Wanting a longbow

[NoobArcher]

having researched this gairly thoroughly, I'm now going to ask peoples opinions. I know that Bickerstaffe are highly reknowned, but cannot really afford one of that calibre at the mo, and I really, REALLY want a longbow. I currently shoot recurve and pull 28/29lbs, drawing 29". I'm coming on nicely with this, and don;t want to give it up, so for now the longbow would be purely for fun and field. Ideally don't want to spend a fortune, less than £150 for bow and arrows would be ideal. Am willing to take advice on all aspects, though have been told not to try and pull more than 35lbs, so its going to have to be a fairly light bow.
I know that more laminates are better, but am not fussed whether I end up with a longbow or a flatbow. Also need advice on arrows, as have little to no clue about what sort of arrows I should be going for!
Thanks guys!

[gino]

Why have you been told not to draw more than 35lbs?

[NoobArcher]

simply because i would have to adopt a different shooting style to adapt to the extra weight and don;t want to screw up my recurve style

[gino]

seriously? I shoot 55lbs on a longbow shooting recurve style...

[English Bowman]

Originally Posted by NoobArcher

simply because i would have to adopt a different shooting style to adapt to the extra weight and don;t want to screw up my recurve style

You'll have to change style slightly anyway. I reckon that you can add 10 to 15 pounds to the weight of your recurve with no problems. I shoot a 38lbs recurve, and my first longbow was a 50lbs. (I now shoot a 70lb longbow, but still the 38 on the recurve)
Ron Palmer does a reasonable bow for just over £100 if he's still making them. I don't have full contact details for him though. I think that he's in Birchington, Kent.
I'd save the extra money up, and phone Pip Bickerstaffe, talk to him direct about what you want and see what he recommends. If not him then I've heard good things about Richard Head, but judging on the bows of Steve Ralphs that I've seen, I wouldn't buy a bow from him.

Daniel

[RichardH]

One of Pip's reenactment bows at £130 might suit if you want to keep the cost down. We use a lot of them as club bows. They get a lot of use for have a go and beginners' courses, and some are getting on - 5 years old maybe? However, none have broken, and while some have started to follow the string to a greater or lesser extent and lost a few pounds along the way, they all still shoot nicely and do their job. If you can get to somewhere that stocks some, you can get a feel for the draw weight. What about Quicks - you look like you might be fairly close to their London store - worth a call to see what they stock, perhaps? However, I see as standard they are only made up to approx 35# - though the club has a 40# and a 45# - I think you might have to go to Pip direct for that and pay a little more.

However, when you say "I don't mind whether I get a flatbow or Longbow" do you mean that? Because you'll most likely be able to get a flat bow plus suitable arrows within your budget. And what about American Longbow?

A friend at the club bought a Quicks Viper Deluxe flatbow (£110) which he's very pleased with (though he does drop back to his Keith Raynor bamboo/osage longbow quie often!)

Don't let me be the one to persuade you away from English Longbow though!

[NoobArcher]

no one is going to put me off anything, don't worry. I just had a look at the viper flatbow from quicks....deffo a possibility, thanks for the suggestion, keep 'em coming!

[wingate_52]

With a hand made product you generally get what you pay for. Use your judgements about peoples comments. Not everyone treats their bow as maybe they should. Shooting indoors, and outdoors in sunshine rain and cold will all affect the performance of a bow. I am taken with bamboo faced bows for their extra cast.

[Miner Willy]

You may want to check out this thread from a couple of months ago. There's plenty of useful information in it.

http://www.archery-interchange.com/forum/traditional-archery-discussion-q/8459-longbow-manufacturers.html

I'm with Wingate_52 about the Bamboo faced bows though. I have one and it's brilliant.!