Recurve Bow

What makes a recurve bow different

World Archery's own description is the short version: the top and bottom limbs curve back away from the string, and drawing the bow bends them to store the energy that sends the arrow. Look at a strung recurve from the side and the tips flip forward, away from you. That's the "re" in recurve.

A recurve has three main parts, per Archery 360's anatomy guide:

• Riser: the middle section with the grip, plus mounts for a rest or sight if the bow has them
• Limbs: the two bending arms that make the power
• String: one string, no cables, no cams

What it doesn't have matters just as much. Archery 360's comparison spells it out. A recurve has no mechanical help, so draw weight keeps climbing the farther you pull. There's no let-off and no draw stop, so you have to stop at the same anchor every shot. And you release with three fingers, usually behind a glove or a finger tab, instead of a mechanical release.

Archery 360 calls the design "fairly simple," and that's the appeal. Fewer parts to fail at 6 a.m. in November.

The table under this page lists recurve bows we track, from light to heavy draw weight. It shows the specs below as the maker lists them, or as the Amazon listing does where the maker is silent (marked as listing values; weight stays the maker's); a dash means neither states it.

How to read recurve bow specs

In the order I'd read a listing:

Draw weight is measured at 28 inches, not at your draw

Archery 360 defines a recurve's draw weight as the pounds on the string when the bow is drawn to 28 inches. One bow maker's traditional recurve manual gets more exact: it's the Archery Trade Association standard of 26¼ inches to the throat of the grip, plus 1¾ inches. The number printed on the limb assumes that draw.

Your draw probably isn't exactly 28. Archery 360's ILF guide gives the general rule: about 2 lb gained for each inch past 28, and 2 lb lost for each inch under. Bowhunter's guide to traditional bows puts most stickbows a bit higher, 2½ to 3½ lb an inch, for draws between 25 and 31 inches. The same manual notes actual weight also depends on brace height and riser length.

Quick math: a bow marked 35 lb, drawn to 30 inches, lands somewhere around 39 to 42 lb at your fingers. Drawn to 26 inches, it's lighter than the label.

My one opinion on this page: judge a recurve by the weight at your own draw length, never by the number printed on the limb. The reason is the quick math above. The label is measured at 28 inches, and a couple of inches either way moves it several pounds. Archery 360's beginner advice is to start low enough to draw comfortably and hold at anchor for a few seconds without shaking, so you build strength and form instead of fighting the bow. A recurve gives you nothing back at full draw. Every extra pound is yours to hold.

Max draw length tells you where the bow stops being smooth

The table's max draw length is the longest draw the listing says the bow is built for. Past it, the bow stacks.

Stacking is a sharp jump in draw weight near the end of the draw. Improve Your Archery explains the cause: once the string-to-limb angle passes 90 degrees, the limbs start bending in a way they weren't built for. The bow gets harder to hold, small draw changes swing your arrow height more, and overdrawing can shorten a bow's life, especially wood limbs.

Think of the last half-inch of a stuck jar lid. Lots of effort, very little progress. If your draw is longer than the bow's listed max, look at a longer bow. The maker's manual adds a plain rule: don't draw a bow beyond its maximum draw length.

Length (AMO) should match your draw length

Recurve length is measured tip to tip along the curve of the limbs, with the bow unstrung, per the bow maker's manual. Archery 360 says recurves come in set lengths tied to draw-length ranges. You pick the length that fits your draw.

Archery 360's ILF guide gives a starting chart for a bow built on a standard 25-inch riser, which I'd tape inside the gear closet:

Your draw length	Bow length
26½ in and shorter	66 in
26½ to 29 in	68 in
29 in and longer	70 in

On that riser, short limbs make a 66-inch bow, medium limbs a 68 and long limbs a 70, so the chart is really a limb choice. Archery 360 calls these general guidelines, and the coach it quotes runs 68-inch bows up to a 30-inch draw. Bowhunter's traditional bow guide lands in the same place: bow length comes down to personal preference. What doesn't change is the direction of the mistake. Shorter bows stack sooner, per Improve Your Archery, because they reach that 90-degree string angle earlier in the draw.

To find your draw, Archery 360 uses the wingspan method: arms out in a T, middle fingertip to middle fingertip, divided by 2.5. A 60-inch wingspan gives about a 24-inch draw. (Get a helper to hold the tape. Doing it alone against the cabin door is a two-person job done badly by one.)

Takedown or one-piece changes what you can swap later

A takedown recurve comes apart into a riser and two limbs. Archery 360 lists the two reasons: it packs down for travel, and you can switch to heavier or lighter limbs without buying a new bow. Archery 360's beginner guide says the other kind, a bow that can't be adjusted, means buying a whole new bow for a different weight.

A one-piece recurve is a single unit, riser and limbs together. Fewer joints, nothing to lose behind the truck seat. Takedowns get their own page: takedown recurve bow.

Limbs: wood, fiberglass, laminates or carbon

The table's limb column uses four values: wood and fiberglass laminate, fiberglass, bamboo and fiberglass laminate, and carbon. A laminate is layers of different materials glued into one limb.

