# Recurve vs. longbow.



## Ben Pearson (Oct 7, 2016)

This is a lot like whether you prefer Italian or Mexican food. A matter of personal taste. But I've read quite a bit on the subject and have my own experiences to go on.
When I was in my early teens, if not before, my best friend, next door, and I both had solid fiberglass bows. Mine was a recurve and his was a longbow. His was a lot easier to shoot well. I think there was a lot more going on here than just that his was a longbow, but that memory was enough to get my to buy my first longbow a couple years ago. My very first shot with it went right in the 9 ring. I can't miss with that bow. So I bought another, one that should be even better, but I can't hit anything with it. Haven't figured out why.
Speaking in generalities, and remember I said generalities, this is how I feel about longbows vs. recurves.
1-Personally I think recurves are more beautiful. Those curves are just sexy.
2-I think long bows are more forgiving. By that, I mean they are easier to shoot accurately. One book I was reading said that it was because the limbs were narrower and thicker, making them more resistant to twisting.
3-recurves shoot faster. There are a lot of factors involved in how fast a bow shoots, but all else being equal, between a recurve and longbow of the same poundage, the recurve will shoot faster. This can help in shooting over variable distances.
4-Longbows have more hand shock. It is so bad on one of my longbows, it gives me a headache. 
5-I like the grip on a good wooden recurve. Feels good in my hand
Taking everything into consideration, I have a preference for recurves over longbows. I have both and will shoot both, but I think the recurve is more pleasant to shoot.


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## Halfcawkt (Dec 27, 2015)

My feelings are much more complicated than yours.

I really dislike a true "flat" bow. Hybrids are a different matter. My pronghorn loses almost all of its R/d shape after I string it. It ALMOST looks like a "D" bow, but a close look toward the tips will give it away. I love that bow.

For the most part, I can agree with your first 4 points in the most general of terms.

I tend to fall more on the longbow side of the fence. The recurve is a much nicer bow to look at, but I tend to like the longbows I have more than my recurves. Please don't misunderstand, I love my black magic, but I don't shoot it as much as it deserves because of my connection with my longbows.


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## Beendare (Jan 31, 2006)

I just checked in to see what new thread you started today- grin.....

My preference is a recurve


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

I've never had a Hill style bow, some consider them the "real" longbow. I have had R/D and hybrids and liked them both. 

In fact in the occasional "which bow do you wish you hadn't sold" thread I always post my 64" Griffin by John McCullough. That was just a wonderful shooting bow and in a moment of stupidity I sold it since I'm basically a recurve guy. If my bow funds and another nice used Griffin comes along someday I'll make that mistake right.

Like I said, I'm a recurve guy. In particular the large riser, sculpted grip type, and some nice exotic hardwood please. I really like my one piece Blacktail, Silvertip and Wes Wallace. There's really nothing prettier to me than a nice one piece recurve. I shoot the heavier take down versions of those bows better though, something about more mass in my hand settles the bow nicely. Fortunately the TD versions are pretty nice to look at too. Snakewood, ebony, cocobolo, curly koa, myrtle burl and highly figured bocote feel good in the hand on a cold day and sure look nice in the sun.

One of my favorite styles of recurve is what's commonly called '50s style. The 1959 Bear Kodiak is often considered the epitome of this version of the recurve. I've never had a Bear, but I do have a John McCullough take off he called the 59'er. Sweet little bow, very easy on the eyes but a little more challenging for me to shoot well. It doesn't help that the grip is very different from what I'm used to, it's 10# heavier than I like in draw weight, so I rarely shoot it. Looks great on the wall though...lol.

I'm almost afraid to try a high end ILF or Super Recurve. I'd probably like them and then I'd be sitting here with even more bows.


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

I now own what I believe to be the best recurve and the best longbow I've ever owned in my life.

If I'm shooting one?...I don't even think of the other...yet I love them both...equally.

Yet they have very differing characters that seem to reflect upon mine when I shoot them where if I elect to launch cedars off my longbow?...a relaxed and nonchalant feeling comes over me but when I'm loosing carbons off my recurve?....an element of excitement washes over me where my level of focus becomes more aggressive in nature.

