I've been shooting a 68" Blackhawk longbow by Jack Smith and like how forgiving it is. Zero handshock and smooth. But, everthing I see for sale are these 58 and 60 inch longbows. It's like folks have given up on longer bows. Why?

T4

Lots of folks still shoot them yet, but there is just more to choose from. Couple that with the shorter 'longbows being more shooter-friendly, ala not harsh or jumpy and you have choices on both ends. It's good to have a lot of choices, but still lots of folks liking the long longbows.

A long working limb that is not working due to draw length is why I stopped shooting them, but they looked Purty.

I shoot a 68” NM American,a 69” NM Shelton,and a 70” Hill Tembo and love shooting them all!!

There is definitely somthing to be said about what Gradymaci said when you come to r/d bows. Now days I'm mostly a back yard and target shooter with a little small game hunting some times so I like shooting a longer bow.

One of my all-time favorite bows is my 70" 21st Century Edge. If you haven't shot one of these you're in for a real treat if you get your hands on one. Silky smooth, stable and fast, even at my wimpy 26.5 draw. Of course, it's got some serious R/D going on, thus the performance even at short draw.

I don't have a bow shorter than 68"

I never had a problem with the longer bows hunting, Florida is really a difficult place to get around in the swamps and muck bottoms.

I actually plan on making some longer ones, I just love the long bows, I don't like the shorter ones, 64" or less. Of course I am 6' 2" maybe that has something to do with it, but it doesn't matter I am a die-hard longbow person, longer the better.

Why you don't see the longer bows for sale is probably, they don't want to sell them, they are out there as George stated.

I shot a 68" bamboo longhunter for years till I was told it's too long for my draw length and I bought several short longbows but I don't want any more short longbows

I don't understand George's comment about longer longbows being less "shooter friendly."

66" works best for me in an Asl. 26" draw. Rooty

I prefer 66",,,but own 70-69-68-67-66-65" bows Whats your definition of a longer bow?

My fave is a 66" Semtman.

66 ich recurves, Warfs and 66 and 68 LB's. I have a 28 inch DL.

I don't accept the premise of your question. Maybe it's just the folks you hang around with. Lots of folks shoot longbows.

I suspect it's mostly recent converts who shoot the shorter hybrids, as much for their recurve like pistol grips as their shorter limbs.

Saw a member poll on the other site recently asking folks what they shot. I believe 55% said recurves, about 40% longbows and 5% self bows. Difficult to say how that 40% "longbow" shooters breaks down

However, seems to me there are about as many threads and for sale ads featuring longbows as hybrids.

I have wondered about shooting a 68" bow with less then a 28" draw. As gradymaci mentioned, are you getting the same efficiency out of that limb but at a bit less draw weight? That has always kept me away from 68" bows. I usually shoot 64" or 66". Or does the design have more to do with it?

That's BS. On longbows .it all depends on the taper of the limbs and the tiller you can keep your pigmy longbows

You may of answered your Owen question why do you see more short bows for sale ? people like there longbows and hanging on to them? the short hybrid bow flooded the market as the new thing and everyone likes to try new things. but many may be changing back to there old longbows and selling the short bow ? are the short bow is still the IN thing and no one can sell there longer bows without taking a beating on them so they are just keeping them?

I would guess there are more 58" 60" bows on the market because thats the length most bows are made these days

jk, that isn't what I meant. What I was trying to say is the shorter ones have gotten better through design. In other words early models that were just short longbow designs could be 'kicky', but with the deflex/reflex designs of today the shorter bows are more user-friendly. That doesn't mean anything about the longer bows...they were mostly all relatively mild mannered anyway.

I have a 68" Black Widow PLV that I love to shoot.

I love my 68-70" "longbows".

There is a common notion that archers with short draws do better with short longbows. I have not found that to be so. I have 70" Hill bow that draws just 32#. It has performed very well in the hands of women, youths, and boys as young as about 9 years.

They generally love shooting such a manly looking bow. Being a Redman model made of yew it is also very handsome. I draw it to about 35# and it shoots a 420 grain arrow very well in my hands. I have heavier bows but I use this one a lot for general sport archery and form work.

So, short longbows do not make a lick of sense to me. - lbg

My comment was like "I have a Corvette and like to drive it 20 mph" Those long-longbows are beautiful with the long legs or limbs, but drawing a 70" bow to 26" is well..Physics.. Anyways what do I know,I rode first seat on the short bus..

I love all my longbows - 56” to 68”. The 56” is just as smooth as the 68”.

My favorite is 66 inch. To be exact it is my 66 inch Freeman longbow .

I don't shoot "efficiency".

