Identifying a longbow is easy to do, since this type of bow tends to be roughly as tall as the person shooting it. This makes a longbow substantially taller than a regular compound bow. By having a greater overall length, a longbow can be drawn very far back. When the operator is drawing their longbow, the apex of the draw will come very close to the jaw of the shooter. This longer draw feature is a fundamental quality of a longbow, and one of the reasons that some bow enthusiasts love longbows. Also, the limb components on a typical longbow are narrow, as well as being D-shaped or circular shaped through the cross section. An effective way of visualizing the shape of a longbow is to picture a capital “D” letter, as this is roughly the shape that all longbows will take.
Another identifying quality of longbows is that they tend to be constructed using specialized wood types. Yew wood, and wych elm are both common woods that are often used in the creation of a longbow. Although these woods are very effective for use in a longbow, they are also high maintenance and must be kept in a confined climate range. If a certain type of wooden longbow is exposed to conditions that are either too wet or too dry, its performance can suffer greatly and the bow can even become severely damaged depending on the type of wood. Longbows have served many purposes for humans throughout the ages, and primarily these purposes include both hunting and warring. In recent historical times, Welsh and Englishmen alike both used the longbow to their advantage in battle opposing the French fighters in the Hundred Years’ War. For a more recent and astonishing example of a longbow being used in modern combat, there is a documented example from WWII where British Colonel Jack Churchill used a longbow to defeat a German soldier.
When it comes to using a longbow, the shooter should assume a relaxed and crouched stance. Bending into your shot is another important tip for shooting a longbow, and this tip should not be overlooked due to the need for balancing during the shot. During the shot, your arm should be cocked at the point of the elbow hinge, instead of having the bow arm in a more straight out positioning. It is important for the shooter to designate their anchor point near the corner of the mouth or jaw area. While it is possible to determine a rough aim with a longbow, it is more art than science with this type of weapon. Reliance on instinct and feel is something that must happen while operating a longbow, since there are no high-precision optic systems that are compatible with this type of weapon. To help people select the best possible longbow option for their needs, we will now cover some of the best longbows available in 2017.
The Best Longbows For 2017
1. Martin Archery Savannah Stealth Longbow
For those bow enthusiasts who prefer darker woods and design accents in their longbow, the Savannah Stealth Longbow by Martin Archery could be the perfect selection. Featuring a darkened silver fortified Bubinga riser component, which also happens to be accented using zebrawood, the Savannah Stealth is an especially attractive bow. Both of the limbs on the Savannah Stealth Longbow are fully laminated and outfitted with a Bubinga core design, and they are fully covered to the tips of the limbs using rich zebrawood. Topped off with clear fiberglass, along with black fiberglass tip overlays, the Savannah Stealth Longbow by Martin Archery is truly a premium longbow product for 2017. The brace height for the Savannah Stealth Longbow is 6.5”-7.5”, and the draw weight on this longbow is rated between 40 and 65 pounds. This longbow is equipped with an Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization approved string length, which is 62″ long on the Savannah Stealth. For such a good sized longbow, this model from Martin Archery only weighs about one pound, seven ounces. This weight rating helps to make the Savannah Stealth an easily wielded and effective weapon overall. Longbow enthusiasts who end up selecting the Savannah Stealth model by Martin Archery will receive a conventional bow rest, a cover for the bow, and a Flemish-type string for this longbow. One of the more technical aspects of the Savannah Stealth Longbow that most shooters will enjoy is the reflex design that is intended to store energy without causing the kind of hand shock delivered from inferior longbow designs. As well as being a truly beautiful, handcrafted piece of longbow art, the Savannah Stealth is also built with practicality and high performance in mind. For those people thinking of getting their first longbow, or investing in a new longbow model for a different shooting purpose, the Savannah Stealth Longbow by Martin Archery could be a great option.
2. Bear Archery Montana Longbow
Bear Archery has definitely outdone themselves with the Montana Longbow, and this could truly be one of the best longbow models available in 2017. The Montana has a 64” length, and it is intended to be an especially fast bow that also offers the shooter a very smooth action. Designed by expert bow craftsman Grant Neil Byce II, the Montana design first debuted in the later 1990’s. It was such a preferred design that it was brought back in 2013, and ever since then the Montana Longbow by Bear Archery has become quite popular. Byce was working for the Fred Bear bow company for several years, and was employed by them when he initially came up with the design for the Montana Longbow. Bear Archery’s Montana Longbow is likely going to be a major favorite in 2017, as many shooters will enjoy the reflexive design qualities built into the Montana model. Using a laminated and tapered limb design, the limbs are fully coated with extra strong black colored fiberglass. White fiberglass is also layered into the limbs of the Montana Longbow by Bear Archery, giving the bow an extra strong and powerful draw. This longbow is also equipped with a black colored Hard-Rock riser that is made from rich maple. Utilizing a conventional softened leather grip along with proprietary FastFlight string design, the Montana is a longbow that combines traditional design aspects with modern high-performance innovations. Speaking of innovations on the Montana by Bear Archery, it is composed of a material called Futurewood. This is basically a reference to a process wherein the tiny pores inside of the wood handle used to make the bow are treated with vacuum pressurization and heat baking to vastly increase strength and durability. For sheer performance and unique design qualities, the Montana Longbow by Bear Archery is tough to beat in 2017.
