# Recurve or longbow?



## minipyro23 (Jul 1, 2007)

Hey, whats the advantages and disadvantages of a longbow and a recurve? Thanks


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Longbows are a pain in the butt. They're way too long to use for a hunt, imo. Open fields would be the best place for something that's 6' long. They also don't shoot as fast as recurves.


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## minipyro23 (Jul 1, 2007)

How many more fps will the recurve have if they are both 45 lbs draw? And do you have a suggestion of what recurve I should get? I prefer wood over fiberglass. I'd like it to be in the 250ish range as well. Oh and since I know you have a recurve can you use carbon or aluminum arrows with plastic vanes shooting from the shelf? Because there twice as cheap as wood. Thanks.


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

The differences of a long bow and a recurve start with the way they are built. For starters on a long bow, the string only touches the limbs at the very tips, on a recurve, the string will lay on the limbs for about 4-6". A recurve, in my opinion, is a little easier to learn to shoot since the shelf is more center cut where a long bow (RH) the shelf is cut left of center. Recurves are generally faster than long bows just due to the fact your limbs are bending more on the draw, unless you get into the reflex deflex long bows. As far as the length of a recurve and long bow, most are right around that 60". The length does take some getting used to if you have been shooting a short axle to axle compound, however, I can shoot my recurve out of a double bull blind (T2) with out a problem. Don't get caught up in the FPS as much as getting your arrow wgt up to where it belongs and shot placement. Ideally you should be shooting nothing less than 9 grains per pound of draw (50# bow draw should be shooting an arrow that weighs a total of 450 +grains). You can shoot aluminum, carbon, and wood out of traditional bows, however, I suggest shooting feathers and not veins. Most of the factory manufactured bows will be fiberglass laminated, if you want a wood bow you are looking at either making one yourself or having one custom made. Shooting accurately and being proficient with a long bow or a recurve takes a lot more practice than shooting compound. As far as the overall advantages and disadvantages of them, I think it's all personal preference. Hope this helps you out a little.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

I prefer recurves of 56-60 inches and have several customs, most being TD's. My favorite recurves are all 58 inches.

All else being equal the recurve will probably be faster and more forgiving than the longbow. There are so many variables that it's impossible to say how much faster, if at all, a 45lbs recurve will be than a 45 lbs longbow.

Recurves are easier and more forgiving to shoot due to being centershot and having shaped risers which promote a consistent & repeatable grip.

I shoot my recurves with plastic vane fletched carbon arrows off an elevated Flipper rest. Gives great and accurate arrow flight.

Recurves are generally more compact. I feel they just lend themselves better to hunting.


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## minipyro23 (Jul 1, 2007)

Thanks guys oh and a coat\lamination of fiberglass is fine. Thaks for all the info this longbow has a reflex-deflex design http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat600272&hasJS=true thats the longbow and the recurve I was looking at from cabelas was http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat600272&hasJS=true also this is another recurve http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat600272&hasJS=true The recurves cost about 100 dollars more then the longbow which is fine. Which do you think I'm better off getting. Oh and if theres another good bow in the price range let me know. Thanks.


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

They look like good bows. For me I wouldn't buy a traditional bow unless I was able to shoot it first. Each one acts different than the other, handshock, line of sight, the way the draw wgt stacks...
Traditional shooting, wheather it be recurve or long bow is an art all in itself. Something I think some wheelie bow shooters jealous are of oke: .


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## minipyro23 (Jul 1, 2007)

If I was to shoot vanes from a shelf what would happen? Would I be better off using seal skin or bear hair for my shelf? I see you can buy feathers and fletch your own, is this hard? It does not look that hard I'd probably buy the arrows and take off the vanes to glue feathers on. But if I was to shoot vanes from a shelf whats the worst that could happen? Just a little bit less accurate or would they go hay wire? Oh and when reading some reviews on recurves a guy mention that the string that slaps into the limbs after its shot could prove to be a problem. Is this worth worrying about? If it is what can I do to prevent it? Thanks.


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## neb_bo (Feb 3, 2007)

if you shoot vanes, just have them put spin to them. i dont know they exact #, but i think they are supposed to be like 6 degrees offset? can someone else explain this better than me?


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

Vanes will just kick too much off of the rest. Strip your arrows and either go buy an Arizona fletcher, left or right twist, your call. Or take your shafts to an archery dealer and have them put 5" feathers on your arrows.


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## minipyro23 (Jul 1, 2007)

Alright I'll probably fletch my own. Do you think I need a stripper too, or will i be fine peeling vanes off by hand and scraping lightly with a exacto blade if theres any glue. Also is the string hitting the limb on a recurve a big deal like the guy said it was? If so what can I do to prevent it. Thanks for all your help I apprietiate it.


