Longbow - now or later?

adie

New member
Hi

I have just completed my beginner's course and am lucky enough to have a club light poundage recurve bow on loan. During my course I've tried a compound as well and while I prefer using a recurve bow my heart is truly set on a longbow.

What's in my mind is "should I go for one now" or "stick to recurve, learn more before hand".

Both routes won't be cheap so do I go with my heart or my head for now, because it's going to happen at sometime (and with 50 closing in I don't have that much time!).

I'd really appreciate hearing the comments from others that I am sure have been in the same position. After all there's nothing like the benefit of hindsight from experience and I don't have this. :shy:

Thanks!
 

payneib

Supporter
Supporter
go with the longbow!!!!!!

If you know it's what you want, just go for it. When i finished my beginners course, it was bassicaly suggested that trad bows are just toys, and i should stick to recurve like everyone else.

What a waist of time?!!!!, And how boring?!!!!!!!!! lol

I shoot to relax, and there's nothing more relaxing than bangin arrows down the range with a peice of history in your hand, makin some very big holes in the target!!! lol
 

woodsplitter

Member
Supporter
Ironman
American Shoot
Stop faffin' about and get a longbow, you know it makes sense. Longbows go with :beer: and :cake: better than anything else.
 

jinksy

New member
hi all what about an American flat bow? it wont break your nose your pocket or your heart when it inevitably goes and their are some gorgeous bows out their built by British bowyers Andy soures border and bowtec to name a few and you will get the speed from a lighter poundage just a thought hope it helps
 

adie

New member
Compound felt really strange to me. You feel the pull then you get to an "eye of the storm" moment when all the force goes away.

I didn't really like that feel. Plus I don't get on with recurve sights - prefer my own judgement.

With all the outlay for even a KAP startup recurve I'd be well on the way. Am tempted by Simon Chapman's bows as he is fairly local. Although I could play all day on Keith Rayner's custom design ap.

But I think Pip Bickerstaff's bows are out of my league - or should I say that's what I've been told :mind-blow
 

adie

New member
Thanks for the advice Jinsky but the more I think about it (and have done a stack of googling today) I'll go with the heart for a longbow. Just a bit concerned about draw weight. My current loan recurve is only 20lbs at 68 but until last week I wasn't even using a finger tab.

Now everything is going too high plus I don't feel any arm/back tension after 2 hours. So moving up weight shouldn't be an issue. I'm around 5'8" with a strong upper body but only a 28" reach. I'd guess that would be slightly tall standard comparison for Tudor/Mary Rose bows/archers.

So if I go down the longbow route (which I think I will now) should I go for a cheaper first bow?
 

alanesq

New member
The next question is are you interested in the Victorian type target longbow
or are you interested in the longbow- of fame from Agincourt etc. (you mention the Mary Rose so I am guessing the latter) ?

I would strongly recommend you buy a cheap and cheerful bow for your first bow - no point spending a fortune only to decide in a few weeks you want something different.
Just shoot whatever bow you want to. I am in target club where I am the only none recurve or compound archer and I shoot a 110lb (or sometimes a 130lb) longbow- :)

BTW - You can read my own diary of getting into longbows which I think may be of interest / help
here: http://www.alanesq.com/longbow.htm
 

Nic Rhodes

New member
Get yourself a simple longbow and shoot what you want. You will find your poundage will increase so don't go ott atm, start modest and update next year to a nicere bow and sell on. A simple ash or lemonwood / purpleheart / hickory is a good place to start for modest amounts. Keiths Rayner bows are excellent (Yew Tree Archery) and I replaced a standard Bickerstaffe with mine. I was very taken by Chapmans bows but he didn't answer my email so lost a sale, Jase was helpful hpwever and I suspect I will buy one through the Longbow shop at some stage, as they look excellent value and use good woods. Bought a Pau Amareillo and Bamboo recently that shoots very well for not much money (120), so there are good bows out there to get you started, just work on that poundage.
 
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geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Adie, Just a few ideas for you to think about.The recurve does not have to be shot with a sight,you could shoot barebow and use your own judgement.
The compound draw feels odd the first time you draw it. After a few dozen, it will feel normal and a recurve then feels odd.Have you shot a longbow to know how it feels compared to other types?
I am not trying to persuade you one way or another; it has to be your choice.All I would add is that longbow may be the choice based on "seeing yourself" in your mind's eye.I would shoot one and find out what it is like in reality. I started with recurve as do most archers. I had compound forced on me by a finger injury; in my mind, I never wanted one.Having shot one, I regretted waiting so long.If my injury could be reversed, I have no doubts that I would stay with compound.
Don't wonder what to do. Find out how the longbow feels and go with what you know to be the best for you. AND enjoy!!
 

steve58

New member
I did the beginner's course one December wanting to shoot longbow. These days our club coaches offer this as part of the course, but not back then. I got a beginner's recurve set up as advised and shot it for a while. Then someone lent me an old longbow for our two way tournament and I was hooked. I sold the recurve set up by the end of the summer. I've seen people come through and shoot longbow from the beginning; yes it can be a steep learning curve and no there isn't always a lot of well informed help in a particular club (yours may be an exception). But what I have noticed is that the people who are shooting their preferred bowstyle are the ones most lilkely to have fun, cope with the bad days and come back and try again.
 

