Recurve bow
A
recurve bow is a
bow that, in contrast to the simple
longbow, has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is held in shooting position. The technical difference between a recurve and other bows is that when strung, the string touches the limbs of a recurve bow, and only touches the tips of other types.
The recurve bow's bent limbs allow for:# A lower Bracing Height with the same limb length,# More spring force over the first few inches of draw, and# A smoother draw.
It is the only form of bow permitted in the
Olympics (though the
Compound bow is permitted in some categories at the
Paralympic Games) and is the most widely used by European and Asian sporting archers.
The recurved shape of the limbs causes a fairly linear increase in force as the string is drawn back. By contrast, the traditional longbow tends to "stack" -- that is, the force increases more rapidly per unit of draw length as the string is drawn back. A recurve will permit a shorter bow than the simple bow for a given arrow energy and this form was preferred by archers who were forced into environments where long weapons could be cumbersome: such as in brush and forest terrain, or while
on horseback. A recurve bow releases its energy more efficiently than a longbow, giving a greater amount of cast for a given draw weight than a longbow.
An unstrung recurve bow can have a confusing shape and many
Native American weapons were incorrectly strung and destroyed when attempts were made to shoot them. This is especially true of the
reflex bow. Like the recurve bow, this design was used to increase the amount of stored energy in the bow. However, the reflex bow when unstrung flexes its entire self away from the archer, like a backwards "C". When strung it resembles a strung recurve bow.
Competitive recurve bows, as used by archers in the Olympics, are made using the latest technologies and materials. The limbs of such bows are typically made from multiple layers of fibreglass, carbon and/or wood on a carbon foam or wood core. The riser, which is the central part of the bow, is usually made from aluminium or magnesium. Recently several aluminium/carbon hybrid bows have begun to emerge. Risers for beginners are often made of wood or plastic.
Most recurves today are "take-down" bows -- that is, the limbs can be detached from the riser for ease of transportation and storage, and for interchangeability of limbs. Older recurves and some modern hunting recurves are one-piece bows.
*
Hun bow*
Mongol bow*
Compound bow
