# Is a recurve more powerful than a longbow?



## lozzano (Feb 17, 2009)

Hi Guys,

I'm shooting 50 to 54# @ 28" (my DL is 26.75")with my longbows and can't really go any higher on the poundage for hunting. So I'm looking for a bow that has the most "PUNCH", longbow or recurve? Should I switch to a recurve? Are these more efficient at delivering more penetrating power at the same poundage as a longbow? I'm going to Africa in june 2014 but can't shoot any more poudage accuratly so I'm looking for the best setup. I'm now shooting a kanati and a morrison longbow, but really looking into the widows recurves.

Thanks,
David


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

In the past maybe you could generalize and say recurves were a little faster, not sure that's true anymore. Especially comparing recurves to hybrid longbows, there isn't much difference at all. In fact I think some of the fasted bows I've read about were longbows of the new highly reflexed "hybrid" style. I think a perfectly flying arrow with a sharp two blade head out of a bow you shoot well would get the job done regardless if it was launched from a longbow or a recurve.

Good luck in Africa.


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## thorwulfx (Sep 26, 2011)

My hybrid longbow is far and away the fastest and hardest-hitting trad I have. From the data I've seen, a hybrid or reflex/deflex longbow with significantly reflexed limbs may be just as efficient as a recurve. The older style longbows that were either flat while at rest, or had string-follow after being broken in were much less efficient, and thus weren't as fast at a given draw weight. There's a lot involved. Limb material, limb design, amount of recurve/reflex, force draw curve...it's a science.

If I were looking for the most possible power in a 50# bow, I'd look at the notoriously fast bows, probably in recurve. Carbon/wood and carbon/foam seem to have the most power at a given weight, and are available in ILF limbs, primarily. The Extreme BF Tradtechs have a big following, and when paired with a riser of your choice, would probably shoot hard and fast at 50#. Sharpbroadhead has a bow similar to this, and could give you more info on that setup.

Cheers,

Patrick


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

I have a 27 inch draw and shoot mid 50s to 60 pound bows 

When I was inquiring on most bang for my buck I was told to look to carbon and foam recurve limbs

I am shooting BF Extremes right now and they are performing well


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## guyver (Jan 3, 2012)

thorwulfx said:


> My hybrid longbow is far and away the fastest and hardest-hitting trad I have.


That is a little misleading, just judging by your signature (poundage of recurve v. longbow)


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## BOHO (Aug 7, 2004)

those are 2 great longbows. not sure if your gonna be able to beat that. recurves do have a different feel. personally, I prefer the longbow. lighter to carry, debris doesnt get caught between the limb and string and no string slap. you can also get different kinds to suit what your gonna do.


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

back in the days of straight up stickbows and D-Shape longbows?..pound for pound, inch for inch?...recurves were faster hands down..but like others have said here with the latest generations of high performance RD hybrid longbows the performance margins between the two are shrinking..and there really wasnt much margin to begin with as it's very subjective when you start taking into account bow length, brace heigth and all..matter fact there's a local bowyer here who made my longbow Steve Jewett of Bushmen Longbows and he makes one called the carbon chamelion that pushes a 300gr arrow at 238fps and a 450gr arrow at 195fps at 55#'s/28"s...here's the test vid..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY5zALyv9J4&context=C3bd418eADOEgsToPDskLjfm4j7OcUQYjIp0e6gCkw

That said?..if i were going to africa?..recurve baby...all the way..and more than likely a metal riser ILF recurve..why?...2 reasons..

1. Longbows typically arent as form forgiving as recurves..unless of course you're shooting longbow limbs off a recurve type riser which many do but..something inside of me just ain't down with that..it's like ya wanna say ya took it with a longbow but only required recurve skills..something inside me says that's a "cheat'in thing"...but?...that's just me..and..

2. ILF Recurves (and certain others) can be had with full centershot metal risers..and the more aligned with center your arrow can be tuned?...a stiffer the spine value can be used hence the less energy your arrow will lose..and the better penetration you'll get..as i understand it.

all i got..or?..think i got! :laugh:


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## bilbowbone (Jan 15, 2011)

I just got access to a chronograph last week and for fun compared my #45 Tomahawk Diamond SS longbow to my Hoyt Horizon with #40 limbs cranked down to about #42+. Using the same arrows the longbow came out at 186-188 fps and the recurve 180-182 fps. I think it just depends on the bow anymore not whether it's a recurve or a longbow.


