I have the chace to get a really nice long bow but worried it migh be to long. My two recurves are 60 in and 58 in. The long bow is 69 in. Does a 69 in long bow seem to long you know kind of awkward?

I dont do alot of hunting anymore but like to go stump shooting and maybe get a rabbit or squirrel while out. So i not worried about anuverability in tree stand just dont know if id like that long of a bow. Your preferences please.

I shoot mainly longbows and tend to shoot 62-66 inch bows . I do have a couple that are shorter but I have a fairly long draw . Now these are r/d longbows . If I'm shooting a Hill style longbow than I want no shorter than a 66 inch but really like a 68 inch in that style. When I used to shoot a recurve all the time I liked 60 inch . When you are used to a 60 inch recurve and switch over to a longbow with some length to it , it is a little different feeling at first but once you get used to it you want pay it any attention . You will notice how smooth the longbow is compared to the shorter recurve. Just my 2 cents.

Pedantic / Sarcastic post alert !!!!!

The clue is in the name ... Long - Bow ... if it's not at least 72 inches long ... it isn't a long bow.

The length will make it smooth and no finger pinch at all. I really can't tell a difference shooting 64 to 68" longbows. If maneuverability is not an issue I would go with it.

Thanks guys. This bow is 44 lb at 28in. I know thats not alot but with the right arrows should shoot plenty fast enough. My draw is actuall 27. I drew 29 on compounds and 80 lbs. Dropped to around 60 before I quit shooting compounds.Like i mentioned my draw is 27 or at least thats what i measure. I used an arrow and marked it at front of riser then drew the bow to my anchor and marked it again. Distance between the 2 marks was 27.Just cant find a anchor i like to get a longer draw.So the way i figure with 44 at 28 then 27 in would be around 42.5 lb.

I have a 70" but have a custom 60" one that I'm using right now. I don't pay any attention to how long it is, but they shoot a little different, I think I might prefer the shorter one while hunting in Florida, a lot of vines and junk like that.....wing

69" is good for a loooongbow. 64-70" is right in there for longbows, IMO. JF

I shoot 70" longbows and haven't had trouble with maneuverability. Smoothness and sweetness are much more important. - lbg

Thankyou guys.

Just got a 66" never shot a bow that long before, I love it. accurate and forgiving, until then 62" recurve was my longest. I should have gotten a longbow yrs ago !

I have a 68 I like, and would go 70 or 72 with no issues

I have a 68" and find it handles fine.

Crow -

There's going to be a problem with a 69" LB. The odds are good, you won't want to go back to your shorter bows. And I'm not kidding.

As far as maneuverability, that depends on your environment. For still hunting, I never found it a problem, and my shortest LB was/is 68" and I prefer 70", BUT I do draw about 2" more than you do.

Viper out.

What Viper said. Some of the best longbow builders of all time felt that was THE length for a 28" draw. I just don't like longbows shorter than 68" and I've owned a shot a bunch of 'em.

I've never been in a situation in the woods where I felt they were a problem.

I have a 64" and 68" with 27" draw.Both moderate D/R limbs.The 68" is more forgiving and I never had an issue shooting it from tree stands.I shoot both well but should I buy another it will be 66 or another 68.

I like the 68" or even longer as well. I hunt brushy mountain areas here in Pennsylvania and never had an issue with clearance. A 68" bow is only two inches longer on each end than a 64".

There is more of a personal choice answer to your question. Many longtime, longbow shooters prefer the longer (64"-70") bows. I personally migrate to 66" bows regardless of straight or R/D limb shape because they shoot smoothest for me. But you should also consider where and how you're going to be shooting it. Are you 3-D shooting mostly or hunting from a tree stand or ground blind or stalking and what is the terrain like. So, you can see if you have a 70" longbow in tight brush it may be hard to get around but on the other hand may slow you down to the speed in which you need to detect game! In any event, you will need and want more than one sweet longbow/selfbow/flatbow!!!

I only have one Hill style longbow that is 68 inches and I wish it was longer...I also shoot a Kodiak Magnum rather well...bow length is just about a non factor for me

DDave

I have a 66" and 69". They don't seem long to me any more. Total pleasure to shoot. My 69" is a 55#. No stacking, super smooth....I draw 29.5"

Mine is 70" and no I don't have any problems with maneuvering it.

Crow - I've had several 68" longbows and one 70". I have a 64" one now. I like them all but I believe I shoot the longer ones a little better. These were all narrow limb, short riser bows. Not sure I understand how you measured your draw length (?)

About 6 months ago I went from recurves to longbows. My recurves are 60" and 62". I have 2 R/D longbows at 64" and love them. I have a 68" longbow being built. Can't wait to shoot it. I been told by several people the 68" bow will be smooth and accurate. My DL is 27.5".

I had a 62 rd but it was just too short for me. Now I got a 66 rd coming.

