Recurve bow
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A recurve bow is a bow that, in contrast to the simple longbow, has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is held in shooting position (It becomes obvious when the bow is unstrung). The technical difference between a recurve and other bows is that when strung, the string touches the limbs of a recurve bow, and only touches the tips of other types. Traditional composite bows also have a recurved form. This article deals with modern competitive recurve bows, as used by archers in the Olympics. These bows are made using the latest technologies and materials. The limbs of such bows are typically made from multiple layers of fibreglass, carbon and/or wood on a carbon foam or wood core. The riser, which is the central part of the bow, is usually made from aluminium or magnesium. Recently several aluminium/carbon hybrid bows have begun to emerge. Risers for beginners are often made of wood or plastic.
The recurve bow's bent limbs allow for:
- A lower bracing height with the same limb length,
- More spring force over the first few inches of draw, and
- A smoother draw.
It is the only form of bow permitted in the Olympics (though the Compound bow is permitted in some categories at the Paralympic Games) and is the most widely used by European and Asian sporting archers.
The recurved shape of the limbs causes a fairly linear increase in force as the string is drawn back. By contrast, the traditional longbow tends to "stack"—that is, the force increases more rapidly per unit of draw length as the string is drawn back. A recurve will permit a shorter bow than the simple bow for a given arrow energy and this form was preferred by archers who were forced into environments where long weapons could be cumbersome: such as in brush and forest terrain, or while on horseback. A recurve bow releases its energy more efficiently than a longbow, giving a greater amount of cast for a given draw weight than a longbow.
An unstrung recurve bow can have a confusing shape and many Native American weapons were incorrectly strung and destroyed when attempts were made to shoot them. This is especially true of the reflex bow. Like the recurve bow, this design was used to increase the amount of stored energy in the bow. However, the reflex bow when unstrung flexes its entire self away from the archer, like a backwards "C". When strung it resembles a strung recurve bow.
Recurves have been used in Africa, Asia and Middle Eastern countries before the Middle Ages. The Huns shot composite recurve bows from horseback just as Genghis Khan's hords did 700 years later. During the Early Middle Ages recurve bows first spread to Spain and Greece and later became relatively commonplace in all European countries. They became extensively used as an alternative to longbows for centuries.
Most recurves today are "take-down" bows—that is, the limbs can be detached from the riser for ease of transportation and storage, and for interchangeability of limbs. Older recurves and some modern hunting recurves are one-piece bows.
[edit] Parts of a Recurve Bow
These are the standard parts of a recurve bow:
- Arrow rest - Where the arrow rests during draw. More sensitive spring-loaded or magnetic flip rests are used by more experienced archers.
- Back (of bow) - The face of the bow on the opposite side to the string
- Bow sight - Used on all recurves, except those of archers shooting Barebow. Helps the archer aim in the same place each time.
- Bow Sling - A strap attached to the bow handle and wrist to stop the bow falling from the hand
- Bracing height - The distance between the bow and the string
- Grip - The part of the bow held by the bow hand
- Limbs - The upper and lower working parts of the bow, which come in a variety of different poundages
- Nocking point - Place on the bowstring where the nock (end) of an arrow is fitted
- Riser - the rigid centre section of a bow to which the limbs are attached
- String
[edit] Other Equipment
Professional archers will have many other pieces of equipment attached to their recurve bows, such as:
- Clicker, which is used to check draw length each shot
- Kisser, which is attached to the bowstring to aid the archer in pulling back to the same point each time
- Plunger Button, which is used in part to move arrow position to the centre of the bow (called "centershot") and to tune the natural nodal flexing of the arrow during flight (alternately called "arrow paradox" or "spine")
- Stabilisers, which are weights attached to a recurve bow to dampen the effect of torque
