Home › Forums › Campfire Forum › Time to buy a long bow
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I am a big longbow fan…and over the years have settled into what fits me and my style of hunting and shooting. My approach was to buy and try. I wish I would have had a place to go and spend some time shooting a variety of bows before investing so much in multiple bows. So my encouragement would be to get an opportunity if at all possible to shoot a varity of longbow styles to see what fits you well.
I personally have a Three Rivers Tomahawk Diamond SS which has been my go to bow for many years now.
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go to rms gear they have a ton of bows for sale . I think you,ll love shooting a longbow . The modern bows are cut to center have reflex reflex and are just so nice to shoot. You can find a nice bow here without the wait. Good luck Happy new year
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There are so many great bowyers out there you really can’t go wrong. Best advise is to try before you buy.
I own a few different longbows but my personal favorites are my 2 Robertson longbows. I went to a show years ago and tried a bunch of different bows. Liked the Robertson best for me so ordered one.
Test driving is for sure best way to decide if you can.
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Hmmm…. I often wonder if the word longbow hasn’t been used just a bit too easily these days…
What is a longbow? I guess every person must ultimately decide that for themselves. But for me, reflex deflex bows should really be called hybrid bows, or something like that.
The romance of a longbow is such that everyone wants on that train.
But to me, a longbow is a bow that is long, slender, and has at most some backset in the limbs. When it is strung it should have a continuous curve to the limbs. None of this waviness that looks like a sickly recurve, or unnaturally straight limbs that connect the grip and string…
Don’t get me wrong, I love all bows. I just wanted to clarify the discussion first. Just because a women isn’t a blond, that doesn’t make her a red head. In the same way, just because a bow isn’t a recurve, that doesn’t make it a longbow…
Me, I like longbows 😆 But they ain’t cheap. Specifically I like longbows with some back set to the limbs. It gives less hand shock and more speed. I like a dished grip. It seems to center my hand and allow good heel pressure. And I like ’em to be 66 inches. I’ve shot longer, but they are unworkable in blinds or stands. Less than 66 inches is ok too, depending on your draw length.
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What Steve is describing, Plain Jane, is generally called a Hill-style longbow, and shooting one well is a steep transition from a recurve. In common usage today, “longbow” simply means it’s not a recurve. My first longbow was a Hill style, a Robertson, and I just never did get to where I could shoot it well. I also lost some shot ops due to its length, 62″. So I sold it and returned to the recurve until the hybrid r/d short longbows became perfected and widely available and I switched to that style and have never looked back. My absolute favorites have been the sweet little bows built by Gregg Coffey, Java Man Bows today, and formerly Shrew. they have a handle that’s halfway between the sculpted recurve and the flat longbow, so it’s an easy transition, almost automatic. That said, I shoot quite well with homemade wood straight longbows. I don’t know why I could never shoot the Robertson.
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If you are going to Kalamazoo, check out Great Northern longbows. I own one and Mr. Brumm is building me another. Sweet shooters with excellent craftsmanship. I too jumped on the longbow bandwagon back in July. I doubt I’ll ever go back to a recurve now. I was able to shoot a few types of LB’s and decided that I like what I think is termed ‘American Flatbows’. I like shooting again!
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Another vote for Kalamazoo!!! There is no substitute for comparative bow testing before you buy, and you feel like a king with a harem there, free to try out one bow after another and more bows than you can likely get around to through the weekend. The one you fall for could be one you’ve never even heard of before. 😀
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I have to admit, I don’t think I fully understand “hand shock” other than I figure you don’t want it. What is it about a long bow that may or may not cause it. I have seen it written by some that reflex/de-flex in a long bow helps eliminate “hand shock”. Others say a bit of string follow is the answer. Is a straight long bow bound to shock your socks off? Is it more a factor of poor bow construction? I guess I haven’t shot enough bows to have experienced this, or maybe my current bow shocks the hell out of me every time but I am to tough to notice.:)
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Hand shock can result from any of several factors depending on the type of bow you are shooting. If you shoot a reflex/deflex hybrid bow that has hand shock, it will be mostly due to poor tillering and/or heavy woods in the limbs.
If you shoot a straighter bow like an american long bow otherwise known as a Hill style bow it will always have some hand shock. But the shock can be almost eliminated by excellent tillering and giving the limbs a bit of backset. Backset means that the tips of the limbs are forward of the handle when the bow is unstrung. By having backset the limbs can be thinner and thus lighter.
You can also reduce hand shock by giving the limbs some string follow. This means having the limbs behind the handle when the bow is unstrung. But you give up performance with this design. It will be slower. Some folks claim that bows with string follow are more forgiving and accurate. That has not been my experience.
True straight limbed bows are the hardest to eliminate hand shock from in my experience. I have never shot a straight limbed bow that was as smooth or shock free as a bow with some back set to it.
You can reduce the hand shock by keeping a loose grip on the bow. That said, many people including myself have injured their bow arm elbow with a shocky bow.
My advise is to try before you buy. I have shot some famous name bows that felt like I was being hit by a truck they were so shocky, so the name doesn’t necessarily say it all.
If you want to talk to someone who makes a nice bow, imho, give Dave Johnson of Dave Johnson Longbows, a call. I’ve never owned one, but I have shot a few here and there.
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get in touch with the boys from Idaho Traditional Bowhunters and they will help you out. They have meetings once a month ??? There is a gathering in Feb I think in Boise where you will be able to shoot some bows – should be fun ck it out
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