# Giving up on the long bow



## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

Well, now you've opened a can of worms...but, at the risk of getting ripped to shreds by the longbow shooters, I'll agree with you. Of the longbows and recurves I've owned, I just shoot the recurves better. I think it's more the overall mass and bigger grip of the recurve that helps my shooting. I'd like to try a nice hybrid longbow with a recurve grip sometime, it might be the best of both worlds.

I will say I had a McCullough Griffin hybrid style longbow I wish I hadn't sold. It was the quietest bow I've ever had, I just didn't shoot as consistently with it as with my favorite recurves. 

On my wanting to try list for longbows is a Fox Triple Crown and a Morrison ILF riser with longbow limbs.


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

This might help, it certainly helped me, and a couple of dollars may make you fall in love all over again......:wink:
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1817688


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## AReric (Mar 6, 2010)

My recurve and longbow have the same 15" riser and grip. Same bow really, just one has recurve limbs, the other longbow limbs. My longbow has very little, or no handshock, feels just like my recurve. Try a hybrid longbow, I think you will like it much better.


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## benofthehood (May 18, 2011)

i'll throw a can of diesel in and suggest that the large risered "longbows" whether one piece or 3 with pistol type grips are not longbows but straight limbed :tongue:

if such bows are r/d flatbows are giving out handshock then something is wrong or maybe , like some , you are just sensitive too it . I shoot with a fella that is quite sensitive to 'shock' and he feels it on bows that I would never associate "shock" etc with and as such he tends to stick with heavy risered 'curves ..... its all subjective 

My Hills and related Hill style bows have far more feedback / handshock / recoil than my r/d 's to the point where I do not notice any handshock with my r/d "longbows " 

Maybe thats why i really spend most of my time shooting Belcher Union Jack , Hill "Robin Hood" and my Whippenstick "Classic" D shape straight limb bows ... I just must be a glutton for punishment !!!!!!


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## thorwulfx (Sep 26, 2011)

Shoot what you like shooting. If it's not comfortable for the shooter in question, my two cents is that it's the wrong bow. I really like hybrids, like Kegan's design, and recurves the best at this stage. I have, in the past, been head over heels for a Hill-style, however. The only thing I ever hope for on other archer's behalf is that they have fun, shoot well, and stay safe. Whatever bow helps them with that is the cat's whiskers to me.


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## TireurDelite (Mar 29, 2003)

Is your longbow the traditional D shape? 
If so then yup lot's of handshocks. 
If and when you get your hands on a good hybrid you might just sing a different tune.


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

one word..."don't"...give up on your longbow that is...oh i agree and can relate...longbows tolerate little from the archer...but that's exactly the character i love about my longbow...while my low poundage ILF "allows" me to practice good form?...my longbow instills (if not demands) a high level of self discipline and shows me where i'm at with my form skills...basically?..

it requires more of me with each and every shot than any other bow i own..and i appreciate that..especially as i come to realize the value of it...cause with my recurves?..with realative ease?..i can adapt the bow to me...but with my longbow?...

i hafta adapt "me" to the bow...

and i like the value i find in that. 

Hope that helps ya and L8R, Bill. :cool2:


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## Widow's son (Jul 21, 2012)

Don't worry about it. Nothing wrong with shooting a recurve. I love shooting my longbow but after a day or so my elbow starts giving me trouble. I just mainly stick with my vintage Bear recurces. Nothing like those old Grayling Bears. If a bow is not comfortable for you to shoot it's not the bow for you. Archery is supposed to be fun. Don't beat yourself up.

Ross


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## Brianlocal3 (Dec 14, 2011)

Ditto Ben.


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## ripforce (Feb 15, 2010)

I have 5 longbows, I have went the other way I never keep a recurve, but I will say that longbows are not for everyone infact I am the only shooter in my group of trad guys that does shoot them! They all have dabbled with the longbow but always go back to their recurves! I say shoot what you are comfortable with, whats nice is there are so many choices now in Traditional bows now days!


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## crazymoose (May 17, 2005)

I enjoy shooting both recurves and longbows.
So now I shoot a Hoyt Dorado riser with Trad Tech longbow limbs and recurve limbs. The best of 2 worlds for me.
Don't give up.


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## Long Rifle (Dec 8, 2011)

I shoot'em both, hunt with both. Just depends on where I'm going as to which bundle I pick up. I did take Joel Turner's advice on my longbow though and put a strip of non-skid down the center of my grip.


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## GPW (May 12, 2012)

We’ve seen (and made )waaay too many LBs with hand shock .. the secret is tip to handle mass ratio.... basically , make the tips as small and light as possible , make the handle as massive as possible ... With higher mass on the tips , once released, the tips accelerate more slowly, slowing cast, and tend to stay in motion ...with the resulting shock ... Notice even in primitive cultures the small pointy tips .... which incidentally can be used as a spear ... Handy !!

