow from Scott and it shoots amazing. He changed the grip up a little and it fits my hand perfectly. I find my longbow shoots a bit better when canted than my recurve.

I have a longbow, and am completely smitten. so light and zippy! but can be a heartbreaker, a few shots with my recurve for a reality check, and im right back with the longbow outshooting the recurve. and so our love triangle goes on, do tell when you get it all resolved.

go for it . ijust got a new 1 .could not ask for more fun. rember opinions are many. it is all in what you like. the best thing is to be in the woods enjoying what you like to do.whether it is stump shooting, 3d, or hunting, a long bow will do it all! enjoy.

tj, this is what i did – shot compounds, then switched to recurves and shot them for years, then decided i wanted a longbow, but didn’t like the broomstick grips that a lot of them have and didn’t want a hybrid – i wanted a true longbow. i contacted roy coursey, a bowyer i was familiar with having met him before and had him send me a brochure – i picked out the “el gato”. i sent him an outline of my hand and drew in the amount of palmswell i wanted in the handle on the picture in his brochure – i recieved the bow and the handle was perfect! i now have a true longbow with a little more meat in the handle than most – i would post a pic if i knew how!

First timer on here,like to say Hi!!I am getting to like both myself.I have target & hunted with recurves ever since I started trad. 4 yrs ago and love it.This yr a friend made me a longbow and it takes alittle getting use to,but feels great in the hand.Last saturday took my first deer with it and felt like the first time I harvested my first trad. deer!! Now longbow only,dont think so, will be hunting with both for now on.

Boxers or breifs? It’s as personal a preference as you can find. I like a longbow for two reasons: I shoot it more accuratly and it is much quieter. I have also found that it handles a heavier arrow better than a recurve. I shoot a 650 grain arrow out of my 56# Howard Hill; it hits hard, it’s quiet and smooth. I also have a 56# Brush Country recurve that I really like, but it’s nothing like shooting a bamboo longbow.

carl wrote: i would post a pic if i knew how!

I recently added instructions for posting pictures to the forum. It is in the Campfire Forum or just click here. Good luck.

Now, getting the pictures on your computer is a different story…:wink:

Wow! Interesting discussions. I thought I remembered reading in one of Howard Hill’s books that he stuck with shooting a long bow because he felt shooting a recurve was too complicated. That comment made many years ago was one of the prime reasons I’m trying the longbow now after shooting nothing but recurves in my previous bowhunting career.