Where often times?...what sort of mood I'm in at the moment dictates which one I reach for.


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## fallhunt (Aug 2, 2013)

I just might not have met the “right” recurve yet.

My current bows are one-piece bows.

My most powerful, fastest, flattest shooting bow is a Bear Super Kodiak recurve. Other than inherent loudness, my SK recurve wins objective performance.

Totally ignoring performance, it is simply the undeniable truth that I enjoy shooting any of my longbows more than any of my recurves. 

Pretending otherwise based on any logical objectively verifiable practical performance benefits versus deficits in order to seem more rational and sensible would be blatant hypocrisy.

I hasten to add that I very much enjoy shooting all my bows regardless of whether they are a lowly recurve or a superior longbow - LOL.:smile:


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## JamesThom. (Oct 9, 2016)

@Fallhuntr and everyone that has posted in this thread. The biggest difference for me in a longbow is how much more natural it feels to shoot over a recurve. 

Longbows are just that, long, most coming in at least 66" with low brace heights which makes for a very smooth draw that is easy on the joints, fingers, and is much more of a joy to shoot.

My recurve is 5# less than my longbow yet the draw cycle feels much more strenuous than it does with my longbow because recurves are generally much shorter than longbows, have a hump you have to draw over (this is part of what makes them faster), and typically have a much higher brace height than a longbow making them stack quicker (the draw is not as smooth as a longer low braced longbow).

In terms for forgive ability and shoot ability hands down the longbow wins in my experience. A longer bow is more forgiving, not to mention the limbs of a longbow can not be torqued which is very important for accuracy. Most recurves (besides the high tech very expensive carbon limbed recurves) can be torqued with literally, 3 fingers. This will cause more left and right misses.

A longbow also has a low wrist grip which for me is much more comfortable and natural in the hand to shoot. If you shoot a pistol grip recurve as you would a longbow (palming it instead of holding it at an angle with all fingers off the riser) than most recurves will not behave as well as most would like them to (due to torque). This is why most recurve archers shooting target archery shoot with nearly all fingers off the riser and they use a sling.

With a longbow you want to heel the grip which for me feels more comfortable and promotes a stronger pull.

We could also talk about how a longbow's shelf is significantly smaller than that of a recurves shelf. This reduces nock high when bareshafting (and shooting fletched arrows) to the point where it's nearly non existent on a longbow but can be a big problem shooting a recurve. I love a bow that has a very short and narrow shelf, it's more forgiving since the arrow comes in contact with the shelf for a shorter period of time (more similar to shooting off ones knuckle). 

Most people prefer a heavier bow (most recurves are 3X the weight of a typical longbow) but in my experience this only helps in terms of flinching. The bottom line is that a flinch is a flinch, if you flinch last second with a recurve you will be off target less than you would with a recurve. Shooting both a heavier mass riser and a low mass riser you are going to miss your spot either way though.

With good form and no flinching either one will hit dead on target just that it will be a little bit easier with the longbow in my experience due to the aforementioned reasons I listed. 

As for speed and noise, my longbow has no silencers, limb pad's, nor limb dampeners and is pretty quiet. I feel like these accessories make getting arrow tune and maintaining arrow tune a true PITA. If you take a bow and move the silencer positions even 1" closer to the center serving your bow is going to be out of tune. The same rings true for limb dampeners and and limb pads all of for me is just headache inducing as I am not a fiddler. 

Onto the topic of speed. If speed was of primary concern I would shoot a compound. That being said, if you drop the arrow weight with a longbow you can get similar speeds as you would a recurve. Shooting a 9gpp longbow will give you about the same speed as a 10gpp recurve.

The difference comes in the fact that you can drop the high performance FITA style recurves down to 6gpp without voiding any warranty's. You could also drop fletching to gain down range speed as well though. 

In terms of feel longbow's are a joy for me to shoot and carry, a recurve feels to me like a step down from a compound and the longbow for me is true "classic" archery since nearly all European and Primitive people used one.

I think most of the benefits of the longbow come down to the fact that it's the most natural bow design. Making all of these curves in wood would be very difficult than bending a piece of flat wood back and expecting the arrow to fly straight.

