A friend recently gave me an old Bear recurve bow that has kindled my interest in archery. Given my bent towards history, I thought it would be fun to get a bow more accurate to the middle ages. Unfortunately, I am a complete novice when it comes to these weapons. Just a cursory look at bows offered in a traditional style has revealed some pretty substantial differences between them and the recurve I was given, leaving my mind swimming with questions.

First, my modern recurve has a ledge cut into it for the arrow to rest on. It appears traditional bows lack arrow rests altogether. Are there any traditional European bows that used arrow rests, or was the arrow shot off of the hand holding the bow? I imagine that would be painful after 20 shots or so unless a glove was worn.

Construction of my modern bow includes fiberglass on the face and back. I have seen traditional bows that are laminated, and some that are self bows backed with linen or other materials. My impression is the fiberglass makes the modern bow pretty much indestructible. What would be the useable life of a traditional bow? Is any special care required?

My modern bow has a substantial amount of wood at the grip. Traditional bows I have seen appear to be fairly flat without much noticeable increase in width at the grip. Does this make traditional bows uncomfortable to shoot? Did any traditional bows have substantial grips more like a modern bow?

All of the traditional European bows I have seen on the market are long bows. Were recurve bows used in Europe in the middle ages as well?

Finally, can anyone recommend a good maker of a traditional European style bow that won't break the bank? If I wanted to forfeit strict historical accuracy for some of the benefits of a modern bow, but still wanted one that gives the general impression of being historical, are there any makes and models you would suggest?

Thanks for your help!
Chris

There are also plenty of sources on self bows made from wytch elm and ash. At least in Northern Europe ash and elm is very dense and could easily sustain draw weights of 120 - 140#.

Gentlemen,

Thank you so much for your insightful replies -- they are very helpful!

Based on what you've said, whether I go for historical accuracy or go for a modern bow that gives some degree of historical impression, it sounds like the long bow would be a better choice than the recurve for me.

Since my question about the arrow shelf has been answered (ie, no historical precedence) I am wondering how different it would be to shoot a historical bow without one. Can any of you who have experience shooting both modern bows with an arrow shelf and historical bows tell me what I should expect if I make that transition? What adjustments should I anticipate making?

Any recommendations on makers of historical bows? I've seen several for sale on eBay, but don't know the quality of them. Museum Replicas sells some as well, though the draw weight is only 28 lbs (I am looking for something more in the neighborhood of 40-50 lbs.) My price range for the bow itself is around $250-300, though I might be willing to go a bit higher if the difference in quality was worth it. However, I know I will need arrows and some odds and ends, so I don't want to blow the budget on just the bow.

Finally, any comments on modern bows that I should consider? Are Bear and Martin decent entry-level bows for the money, or are there other makers I should consider.

Thanks for your recommendations!
Chris

There are several sellers of English longbows in the US.

Try:

3 Rivers Archery
http://www.3riversarchery.com/SCA%252DMedieva...thumb.html

Rudderbows:
https://rudderbowsarchery.com/shopping/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=298

Don Adams
http://www.donadamsarchery.com/bows.htm

In Europe, try Fairbow:
http://www.fairbow.nl/asp/default.asp?id=360

The finest English warbow replicas are made by Steve Stratton in the UK:
http://diyarchery.co.uk/index.php?option=com_...;Itemid=56

Chris,

As far as modern makers go both Bear and Martin make good products. I've owned a few Martin products over the years and have never been disappointed.

Like you said you need to budget for arrows and misc. costs. They can add up!! Just like most things you get what you pay for so save up and buy the best you can afford, even if it means doing without for awhile.

Good luck

Larry

Excuse as I hijack the thread momentarily :p
But what Australian timber would be good for said bows and/or prods?

Gentlemen,

Thank you all for you great advice. Since I do not plan on doing any reenacting around archery, I have decided to go with a modern long bow starting out to take advantage of both modern advancement, and the potential of reselling the bow easier if I chose to either upgrade or drop the hobby.

I will be going with a bow that at least is somewhat historical in appearance, and am looking at two bows from Martin -- the L-100 and the "Stick". Does anyone have any first hand experience with either bow?

Thanks,
Chris