Another “point” ... Longbows , due to their longer length and greater leverage , are great as spear launchers .. I shoot long Heavy arrows (~850g+) and enjoy the knock down power of a heavier arrow lobbed at a target ... It has not been uncommon to knock foam targets right over...
I gave an old friend my 90# Osage longbow and some arrows ( I got too Old to shoot it without Pain ) .... he shot a hog , knocked it off its feet ... 
If you feel uncomfortable with a longbow , shoot a heavier arrow ... One rule we learned early on was the faster a bow will dry fire (high early draw weight) the lighter arrows you can use for speed ... why recurves and R/D bows are so much faster ... Longbows , just plucked , go Boing !!! Which was where music was invented... ancient ancestor to the guitar ... Silencers take care of the noise and help with any hand push ... JMHO from the bowyers perspective...


Ps. A good way to help with any shock is to* Pad the grip* ... like the difference between a hard chair and a feather sofa ... padded gloves work too ...


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## BowmanJay (Jan 1, 2007)

I know how you feel but it is not all of them! This is one reason I switched to a reflex / deflex design. I owned a very nice custom wesley special I had Craig build me from Howard Hill, I just couldnt stand the hand shock. It was very sensative to brace height issues and just became a chore to shoot. I only shoot longbows and most of my takedowns have no noticeable handshock at all.


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

You don't have to live with handshock... just get a hybrid :wink:


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## Bongos (Nov 9, 2011)

My mongoose is a reflex/deflex and it still have a little handshock, not bad as it's only a 45# bow, I'll keep just ot have a longbow in the collection. The more I shoot, the more picky I get, to me, it's the enjoyment of the sport... handshock isnt part of the enjoyment LOL...


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## 187 BOWHUNTER (Feb 13, 2011)

never shot a longbow but Im lovin the recurve


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

Bongos said:


> That's it!, I'm a *****.. can't handle the handshock, giving up on my longbows... Sold my Saluki Grandeur and just got back from the range with my mongoose.. Mongoose was less poundage but the handshock was there.. I love my mongoose.. so it's staying in the collection..My ORyx is a flat bow so it's like a longbow but has little or no handshock, it's a keeper as well.. guess Recurves for me from now one.. spoiled I guess


 YUP... design matters. I've a longbow gives me a migraine after just 15 or twenty shots. Hickory arrows have helped a lot, but now its maybe 30 arrows or a little more before I'm reduced to ball curled up in the shooting lane. This happens, for me, only on my straightup longbows, my Nova and my Martin Viper are notable exceptions.


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## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

kegan said:


> You don't have to live with handshock... just get a hybrid :wink:


 I agree with this... :thumbs_up


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## jusoldave (Apr 28, 2012)

Widow's son said:


> Don't worry about it. Nothing wrong with shooting a recurve. I love shooting my longbow but after a day or so my elbow starts giving me trouble... If a bow is not comfortable for you to shoot it's not the bow for you. Archery is supposed to be fun. Don't beat yourself up...


Like others, I have both, and love to shoot both. I happen to be more confident with recurves, for hunting, but actually find I shoot my El Cheapo brand longbow nearly as well.

Other, far more qualified people than I, have already said it; but I'll "vote" with 'em: try an R/D hybrid.


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## Bongos (Nov 9, 2011)

The Martin Savannah was the only longbow I've owned which did not have handshock.. sadly I sold it... lesson learned


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## jbw59 (Jun 27, 2010)

Bongos, you might want to try this. I bought some self-adhering ace bandage and wrapped it around my grip. You can stretch it to fit the contour of any grip. you can make it as thick as you want and it absorbs shock and gives you a great grip. When it gets dirty, peel it off and put some new on. Just a thought and good luck.


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## Str8 Shooter (Oct 15, 2005)

Just a few thoughts for those having issues with handshock. String material on a longbow can make a huge difference in handshock. If you shoot a longbow with dacron and switch to something like D97 or Ultracam (if you're bow is made for FF) you may find a lot of the handshock disappears. Stretchy B-50 seems to make some bows much worse. It's worth the $20 to try a different string if your bow is bugging you. 

Another thing I find makes a difference is where you put the pressure in the grip. You always read you're supposed to heel into the grip on a longbow. To some extent that may be true with a low grip but I think a lot of folks over exaggerate this. Hold your bow out in front of you strung up. Hold it horizontally, sting facing the floor, back of the bow towards the ceiling. With one finger find the point on the grip where the bow balances evenly. This is the center of the bow and where you should direct the pressure in your grip. Some bows it's right under the shelf and others it's a couple inches lower. If you put too much pressure in the wrong spot you can cause uneven limb loading and the limbs don't return evenly causing excessive handshock.

Granted some bows are worse than others but these things may help some. A straight limbed bow will have some feedback but shouldn't be an elbow jarring experience. If the above don't help at all the other possibility may be overbuilt limbs or limbs that aren't tillered to return at the same time. That's out of your hands but certainly may contribute to the rep of longbows having horrible handshock.


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