With that being said, shoot what you enjoy the most. 

Lately the recurves people set up make me give a double take as with limb dampeners, string silencers, limb pads, and all this extra gear on them they resemble a compound very closely and are very high tech. 

I got into archery for it's simplicity.

For me I desire the most amount of forgiveness, accuracy, and want my bow to be a joy to shoot and hold while it being something my direct ancestors used to change the tides of history. Shooting a longbow is the purest form of archery in my opinion. 

For me that means the longbow is my #1 choice.


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

I'm happiest when my arrows go where I'm aiming......that usually means a recurve. But there is no denying that shooting a nice longbow can put a silly grin on your face - shooting a crappy one will rattle your fillings loose. I like Jinkster's method - get one of each and shoot whichever strikes a chord on that day!


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## benofthehood (May 18, 2011)

JamesThom. said:


> @Fallhuntr and everyone that has posted in this thread. The biggest difference for me in a longbow is how much more natural it feels to shoot over a recurve.
> 
> Longbows are just that, long, most coming in at least 66" with low brace heights which makes for a very smooth draw that is easy on the joints, fingers, and is much more of a joy to shoot.
> 
> ...


Just curious, what Longbow do you shoot.

As an FYI ... I have been shooting Longbows for 30 years .. and primarily use them for everything . 
Many of which have been centreshot, many are well under 66" and arrow flight/tune is by and large exactly the same as my Recurves ... may of which be the be way have been over 66" .

My current faves are my Widow's and Whips , but the have a soft place for my Straight laid Hill styles , having taken a bunch of gam and tourneys with h them .
And there isn't really a better way to spend a day than a back quiver full of blunts nad judo's and a bunch of mates to get roving and stumping ...
My Widow getting it done in NZ ... went there for a mountain pig ..... wasn't huge ... but NZ Longbow pig is a win for me ...


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## JamesThom. (Oct 9, 2016)

Nice shooting, I shoot a Samick SLB, it has only very mild reflex/deflex with very thick narrow limbs.


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## concept1 (Jul 2, 2016)

Depending what you buy will make a difference deflexed reflex long bow have no hand shock a recurve will always shoot FASTER WITH NO SHOCK. HOWAD HILL LONGBOWS STYLE WILL ALWAYS SHOCK YOUR HAND


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## Maslo (Nov 1, 2016)

I have a black widow recurve and a northern mist longbow. Both are very different and shoot equally well. My favorite bow was a super shrew chameleon. I regret getting rid of it. To me, a longbow is easier to shoot.


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## kikoo (Aug 23, 2020)

I just bought a longbow and it gives me significant headshock. My hand is fine, but I get a wicked headache after shooting just 1 arrow. Is there a fix for this? It is a beautiful bow and ridiculously accurate so I hate to return it.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

K - 

Longbows have handshock, or rather more hand shock than recurves. In part that's due to lower overall mass and higher limb mass. A poorer grip design (contour) compounds the issue. 

Things like tuning, using a lower (or higher) stretch string and heavier arrows will follow in up coming posts (just watch). Bottom line is that, unless there is something seriously bad about the bow's design or set up, all of those changes will only result in minor improvements. 

You'll also hear some people say that "my longbow doesn't have any handshock". Again, total BS, of course it does. What does happen is that people get used to it. I've owned a number of Hill and Hill style LBs, and I used to love to shoot them. They ALL have handshock, and after a while, you learn to expect it, and it "magically goes away". Can't tell you how many times I've told people that, and told them to shoot the LB exclusively for a few weeks. Funny, in most cases, the handshock "magically went away".

If after a few weeks, it still bothers you, get rid of it. 
That's as honest as I can be.

Viper1 out.


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## Beendare (Jan 31, 2006)

Welcome to the forum...I wondered who dredged this one up.....

Maybe try shooting a very heavy arrow in it....600/700gr.


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## 3finger (Mar 29, 2018)

The handshock of a long bow reminds me of pulling the trigger on an air hammer with no bit in the chuck. If I had to put up with that unnatural shock there would be no archery. I don't care for the light weigh, grip. sight window geometry or the sound of a long bow. I would not shoot one if it was given to me.