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## MAC 11700 (Feb 22, 2011)

If you want a long bow that will put them out there...then I would be looking at what Jinkster said...or a Centaur...or a Dryad...with triple carbon static tip limbs...

I have to ask...what game in Africa do you plan on hunting over there...and have you checked with the PH's on what archery equipment they allow ?



Mac


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## Destroyer (Sep 11, 2009)

bilbowbone said:


> Using the same arrows the longbow came out at 186-188 fps and the recurve 180-182 fps.


About the same speed all being equal.



bilbowbone said:


> I think it just depends on the bow anymore not whether it's a recurve or a longbow.


True, its how the limbs are constructed. Modern ILF will pretty much same for either design all being equal. Its just easier to get a fast ILF recurve than a longbow and recurves are stronger.

Now if we were comparing price for a modern ILF recurve vs modern longbow I know which will be cheaper.


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## thorwulfx (Sep 26, 2011)

Guyver, 

True, the comparison between 51# and 63# is not fair, but at roughly the same grains per pound, the Omega does 189 and the old Howatt does 176. Even if the Howatt were fast flight capable, it'd still, at best, be a stalemate in efficiency. Are there even faster bows? Of course! The fastest reports I've seen from all wood bows have been Fedoras, though the carbon/foam bows often exceed 200 fps with 7 grains/pound. 

To OP: 

To get an idea of some of the recent high performance bows and how they shake out in terms of power/efficiency, check out Black Schwartz's bow tests online. There aren't a lot, but the ones he's been testing lately have been the real fast mamma-jammas.


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## IAIS604 (Apr 11, 2010)

I'm with Jinks on this one - it's not the power, but the other features that makes the modern ILF recurve the winner in this situation.

And as you can see by my signature, I have both (with the Abbott LB having about the same weight as my hunting Excel bow configuration). I LOVE the Abbott (and the Bama), but would go with the "bells and whistles" adjust-ability of the Excel if it were me choosing.

Plus it would sure pack easier!


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## rogbo (Jan 2, 2004)

either of your two current bows will do just fine. PM sent.


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## MAC 11700 (Feb 22, 2011)

Just make sure...when you come back...please post pictures of the trip and all...I don't know if I'll ever make it over there to hunt before I leave this good earth...but sure do like to read about it and look at all of the cool game there is to shoot...


Mac


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

thorwulfx said:


> Guyver,
> 
> True, the comparison between 51# and 63# is not fair, but at roughly the same grains per pound, the Omega does 189 and the old Howatt does 176. Even if the Howatt were fast flight capable, it'd still, at best, be a stalemate in efficiency. Are there even faster bows? Of course! The fastest reports I've seen from all wood bows have been Fedoras, though the carbon/foam bows often exceed 200 fps with 7 grains/pound.
> 
> ...


My Omegas will hit 200 at around 8 gpp, like many recurves that push the reflex in their limbs (and longbows too).

The numbers are out there, many of the top hybrid bows are competing with recurves, and on average the only difference is how well you can shoot it. Usually the grip and physical weight are the differences, as well as length. Materials CAN play a big role, but I've seen wood and fiberglass bows shooting faster than carbon and foam limbed bows in terms of sheer speed because they had more reflex and a more efficient limb design.


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## thorwulfx (Sep 26, 2011)

I can attest to Kegan's claims. I measured 192 fps at a shade under 9 gpp, 189 real-world, with 2 nock locators and cat whiskers.


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

Keep your eye out on Trad Gang for the release of the new D shaped longbow from Bigfoot bows.... here is a quote:

"Unofficial numbers shooting using a glove at aprox 29" @ 424 grains was consistently over 200 fps. if i remember right 204-207 fps.... she's pretty quick for a D shape bow...."

not bad for a bow in the mid 40# range @28"....


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## Destroyer (Sep 11, 2009)

If theses speeds are correct then why are the ILF designed bows so much slower? I call BS!


