Tell me about recurves

RedneckWoman · #1 03/07/05, 12:08 PM

I didn't want to highjack the other bowhunting thread so I thought I would start this one.
I see on the other thread that there are a number of people that prefer recurves to compound bows. Can someone tell me what a recurve is? What are the avantages of a recurve to a compound?
I have never seen one so I have no clue of what they really are. The only thing available around here are compounds. Anyone want to fill me in?

Haggis · #2 03/07/05, 12:35 PM

There are several types of recurves but about the only type used today has the tips of the bows limbs curved in the opposite direction of the main limb in a sort of "s" shape. This is a working recurve as opposed to a static recurve.

This "s" in the limbs does the same thing as the pulley wheels on a compound, it makes the arrow fly faster, unlike the wheels on a compound the "s" doesn't let reduce the pull weight.

The real advantage of a longbow or recurve over a compound with sights and a release is simplicity. It's just two sticks and a string. The disadvantage of a recurve is that it may take a lifetime to master or to even become a fair shot, while with the compound bow, aluminium arrows, sights, and a release even a child can become a fair shot in a matter of hours.

One is not better or worse than the other, they are just two different approachs to the same sport.

james dilley · #3 03/07/05, 04:14 PM

My peronal choice is a recurve I will not use a compound bow,You can't pay me 2 shoot one, The recurve is a simple bow, while the complications with a compound are great.such as ease of changing the bowstring is easy on a recurve, but on a compound you might need a shop. Not good while in the woods right.

#4 03/07/05, 10:30 PM

Recurves and longbows. If you ever watch any old wild west movies where the injuns and cowboys are fighten each other you will see what the injuns had to use. One reason why I went back to using a stickbow was cause I was tired of feeling like a jarhead (marine) caring a 100 pounds of equipment to the woods with me whenever I went hunting. I am now in it more for the hunt and not the kill. So if I see a deer just a little too far out there for my stickbow and have to watch it wonder off without being shot at then thats alright with me. It was still a successful hunt. There's always rifle season!

When I hunted with a compound my old ancient compound probably weighed somewhere around 10 pounds! My stick bow weighs maybe a pound and a half. My aluminum hunting arrows probably cost me about 10-12 bucks each. My wooden arrows now cost me about 4 bucks each. With practice they still kill just as effectively as modern arrows.

Not to knock the modern compound users down but a lot of old veteran compound users start getting bored with the ease of being able to kill a deer. So they either quit bowhunting completely, become trophy hunters only, or get back to basics and look forward to another challenge in life by mastering the stickbow.(recurves, longbows)

#5 03/07/05, 10:40 PM

Redneck, forgot to tell you if you are interested in trying out a stickbow you can either keep your eye out for one at yard sales or get on ebay. My advice to you would be to get you a #30 pound fiberglass recurve to start out with. When you get the hang of shooting it you can then buy you one just legal enough to hunt with in your state. Most fiberglass 30 #'ers go for about 5-10 dollars each. Afterwards buy you a laminated wood recurve about 40 or 45 pound for about 30-45 dollars. You can also use aluminum arrows with them as if you don't know how to build your own a dozen wooden arrows will cost you anywhere from 35 - 60 dollars.

homebirtha · #6 03/07/05, 11:04 PM

Can you really find a fiberglass recurve for $5 or $10? That's exactly what I've been looking for, and I haven't seen any for under $100. I haven't run across any at yard sales, so maybe that's a possibility. But the ones I see on ebay go for a lot more. Sometimes there will be old wooden recurves that I've considered that were more reasonable, like $25 to $50, but they look iffy. I got my daughter a kids one for $20, but that's the cheapest I've seen.

Around here, recurve bows are seeing a resurge in interest, so a few speciality places are carrying them now, but they're not cheap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by r.h. in okla.

Most fiberglass 30 #'ers go for about 5-10 dollars each.

stonefly71 · #7 03/08/05, 02:35 AM

If you want to ge tthe kids something to shoot just go to a dept store you can pick up a complete youth kit for 25 to 35 bucks.it might not be 30 lbs. or so but they have some in the 20 lb class I belive they are. Not that bad also go check out flea markets as many people have them there also. most only need a new string which you can goto any bow/hunting store.Later Matt

RedneckWoman · #8 03/08/05, 02:45 AM

Ahhh I know what you are talking about now lol. I saw my neighbor have one of those outside once, I just thought they were for practice and not for hunting

My bad.
Another question or two if you don't mind. How do you sight them? Can you get them in 70#s? And can you get them in short draw lengths? I was surfing around looking at a few and those things look huge for someone with short arms.

