The journey as an archer gets rough and tough if you are equipped with the wrong gears. To stay on the right track, you must find the perfect bow. Now the question is how to choose a recurve bow, which is best for us. The good news for you is if you read this article till the end, you will be able to choose the best recurve bow for yourself without any issues.
Most of the time, new archers need clarification when they see too many options available in the market. There is nothing wrong with it as it is natural, and everybody goes through this phase despite whatever game they play. Let’s start discussing it in more detail.
How To Choose A Recurve Bow
As a beginner, you can choose any recurve of your choice, consider a few factors and start practicing it until you can start hitting your target accurately. Recurve bows are best for hunting and target shooting.
The main things to look at while choosing your recurve are perfect size and power. Besides this, keep one other thing in mind: the purpose of buying recurves, either for hunting or target shooting.
There are several factors involved in picking the right to recurve for yourself. If you consider them while making a purchase, you will surely buy a good one for yourself. Moreover, if you do the inverse, you might get into trouble.
1- Takedown vs. One-Piece Recurve bows
There are a lot of different categories of an archery bow, and you can choose any of them according to your requirement. You can choose from a one-piece recurve bow, or a takedown recurve. The one-piece recurves are made from solid materials like fiberglass lamination with wooden cores.
On the other hand, you have a takedown version available, and it is named a takedown bow because you can disassemble the entire bow. Here, you can detach limbs from the riser easily. Many modern recurve bows are now coming with the takedown structure, which is impressive.
As of now, we have discussed all the basic things we must need to understand. Now let’s learn those tips that will help you make your decision more easily.
2- Find Bow Size using Draw Length.
Draw length is the distance bowstring from the arrow rest at full draw. Suppose you have longer arms, so there should be a larger distance expected, and mistakenly you bought a smaller recurve. You will surely mess everything up in the end. Additionally, you need shorter arms and buy a bow with a longer draw length to use the full power of the bow.
Luckily, measuring your draw length is quite easy. Just open up your arms and stretch them on the side of your shoulder. It will make a T shape. Now, you can easily measure your draw length from the fingertip of your right hand to the left hand by using any measuring tool like tape, etc.
Apply the formula to calculate your draw length now. Whatever number you get by measuring, divide it by 2.5, and the answer you receive is your draw length. Isn’t it easy? Let’s take an example. Suppose you have measured around 75 inches. Then your draw length is around 30 inches.
3- Find Bow Size Using Draw Weight of Your Bow
Draw weight is the amount of force required to pull back the bowstring. Simply put, a bow with a draw weight of 50 lbs requires the same effort to draw as it is required to lift a 50 lbs rock off the ground.
Mostly, higher draw weights are referred to as more powerful. It has nothing to do with the actual size of the bow, but there’s a myth that bows with higher draw weights are bigger.
Draw weight plays an important role in picking the right to recurve bow. Imagine, if it is too heavy, then it isn’t easy to draw, and unfortunately, you will not be able to develop a good form and miss your target completely. Only stronger archers can handle higher draw weights, but for beginners, it is good to stick with lower draw weights.
4- Perfect Bow Length
Generally, this rule states that someone with a longer bow can get better distance and accuracy than a shorter-length bow. Remember one most important thing here: your bow should be brief so its bottom limb can touch the ground; if it does, you might not hit your target accurately.
The ultimate benefit of a takedown recurve bow is that you get full control of the draw length, which works much better.
5- Quality of Riser
Another best part of a recurve bow is that it has a riser with a comfortable grip, which provides a better handling and control experience when we aim at our target. The riser should be durable and don’t create unnecessary vibrations when you release the bowstring.
We recommend brass bushing risers because they allow you to install any additional tools or accessories.
6- Quality of Limbs
Whenever we buy recurves for ourselves, we focus on those limbs that contain fiberglass. We choose them because fiberglass makes those limbs more resistant to extra energy and bending.
Why should you buy a Recurve Bow?
As we have shared some tips to consider before buying a recurve, we know that now you are looking for a reason why you should buy a recurve bow. From this point, we will discuss why you should buy recurve bow sight in detail.
1- Size of Recurve
These bows are usually shorter in size with the right draw length and less weight. Most of the time, the best recurve bows for hunting come in shorter lengths than longbows — giving you extra control when hitting at severe angles.
Moreover, it gives more strength, control, and optimum speed. As they are easy to disassemble, storing them in a bow case is quite easy.
Recall the ancient times when few skilled archers used to shoot arrows from the back of a horse. At that stage, those archers use traditional recurve bows, making the best use of their shorter length and ability to provide maximum control when shooting.
2- Speed
You are not supposed to transfer all of your energy to the arrow when you shoot an arrow. Bows are not 100 percent effective when it comes down to transferring energy. There are different efficiency levels in different bow designs. Once the arrow is fired, the most traveling part of the limb is the tip of the bow.
The bows you use for hunting have made it much easier for the tip of the bows to be accelerated. Since the tips are attached to a string, there are chances of more energy transfer from the archer to the string and arrow. So ultimately, energy loss is minimal at the end, and arrow speed can be maximized.
3-Easy to Carry
They are designed with thinner and lighter materials to make recurve bows energy efficient. The overall weight of the bow is reduced as less of the draw weight is stored. Fortunately, they are made from lighter material, so carrying them is easy as they are lightweight.
FAQ’s
Just focus on the following points if you are about to buy any recurve.
Perfect Bow length
Quality of riser
Quality of limbs
Size of Recurve
Speed
Portability
They are less accurate than compound bows because they produce lower arrow velocities, around 170-180 fps. Lower velocity is a sign that it might get affected by wind.
I normally suggest new archers and some of my pro colleagues unstring their wooden recurve bow or longbow right after they finish shooting. They are made from synthetic materials and can be left strung for more than a couple of weeks, but to play safe and take it to the long run, spare a moment and unstrung them.
Many archers prefer recurve crossbows because of their simplicity. They find replacing the string on a recurve crossbow easier than on other bows, especially in compound bows. The major edge here is that these crossbows allow shooters to do more maintenance and work easily.
Recurve bows are typically shorter than other traditional longbows. Still, the shape of its limb tips lets it store more energy, and upon release, the arrows go at a faster speed than the rest of the limb, resulting in a more efficient transfer of energy to the arrow.
Recurve bow doesn’t need an arrow rest for shooting as it supports shoot off the shelf feature. However, we recommend using a shelf rest while shooting off the shelf to protect the wood on your bow.
So, choosing a recurve bow would be easier now if you have read this article. The mystery of choosing a recurve bow is now solved in this article. We have highlighted all the key features required for this process.
Don’t worry if you miss out at any point and need clarification. You can write back to us, and we will respond to you at the earliest.