sig_sauer_75

i was looking on line at diffrent longbows and i cannot believe the price, its very intiminating (up to $1000)what makes a good long bow? what are the pros and cons of a recurve? pros and cons of long bow? and what would make a good starter bow?

Kanga

A good starter bow would be around the 64" to 68" range with no more draw weight than 45lb at your draw lenght.

As for the prices of bows the more elaborate they are the more work goes into them consuming more time there fore the price is higher

Best thing to do is find a shop that sells both long bows and recurves and go shoot them and decide what suits you best.

sig_sauer_75

i do shoot a switchback 30" 70#

burniegoeasily

A switch back has 80+% let off. That is a huge difference in an equal trad bow.If you are new to trad gear, id suggest you get a cheap bow of your choice in the 45-50lbrange. There is a lot more to shooting a trad bow compared to a compound. If you try to get a heavy bow, you will learn nothing but to hate it. Once you get the idea of how to shoot a trad bow, you can always get a heavier one. Go heavy right off and you will learn nothing but bad habits. As for the differences. A long bow is longer, more forgiving, with a smoother draw. A longbow will also stack less than a recurve. A recurve is faster than a longbow, but has more hand shock and are less forgiving.

Alpha Capo

go used:

check out traditional archery classifieds on different sites, including this one.
On one there is a inter-nature takedown recurve for $185 45lbs and a bear "Blackbear" for $100 its 45lbs ...these are two that i noticed on the first page.

ebay is Good for used but kindof trickey because depending on what you type for your search youll leave out some results...so youll have to know Brand names sometimes.

longbows are kindof pricey from custom makers, forwhateverreason and harder to find in the lower pull wieghts.

if you want a good longbow at aMedium (250-500)price brand new check out Martin archery, Bear. you cant go wrong with either company. and they are american made.

Inter-nature(korean) Makes a Longbow called the Viper that you can get new for $225 or so. you cant really go wrong with it either its actually a nice bow for the $.
you can get a cheaper price than these guys....but they have a nice description heresthe link. http://www.oldbow.com/viper_longbow_ss_1.htm

fishstix

sig- burnie hit a few good points! Alot of people I have trained and worked with ALWAYS overbow themselves and take the fun and more importantly form out of it. Just as the first time you pulled back a compound you likely struggled to get it to come back (pulling the bow straight back with out having to raise it in the air or low to get it going). I have and know many who have harvested Deer with a 45# bow. Accuracy, sharp dependable broadhead and great form is more important than anything. There is no let-off, with your switchback at 70# with 80% left-off you are only holding at full draw about 16#! Big differance, than holding 40-50#. Besides bad form, too heavy bow can cause a pinch in the rotator cuff of the shoulder. A Recurve is faster than a longbow, but is much more sensitive and must be shot in static form (as with a compound). The Longbow, has lateral stability, in that the limbs are skinnier but thicker and thus eliminates limb twist and makes it more forgivening from odd posistions, like hunting (thus why Mr. howard Hill prefered it). The longbow takes little longer to master but once done will be able to shoot in any position, yes, even lying down. I would suggest if you know anyone close to you who shoots traditional, talk with them and/or try a few bows, like friends or cabelas. Or go to ebay and look at the recurves. You can pick up a good used recurve under 80.00 dollars. You want a bow at 45# max to start out, trust us, better in the longrun, you will likely love it and want to purchase another bow later, so why spend all the money now. If you need any help let me know glad to assist anyway I can. by the way don't think you will get the bow shoot a few arrows and be in the woods harvesting deer that night. shooting instinctively takes a little time and practice, but once you got it, it's there forever. Then cann't use the excuse that sights was off, bumped the rest, peep moved. Been there done that, let me know and enjoy, todd

LBR

In some (most, IMO) cases you wind up paying a lot more just for the name on the bow. There's a few bowyers that make bows for different companies, and the exact same bow can vary in price a good bit just because of what name is on it.

Personally, I haven't seen what I would call a "good" longbow priced as cheap as a good recurve, but you don't have to spend near $1,000 for one.

Differences depend on the bow--there's so many different styles and designs there are no specifics that will fit all. In general, longbows are slower, have more hand shock, etc. but that's not always the case.

As far as draw weight, I would start low, but how low depends on you. Again, there's no "on size fits all" answer here. I do agree that starting out heavy will lead to bad habits that are a devil to break--that's what I did, but it didn't completely ruin me. You can generally find a good used recurve at a reasonable price--use it to figure out what you like and don't like, and use that knowledge to purchase your next bow (there will be a next one).

Try to find some 3-D tournaments in your area--they probably won't start until next spring, but start looking and planning now. You get to try out a lot of different bows (larger ones have vendors, plus most folks won't mind you shooting their bow--don't be suprised if someone asks to shoot yours), and you will meet lots of folks with lots of advice to offer. In my experience, you will usually have to ask the better shooters for advice, but they are always willing to help when asked.

Good luck!

Chad

Schultzy

Well said Burnie!!!

Soilarch

I was just recently, (well, I still am I guess) in the exact same position. Here's what I've gathered on the subject. YMMV

1. You should "try" to shoot as many as possible. Most of us compound-shooter-converts will seem to shoot a recurve better. If you like the 'looks' of a longbow there are a few that have lonbow-limbs with a recurve-type handle. For me this wasn't an option. BUT I DID ask to pull on a few RH (I'm LH) to get a feel for what 50# feels like on a trad bow. I'm used to a very very smooth 74# compound. 50# will be pushing it but it is what I've got on order. Figure I'll grow into an extra 3-5# pretty quick...and I'll be on very high guard about keeping practices short and not developing the bad habits from the get-go. I would never go over 50# for a first one...I'm pushing the envelope but I found a good used longbow at a heck of a price so it's the route I'm going.
2. You don't need to spend a minimum of $XXX to get a good bow. Like mentioned, a lot of it is in the name...and a lot of it is in the woods that are used. Pretty doesn't equal performance.
3. Look for used bows. Trad shooters have just as many bows as compound shooters and they're always trading-out and switching up trying to find the elusive "perfect" one. PM for some sources, I don't remember the forum rules here about posting links since I don't post here too often anymore. Often times you'll find a bow that was 'tested' for a few shooting sessions for 60-70% of 'new' price.
4. Find someone, anyone to give you some pointers. The principles are the same...but the mechanics are completely new.

bigcountry

A good rule of thumb for a new guy is go to a bow store and pull back a few trad bows. See which one, you can hold for 15-20 sec without losing anchor. That one is probably the poundage you should get.