Nope. I like 66" in a long bow or longer

Absolutely love my 69" Schulz Trophy Hunter. Smooth as butter at my 28" draw (it's 28 if I'm having a good day :o)

i only draw 26" and shoot my buddys 68" string follow Shelton quite well. I don't buy into any of that gotta shoot a short stick or it won't work out of a tree stuff either though. I'm 5'6". My stands and blinds are for the most part are all set up for any bow length I shoot.

I pull 27"-27 1/4" and have recurves from 58" up to 64", but my longbows are all 66". This picture is a 66" D/R longbow (46# @ 28") I built for Helen, she pulls 25".

I have an issue with any longbow that has excessive length when needing to do a flat bow position, body or coat contact with the bow string.

I've gone from 66" to 68" with my 30" draw, I like the 68" Toelke Super D. Limbs have a touch of set back. Smooth like buttah!

My recurve is 58", and my LB is 68". Love them both.

58" two 62" two 64" and two 66" mostly 60# ...I seem to like one of the 64's most because I grab it first. I least like 58 (most beautiful) and the other 64, extreme R/D, fastest as well as lightest (53#). None of them have big risers.

I have a 70" 21st Century longbow that I shoot 3D with....but it is too awkward for me to hunt with....so I hunt with a 48" Bear Super Mag recurve. Marsha

Get it, shoot, if you don't like it pass on.

Crow, I think you will love a 69" longbow. I also am not sure how you you are figuring your actual draw length? I always figured from the throat of the nock, or string at full draw, to the mark on your arrow at the back old outside of arrow shelf. Someone. Correct me if I am wrong.

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't track with the math on the DL that Crow came up with.... Figure 6" fistmele and it sounds like he'd be drawing about 33" by standard measures.... In which case 69" is probably none too long at all!!

"The clue is in the name ... Long - Bow ... if it's not at least 72 inches long ... it isn't a long bow."

Hmmmm... I always thought that a classic ELB was built from a stave the same length as the height of the shooter.

In which case, gimme a 64" and it'll make the cut!

""I used an arrow and marked it at front of riser then drew the bow to my anchor and marked it again. Distance between the 2 marks was 27.""

Reading that literally, your draw length is about 33"! I'm guessing that you meant otherwise.

No real difference between 60" and 69" 4.5" longer on the bottom limb ain't no huge jump... Longer bows have less string angle on your fingers, very forgiving attribute...

I'm with ya Red, I actually prefer a longer bow slippin' through cover. Heck, even my recurves are 66". I hunt cottonmouth country and 68" or better lets me move things/hold things out of the way. Keeps ole Mr. Noshoulders a little past striking range too...

My Hill-style is 68", my R/D is 64"

Come on guys it's in the name "longbow" What are we trying to redefine the name longbow. Longbow it is what it says it is. To me 66" on the short side 72" on the long side. Unless it's a kids bow.... JF

"stave the same length as the height of the shooter." actually there was a formula that didn't have anything to do with an arher's height. I'll see if I can find it and post it.

Essentially the bow would be taller than the archer and the arrow several inches longer than you would guess.

Go long! Love long bows, whether recurve or longbow. They just seem more forgiving (same holds true for longer barrel firearms).

I often wonder when I hear people say how much better they shoot recurves over longbows, if they're shooting too short of a longbow.

So I stand 64", and a 64" longbow doesn't make the cut.... But if my 6'4" nephew is carrying a 68", then it does????

This is like the "Heavy Bow Society" thing that used to be A Thing here....

Light, Heavy, Long, Short.... The System is RIGGED, I'm telling you, and I have 20,000 hacked email messages to prove it!!

People used to understand that equipment needs to fit/suit the user. That's why proper fistmele isn't 6", it's the height of the user's thumb. Now, in my case, I have very long, lovely hands, so my proper fistmele actually IS a shade over 6", despite my overall height....

But longbows... Especially when they were all self-bows... Gotta fit the shooter. You match length to height, you get a bow that performs well at the shooter's draw length. Tuning is easy because the shooter's hand will tell you the fistmele... And back then, they probably even had a rule of thumb for figuring draw weight, though maybe that was accomplished by never allowing a god to draw it but the person for whom it was being made....

There's some amazing symmetry that was worked out over how-many-thousand- years, and the Old formulas seemed to work quite well, at least 'til Glass came along....

But if you really wanna be Trad, then you have to shoot an Anthroprometrically- Correct bow, such as described by Saxton Pope...

OR, you could just Go Have Fun...

A 68" longbow sure is handy for breaking spider webs as you walk in the woods.

64 " for me . I have a short draw and find the limbs do more work . That being said I like the 66" as it's more accurate and forgiving. I have owned and shot two bows 58" &62" (R/D and a self bow) that were fun to shoot but difficult to be consistent with.

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