RE: recurve vs longbow?
I went with longbow, cause I figure if I am going traditional, might as well go as far as I could. But alot of things I would do differently.
One. Don't do like me and buy a high dollar longbow or recurve at first. Instintive shooting, learning to actually do it will be teh dominating factor with a 100 dollar bow or a 600 dollar. No matter what quality the bow is, it won't help you at first. So I suggest a lower end one. Then you can make the decision whats right for you with little knowledge under you belt.
I got lucky and still like my martin longbow. But I wanted something more traditional, and don't liek the fact it has glass on it. I would have rather had a backed selfbow. But until I really get my arms around shooting it, I will wait to get what I want.
I notce the recurves seems to handle lighter arrows better with less handshock, and longbows handle heavier better.