Archery 360's limb guide sorts them by feel:

• Fiberglass: the budget-friendly entry point, good for archers who will change weights as they get stronger; tends to stack more and "hit a wall" late in the draw
• Wood core: absorbs shock a little better, so the shot feels more damped; found in both budget and top-tier limbs
• Carbon with foam core: smooth draw and a snappy release, more consistent across weather, a bit more vibration after the shot

Wood needs a little care. The bow maker's manual warns that wood-core limbs can take on moisture if the finish gets a deep scratch, and suggests resealing it with clear nail polish. Carbon recurves get their own page: carbon fiber recurve bow.

Hand: the bow is named for your drawing hand

A right-handed recurve is held in the left hand and drawn with the right. Archery 360's handedness guide says to start with eye dominance, not just hand. The thumbs-up test: cover a distant object with your thumb, both eyes open, then close one eye at a time. The eye that keeps the thumb on the object is dominant.

If your dominant eye and hand don't match, you're cross-dominant. Archery 360 says to shoot both setups at a shop and pick by trial. The table shows right, left, or both versions sold. The full rundown is on the left-handed recurve bow page.

Arrows included means a set, not a finished hunting setup

Some recurves ship as a set with arrows, a stringer or a rest. The table flags it. Check the arrows against the bow's draw weight and your arrow length on a spine chart before you trust them. The bow maker's manual sets a floor: never shoot an arrow under 5 grains per pound of peak draw weight. On a 40-lb bow that's 200 grains. Sets have their own page: recurve bow and arrow.

Traditional recurve bow or target-style recurve

Same shape, two very different setups.

A traditional recurve bow is shot off the fingers, usually with no sight and no stabilizers. The arrow often rides on the riser's shelf, a padded ledge, instead of on a mechanical rest. The maker's manual describes a crowned shelf built for "off the shelf" shooting. Archery 360's fletching guide says feathers are the pick for shelf shooting, because they flex and lie flat as they pass the riser.

A target-style recurve is what you see at the Olympics. World Archery's diagram lists the add-ons: a sight pin, a clicker that clicks when the arrow reaches full draw, a rest and plunger button, and long stabilizer rods that balance the bow and soak up vibration. Archery 360 notes some recurves are built to take these accessories and some are meant to be shot without them.

Most hunting recurves sit on the traditional end. More on that on the recurve bow hunting page.

Which recurve bow fits which archer

• New adult archer: a takedown at a light draw weight, sized to your draw, so you can buy heavier limbs later
• Kids: short bows at light weights sized to the child's real draw; see youth recurve bow
• Deer hunter: enough weight for your state's minimum, a length that fits the blind; see recurve bow hunting
• Backyard and 3D shooter: Archery 360 says recurve archers often use one bow for indoor, 3D and hunting

Recurve vs compound bow, in plain numbers

Archery 360's comparison gives the clearest numbers. A compound can let off as much as 90%, so a 70-lb compound holds about 7 lb at full draw. A 50-lb recurve drawn to 28 inches holds all 50.

That's the whole trade. The compound has cams, a draw stop and usually a release aid. Most archers find accuracy easier and faster there, Archery 360 says. The recurve is lighter on parts and asks you to be the draw stop. (Walt says a recurve is "a compound with the shortcuts taken out." He means it as a compliment, mostly.)

Neither is wrong for hunting. Archery 360 says archers fill freezers every season with both. Compounds live on the compound bow page, and crossbows, which hold the string cocked for you, are on the crossbow page.

How to string a recurve bow without bending it wrong

Archery 360 calls the bow stringer "the safest and only method bow manufacturers recommend." The bow maker's manual says the same in a warning box. Here's the sequence:

1. Attach the limbs first if it's a takedown, per the maker's instructions.
2. Slide the larger top loop down the top limb; seat the smaller bottom loop in the bottom tip's groove.
3. Put the stringer's pouch over the bottom tip and its saddle on the top limb, just behind the loop.
4. Stand on the cord, feet about shoulder-width apart, and pull the grip straight up.
5. Slide the top loop up into the top groove. Don't flex the limbs more than you need to.
6. Turn the limbs away from you, check both loops sit in their grooves, then remove the stringer.

Last step: measure brace height, the gap from the deepest part of the grip to the string. Archery 360 says to add twists to the string if it's too low and remove them if it's too high. One maker's traditional recurves run 7½ to 8½ inches, and its manual says to aim for the setting with the least noise and arm slap.

Care: keep it cool, waxed and unstrung between seasons

The bow maker's manual boils care down to a short list:

• Never dry-fire it. Releasing the string with no arrow can wreck the bow and hurt you.
• Don't leave it strung in a hot vehicle. Heat can cause component failure.
• Don't store a strung bow resting on one limb for long; it can pull the limb out of alignment.
• Wax the string about every two weeks in heavy use; replace it when it shows wear.
• When you unstring it, clip the string's loops together so it keeps its twists.
• Towel it dry after rain. No heat source.

Inspect the string, limbs and riser before every session. A frayed string gets replaced, and a cracked limb goes to a shop, not back on the line. Wear an armguard and a finger tab or glove, and never point a drawn bow at anyone.

Who should skip a recurve bow

If you want to hunt this fall and can only practice a few weekends before opening day, a recurve is a hard road. Archery 360 says compounds have a shorter learning curve and are more forgiving. If an injury makes holding full draw weight painful, a recurve isn't the fix either; it holds nothing for you.

If you like the idea of a bow with one string and no batteries, that's the recurve's whole pitch. Write your draw length down first. Then go shopping.