Archery Longbows

Longbow archery dates back to medieval warfare and was used — with deadly consequences — on land and in naval battles. Rifles and other firearms eventually moved the longbow out of it’s favored status as a combat weapon but it continues to be used and appreciated by traditional archers and hunters.

The longbow’s massive power is a result of the length of the body, which is roughly the height of the archer using it. So unlike other bows, the longbow stands out as a ‘tall’ bow. The size allows the archer a fairly long draw. The limbs are quite narrow, when compared to other types of archery bows. Traditional longbows were fashioned from a single piece of hardwood. Today’s longbows are still made in this fashion by most archery bowyers.

It takes a great deal of skill to shoot a longbow properly and they are not favored for this reason by certain archery enthusiasts. There are some practical advantages, however, for using a longbow: they are more lightweight, much faster to aim and shoot and they are far more quiet than some of their counterparts, such as recurve bows and crossbows. They don’t, however, pack us much power as other types of bows.