5 Best Traditional Recurve Bows of 2023: Top Models Reviewed

Finding the right traditional recurve bow for different purposes might be time-consuming and confusing. Therefore, we have surfed the whole internet and complied information by listing down some of the best traditional recurve bows in ranks that are perfect for any adventure, starting from fishing to hunting. Without any delay, let's proceed and check all these amazing bow-arrows out!

What Are The Best Traditional Recurve Bows?

1. Best Overall: TOPARCHERY 53-Inch Handmade

"This classic Mongolian antique-looking horse bow offers smooth shooting and pulling and is known to be the for beginners and has proven to be the best overall!"

2. Runner Up: Longbowmaker Hungarian Style Bow

"With a 100% accurate shooting range, this is the most deserved runner-up amongst the battle of the bows. It is perfect for hunting and is far better and unique than normal mechanical bows."

3. Top Rated: KAINOKAI Traditional Handmade Bow

"It comes with a bunch of accessories and saves quite a good amount of money as well since all of it comes in one package. Due to the high content material, it is made with, it is suitable for all sorts of arrows and serves a higher point of accuracy."

4. Best Versatile: Deerseeker Archery 54inch

"Uniquely, this bow is young adult-centric and is very suitable to be used by both beginner archers who are teenagers and adults, which makes it one of the best versatile traditional bow picks!"

5. Best Short: AF Archery Turkish Handmade

"It has been found out that the AF Turkish shoots arrows 178 feet per second, which is comparatively higher than other traditional bows in the market. It is undoubtedly the best short bow in the market due to its structure and material content. An important feature is that this bow comes in weights that range from weights of 25 to 50lbs, suitable for all types of archery practices."

In-Depth Reviews of 5 Traditional Style Recurve Bows

Below are the top 5 market giant traditional recurve bows we’ve listed above as the top-graded ones. Read the reviews and choose your bows wisely.

1. Best Overall: TOPARCHERY 53" Handmade Traditional Recurve Bow

The best overall, the TOPARCHERY Handmade Traditional Recurve Bow is perfect for beginners. With the help of the instruction guide it provides, both beginners and professionals can learn or polish their archery skills with this classic Mongolian-style horse bow longbow.

As it comes with 53 inches bow length and the weight ranges from 20 to 50lbs with 5lbs differences, it is great for beginners to progress gradually. The wood riser and fiberglass combo make it appropriately durable and rigid for purposes of serious hunting. Additionally, the fiberglass protects the bow from unfavorable weather conditions.

This bow offers hand orientation of both your left and right hands and with the 1.94lbs lightweight, it provides, handling this bow would be the last of your worries. The 28 inches draw length and around 7 inches of brace height can be adjusted to a limited range as well.

Alongside the red and tan bowstring that comes with it, you will also find a black paracord pre-string to attach together to make shots. The faux leather on the center of the bow makes it an elegant-looking bow. This design also makes the usage of this bow a less noisy and quiet process, thus, perfect recurve bow for hunting even the smartest animals.

The craftsmanship of this bow does not only serve the looks but the polymer and laminated techniques make it both visually pleasing and applicably powerful. It is suited for any type of archer or non-archers regardless of how good they are at the sport.

The bow does not have to be assembled since the package comes already assembled in your hand.

This classic Mongolian antique-looking horse bow offers smooth shooting and pulling and is known to be the one of the best traditional bows for beginners.

What We Liked:

• Affordable with reasonable prices
• Super lightweight and rapid bow work.
• Can be used widely-from games to animal hunting.
• Convenient customer service since it comes with a detailed instruction guide.
• Suitable for both occasional, seasonal and professional archers.

What We Didn't Like:

• Handling or grip of the bow might be a little troublesome due to its design and material
• Extended use might also loosen the riser thus it is suggested to not take more than 50 shots with it. But you can always help yourself with our guide to unstring some pre-assembled strings that are creating the problem.

2. Runner Up: Longbowmaker Hungarian Style Handmade Recurve Bow

Looking for a one-piece traditional recurve bow? If the hunter inside you is done with basic animal hunting like deer, rabbit or elk hunting, this beautiful Hungarian masterpiece is the way to go. This is the most deserved runner-up amongst the battle of the bows. It is perfect for some serious hunting game and is far better and unique than normal mechanical bows.

This bow serves the convenience and is great for practice due to its multifunctional features. It ensures great quality craftsmanship with its mulberry tips that makes it a durable pick. The bow comes in a wide range of draw weights starting from 20 to as much as 110lbs. This diverse range makes it suitable for both beginners with weak hands and professional archer masters.

A unique feature of this bow is that it does not require too much effort to make accurate aims, it somehow has served in the best interest of people with weaker shoulders. The comparatively taller height than other bows allow an effortless and accurate experience for the archer.

This bow has one of the best materials finishing that includes Cassia Siameaand Makore Wood covered with cow leather, this allows durability. On top, glass steel and beech wood limbs make it an unbreakable and flexible bow.

Fewer hand vibrations take place because of its favorable draw length of 28’’ a 33’’. The body length of 145 cm and string length of 131 cm is icing on the cake. Both these features ensure great accuracy and rapid speed of the device.