Hermit · #9 03/08/05, 06:06 AM

You really don't want to get a bow with a 70 pound draw weight. It is absolutely critical that you go to a store that sells them and test the different draw weights before buying one. There are a lot of big strong dudes who wouldn't be able to pull a 70 pound draw weight ten times in a row without a break to rest up.

Typically, the shorter the bow, the shorter the "draw length."

shelljo · #10 03/08/05, 08:49 AM

Another question or two if you don't mind. How do you sight them? Can you get them in 70#s? And can you get them in short draw lengths? I was surfing around looking at a few and those things look huge for someone with short arms.[/QUOTE]

I know in teaching 4-H archery, we make sights with straight pins--those with the colored balls on them. Just tape them to the riser of the bow. Now, we just use them to teach the concept of how to sight in a bow. I'm sure you could buy sight pins for one. I know I shoot low and to the left without a sight pin, so I adjust my aim when target shooting.

We just bought new recurves for our 4-Hers--paid $75 for fiberglass. The adult draw weight was 20#.

big rockpile · #11 03/08/05, 09:22 AM

As far as aiming,I always shot instinctive,in other words no sights,shot off the shelf,high anchor,so I was sighting down the arrow.I could hit a Squirrel head at 25 yards.

I liked a 62 inch Bow less finger pinch.Plus anything over 50 pounds is not needed.

big rockpile

Haggis · #12 03/08/05, 09:25 AM

Howard Hill, the legendary longbowman, said that a 30# pull bow would shoot through both sides of a whitetail deer. I'm a good sized fellow, a few inches over 6' and long since left 200# in the dust, and with a 32" draw length. Most of my bows are 48# at a 28" draw so I'm really pulling about 55# or 56#. I'm comfortable with it and that's what I shoot. When I start practicing in the summer I start off with about 100 flights each day and build up to 500 or 600 flights by the time hunting season rolls around.

I like stick bows mainly because that's what I've always shot, but also because of their history, their weight, and their speed.

When I was in college one of my history professors was yakking about how that Cortes and others of his ilk defeated the Indians due to superior fire power. I told him that he didn't know shinola about his weaponry. Most of he Aztec used an atlatl and even if they had used a bow the Spanish weapons were slower and less accurate. Anyhow, on a bet we calculated that the old matchlock of the Spanish could be fired once a minute so I was given one minute to fire as many arrows as possible. I used 20 arrows and put 18 of them in a 4" circle at 20 yards in 50 seconds. I'd like to see a compound shooter using sights do as well, and Lord knows it can't be done with a muzzleloader.

It is a historical fact that Maurice Thompson once put 4 arrows in the air at the same time with his longbow, fired one at a time of course.

When my boy was young we used to shoot a flu-flu arrow nearly straight into the air and then try to hit them with our normally fletched arrows before flu-flu hit the ground; but four arrows at once?

Haggis · #13 03/08/05, 09:30 AM

[QUOTE=shelljo]Another question or two if you don't mind. How do you sight them? QUOTE]

You can use either baseball or basketball sights on them. Longbows and recurves sight in the exactly the same way. :haha:

This is the reason it takes a lifetime to master a stickbow.

HippyChick · #14 03/08/05, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedneckWoman

Ahhh I know what you are talking about now lol. I saw my neighbor have one of those outside once, I just thought they were for practice and not for hunting

My bad.
Another question or two if you don't mind. How do you sight them? Can you get them in 70#s? And can you get them in short draw lengths? I was surfing around looking at a few and those things look huge for someone with short arms.

Yes, you probably don't want 70 lbs. I pull a 50 lb recurve and it is plenty for hunting. I also have a 45 lb longbow.

Most people I know who use stick bows start at 30 and work up. You really have to build strength a bit before moving up in poundage. My personal feeling is that is unsafe to pull a bow you don't have the strength for. You don't have the control you should have.

If there is an archery club near you, you might go and see if someone can show you different bows and maybe let you try some out before you buy.

RedneckWoman · #15 03/08/05, 10:13 AM

I think I may go see if they neighbor wants to trade some eggs for a few minutes use of his bow lol. This is interesting (at least to one that has never used or really seen one).

Thanks for the info everyone.

(btw, the question about the pull is because when I started with a compund everyone gave me grief because I only shot 55# so I worked up to 70# to shut them up. Yall know how some folks are.

)