Recurve bow and longbow are the two most competitive bows among all. It is very difficult to choose one bow from these two as they have quite the same amount of fans.
As there are several types of archery, it’s quite important to figure out exactly which one you will be following. Target archery, field archery, hunting, traditional archery, and 3D archery are few of the types.
Most of the people have their choices set on the recurve bow. However, there are many people who have the same question - “Why is a recurve bow better than a longbow?”
The structure of the recurve bow, the power that it gives you, the size, the portability, and the adjustability that it offers you. Also, the availability and the user comfortability are immense which you can feel right after you try your first shot with it.
So, if you’ve got some time to spare and dive deep, let’s start-
Why Is a Recurve Bow Better than a Longbow?
Even though the recurve bow and longbow both almost have a similar amount of fans, the recurve bow is considered better than the longbow most of the time, especially when they are considered for hunting.
Well, there are some legitimate reasons for considering the recurve bow better. Let’s check out the reasons-
Recurve bow
Structure
Longbows and recurve bows both have different body structures. The longbow has longer limbs with straight “D” like shape. And, they don’t have a curvy end like the other one.
On the other hand, the recurve bow has limbs that curve away from the archer at the ends. That curve is what you call a re-curve.
Compared to the longbow, the structure of the reverse bow gives it a huge plus point of being more user-friendly. It has much shorter limbs which makes it very convenient to the archers.
On the other hand, longbows are pretty difficult to handle and maneuver, because of their unusually longer limbs.
Power
It doesn’t matter whatever sport or wherever you’re in life, humans will always seek power. Power is what makes a bow and arrow deadly for the target or hunt.
The longbow is pretty powerful and you can feel it by its looks. On the other hand, the recurve bow isn't lagging behind. Its curved limbs give it immense power.
However, 70Ibs of the draw is the maximum that anyone can handle and want for either of them. The curved tips of the limbs of your recurve bow can store energy more efficiently than the longbow.
If you give a test run of both of the bows from the same place, there’s a high chance that the recurve bow’s arrow will reach your target faster. It’s because of the power that is stored on the tips when you draw the bow.
Longbow
Size
Among the longbow and the recurve bow, the recurve bow is the smaller one. Even though it is the smaller one, don’t make a mistake questioning its ability.
The re-curve that you have at the tip of your recurve bow is able to store power so efficiently that the limbs don’t even need to be that long.
You see, a 60Ibs modern longbow can come in at 64” in length. On the other hand, a 60Ibs recurve can shrink down to only be 58” long.
Portability
If you want to own a modern recurve bow, you might consider a takedown recurve bow.
The best thing about those is that you can remove the limbs and break them down into 3 pieces- the riser, top, and bottom limb.
However, you won’t find so many takedown longbows like the recurve takedown bow on the market. Because the longbow is generally a selfbow or a one-piece bow.
That is a hamper to your portability for sure and that gives a clear advantage to the more common takedown recurve bows.
Adjustability
To be honest, you can’t really adjust any type of bow. What you can do is that you can purchase different types of limbs for your recurve bow to increase and decrease the power.
However, you can also do the same for the longbow but those are pretty hard to find. So, as the longbows often a single piece bows, there’s no possible way to increase or decrease their power.
Availability
Among the recurve bow and the longbow, the longbow is quite rare in most of the continents nowadays. Longbows are classic bows and they are not prioritized in most of the places.
However, recurves are the modern standard for the tournaments, Olympic, and club archery too. The demand of the recurve bows is quite high compared to the longbow.
Moreover, it’s often hard to get any part for the longbow as most of the stores don’t keep them. That is why the demand for the longbow has also decreased at a high rate.
But if you’re a classics lover and passionate about archery, you can find them in the shops that collect old classic items.
User Comfortability
When you’re using anything, the first thing that you’ll always prioritize is the user-friendliness of the product. If you’re not comfortable using your bow, there’s no point in using it then.
In that case, the longbow loses. Because of being so long, it’s pretty hard to handle a longbow. On the other hand, the recurve bow gives you the most amazing experience by being so easy to use.
It can be really uncomfortable for you if you’re a beginner or have been using a longbow. So, once you give a try to the recurve bow you’ll know the difference for sure.
Conclusion
So, we’ve answered why a recurve bow is better than a longbow. It doesn’t matter whatever facility you want, the recurve bow will always fulfill your wants.
All you need is to just tune your recurve bow a little bit and you’ll be able to unleash the full potential out of it.
And if you’re just looking for something classical and not so powerful, then you can get a longbow. A classic lover will surely love a longbow.
However, remember that a longbow is not something that you can just completely ignore. Because it has been here for a long time and it has been here for this long for a reason.