7 Best Longbows in 2019: The Oldest and Quietest Bows

So many folks find longbows so fascinating to practice or hunt with, so if you're dreaming of one, then you're not alone.

The longbow is the oldest bow type available but it's not really the simplest. Having undergone many changes over centuries, there's a lot more to a longbow than just wood and a string.

This best longbow review provides you with the necessary information that you'll need to choose the right longbow, as well as a list of the top-rated longbows in the market.

Editor's Rating: (4.6 / 5)

• AMO Length: 53 inches
• Draw weight: 45 lbs
• Material: Acacia & fiberglass
• Hand position: Both

Though not your typical longbow, the Mongolian bow has a long and glorious history. Having helped horseback Mongolian warriors to conquer many lands, it remains one of the true traditional bows in archery today.

This one is available in 3 draw weight configurations, including 30 lbs, 35 lbs, 40 lbs, 45 lbs, and 50 lbs. The bow is 53.5 inches long and is completely handmade.

You get a highly decorated bow with oriental style decorative print leather. This decoration covers the limbs and gives the entire bow a beautiful and timeless look.

This bow is made from acacia wood, with its limbs laminated in fiberglass for strength and durability. Everything about it is classically beautiful, including its beautifully carved string grooves. This makes it the best overall longbow on this list.

Editor's Rating: (4.3 / 5)

• AMO Length: 68 inches
• Draw weight: 35 - 50 lbs
• Material: Makore & fiberglass
• Hand position: Right

This bow from Southland Archery Supply is one of the best budget longbows on this list. If you want a high-quality longbow but you're not ready to spend hundreds of dollars, then this is it.

Available in 5 draw weights, you can get it in 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55-lb versions. The handle comes from Makore wood and Cassia Siamea, while the limbs are fiberglass laminated maple wood.

The bow is 68 inches long, which is great for draw lengths up to 30 inches, and if you use the high-poundage versions, then you can easily and confidently hunt nearly every type of game.

One slight disadvantage with this best budget longbow is its right-hand only design, which unfortunately leaves left shooters out in the cold.

Editor's Rating: (5 / 5)

• AMO Length: 52.5 inches
• Draw weight: 30 - 55 lbs
• Material: Acacia & fiberglass
• Hand position: Both

Huntingdoor makes good longbows for hunting and this one is no different. If you are on the lookout for the best hunting longbow at a great price, then check this bow out.

It's made using Red Beech or Acacia wood plus high-strength fiberglass and leather. What you get is a handmade traditional bow with great performance for hunting.

You can choose any of the available 6 draw weights, including 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55 lbs, which has a maximum draw length of 33 inches.

This traditional Asian longbow additionally includes so many decorations along the limbs and grip that it's nearly a work of art on its own.

Editor's Rating: (4.2 / 5)

• AMO Length: 68 inches
• Draw weight: 25 - 60 lbs
• Material: Wood & fiberglass
• Hand position: Both

The Southwest Archery Scorpion is a high-quality longbow, carefully designed and built by bow experts and available in either left or right-hand versions.

It's the best longbow for beginners with some cash to spare. You can choose between 20 and 60-lb draw weights in 5-lb increments, making a total of 8 bow variants.

The 68-inch longbow comes with a 16-strand Dacron string and is great for all kinds of activities, including target archery, bow-hunting, and traditional archery by longbow purists.

Each package comes with a stringer tool and Southwest Archery backs it with a 1-year manufacturer warranty.

Editor's Rating: (5 / 5)

• AMO Length: 68 inches
• Draw weight: 40 - 60 lbs
• Material: Maple, walnut & fiberglass
• Hand position: Both

The Sierra longbow from October Mountain Products is one of the simplest and yet beautiful longbows you'll see.

Featuring a multi-laminate handle and limbs made from maple and walnut, its stylish simplicity puts it in a class of its own. The handle includes an arrow shelf and is available for both right-handed and left-handed archers.

The beauty of this Sierra longbow lies in its simplicity. It looks very ordinary but a closer look shows you the level of detailed work invested in this bow. It's also designed to deliver a smooth draw every time while looking ordinary.

If you want optimal performance with this bow, then you can also switch strings since the Sierra is Fast Flight string compatible.

Editor's Rating: (5 / 5)

• AMO Length: 68 inches
• Draw weight: 40 - 55 lbs
• Material: Wood & fiberglass
• Hand position: Both

PSE is a well know archery brand, so anything that comes from the company is usually impressive. This bow is part of the PSE Heritage longbows and it's well built, although it's also quite costly.

The walnut and cherry combination creates a stylish bow, which both looks great and shoots well. It's 68 inches tall and available in 4 draw weight of 40, 45, 50, and 55 lbs.