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## JParanee (Oct 13, 2009)

Supposedly a fixed limb bow will be faster that an ILF system. This is what I heard not what I have expierenced 

I only draw 27 so I don't have a long power stroke 

For a comparison the fastest bows I have are from Mike Fedora 

The ones that are over 60 pounds are of course the fastest 

But to compare 2 that are close in weight would be my one piece 560 that pulls about 57 # at my draw is spitting a 520 grain arrow at 195 fps



















This bow which is an ilf rig that is pulling a little over 54 # at my draw is shooting the same 520 grain arrow at 193 fps 



















Now I love my 560's but the ILF rig with the carbon foam limbs is lighter in weight pulls smoother is more stable and pretty much just as fast with the potential to be faster if I crank the weight up to it s max which is just shy of 60 #
They say ILF rigs are slower than a fixed limb in a three piece configuration but I'm very pleased with the performance


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## voodoofire1 (Jan 24, 2006)

a 25" power stroke from an 80# bow spits a 460 grain arrow out pretty quick..


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## thorwulfx (Sep 26, 2011)

Destroyer, 

Here's a test where they get 194 @9gpp out of an ILF bow: 

http://www.bowreports.com/index.php...r-carbon-extreme-bf-limbs.html?category_id=88

My sense is that anything you might lose with the attachment mechanism can be gained back with limb design and materials. I don't shoot an ILF (yet), and a lot of bows kicking around DON'T hit the 180-200 fps marks, but it is possible, and we're not pulling your leg with the numbers. My two recurves that shoot dacron only both hit @175 with 8.x grains per pound. It's not that they're bad bows, but even with fast flight strings, their limbs (both maple/glass, standard recurve design) just don't store as much energy.

Cheers,

Patrick


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## Destroyer (Sep 11, 2009)

thorwulfx said:


> we're not pulling your leg with the numbers.


Not saying you are, 204-207 fps is almost 20 fps faster than my samick ILF. It would take a low BH and enough reflex, even then I wouldn't think it would be that much. I like longbows better than recurves and if I could find one that would hold together I would buy one. Getting ILF speed or faster would be very cool. Just have my doubts.


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## BowmanJay (Jan 1, 2007)

That gap has now been closed between longbows and recurves. Now every bow is different and that statement depends on alot of things but in general you are looking at the same performance.....


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

Destroyer...

Go here
http://piratesofarchery.net/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17219


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## Curve1 (Nov 25, 2009)

Most of the hybrid longbows are closer to being a recurve...IMO.


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## Destroyer (Sep 11, 2009)

rsarns said:


> Destroyer...
> 
> Go here
> http://piratesofarchery.net/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17219


Cheers!



> This photo of the fades is Carbon/ foam with G-10 power lams.












Ooh...Not your typical longbow then! :mg:


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## benofthehood (May 18, 2011)

Pick which bow you like the most ... that is the one you'll want in your photo's when you look back on your African trip . 
Obviously , animal selection will have something to do with it but an African trip sounds like an absolute dream come true and hopefully not the focus of gear stress. 

We recently had a fella kill an asiatic water buff , which is half again as big as a Cape Buffalo with a 61 pound recurve ... so if he is cleanly killing an animal that weighs close to a tonne , your gear sounds like , with good arrow choice and shot placement , perfectly capable of taking many of the plains game we see offered as huntable species .


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## lozzano (Feb 17, 2009)

Update!

So I just found out my DL is really 26.25"
Just bought a morrison ILF riser and will try some recurve limbs to see what I shoot better (my longbows or this ILF recurve) still the recurve will not be more than 54-55# @ 28" unless the limbs on the ILF feel easier to pull than my longbow.

David


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## benofthehood (May 18, 2011)

So if you got a 55# @ 28" and draw 26.25 you'll be drawing nigh on fifty pounds ... with a set of ILF shorts or mediums and a decent weight arrow with a shaving sharp broadhead I am sure you'll be pulling mmuch the same or more than Sandy Karch did when she used her sub 50# Longbow to take a Kudu some time back . 

Personally I'd prefer more poundage but your set up is probably shooting a lot more effeciently than my Hill bow set ups of 56# ... and from memory Bob Burton of Whispering Wind Arrows took a bunch of critters his 60# Hill bow which , again , is probably just as effecient as a Morsion ILF 'curve at 50# ... so don't sweat it too much . Keep your shots close , pass up on the Eland and Buff and you'll get yourself some fine Afriican memories .


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