I googled it and couldn't find it, so here is my question: who made the first R/D longbows? Not ones with a little R/D but the more heavily reflexed ones like the Savanna and such. Also when did they come out?

Probably like the Robertson Mystical or the Howatt Bushmaster were early runners, but what do I know.

No idea but Dick Robertson' a good guess.

My opinion for one heavy R/D longbow is Hummingbird Kingfisher by Ben and Linda Grham nord Carolina. Are very good people and his bows are a pieces of art. I have posted several pics bur if you want I ship you others....

According to an article in the most recent Traditional Bowhunter, r/d designs have been around for thousands of years. Oder Bears like the Alaskan, semi-recurves they were called, are certainly an r/d design.

Ben Pearson R/D models were out in the 1950's, some were slide apart take downs.

I have a 1958 Bear Alaskan that has a very similar profile when unstrung as my BW longbow.

The first deflex/reflex bows were invented and enjoyed WAAAAY before fiberglass was invented. Deflex/reflex selfbows and bows backed by naturally occuring materials were in use by many nations of native americans long before our greatgrandpappys ever stumbled onto this ground. Other continents had their earler realizations also.

The Huns, the Egyptians and many others spent great time and effort exploring various profiles, shapes, and materials for their weapons on which they relied more than most-anything to advance. They were crafted, rather expertly and exquisitely I might add, in many of the various shapes we REdiscover and enjoy today... from straight bows, to intentional string follow bows, to reflex, to reflex/deflex, to deflex/reflex, to extreme d/r, to semi recurves, and full recurves.

They also took advantage of the benefits of the trapezoidal cross-section... in various, and more-varied forms, than is typical today.

Keep in mind, they invented it, and accomplished most of it with stone-age tooling, methods, and mindsets while living lifestyles more primitive than we could ever imagine. I’ve done some stone age bowmaking and I’m in complete awe at what they were able to do and understand.

They also used other means to reduce limb mass while maintaining strength and speed. We, as enthusiasts of modern(including modern 'trad') archery and bowhunting, owe them much gratitude for what they discovered and perfected with nothing but blood, sweat, hunger, and what nature offered.

And we bicker about what’s more traditional…. glass/wood laminate limbs on wood vs. metal risers… or either/both vs. ILF? or conscious vs. subconsious aiming methods... ~sigh~ …kinda funny... er delusional... or unaware.

There’s much to learn yet from those who bent and flung sticks for life or death… prior to any sort of renaissance or REinvention… recurve, deflex/reflex, or whatever.

Jes sayin', don't give today's bowyers all the credit unless they're due.

Think about it this way...

Thousands of years ago?...mans arsenal of weaponry was but a smidgen of what it is today...their "Department Of Defense" was limited to weapons driven by shear manpower such as...

Edged weapons for close quarters combat...Blogeoning weapons such as Hammers, Staffs and Maces and then?....their airforce of the time offering up close air support consisting of...

Spears, Atlatl and Bow & Arrow...the later being the prevalent?...and folks depended on such not only for purposes of warfare and defense but to put meat on the campfire does anybody really think that outside of tech advances in modern materials they haven't tried it all before?

After all...with no TV, Internet or Smartphones they dang sure didn't have anything better to do! LOL!

I think I know what you mean. Like the Howatt Bushmaster preceded the Savanna, Black Widow had the LAG before the PL. In the pic is the Robertson Purist with slight R/D and the Border Griffin with more pronounced R/D. Morrison came out with the Cougar, and so on. I tried some of the more reflexed bows, they were faster but I like the subtler reflex myself. This time period your talking about is only about ten or a dozen years ago but I don't think there was really a first, more like an design evolution.

No way is it a recent design. There were plenty of what we called semi recurve bows that were of that design back in the 1950's. The first was likely eons ago, probably the Turks or Mongols.

I have a hydro-formed aluminum riser and several pairs of r/d/ longbow takedown limbs along with some takedown recurve limbs that were made by a man named chessman back around 1950. not a new thing. the industry re-invents things on a cycle and every time, someone takes credit for "discovering" the "new" concept. the only thing that is new in archery is the materials available for use. everything else has been done more times than once.

this painting of an eskimo hunter on st. Matthews island was done in 1850 by a Frenchman.

Interesting information, I new I could get an answer here.

Thanks

Either the Assyrians or Egyptian made the first RD longbow. They are horn and sinew laminated and braced to a triangular profile much like modern RD bows.

The Bushmaster is actually a very mild d/r bow that strings up to a true D shape

DDave

Of the more modern bowyers who may have made one of the 1st more radically heavily deflexed/reflexed bows available to modern archers in use today.I would say Bob Morrison and Bill Matlock with his Predator X series 1,2 and three would be at the forefront.

Most longbows before those Bowyers designs in more recent times were straight,reflexed mildly or mild R&D.Thier was an article about Bob Morrisons designs in Trad Bowhunter Magazine quite a few years ago that discussed his Dakota and Cougar longbows.

Not saying they invented it at all.But they had the radical limbs available on the market quite a few years ago.Before other modern bowyers started producing bows similar to them for public consumption.

Four of the oldest known preserved bows, made of acacia wood, have a R/D design. They were excavated at Beni Hassan, an ancient Egyptian cemetery. Dated circa 2000 B.C.

It was around 1930 when bow design started to change in the USA. People such as Dr. Paul Klopsteg, Forest Nagler and Dr. Clarence N. Hickman led the way. Hickman introduced the full working recurve to archery. It was not part of the flight archery 'test tube' like the other developments of the day. bvd

In modern times, using Glass laminated construction, Tim Meigs was building his "Duo-Flex" bows pretty far back...They are/were??(not sure if mr. Meigs is still building bows?) a pretty radical hybrid design...I's go so far to say that Jim Ploen/Buddy Stamper of 21st Century Longbows put the Hybrid bow out there in large quantities, for general public consumption and made that style of bow very popular...Who knows for sure?...I know that I like them a good bit, myself...Jim

Good article about them in this months tbm looks like they have been around about 2000 years or so.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here