This bow features a unique and sleek design which includes a well-crafted arrow shelf and allows you to get it in either a right-hand or a left-hand version.

Its limbs are further reinforced by fiberglass for extra strength and durability, and having 68 inches of length allows it to provide enough room for smoother shots.

Editor's Rating: (5 / 5)

• AMO Length: 64 inches
• Draw weight: 40 - 65 lbs
• Material: Wood
• Hand position: Both

If you are looking for more than simply a good longbow for hunting, then here's one of the highest quality longbows you can find. Be careful though because its price is also on the high side.

Asides from price, Martin Archery didn't name this bow 'Stealth' for no reason. It guarantees you an extremely sleek and silent operation, keeping your shots as stealth as the game you're hunting.

The Stealth also produces little to no hand shocks and weighs just 1 lb 1 ounce, which is why seasoned hunters love it.

You can get it in either the left-hand or right-hand version, and in 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, or 65-lb draw weights.

Additionally, this bow features Bubinga core laminations which are surrounded by Zebrawood and finished with fiberglass to produce its unique look.

Longbow and recurve bow shooters have a more emotional attachment to archery and usually like to keep things old school. This includes wearing leather quivers and other accessories or shooting feather-fletched arrows.

If you find yourself wanting to choose between a longbow and a recurve bow, then following is a side by side comparison of the two. It should hopefully help you in making the right choice.

#1. Weight

Longbows are generally lighter than recurve bows, although the weight difference isn't usually much. If you have concerns about bow weight, then you may want to consider a longbow.

#2. Accuracy

When it comes to accuracy, then things get a little complicated. Most beginners will make more accurate shots with a recurve bow than with a long bow, but this does not mean that longbows cannot be shot accurately.

It takes an extra effort to gain the skills needed to make accurate shots with a longbow, and it is this long learning process that binds many archers emotionally to their longbows.

#3. Arrow Speed

The recurve bow is basically a modified longbow and the main purpose of its design was to more easily produce stronger draw forces to shoot faster arrows.

This makes an average recurve bow more powerful than a longbow of comparable dimensions. If shooting fast arrows is important for you, then you need to lean towards a recurve bow.

#4. Shooting Speed

Shooting speed here refers to how quickly you can prepare for a shot, and the longbow wins. It's the fastest type of bow to prepare, shoot, and reload. It was also popular in many ancient battles for this reason.

#5. Loudness

Bowstrings make a sound when an arrow gets shot. As a result of their design, longbows make less noise than recurve bows, making them more preferred if you need to hunt very quietly.

#6. Nostalgia

When it comes to going back in time or yearning for the past, both longbows and recurve bows bring the feelings, but the longbow wins for its long history and more traditional appeal.

A longbow is different from other bows, so when planning to buy one, you should consider the few specific features below that will help you to choose the right longbow.

#1. Purpose

There are different types and sizes of longbows, and each one is particularly suited to a particular discipline. So if you are planning on target shooting, you'll need a different type than if you are going hunting.

#2. Draw Length & Weight

You'll also need to know your draw length if you want the best performance from the bow. With longbows, each inch you draw the bow produces on average, about 2 lbs of draw weight.

To measure your draw length by yourself, stand upright and span your arms sideways. Have a friend measure the distance between the two tips o your fingers and divide the number by 2.5. This is your approximate draw length.

A more accurate measuring method is to actually draw a bow and then measure the distance from the front of the handle to the nock.

#3. Length

When it comes to longbows, longer bows are better than shorter ones because they are more stable, shoot more smoothly, and are more forgiving.

Optimal longbow lengths begin from 64 inches for archers with a draw length of less than 24 inches, 66 inches length for 24 - 27 inches draw lengths, 66 - 68 inches for 24 - 27 inches draw lengths, 68 - 70 inches for 28 - 30 draw lengths, and 70 - 72 inches for over 31 inches of draw length.

#4. Brace Height

A longbow's brace height is the distance between the grip and the un-drawn string. It's usually provided by the bow manufacturer and gets used to twist the bow until it's correct. When done right, it improves forgiveness and arrow speed.

#5. Price & Quality

Since most longbows are made from wood, it's important that you buy one made with good quality wood. In other words, buying a cheap longbow is not usually a very good idea.

This doesn't mean you should spend a fortune on your longbow, but if you're serious about longbow archery, then you should plan on spending a little more for better quality.

We have reached the end of this best longbow review and you have seen the different types of longbows available in the market.

You should hopefully have made a choice by now, if not, then now's your turn to decide.

Choosing a bow, especially a longbow is a personal process and so it's left for you to know how much you're willing to spend, the type of longbow you'd like, and what you plan to do with it.