What is the difference?

[lovemylegacy]

What is the difference between a Recurve vs a Longbow that would make you choose 1 over the other?

[Johnny Dangerr]

Length is a big difference.................

[Bisch]

It is all personal preference. I like longbows, and that is what I hunt with. There are 2 big things that make me like a longbow best:

1. Longbows make a thud sound while recurves make a twang sound. If you set your bow up correctly, one is not really louder than the other, just different. The twang of a recurve drives me nuts.

2. You really should use a stringer with a recurve and you don't have to with a longbow. I hate stringers, and can't seem to keep up with them!

Anyway, those are a couple main reasons I prefer a longbo.

Bisch

[Chunky]

Recurves have more material in the riser and are often cut close to, or center shot. This makes them easier to tune and a little more forgiving.

[Dkincaid]

Different draw feel altogether as well as different feel on the loose. The newer style longbows really don't differ much from recurves at all other than its a little easier to get a short bow with no stack

[TacticalCowboy]

I like the length and how light my longbow is, but I like the ease of shooting my recurve. One is about as good as another.

[TXMark]

Longbows are cooler! Just kidding. Not really, only cool people shoot longbows.

[hammackc]

For me it's the mass weight and grip, I cannot shoot a light in weight bow as well, and a recurve style grip fits me much better, that being said, a 3 piece longbow, or 1 piece with more mass on the riser with more of a recurve style grip would be fine! I have figured out if you can't grip your bows with ease and comfort, you won't shoot well.

[Retsbew]

Actually it makes sense to add at least one more 'type'....the hybrids, which have characteristics of both recurves and longbows. Hybrids often are heavier than longbows in the riser section (but usually lighter than most recurves) and have an 'R/D' limb design (refexed/deflexed) to provide recurve-like speed and reduced vibration ('handshock'...compared to longbows) when shot. They are very popular, since they are available in both shorter and longer lengths and offer a good compromise between the other two types.

The American flatbow ('longbow'), like a Howard Hill design, is often considered the typical example of a longbow by many modern shooters. They are a bit trickier to learn to shoot because of their lighter overall weight and heavier limb mass, but are very quiet, classy looking and perform well with good form (proper grip is especially important with longbows)...as do any of them.

If coming over from a compound, recurves are probably the easiest type of trad bow to learn to shoot, followed by hybrids and then longbows. Or, you could look at it another way and say that longbows offer the most challenge to shoot consistently well with, followed by hybrids and then recurves. One thing they all have in common...they're all fun to shoot.

[lovemylegacy]

I have seen the term "stack", what is that?

[APDBrad]

Length is a big difference.................

That's what she said!!!

Much respect to those of you using stick and string.

[RickBarbee]

Stack in a bow is when the bow gains excess amounts of it's total draw weight in the last few inches of the draw cycle, instead of building the draw weight fairly evenly throughout the entire draw cycle.

As far as difference in recurve & longbow - there are basically only three.

(1) - The obvious. Longbows have straight or fairly straight limb tips. Recurves have pronounced curved limb tips.

(2) - Recurves will generally have more mass weight than longbows, but this is not written in stone. It depends on the style of the recurve.

(3) - Recurves will generally be the better performer between the two when draw length, draw weight & arrow weight is equal.

As far as shootability & tuning is concerned. No difference.
While one may tune different than the other, it still has to be tuned, and the same tuning guidelines followed for success. Shootability is all in personal preference. One does not shoot easier than the other. You have to learn to shoot it whichever it is.

Rick

Edited to add draw length to #3, and to also mention that longbows will generally have better lateral limb stability than recurves.

[hammackc]

Stacking is draw weight building up quicker as draw length increases, instead of 2.5- 3 lbs it may increase to 4 or more, if a bow stacks, and imho, good ones don't, usually happens after 28 inches, some sooner!

[widdler]

My osage longbow stick is the way to go.

[flywise]

I have two recurves and a long bow
I can shoot the heck out of the recurves and cant yet shoot the long bow
not sure of the difference but there is apparently one