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## YamahaYG68 (Jun 11, 2018)

I was a recurve guy, starting in the 1970's, I still have my 68" one piece recurve target bows from back then. I am not a longbow enthusiast from way back.

I prefer to shoot a longer bow, as in the 66" to 68" and I like one piece laminated bows, however, the only option I have found on the market for a one piece in that length, these days, is a longbow.

I fully agree with;



3finger said:


> I don't care for the light weigh, grip. sight window geometry or the sound of a long bow.


Fortunately for me, there are longbows made that do not fit into this category, My 68" is a reflex/deflex design with a generous grip and heavier riser, mass weight of 32 oz.










I find this bow quite comfortable to shoot and I have a built in shock detector, an arthritic left elbow which can be quite sensitive.

This bow weighs more than my 20 oz 62" recurve, and I feel substantially more hand shock from it, than this longbow. 

My 1972 vintage 68" one piece target recurve has very little shock that I can detect, but it has mass weight of 48 oz. as a bare bow w/o any accessories.

IMHO, design and mass weight plays into the hand shock we feel, and I think there will likely be more shock felt from a very light traditional longbow with a minimal grip.

I am sure there is some shock to my longbow but it is not noticeable to me.


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## 1canvas (Mar 29, 2009)

I shoot recurves now and thought of maybe getting a longbow to play with one day but after reading this thread I probably won’t.


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## SBK (Jul 12, 2020)

1canvas said:


> I shoot recurves now and thought of maybe getting a longbow to play with one day but after reading this thread I probably won’t.


I don't think there's any wrong with shooting a different type of bow to know what it's like. I have a few recurves. But I also shoot a long bow for fun. I have a takedown long bow and am ordering a one-piece long bow. I tried a one-piece once and it's a different feel.

What I've discovered so far is, if i don't try, then I don't know. I use my takedown recurve for practice with my kids. Out of curiosity, one day I brought home a one-piece all-wood recurve, my kids tried it and they all liked the one-piece all-wood recurve better. If I didn't try out, neither i nor my kids would know what it was like.


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## bltefft (Sep 16, 2015)

*I have both kinds and really can't tell a difference in their accuracy (I ain't no Robin Hood) and I don't hunt with my bows. My A&H longbow feels and shoots to best to me, though.*


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## pipcount (Oct 9, 2012)

I was wondering about the speed delta, have seen quite a few folks say it is not much different and believed them. Recently was on Tradlab site and saw - "hey, they have done a fair amount of testing on both Longbows and Recurves..." Since I was curious I wrote down list below to compare, figured might as well share: 

Taking only their 10GPP test results, recognizing that there are a ton of other factors, grabbing only 5-6 of the results semi randomly and calling it "good enough".. ILF/DAS recurves are about 9-10% faster than longbows in this set, or about 16 FPS difference. 

Comparing within a single manufacturer, the border harrier to border CVXW the difference is only ~9FPS or 5%. Not much from a recurve to a longbow.

I don't shoot longbows much, have a one piece and two sets of ILF takedowns limbs. I do like the feel of the draw, and would like to get a nice one piece longbow, maybe for Christmas!

ILF/DAS Recurve come in at about 185 FPS
Morrison Max6- 191
Hoyt carbon velos- 184
Dryad RCTX- 184
Galaxy gold star- 180
Border CVXW (XL too)- 183 
Uukha EX1 Evo2- 184

longbows come in about 169FPS on average... 
Fox TC- 162fps
Toelke CW- 173
Blackwidow PLX- 170
Border Harrier- 174
Omega imperial- 167
Java Man -167

Wish they had tested the Galaxy Bronze Star.. We shoot those a lot in the family, probably not as fast but sure are inexpensive and shoot fine at our level.


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## Stijn_beeckmans (Feb 14, 2017)

Is there a difference in feeling when drawing back? 

Does the weight of a 40# recurve feel the same as a 40# longbow/ hybrid ?

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-A505FN met Tapatalk


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## Draven Olary (Jun 12, 2016)

Depending on the length of the bow. If you have a 54" recurve and a 64" hybrid, the finger pinch will make you feel different the same weight. If they have same AMO, there is no difference in "feel".


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