Longbow shooters

[Jaeger]

Hi, I'd like to get a feel for how many of you are longbow shooters?

 

Traditional archery is coming back, and stick bow shooting is fast and fun.

 

While instinctive shooting is used in both, recurve and longbow shooting is very different in how we hold and shoot the bow.  Nothing delicate about shooting a longbow!

 

Any other heel down longbow shooters out there?

 

I shoot a 42lb Bighorn Bowhunting long bow and have a 29lb training longbow to practice form.

 

(I'm not an elitest, I also shoot a 60lb Martin recurve, a 50lb Hoyt ram hunter compound and a new Barnett Vengence crossbow)

 

But shooting a long bow is different, it's almost spiritual.  I hunt quieter when I carry a long bow and feel more a part of the woods.

 

Do any of you know what I'm talking about with the longbow?

[BKhunter]

I was actually considering taking a crack at recurve shooting or long bow.....I don't really know to much of the differences between the two so any clarity helps. Also what do you like long bow over recurve?

[SteveB]

Define longbow.

[biggamefish]

I would expect Jeager is talking about the true D shape long bows?  Not the recurve or the r/d longbow.  Probably the old howerd hill style bows. 

 

  I shoot instinctual r/d longbow but don't have a traditional longbow.

[fisher2]

I I shoot a centaur longbow but hunt with compound

[Two Track]

I picked up a used recurve to practice /start bow hunting with. My dad had a long bow that felt comfortable to use.  He got rid of a two years before I decided to try my hand at bow hunting.

 

I have tried those compound bows couple times when went to Scout events when they had the range open - just did not feel right to me.

 

Guess I am a bit more of a traditionalist - prefer look and feel of a wood stock firearm too,

 

Last year saw one of the shops at the Renaissance Fair carrying long bows in addition to swords, daggers, pole-axes, and armor.  These were 75-100 lb bows.  Figured I still need my shoulders to last me another 40 years or more, so I passed on them.

[nyantler]

I shoot a 60# Martin Recurve ... I just purchased a 52# self finish longbow that I'm gonna try to hunt with this year..

[Terry]

I bought a Samick Sage this year to learn on. I would like to eventually be a traditional only guy. I just need to sell my house(it's on the market) and move to another where I can shoot a lot more frequently.

[tommyc50]

i bought the samick sage w/ 60 lbs limbs too heavy fought the bow i bought the 50 lbs limbs ilove shooting it somedays i shoot well others i stink i learned alot shooting it #1 clear my mind relax and be focused on the target .i bought byron fergisons book become the arrow it help alot . one day i'd like to build my own long bow

[blackradio]

I got the Samick Sage 45# in July. I'm just starting to get pretty good with it. I made a mark on the riser with White Out, and I line that up with the target for height, and line the arrow up center for left/right and let it rip. Really fun to shoot.

[Carbonelement]

i shoot a longbow, 60 lb bear.  I like shooting it more then my compounds.  It takes a bit of getting used to and constant practicing will have a huge payoff.  Also there are few different ways to shoot find what works best and make sure you are consistent and you will have tight groups.

[Jaeger]

Define longbow.

 

Excellent statement.  A "longbow" is a bow that has a straight grip and is shot with the heel (fleshy part) of the palm down on the handle.

 

A "recurve bow" is generally considered a bow with a pistol grip handle that is shot with the bow balanced in the web of the hand between the thumb and fore finger, much like a compound bow.

 

How the bow is placed on the handle of the bow changes thing greatly and how it is shot.

 

The term "recurve" commonly refers to the type of limbs, straight limbs vs. recurved limbs.

 

Many modern so called longbows are actually straight limbed recurves since they have a pistol grip handle and are held and shot like a compound, with the bow balanced in the web of the hand between the thumb and forefinger.

 

An example of a recurve or curved limb longbow is Black Widow's PSR series, they have curved limbs but a straight grip and are shot exactly like a classic longbow, with the heel of the hand down on the full length of the grip.

 

There is nothing delicate about shooting a longbow, it is not balanced between the thumb and forefinger like a compound.

 

As Asbell puts it, you grip the full length of the grip of a longbow, grab and hold it hard, pull the string back and make it shoot where you want to or it will kick your can!

 

Basically, a recurve has a pistol grip and curved limbs and is gripped between the thumb and forefinger and a longbow has a straight handle or grip and is gripped with the entire length of the shooting hand.

 

Because of this it takes a lot more practice to become a longbow shooter.

 

Hope this helps.

[Jaeger]

And again, I'm not trying to be eletist.

 

I shoot longbows but I am not good enough to consider myself a great longbow shooter.

 

The best vacation I ever had was when I went to the Black Widow Bow''s Instinctive shooting clinic in MO. given by G. Fred Asbell.  We learned how and why to hold the recurve and longbow differently to make them shoot well.

[agross]

I shoot a bear super grizzly recurve in 55#s. 

 

Love the sport and shooting.  Purely instinctual so my mind has to be right, complete concentration, when I look at the target.  Pick my spot draw and release.   

 

Have gotten some small game but no deer yet.  I am going 100% recurve this year, no compound during the rut (my crutch the past 2 years).  Also, I am going to give it a try gun season as well.  My property is set up for it as it is thick with beech saplings and you are hard pressed to get a 40 yard shot except for don a logging road. 

[G-Man]

amazing to think that in 1525 the minimum distance set by king henry for practice with a long bow was 220 yards... tell that to a crossbow user... its why the english isles held back and won many battles against its enemys..they had better range and more accuracy than the crossbows being used... that being said, archers skeletons are identifyable by enlarged bone structure of their left arms and bone spurs in the left wrist, from mandated practice.. everage draw weight of a bow 105lbs...with bow being 6 ft long.

[SteveB]

Jaeger - that is one definition. Ask 20 trad shooters and you may get 20 different ones.

I've shot and hunted with about every legal implement possible. Not one stirred even a flicker of spiritualness. Ones approach to hunting is not necessarily defined by the choice of weapon.

[dbHunterNY]

Nope only have a bear super Kodiak recurve I hunt with. A true longbow is harder to shoot than a recurve but they're whisper quiet. I think the difference is negligible compared to the jump going giving compounds to instinctive shot traditional equipment. I think it's a lot more to do with personal choice. Still like the look of my recurve compared to a lot of the true longbows I've seen. The hybrids you can still get fancy wood combos with though.

[retrosub]

I shoot a homemade longbow, a vintage reflex bow, and a modern recurve. I shoot them all instinctive, and I can't say there's much difference to me in how I shoot them or what they feel like. I know there are people who prefer one or the other, but it's all the same to me. My compound is an entirely different thing, of course.