My new St. Joe River custom longbow

[MikeO]

This is the nicest bow I've ever owned. Might be the nicest bow I ever do own. Very forgiving; my mistakes on this end aren't so bad on that end.

Riser is Bubinga, Wenge, Rosewood, and Maple. Limbs are bamboo and yew stained to match the Wenge under clear glass.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/SJR/sjr42AMO62.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/SJR/sjrcomp.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/SJR/sjrfull.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/SJR/sjrback.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/SJR/SJR03.jpg

[bigslim]

WOW! That looks amazing, congrats, that is beautiful.

Mike

[LittleLebowski]

I'm getting into archery soon for my injured arm. What will you be using this for?

[Matt O]

Nice man, St Joe River has some nice bows. Last year I switched over from my recurve to a 66" longbow and I'm pretty sure that's what I'll be hunting with over the next couple weeks.

[LittleLebowski]

Great..... Now I need to go read about Agincourt again. I already have a want (not need) for a yew bow.

[Erik]

In his heart of hearts, I think every man has a want for a yew bow.

[Matt O]

I'm getting into archery soon for my injured arm. What will you be using this for?

FYI, proper archery form is more of a back work-out than an arm work-out, though you will use your arm muscles to some extent. Using your arm as the primary muscle to draw the bow would likely exacerbate elbow conditions rather than alleviate them.

[LittleLebowski]

FYI, proper archery form is more of a back work-out than an arm work-out, though you will use your arm muscles to some extent. Using your arm as the primary muscle to draw the bow would likely exacerbate elbow conditions rather than alleviate them.

Got it but an excuse is all I need and I have an acre of yard for target practice :D

[JHC]

Nice man, St Joe River has some nice bows. Last year I switched over from my recurve to a 66" longbow and I'm pretty sure that's what I'll be hunting with over the next couple weeks.

I shot a recurves a good bit in my childhood but never a long bow. Why do some prefer the long bow to the recurve?

[JV_]

Why do some prefer the long bow to the recurve?Just a guess - grip/wrist position.

[Matt O]

Nice, well in that case carry on! If you need help in the pre purchase stage or figuring out how to set things up, let me know. All the archery shops in the area are oriented towards compounds, so I've had to become my own "SME" on traditional archery and bowhunting.

You can also take a look at some traditional archery/bowhunting forums, such as www.tradgang.com. They are a pretty good resource for the beginner and expert alike.

[Matt O]

I shot a recurves a good bit in my childhood but never a long bow. Why do some prefer the long bow to the recurve?


Just a guess - grip/wrist position.

Grip preference, weight/stability, energy/speed, noise, etc. A lot of it also comes down to personal aesthetic preference as well, as there are plenty of longbows with recurve-style locator grips as opposed to a Howard Hill style flat grip.

Recurves generally shoot faster due to the physics of the limb design, but invariably take a lot more work to quiet down for hunting as a degree of string slap is unavoidable. American D-style longbows are often marginally slower in terms of arrow speed, and obviously taller/longer which you have to account for if hunting, but are usually whisper quiet and very smooth to shoot. Then you have reflex-deflex longbows which, arguably, combine the best of both designs.

Another thing to keep in mind is that recurves almost always have the riser cut to center, whereas not all longbows do. The closer to center your riser is cut, the more forgiving it will be in terms of arrow spine.

[MEH]

Another good sight is tradtalk (http://tradtalk.com/).

Years ago when the kids were younger I did a lot of archery shooting, including camping at the various shoots in the mid-atlantic. Longbows are to archery as flyfishing is to fishing. A get back to the roots thing. I have 1 longbow that I keep for that reason, but I shoot more accurately with recurves.

That St. Joe looks like a nice looking bow.

[MikeO]

I've got an oooold recurve w a longbow style grip...

In my mind, if it's not a recurve or a compound, it's a longbow, but some have to be pickier than that.

This SJR has a recurve style grip that is cut 1/16 past center. So, while it has the D shape when strung, it would still be considered a "recurve" in some competitions.

I have a Matlock longbow from the 80s that is D shaped when strung and is cut 1/8 before center so it's a longbow everywhere. Well, almost everywhere; not sure what the Brits would call it.

I have older Bear bows from the 50s that were called "semi-recurved" back then. Pistol grip cut to center, w some reflex/deflex when unstrung (less than some modern "longbows"), not D shaped when strung, but not recurved either...

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/SJR/bows12g.jpg

I've found Dacron strings are quieter for me on all my bows than the newer low/no stretch stuff. Don't need to silence them at all on most of my bows. The newer strings usually need something to get as quiet as the Dacron, even on "longbows". The newer stuff does have less vibration and creep, but I'm used to that and don't really consider them problems. There is no speed difference on some bows, 6 fps on others. That's a big difference to some, none to me. To me, a difference that makes no difference is no difference...

The A&H/Adcock ACS longbows are considered the fastest stick bows in the world, (tried 'em, didn't like 'em) but not everybody considers them "longbows"...

A top of the line custom stick bow will set you back waaaaaaaay less than a comparable 1911. Might take as long to get though. A friend waited over 2 years for his custom made Saluki horsebow. That's a modern version of the Hunnish/Mongol bows. I'm trying really hard not to get an itch for those now... ;)

Good prices/selection here: http://eastern-archery.com/

For some nifty speed shooting, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o9RGnujlkI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggDfJLB8jTk&feature=related

Imagine how good they were back when this was life and death, not fun and games?

Tried these Korean and Chinese trad bows and they were fun, challenging to string. Some have such extreme reflex the tips actually cross each other when unstrung!

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/horsebows.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l256/mso357/khanvskb.jpg

Mounted archery competitions are about as fun as it gets, but horses are expensive!