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.
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