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<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter and Outdoorsman<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIn this post, we'll cover:<\/p>\n
At the beginning of this, we mentioned in passing that the shape of the recurve bow is one of the most instrumental factors in the range that the bow can fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you can imagine from the name, a recurve bow is shaped in concrete design, with limbs that curve away instead of standard bows whose limbs are straight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The significance of this is that when drawing the bow to full strength, the strings can lift so that it will be conserving and harnessing far more significant amounts of energy for higher draw weight and shooting distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This works because when the string draws across the curve, it simulates a far longer length of the bow but with all of the energy squeezed into a smaller space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The draw weight of a recurve bow has a huge amount of variance. Recurve bow poundage can range from 10lb to 80lb draws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The draw weight is essentially how much power the bow can fire with, which will affect the speed and travel distance of the arrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The downside of higher poundage bows is that they will be harder to control and accurately fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the determining factor when it comes to attaining the longest shot possible. However, because of the incredible strength and control required at higher draw weights, getting an accurate long-distance shot is far harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s perfectly possible to make an incredibly long shot with a recurve bow, as we’ve established. If we are talking about the longest accurate shot, then the numbThean experienced archer, the expected range of a recurve bow will be somewhere between 30-40 yards<\/a>. For a beginner, it’s far less, at around 15-20 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are multiple competitions and record holder organizations to keep track of who has the longest shot. One of those organizations is the Barebow division of the World Archery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This competition determines the longest shot without any sights or stabilizers to assist the archer. This creates a standardized set of testing rules, but it also measures what the bow and the archer alone can do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the competitions held aren’t specifically about the longest shot, they measure how consistently archers score over very long distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As previously mentioned, only a few competitors have ever scored perfectly in the longest range competition. These competitions usually function in how each archer is given a set amount of arrows and then tasked with getting as high a score as possible to achieve the most points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recurve bow is also the accepted bow for usage in the Olympics<\/a>. The Olympics regard the recurve bow as The most readily available and easy to learn bow world-wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recurve bow, and its ingenious design goes back to many historical civilizations. The bow was more compact than its longer straight-limbed counterpart and allowed archers to maintain their shooting distance with more portability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to the bow’s shape and the draw weight mentioned earlier, a horseback rider could fire the bow with the same kind of strength and power that an average standing bow user would muster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since so many different civilizations all simultaneously developed this style of bow, it’s hard to say precisely what its roots are. The bow would prove to be popular through much of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recurve was a particular favorite of horse archers because of the shape. The shorter limbs meant it was not only far easier to take on horseback but also allowed the rider to switch which side they were shooting from easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to having a quick-fire time, this made them a prime candidate for horseback archery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most famous uses of the recurve bow in this way was its usage by the Mongols<\/a> since their style of warfare revolved almost entirely around the horse archery One they were famed for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Longbows were famous in the medieval period for their usage in military scenarios<\/a>. Of note especially were English longbowmen, trained from a young age to fire as accurately as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other difference between a longbow and a recurve bow<\/a> is that the longbow has a far quieter noise when releasing the strength. In contrast, the recurve is louder<\/a> due to the huge amount of tension in the string.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of the incredibly complex system of strings and pulleys that it has, a compound bow can contain and generate an unbelievable amount of power with far less of a strength requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This means that a compound bow will typically have a far greater range than a recurve bow<\/a>, with high accuracy as a bonus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A modern crossbow<\/a> will outstrip almost every single other bow when it comes to the total firing range. A crossbow can achieve ranges of up to 500 yards, although hitting anything at that range will be impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only real downside to a crossbow over<\/a> a recurve bow is that if noise is an issue to you, then a crossbow will make even more noise than a recurve will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of the world records for crossbow and foot bows are held by Harry Drake, who managed to achieve firing ranges of 2000-2100 with them.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the most informative research and experimentation on the shooting distance of recurve bows can be taken from records of the Turks’ usage of recurve bows and flight arrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of these records date back hundreds of years and apparently managed to attain shooting distances that are still over anything achievable today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The distances that Turkish archers were able to achieve were shots close to 1000 yards, far beyond anything achievable with modern recurve bows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A part of this was to do with the arrows that were being used. Turkish flight arrows were arrows that were specially designed for being able to travel great distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s important to note here that when determining total distance for the shot from a recurve bow, almost all of the time that significantly large numbers are being achieved, it’s the work of the fact that the arrows being fired are designed to travel great distances, so are made to be lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When using an arrow designed to pierce or damage a target, such as in competition shooting or hunting, the arrow’s weight will play a massive role in the final distance that the shot can achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Historians noted this when looking at the Turkish flight arrows, seeing that they had been designed with the specific purpose in mind to achieve the longest shot possible, yet may not have been much help in anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to the enormous amount of force that the high draw weight recurve bow requires, a considerable strain is put on the bow and the string.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bows made from inferior materials or have had their string damage by either overuse or repeatedly stringing and unstringing the bow can cause the recurve bow to lose shot distance over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is especially true of bows with higher draw-strength, as they will need to be made from high-quality materials that can handle the amount of tension they are being put through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are a beginner or newcomer to archery, it is important to practice archery safely<\/a> before aiming for legendary shooting distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you wish to have a more reasonable chance of attaining some of these shot numbers, you will need a lot of practice with beginner recurve bows<\/a>. These will allow you to find your minimum draw weight, brace height, and improve your shot placement before increasing your target distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recurve archers should also practice instinctive shooting. This is target practice without using additional equipment like sights<\/a> or other devices you typically find in a modern bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To help you find the right bow for you, let’s take a closer look at the distances each bow can fire at. As we do this, it’s important to note the weather conditions, which can significantly impact the type of distances that your arrow can travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, to get an accurate shot on a windy day, you’ll need to switch to a heavier arrow<\/a> to minimize wind disturbance. It’s best to use these figures as a guide, testing your equipment to understand better how your bow performs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thebodytraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Archery-bow-weather-ranges-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHow Far Can You Shoot A Longbow?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thebodytraining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Steven-Lines-hunter-pic-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nSteven Lines\u00a0is a\u00a0hunter\u00a0and\u00a0outdoorsman\u00a0from\u00a0Safford, Arizona, USA. Since he was a child, he has been hunting and fishing and has over\u00a020 years of outdoor experience. Steven works as a\u00a0hunting guide\u00a0in\u00a0Arizona\u00a0during his spare time and runs a\u00a0Youtube channel<\/a>\u00a0dedicated to sharing his outdoor adventures\u00a0with others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