I have a 54" pika that is one of my all time favorite bows, no shock and very smooth

I have a 69" Jet Bison. Sweet bow!

Love a "long" LB 66"+

And what is it you're seeing on those short lengths for sale? New or used? If used, ask yourself, why is the seller getting rid of it, almost always at a $ loss.

I think thiers a ton of guys who love shorter longbows and a ton of guys who love longer ones and just as many who love both.Thier really should be no real big debate about it.Shoot what you like.

My favorite length is 66" at my 26½" draw, but I also shoot 67" and 68" ASL's. I have a few 64" Hill's but I don't shoot them nearly as much

Buckdancer is correct...

“That's BS. On longbows .it all depends on the taper of the limbs and the tiller you can keep your pigmy longbows”

What Buckdancer said. It depends on the limb design of the particular bow. With the 21st Edge, the longer limbs will perform better at any draw length than the shorter limbs (per the bowyer). I've owned 21st longbows in lengths from 64" to 70" and the longer bows outperform the shorter ones in every way. That would not hold true with longbows of a different limb design.

I have 58" through 72" longbows... with favorites throughout that range. To BE a favorite, there are several equally important factors and features that must have been considered and effectively coordinated along with draw length and bow length.

I like short longbows and am using a 58" longbow, I have a 60", 62" and a 64" inch that I also shoot. I don't see much difference and shoot them all about the same. My problem is not the length but the handle, I can't seem to shoot a longbow with the straight grip.

Jeff Durnell said: "I have 58" through 72" longbows... with favorites throughout that range. To BE a favorite, there are several equally important factors and features that must have been considered and effectively coordinated along with draw length and bow length."

That is a good answer right there. Add to the fact that somedays you just feel like shooting a different bow..length, etc. Variety, they say, is the spice of life.

I can definitely shoot better under pressure with 69" plus ASLs and 66" Brack or Wes Wallace recurves.

what bowhunt said. i came over to trad from a compound. i'm a bowhunter, not a target archer. i started bowhunting with a 40 something inch axial to axial bow. it was frustrating to carry a longer stickbow in the woods, snagging everything. i started with a recurve and now have a 64" selfbow. i had a 72" longbow at one time, shot 2 deer with it. but got tired of catching every twig within 3 feet of either side of me when going through the woods and went to a 60" LB shortly after.

As usual, we are putting bows of the short, hybrid RD variety in with "real" longbows :o) concerning performance. My experience with what we have historically called a longbow is that when you get a bow of the ASL style down to a very short length--say 58-60" or so--they do not shoot well--not designed to shoot well at that length. ASL bows do much better in longer lengths--that's why they have been made that way for centuries.

I don't know why anyone would think there is no love for longer longbows. Even in a deflex/reflex design I prefer bows that are 64" or longer. Never really understood calling a 56 or 58" bow a longbow unless you are 4'10" tall. And yes....I know all the justification and, it makes -0- sense.

Longer bows, regardless of design alway increase the likelihood that we as archer's will shoot them more accurately and cosisstently.

And draw length haslittle to do with bow length if the bows is correctly made, and that is true of any bow design/profile.

I always thought that the longer bows would be harder to get through the thickets. A few years ago I got a 68" ASL and found that it was actually easier to get through the thickets with it as opposed to a short recurve. I now shoot 66" recurves and 68" longbows because they are so SMOOTH.

fdp, I think to some extent it's the "cool" factor. Longbows are just cooler than anything! Way cooler than saying "I shoot a RD bow that looks sort of like a recurve but is a longbow wannabe. LOL

Wow..I Tap out of this one..

I shoot 68 and 70 inch longbows. Don't think I would want anything under 68 inches.

I shoot long bows from 62" to 66" in length. 68" and above were cumbersome in my truck and a pain when shipping. I was always worried about shutting my 68" Howard Hill bow in my truck door after a hunt when tired and snapping off a limb tip. My 27 and 3/4 inch draw allows me to shoot the shorter long bows without a problem so I sold my longer bows and moved on.

they were created so guys could by $50 small pop up blinds and hunt out of them :)

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. "QUOTE"

George, I told my girlfriend that and she didn't agree.

I will get out tuesday, won't be able to shoot or use the bathroom for a while, I will have to have my neighbor come over to tie my shoes and feed me.

George you need a sticker pasted on your posts, do not repeat what you read here, may be hazardous to your health.

I saw an opening George, just couldn't resist....Ha!Ha!

These guys hunt in the thick jungle and feed their families with long longbows.

I still love them and have 4 in the 70" range. Smooth and quiet. I like stubby little bows too. >>>----> Ken

I still love them and have 4 in the 70" range. Smooth and quiet. I like stubby little bows too. >>>----> Ken

I love to to shoot any bow. I find, for me, a shorter bow is easier to maneuver for the way I hunt. Climbing stands with rails or pop up ground blinds are what u use.

