longbows

[Noel]

Hey guys... Do any of you know anything about longbows...? I was think of get one...

[lefty o]

they are long! wish i could help you, but my knowledge is limited to recurves, and somewhat older compounds.

[jeffsenpai]

I used a recurve bow back in college when I took an archery class. Very fun to target shoot with bow&arrow, almost bought one for my lady at the gun show I recently went to.

Can't help you with longbow info though? I'd imagine they have a heavier pull weight than recurves, but much longer range... I think of the movie "Braveheart" when I think of longbows

[BunnyWabbit]

I shoot a compound, but there was a class in the tournaments I used to shoot. I know you are limited on the distance you can shoot. Most of the shots they let these guys shoot were around 20-25 yards. You can get longbows with different draw weights. Just make sure you get the correct draw length for you. I have seen places try to sell bows to people and the string didn't even come to their mouth. The art in archery is being able to draw back the same way each time. If you bow fits you, that is a lot easier to do. For example, my middle knuckle always rests right behind my jawbone when I am in full draw using a release. With a longbow, you will probably have some leather finger grips so you don't tear your skin up when you release the string. You also won't have the luxury of having sights. You will have to practice a lot to get to know your bow so you can judge where you need to look to aim correctly. Not too familiar with longbows, but they are very cool. Lots of the guys I have met made their own.

[lefty o]

there is no set draw length on a recurve, or long bow.

[sell33]

I personally dont know a whole lot, i love to shoot them though. My uncle makes his own longbows out of osage and hunts solely with these longbows. well i take that back he did until this past season when he bought a longbow, but still longbow. I'm not sure if its a lot harder but he is very successful and usually takes 6 or 7 deer each year just with long bow, he fills every permit available i know that

[Noel]

Hey thanks for the info guys... I guess I better go out looking instead of buying off the internt... At least that way I'd have a better chance of it fitting me... Thanks again

[lefty o]

noel, have you ever owned a bow before? if not, it would definately be to your advantage to go to 1 or 2 pro shops and talk in depth with them. you need to know how to string a bow,and unstring without hurting yourself, or the bow- long bows and recurves need to be unstrung when not in use.

[sell33]

Yeah that is always a pain, you can buy long bows with fiberglass in them that don't need unstrung every tiem but they are not cheap so it may or may not be worth it....

[lefty o]

even glass backed bows need to be unstrung, the limbs will warp.

[Noel]

Hey Guys... Take a look at this and tell me what you think ... Osage Orange Hedge Self back Long Bow LongBow 4ft 9in - eBay (item 200200397232 end time Feb-19-08 18:01:48 PST)
I am leaning hard towards this... I like the idea of the Osage...The pull is 50 to 55# at 28" and I used a yard stick to check my pull... my real concern is my bad back... I had L5 S1 fuesed a year ago... Check it out and let me know what you guys think... The biddiing is up in about 8 hours... Thanks again ...

I had a bow when I was a kid but that was a long time ago...

[lefty o]

a fused disk shouldnt inhibit shooting a bow, you will however use muscles that you never use.

[Broken Arrow]

Noel,
I have been shooting and hunting with longbows for about 20 years now. I have the privilege of shooting all over the US. I have owned over 100 different bows made by Bowyers from all over the country. Written several Traditional Bow reviews for a national publication. As you can tell by my handle, “Broken Arrow”, I been around a while and it’s getting harder each year to hunt with confidence knowing I can still make clean ethical kills with a Longbow. That’s how I got hooked up in the Gun Forum. Bows are no different than guns. It is all in what you like. In order to find that out, get ready to spend some jack. I would start off with a fairly inexpensive one. A dollar amount you feel comfortable with. A good way to locate one is to contact a Bowyer and see what he may have laying around. Harrelson Traditional Archery would be a very good start. I know he has several he would like to see go away. He built a bunch to take to a shoot and not a lot of Longbow shooters showed up. You might get a good deal. He has been building bows for a long time and knows what he is doing. He can also give you advice on draw weight and length, center shot or 1/8” off center AMO and so fourth. Check out his web site. You will also need arrows that fit you and the bow. Spine is critical. A good Bowyer can help with that also. They are all over internet. You may have one next door and not even know it. Remember to buy quality the first time. It will cost less in the long run.