Sky Kite

New member
Hi adie,

If you're thinking about longbow, why not make your own ?

There are some good courses out there (so I'm told), they shouldn't break the bank and you'll end up with a good basic bow that you made with your own hands (under the tutelage of an Expert who will make sure that you don't go wrong). When you're planning and undertaking the course, the Expert should also be able to guide you a bit more about the right sort of bow for you (woods, dimensions, weight etc), the right arrows etc and even about shooting it.

I have no connection with Lee at Heritage Bows but, on the basis of his reviews etc, I'm thinking of going on one of his courses myself sometime soon:

http://www.archery-interchange.net/showthread.php?29557-Build-your-own-longbow-course.
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
What ever you decide to shoot learn to shoot it properly and the best you can - you get much more enjoyment that way - some change bow disciplines as an excuse for lack of progress or a lack of willingness to master the correct shooting technique.

Longbow done properly can be just as challenging and expensive as Recurve or Compound - dare I mention arrows for starters much easier to match a set of carbons to a recurve than woods to a longbow - thats if you want to do it properly.
 

steve58

New member
It need not be that expensive to start up longbow.

I think most of the major bowyers offer something simple like a hickory backed lemonwood.

That will get you shooting Westerns very comfortably with about 40# on the fingers if you go in for target and shooting a decent Western is a good ambition to start with.

Add a bamboo backing or a hardwood core (or both... you see where the money goes!) for a bit more performance.

One lad at my club has just reached bowman in his second season with a Ron Palmer that cost him about ?120 and a set of POC arrows I built for him.

You can build a set of basic arrows for ?50. Bracer, quiver etc can be as cheap or as dear as you want. The basic nylon quiver I had when I started 7 years ago is still good, I've only replaced it because I wanted a back quiver.

It will all feel like money well spent if you are shooting in the style you prefer, rather than reluctantly shooting something else
 

adie

New member
Thank you for all of your comments guys. I really appreciate all of your help, that's what maks this site so great.

I think that I'm tempted to go for either a Heritage or Keith Rayner hickory back / lemonwood body with either a purpleheart or padauk core. That should set me back around ?230 - ish.

Keep it simple at 40-42# for the rest of the indoor season and then look at something new for the summer (it everything goes to plan). Then leave a ?100 budget for some decent arrows and some cheap wood for home practice.

I don't think I'll care about a step back at first - I'll be happy and what's the challenge if it's simple? Might as well collect stamps.

Again, thanks all !

BW

Adie
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
Good plan on the bows, but, I'd advise making your own arrows, and steer clear of cheap practice arrows. You get what you pay for with arrows (Either with money, or time.) but if your arrows aren't good how can you tell how well you are shooting? Cheap arrows are a false economy in my opinion, even if only used for practice, and if you make your own, they end up almost as cheap as the cheapest practice arrows anyway.
 

steve58

New member
There is a danger with making arrows... it can get quite addictive and you can quite easily persuade yourself that you absolutely "need" to make another set just to try out another variation. That's why I have about 10 or a dozen sets or part sets hanging about the place...
 

payneib

Supporter
Supporter
I think that I'm tempted to go for either a Heritage or Keith Rayner hickory back / lemonwood body with either a purpleheart or padauk core. That should set me back around ?230 - ish.
I can't vouch for Heritage bows (other than his advice on here is spot on), but I have just recieved a Keith Rayner bow that I ordered a few weeks ago.

The bow is beautifull, excellently made, shoots really nicely (I'm just butchering up some old arrows to keep up with it lol), and Keiths service is second to none.

Give him a ring one evening, or send him a bow design through his website and he'll give you all the advice you could wish for!

My whole "what to buy" process is here:
http://www.archery-interchange.net/showthread.php?29184-where-to-buy-my-next-bow

with some photos of the finished product at the end.

RE: Making arrows.

It really is a usefull skill to have, as "woodies" have a tendency to become kindling a bit more often than allies (we're not talkin, like, every other arrow disintergrates, but they do break!!! lol) and it's really usefull to know how to strip bits off of a dead arrow to put new ones together.

I'm currently stripping down and re-working my very first set of arrows, of which only four servive, but they're perfect shafts and components for using as indoor arrows for my new bow in a hurry, but being my first set they were really badly put together!!!! Hopefully they'll be a bit better by the end of the week! lol
 

Davy Tee

New member
hi all what about an American flat bow? it wont break your nose your pocket or your heart when it inevitably goes and their are some gorgeous bows out their built by British bowyers Andy soures border and bowtec to name a few and you will get the speed from a lighter poundage just a thought hope it helps
Dont think BowTec are making bows any more.
 

adie

New member
Thanks again guys.

It did cross my mind about making my own arrows. I just dismissed the idea because a) I thought it would be expensive and b) t would be too difficult.

I had intended to get a good set from LittleJohn arrows and a cheap set to get used to the bow.

Now I'm changing my mind with a bit of google research. Maybe I was wrong. I'd certainly take great pleasure in being able to make my own. Plus my father in law is an ex regimental carpenter for the blues & royals, so I could get a bit of help if I got stuck.

Anyone recommend a good book or download on arrow making please ?
 
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