68” for me

four shooting at the same target, someone is bound to hit something.

Those fellas have a good idea, if your arrow is already 3/4ths of the way to the target you do have a better chance of hitting something also.

Those guys put the arch in archery!

Grains per pound of bow weight for those guys????? I bet they didn't even bare shaft or paper tune. Don't they know that is all wrong the way they are doing it?

I had a bow a missionary friend gave me that looked exactly like those.. Came with a sinew canaster shape holder for the different points made of bone and wood..1 point was dipped in a poison called karrarie if I spelled it right.. I asked him why the arrows were so long (4') and he said so they could find them when they shot, due to the jungle being so thick... Very interested story, he said they actually we're not very good shots but could ambush well to shoot at close distance and finished the animals off with a club..The bow is still on display with all the points and arrows at my Archery shop I sold..

"Curare" comes from a vine widely grown in South America and acts to immobilize patients sometimes during very delicate surgery (or game). native people use it to immobilize game. Similar I guess to succinylcholine chloride used in the poison pods that they experimented with on arrows back in Fred Bear's day. Fred wanted nothing to do with it as applied to bowhunting. The stuff could just as easily immobilize and kill the user in the event of an accident. It would make it impossible to breathe. I sure hope the points on display in the archery shop you left behind don't have any left on them.

Yep David that's it. The bow came from Papau New Guinea.. I think all the points are sealed up..He did say that they were more productive with a blow dart than a bow.. They shot a lot of monkey's he said..

Monkeys! Oh yeah! I have a former student who came to the states from Peru to attend a college where I used to teach. He told me about hunting monkeys with an old single shot shotgun and said one day that if I came to Peru "I'll fix you some monkey meat." He never went back to Peru but stayed in the states and is pastor of a church here. Guess I won't be trying monkey meat any time soon. LOL Fine with me. :o)

"Pygmy Longbows"....This term just cracked me up. I own a 56" Javaman Elkheart that is a real joy to shoot, however after hearing this term I'm going to start referring to it as my Pygmy Longbow.

Per other comments, it appears that we keep the long ones and buy/sell the short ones. I'll never sell my 68" Wes Wallace Royal, but I have bought and sold several that were 64" or less.

76".

76 inch also

picapica, I agree with you. I have owned and sold several short bows usually called "longbows" and currently do not own one, but I still have a rack of 66-69" ASLs.

Very cool, Does winnie the pooh live in that tree?

I think if you are getting caught up in the foliage with a long longbow, then you should just spend more time leaning how to not get caught up. I've hunting with 70" recurves in the thick areas here in Pa and it was never a problem. You do have to pay attention though and use a little common sense. Pretty easy to clear ahead of time for tree stand hunters...not excuse for them. And ground hunters....don't stop to shoot under low hanging limbs. That's pretty much it.

Oh, and by the way, I have a 68" longbow, and two 60" models that we always called semi-recurves...but todays folks call them longbows as well.

Something lives in that tree. Guy across the street stuck his arm in a hole in a tree to see what lived in it. Bats, lots of bats. The next week he had it cut down, there was six feet of bat poop in the hollow trunk, he only needed a 12" chain saw to cut it down and it broke into three linear trunks when it hit the ground. Being able to cant the bow makes using longer bows very doable in the thick stuff.

My bows are recurve 62".Longbows 64" and 68".Hybrid 66".My favorite is the 68".I would never buy a longbow shorter than 64".Or a recurve shorter than 60".

Lots of short Longbows for sale. I do best with a 66”-68” mild R/D longbow yet I continue to try every new short, forward handle, good for long draw bow that comes out. Always end up selling them. One would think I’d learn my lesson. ?????

You shoot the long longbows (I've had 72" bows),you learn to cant the bow to not get tangled in brush. Or just take a knee to make a shot. Long longbows are sweet.

for me its just not practical. its really thick where I hunt and it would be hitting everything. if I hunted in a pasture it would prolly be ok but most times I cant see 25 yards.

I have always wanted to be able to hunt with a 50" or 48" recurve, I can see how handy they can be, but I have misses that are unacceptable past 20 yards with them. It is something that I do wrong when the heat is on, that does not seem to show up with longer bows. I find that a 62" r/d with a cant is much more predictable for me in tight quarters. Saying that, I have shot a number of deer shooting from my butt on the ground leaning against a tree with 68" longbows. That works quite well when shooting with any amount of down slope, but not so good when shooting up hill or across the slope to the bow hand side when bottom limb is up slope. It all comes down to simple things we need to work around on occasion.

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