What other than aestetics is the difference between the two? I am thinking of buying a recurve butI haven't thought about a longbow. I have a long draw (32") Does that make a difference? Thanks Bow will be used for hunting

I'm not an expert on either, especially a longbow but I'll give it a shot. The biggest advantage is the shorter length of a recurve. Bow speed is similiar, though recurves are a little faster.

Most areas I hunt in would be a pain in the butt to haul a long longbow around in. Also, shooting out of a treestand could prove a problem unless extensive pruning was done.

I'd stick with a recurve to start, they're just so much easier to learn to shoot well. As far as length, if you go with a traditional longbow it will be long. The hybrids can be almost as short as a recurve. Traditional styles can be really hard to shoot, lots of handshock and they aren't centershot. When you get a recurve make sure it's centershot, I've said before that mine isn't and it's sure picky about arrow selection.

sites to visit

Ol Adcock--bow tuning
leatherwall
tradgang-spend some time mining info here and you'll lear all you need to know.

Thanks I shot a couple recurves yesterday. FUN. I am a lousy shot but FUN

The whole thing I notice about recurve/longbow shooters is they have FUN. We joke around and do stupid shots that no wheelie dude would try. We don't mind breaking arrows and losing them, we aren't serious about hitting the target all the time and we miss a lot!!

have fun

I am working on getting a recurve and plan on shooting in a traditional league. That is just what the guy at the archery shop said. I am looking forward to it.

If you are going traditional, there is a book by Fred Asbell called "Instinctive Shooting" that is a must have. I think he also wrote a second volume. It has everything you need to know about bow setup, instinctive shooting, and a lot more. Have fun with whichever bow you decide to buy.

The two things that I notice between a recurve and a longbow. There is a lot more hand shock with a longbow and the recurve isn't prone to twisting in your hand. I would say overall the recurve is easier to shoot. I would not start out with too heavy of a bow. I am tall so my draw length is long. I prefer a 45 lb bow. I shoot only traditional bows and do not own a compound bow.

Chain, I am an avid archery traditionalist. Avid, but no expert. I've got a 31" draw length and shoot a 64" takedown recurve made by Tom and Owen Jeffrey, here in Columbia, S.C. I also shoot one of their longbows which is 68". The draw weight on my recurve is 45 lbs. It is an extremely smooth shooter. There is more handshock with the longbow but not much. The longbow is a good bit quieter also. Both are a blast to shoot. I've shot two averave size does with the recurve, but have yet to shoot any game with the longbow. I would also recommend Asbell's book. It has extremely useful technique tips and emphasizes the "zen" of traditional archery

Geez, you guys must be all kids. I cut my teeth on a couple of Bear recurve bows (one short the other longer). Got my first deer with one. You could get sights for them, but you had to screw them in thereby "marring" the bow. I did not use sight on my short bow, but did install them on the long one. I could hit in the kill zone out to 25 yards. They were just starting to put arrow rests as a Finger out of the side of the bow, otherwise it was juts the shelf. No where near as precise as the modern compound bows, but simple and fun. Mine were 45# as I recollect.
Peter.

55# Bear Grizzly, about 25 years old now, and well and truly retired (for of all things, a 65# traditional Longbow...).
+1 on the shock, a good Recurve will have much less than a Longbow, at least in my admittedly limited experience.

Thanks I bought a recurve. Arrows and accessoreis on Sat.