Traditional Bows  

For traditionalists and purists, traditional bows are the only way to go.  They are great for testing your archery skills in the way past generations used the bow.  Whether you want to try shooting like Robin Hood or past armies’ archers, traditional bows will get you there. 

Longbows & Recurve Bows 

Traditional Bows come in two varieties (1) longbows and (2) recurve bows.  Longbows offer an elongated bow that can go up to 72” in length from tip to tip.  For this reason, it gets its name sake, but it became a popular bow because of its ability to shoot long distances.  The recurve bow has a bow similar to the longbow, but its tips bend back outwards.  The form allows it to shoot a faster shot and was made popular for those on horseback. 

Materials of Bows 

Longbows and recurve bows are made of different materials.  Most longbows and recurve bows are composites created by laminating different layers of wood or other materials together.  The different woods used for the core often include osage, yew, hickory, maple, and red oak although other woods can be used as well.  The backing is usually made out of bamboo, fiberglass, or other woods like hickory, maple or some oaks.  Recurve bows are generally more popular because they are easier to shoot, tend be shorter, and give a good speed.  However, as with everything, you will find opinions vary.   

Prices & Brands 

Longbows have a wide range in prices and a wide variety of different brands.  Common price ranges go from $150 to well over $1000.  However, most new longbows fall in the range of $300 to $600.  Popular brands of longbows include Tomahawk, Bear, Great Plains, Martin, Tred Barta, and Greatree. Recurve bows have a broad price range of around $300 up to over $1000. They are made by generally the same companies as longbows including Bear, Great Plains, Greatree, 3Rivers, and PSE.