3. OMP Mountain Man Sierra Longbow
Another one of the high performance longbow options for 2017 is the Sierra model by Mountain Man. This is a longbow for 2017 that offers a range of different advantages to the shooter, although some aspects come down to personal preference. For example, some longbow enthusiasts prefer different wood types in the construction of their particular bow. The Mountain Man Sierra model uses an effective natural hardwood combination of hardened maple and Walnut woods. This wood combination not only provides an advantage in terms of the longbow’s overall durability and performance rating, but also in terms of the aesthetic value of the bow. These Walnut and hardened maple woods that are used in the construction of the Sierra longbow by Mountain Man provide a rich, natural, almost rustic appearance that blends in quite well to any wilderness or woodland environment. Even though the Sierra is such a visually attractive longbow, that does not mean it is all for show! This longbow packs a serious punch, with the fiberglass limbs and limb tips providing the perfect amount of flex and power built into the Sierra longbow. Additionally, the Sierra is a longbow that was designed with the intention of providing bow shooters with the ultimate in terms of a smooth, consistent draw with hard hitting power. Featuring an overall brace height of 6.5″ to 7.5″ and an overall length of 68″, the Sierra by Mountain Man is built with a pretty significant draw weight. A draw weight of forty to sixty pounds is what the Sierra is rated for, and this longbow can be used by either right handed or left handed shooters. One more brilliant design feature equipped on the Sierra longbow by Mountain Man is the Fast Flight string compatibility. This compatibility basically means that someone owning this bow can install a Fast Flight string on it, which is capable of transferring much more energy and speed to the arrow on average. Fast Flight strings also do not have the downfall of stretching out over time, making them a more durable string in the long run.
4. OMP Mountain Man Ozark Hunter 68″ Model
Decreasing harsh hand vibrations to the shooter was a primary focus for the designers at October Mountain Products when they crafted their Ozark Hunter longbow for 2017. The limb design on this bow is intended to create a streamlined setup that is capable of maximizing performance and shooter comfort at the same time. The Ozark Hunter is another great longbow option for 2017, especially since it is equipped with a multi-laminate handle design that is built to house an arrow shelf in the bow. Featuring a 68” length, the Ozark Hunter by October Mountain Products is constructed from a variety of rich and durable hardwoods. Designed using purpleheart wood, hardened maple wood, and walnut wood types as well, the Ozark Hunter has one of the most diverse hardwood blends of any 2017 longbow on the market right now. The Ozark Hunter also incorporates some black fiberglass components into the overall design, adding more power and flex to the bow’s feel. The kind of multi-laminated bow design that is used in making the Ozark Hunter is achieved through the lamination of various wood materials into one hardened form. This kind of longbow production process involving multi-lamination is a sophisticated process, since it allows for the optimizing of both compression and tension within the longbow. Materials that are especially effective at creating tension in the bow are laminated onto the back, while the materials effective at compression are used in making up the belly of the longbow design. There are many reasons to consider selecting the Ozark Hunter longbow from October Mountain Products in 2017, but perhaps the most impressive reason is the use of purpleheart wood in the construction of this bow. Purpleheart is a rare type of wood, and one that can almost exclusively be found in South and Central American regions of the world. There are multiple reasons why purpleheart is such a fantastic wood to use for longbow construction, some of which include properties allowing for resistance to insects like termites, or destructive fungi that would easily weaken other inferior wood types. Purpleheart wood also has an impressive bending and pressure rating overall, and one that is absolutely perfect for use in longbow construction. When the designers at October Mountain Products decided to combine the durability and long lasting quality of purpleheart wood with the strength and power of walnut wood, the result was the amazing speed and smoothness of the Ozark Hunter.
Production Process For Making Longbows
In general, longbows do follow a somewhat formulaic process for their construction. This process involves the lamination and gluing of varying wood types together, which ends up increasing their overall strength and flexibility by a high degree. Given that there are many different woods that have their own unique properties, longbow manufacturers experiment with combining multiple types of wood to maximize tension and compression in the overall bow design. For example, a longbow designer might use hickory wood or bamboo on the back of the bow, while the belly of the bow could be composed of lemonwood or yew wood. With modern longbows, other materials like fiberglass and carbon composites are also being added to the design in order to further increase performance.