I am quite sure you will become addicted as I did. A lot of fun!!!

Good Luck.

[BunnyWabbit]

If you have a pro shop nearby, check with them and see if they know anyone who shoots one that would be willing to talk to you about them. I didn't know there wasn't a draw length on a recurve.

[lefty o]

with recurves, the draw weight is normally measured at 28", but your draw length is whatever it is. if longer than 28" you will be pulling more weight, if shorter then less weight.

[Noel]

Originally Posted by lefty o

with recurves, the draw weight is normally measured at 28", but your draw length is whatever it is. if longer than 28" you will be pulling more weight, if shorter then less weight.

Why would'nt this be true on a longbow also...

Thanks broken arrow... Some great advise there!

[Broken Arrow]

First of all, there is not really a set standard on draw weight and length. I would say the 28" draw length is more of an average of the most common draw lengths. You can have a bow made to fit your draw length and a comfortable draw weight. Longbows and Recurves are the same when it comes to this. True enough if a bow has a draw weight of let’s say 50# at 28" and you draw it 27" you will be pulling less weight. The problem is performance. I have been out of the Compound Bow market for a long time so please correct me if I am wrong in making this statement: A compound bow will perform at its best if it is bottomed out at its stated draw weight. It is the same principle with traditional equipment. You will have a more consistent anchor with a longbow made to your draw length and much improved performance. It other words once you have come to full draw it stops. You can pick up a longbow (as they say "custom made”) for no more $$ than you can get one at Bass Pro. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can have it made of just about any wood you like. Call a Bowyer or talk to some folks. I started an organization some years ago called The Alabama Society of Traditional Bowmen. Check out their web site. There should be some info there that may help.

Things have changed a lot in Compound world. I am curious about the bottoming out of the limbs for peak performance. Does this still hold true?

[Noel]

Will I couldn’t stand it… I had to buy something and that one I wanted , was bought out from under me, so I bought this…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110224014637&ssPa geName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=001

With shipping it was only $63.00… but I could have just thrown the money away … It’s a start… If it doesn’t work out I will go down to Sacramento and go looking… Thanks for all the advise and help guys…

[Windwalker]

Good Luck Noel.Hope the one you bought works out great.

[Sooner Shooter]

Originally Posted by Broken Arrow

First of all, there is not really a set standard on draw weight and length. I would say the 28" draw length is more of an average of the most common draw lengths. You can have a bow made to fit your draw length and a comfortable draw weight. Longbows and Recurves are the same when it comes to this. True enough if a bow has a draw weight of let’s say 50# at 28" and you draw it 27" you will be pulling less weight. The problem is performance. I have been out of the Compound Bow market for a long time so please correct me if I am wrong in making this statement: A compound bow will perform at its best if it is bottomed out at its stated draw weight. It is the same principle with traditional equipment. You will have a more consistent anchor with a longbow made to your draw length and much improved performance. It other words once you have come to full draw it stops. You can pick up a longbow (as they say "custom made”) for no more $$ than you can get one at Bass Pro. Depending on how much you want to spend, you can have it made of just about any wood you like. Call a Bowyer or talk to some folks. I started an organization some years ago called The Alabama Society of Traditional Bowmen. Check out their web site. There should be some info there that may help.

Things have changed a lot in Compound world. I am curious about the bottoming out of the limbs for peak performance. Does this still hold true?

Broken Arrow,

Your posts are very good and I hope people are listening to what you say. The compounds of today generally come with an adjustment of 10# increments but will probably adjust down more, but the farther you get away from max the more the accuracy goes down (Bow shops say). In my own experience I'd say that if you get away from max by just a few pounds you would have to be an expert to tell any difference. It seems like in the past, bows would adjust 15 or 20 lbs leaving a lot of slop in the bow and got a reputation for not shooting well because they wouldn't. Back to your question. Yes, best performance is still obtained by bottoming out the limbs but I think on a sliding scale. Haven't done the long bow yet. Have never even shot one. Wouldn't there be less of a stacking problem with the long bows?

NOEL,
I don't know anything about longbows but you might need to ask Broken Arrow if that might be a collectors item. I'll just go ahead and ask him. What do you think BA?