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## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

There's no way to prevent it; it'll always slap the limb at least a little bit. If you twist your string enough you could probably get it so it won't slap, but you may just be buying a one way ticket to a broken bow and maybe a hospital trip. Trust me, the string slapping isn't even something you notice when shooting a recurve. You'll hardly know it happens.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Actually, vanes work perfectly well off an elevated rest on a recurve. The pardadox on release bends the arrow away from the sight window so the inside vanes go around the rest (I use a Flipper which folds in against the riser on release, giving further clearance). The rest simply has to be high enough on sight window so that the bottom vane doesn't contact the shelf.

Of course, if you are going to shoot off the shelf, you'll need to shoot feathers. The rub is that feathers cost much more than vanes, are nowhere near as durable, and susceptable to getting wet in the field. Trust me, I shoot both.

Vanes and an elevated rest are much less hassle and a better choice for hunting, but if you are a purist, by all means use feathers off the shelf. I have bows set up both ways.

As for twisting the string, that how you tune a Trad bow. Nock height and brace height are the only adjustments in tuning a Trad bow. Every company I have dealt with gives a recommended brace height range. You twist the string so it's at the bottom of the range and shoot. Twist up, measure, and shoot until you find the "sweet spot". Trust me, you'll know this when your bow suddenly gets quiet. Recurves will always be more noisy due to string slap on the recurved part of the limb. Shorter bows tend to be noiser than longer ones, as well.

Nock height will depend primarily on your chosen method of release, Split Finger or Three Under, and chosen rest. It's going to be higher with Three Under and shooting of the shelf. I shoot Three Under and an elevated rest, nock height on my bows is generally +3/4".

If you really want to learn about Trad, this isn't the place. Go over to www.tradgang.com. You'll learn more in a week than you will anywhere else in a year. They also have a Classifieds section where guys buy/sell/trade bows (Trad shooters are always looking for the perfect bow as it's so much more personal than modern archery). It's not unusual to get a top end custom for a bargain price. I've bought/sold several bows there.

Also get a hold of Chad at www.recurves.com. He builds custom strings and is one of a few Chek-Mate bow dealers in the US. He will gladly answer any questions you have. I learned a lot from him when I went back to Trad. I highly recommend Chek-Mate bows, I have several of their TD recurves.

If you want some insight into some good custom & semi-custom bows, PM me...


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## minipyro23 (Jul 1, 2007)

Wow thanks for all the info man. I looked at tradgang and it has some really cool stuff thanks for the link! Also about the rest you were talking about that I could mount to a recurve. Where could I get one of these? I might just go with feathers since it would be kind of a fun little hobby. I don't want to have to drill holes in the shelf for a prong rest or something. Could you provide a link to the rest you use? Thanks


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Drilling holes in a fine Trad bow borders on sacrilege! If you use a rest, go with a stick on like a Flipper II, Bear Weatherrest, Hoyt Hunter, etc.
You'll get 2000 or so shots out of a rest before it needs to be replaced. They're cheap, cosing only $4-$5 each. I usually buy 4-6 at a time.
I get mine from this outfit http://www.keystonecountrystore.com/ . I use the Flipper II, which is the rest pictured above the "stick on rest" button.

As for a bow quiver, many Trad shooters use a type that attaches under the limb bolts (of take downs), or that attaches to the limbs via a strap of some sort. The bow doesn't get marred by drilling, and you can swap the quiver easily between bows. I use a Thunder Horn limb bolt model made of leather that matches my primary bow's wood colors. It looks way cool on the bow.

For practice arrows, we use a side, belt, or back quiver. I like a side quiver; my wife had a neat custom made for me last Christmas. A side quiver is kind of a back quiver with an open side, which hangs at your side under the arm via a back strap. When you're walking around, you can push it back so it's out of the way. In my side quiver I carry around a dozen arrows, 8 bullet points, a couple Judo's, 1 thumper, and 1 broadhead (the Judos and thumpers are for small critters and stump shooting, the broadhead is if I need to nail something more substantial). I use a leather cover on the broadhead to protect the edges and to keep it from damaging my quiver and possibly me...

Here's another link. This is one of the two main Trad archery supply outfits... http://www.3riversarchery.com/ . If it has to do with Trad, they have it...

Here's a picture of me stump shooting with my labs. It shows the side quiver, and how it can be pushed back out of the way for the shot. The bow is a 54#@29" 58" Chek-Mate TD Hunter II, maple & shedua riser, elm limbs...


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

Good looking bow and labs, not so sure about that hat though :lol:


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Well, it keeps my head warm! 

BTW, notice that both labs are marking. As a fun task aside from their regular training, I taught both to retrieve arrows and find lost ones...

Here's Sunny being sent on the retrieve, Josie is honoring pretty...










Here's Sunny on her way back with the arrow...


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## Turner (Oct 7, 2005)

Very cool. Looks like Sunny might be a little tough on your fletching. 
Having them trained to find lost arrows would be nice. I usually don't loose any arrows, I just have arrows that choose not to be found.


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Normally they carry an arrow centered, she had to tug that one out by the end...


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