Longbow or recurve? What do you shoot and why?

[spidermonkey]

Longbow for me as well. And, like Bisch said, I just prefer the dull "thump" of a longbow over feeling the limbs "twang" on a recurve. Once again, just a personal thing. Sarrels Blueridge, and Checkmate Crusader, are my two I shoot the most. I have not shot recurves near as much as longbows, so I'm probably not a good one to answer that last question. But, in my limited recurve vs longbow knowledge, I think recurves tend to be more forgiving as a whole. But, I'm usually wrong, and I still like longbows better. Good Huntin, and God Bless, Rusty

[Dry Bones]

I have shot both, and currently I am with the recurve group. I had to retire my Jenkins Recurve though do to a glass issue of my own fault... Anyway, I have a fascination with longbows and like Bisch said, there is a different noise with the longbow. One day, maybe I will find one that I like and keep it.
With that- I had a Steve Abbott longbow and still kick myself for ever selling it. SWEET BOW.

[Phillip Fields]

I've been a longbow shooter for 20+ years.

[reddogdan]

Sarrels Blueridge for me.

[boleman154]

Longbow, cause it's the only one I have right now. I need to get out and shoot some others but I am really loving my Sarrels.


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[speck1]

I've heard nothing but good things about Sarrels bows and would love to have a longbow made by Bob but it'll take at least a year to budget for one. In y'alls opinion is a longbow more forgiving than a recurve?

It sure is for me. I think the longbow just balances better. Both of mine are
53# at 28" draw. The longbow always seems to group better and it is definitely quieter.

[stykshooter]

Over 40 years of a 62" TD recurve seems smooth even @ 65#'s

[RickBarbee]

I like both, but prefer for the recurve for a couple of reasons.

(1) I like speed. The recurve will generally shoot an arrow quite a bit faster than a longbow when draw weight & arrow weight are equal.

(2) Shooting a longbow reminds me of shaking hands with my GrandDad.
Shooting a "good" recurve is like dancing with a wild, beautiful, and curvy woman. I Love my GrandDad, BUT ...

Rick

[MedicineMan7]

I got both, but pick up my longbow nearly every time! My poor recurves just collect dust most of the time.

[Jspradley]

Recurve...because that's what I have! :-)

[SwampRabbit]

My end game is to be hunting with a custom made longbow shooting cedar arrows. So what do you shoot and why?


Richard.

This could have been a short answer.... until you threw in the "why?"

Like you, I started with a pretty basic recurve when I got into trad. It didn't take long to see others shooting longbows and the allure began to grow. They are lighter, they are simpler to string, quieter, and their lines are simple. These are the things I like in most things in life... simple and effective. I told myself not to try other folks bows that first year because then I'd think my setup stunk. So I hunted with my sage for a solid year, killing stuff along the way.

So when it came time to search for my first custom bow, I immediately started looking for and shooting longbows. After trying a dozen or so, I was disappointed. Maybe 1 or 2 felt good. The question I had to ask myself was, is the longbow just another challenge or is it just different. I found a few that I could shoot accurately and also determined some of it was grip. I wanted a longbow... but it wasn't working out. I was kind of bummed actually.

Then I picked up Chunky's Black Widow recurve. A bow with a draw nearly 10lbs more than my own. I took a few shots and immediately started figuring out how I was going to pay for one (they ain't the cheapest bow out there.) But I knew, without a doubt, that I was going to be killing some critters with a bow just like it.

Fast forward to the beginning of this year and I had asked some friends to help me find a "cheap" longbow. Something I could play around with. Of course my buddy came through and I got hold of a $100 mass market longbow. That thing has some pretty decent hand shock... but I was actually really accurate with it. (By the way, $100 bow hand shock isn't as big of a deal as $1000 bow hand shock ) I bring it with me as back up. I know I can kill with it. I even took it with me to South Texas this spring, and when I had started stacking up the rabbits (and a Javi) with my Widow, I busted out with the longbow and set off to get some longbow kills. I was really glad I did... it was fun, but nothing about it made me want to shoot a longbow instead of my widow. In fact, I had a silly concern that if I kept searching for another bow, that I might find a longbow that might sway me away from my rather expensive widow.... but that hasn't happened.

What I have discovered (at least so far) that the difference between the two really are just a "feel" thing. It isn't so much the challenge. I mean, it is always going to be a challenge to shoot a bow that just doesn't feel right to YOU or fits YOU. I have since shot some longbows that "feel" great! The A&H ACS felt great, the since discontinued Horne longbow felt great too (I need to find one or figure out how to convince Jeff someday to sell me his.) I have also shot some recurves that just didn't feel right either... or maybe they just didn't feel "as good."

And if you couldn't infer from the above yammering of mine... I have shot some bows on here that others absolutely love... that honestly, I just didn't like. It isn't anything against the bows they shoot, it is all about (you guessed it) personal preference. BTW, some people think my bow is ugly... they are wrong of course but I get where they are coming from

It is good to have a plan... but go into it with an open mind.

[Hunter Todd]

Longbow for me. It just seems smoother and more quiet and I'm more comfortable shooting it.

[Bowtech1233]

I'm shooting a Brush Wolf (longbow) from Dry Creek. Back up is a JK Traditions Kanati. Similar designs and I just like the feel of both.

[Flint knapper]

In the process of building a new longbow! It will be 60" long and I'm shooting for 50lbs @ 28"! Time will tell how it turns out!

[chackworth3]

I shoot both, just depends on what day of the week it is...