It comes unstrung so it is advised that you pay good attention to the instruction book that is included in the package and help yourself with your craftsmanship skills. It comes with three pcs of arrows, one armguard, one finger tab, a user manual, one target and one piece of the bowstring.

What Sides Made Us Positive?

• Extreme convenience for first-timers because of its design
• The material combo of wood, cow Leather, glass steel and beech make it stand out among other bows.
• High accuracy and durability
• Does not cause hand vibrations during shooting due to a taller height
• Ergonomics riser design provides comfort to the shooter’s hands

What were we disappointed with?

• You cannot add more accessories to it
• Again, due to its taller and larger design layout, it does not provide much portability, however, it still is the perfect choice when you are going hunting in shorter distances.

3. Top Rated: KAINOKAI Traditional Handmade Hunting Recurve Bow

Recurved bows have been used for generations and this bow is not any exception, but this bow comes in two colors uniquely named as black dragon and red dragon. It is also famous for its style and durability. It comes with a bunch of accessories and saves quite a good amount of money as well since all of it comes in one package.

The Kainokai recurve bow is made beautifully with locust wood with layers of paint which makes it water-resistant and protects it during unpreferable weather conditions. It is one strong and rigid masterpiece due to its transparent epoxy leather limbs of the bow.

This combo of materials adds up and makes this one of the most durable and long-term usage bows ever! The leather gives it an antique look.

The bow comes in one piece and would surely save you the trouble of repeated assembling and dissembling of tool parts.

Even though most pro-hunters prefer bows ranging from draw weights of 40 to 55 lbs, with great convenience, Kainokai recurves Longbow comes in draw weights that range from 20lbs to 70lbs. This means that a variable number of options are available for beginners as well.

Due to the high content material, it is made with, it is suitable for all sorts of arrows and serves a higher point of accuracy. This traditional bow can be used with both hands thus comfort will never be a problem.

This bow also comes with protection devices such as arm and fingerguards, these accessories save you the extra associated cost that might take place if your purchase another bow. The whole package is a burst of arrow devices that includes arrow target paper, a Wood hunting arrow, Bow bag, a Bowstring wax, and a Bow String.

In a nutshell, it may not be the best traditional bow for hunting, but it surely is one of the bests.

Good Sides We Found

• Variety of draw weights suitable for archers of all levels
• Extreme durability and long-lasting guarantee due to its construction content
• The larger bow offers an extended area of shooting long distances
• Affordable since a lot of devices come alongside in the package with the product

Drawbacks we Found

• It is not lightweight and MUST be kept away from children, unlike other bows, it's not very children friendly and is specifically made for adult hunters.
• Not very portable due to its heavy construction, but it is very easy to assemble and dissemble which makes it one of the best picks for short-distance hunting sessions.

4. Best Versatile: Deerseeker Archery 54inch Traditional Recurve Bow

No matter how externally appealing all the other bows in the market are, this Deerseeker Traditional Recurve bow has undoubtedly defeated the looks of all other bows, with the most stylish and modernized outlook it has. It is like a mixture of contemporary and modern designs in one. You can call it one of the best traditional recurve bows in the market right now.

It has great handling grips and is known for its amazing accuracy. Uniquely, this bow is young adult-centric and is very suitable to be used by both beginner archers who are teenagers and adults. It offers a variety of options of draw weights which provides convenience to different age groups and their preferences.

The bowstring has twisted Dyneema material and is suitable for both left and right-handed people. The maximum draw weight it offers is 70lbs which is perfectly suitable for heavy hunting of deer, elks, etc.

It is a super neatly constructed gear that is very smoothly speedy and is the right choice for bow hunting. As it has a modern touch to it, it has a snappy yet laminated tech. The limbs are intricately surrounded with bamboo contend and solid fiberglass. The tapered shape of the bow prevents hand vibrations of the archer.

The traditional wooden recurve bow kit comes in a package that includes a Bowstring, Stringer Tool, Finger tab, Armguard, and Leather Arrow Rest.

Good Sides

• Super impressive shooting due to its laminated tech
• Low hand vibration, indicates high accuracy
• Deerseeker provides amazing customer service and keeps tabs on how well the product is working for you
• Lightweight and favorable for young archers
• Comfortable grip due to the tapered design

Drawbacks

• The string is comparatively stronger and beginners might find it difficult to use for starters
• Due to long-distance shipments, sometimes the products arrive broken, but Deerseeker is an amazing company with great customer service, just contact them and they will fix it the right way.

5. Best Short: AF Archery Turkish Handmade Traditional Recurve Bow

Travel to the past by getting your hands on this classic Ottoman Empire-style Turkish bow. It has a laminated fiberglass bow with a bamboo mix. The maple wood handles and bow tips are another fancy addition to the bow. The short and flat design of this bow makes it stand out among all the other longer and taller bows.

This fully handmade bow is constructed intricately with very professional Turkish craftsmen and is known for its exceptional texture of wood. This style does not only offer good looks but offers great performance and convenience because of its rigid and good material content. It is very much lightweight with only 2.2lbs. The outside handle is good and rapid enough for a serious hunting game.

This bow has rich content of materials like African premium quality coral wood, which is known as “Pterocarpus Soyauxii” which is used to make the ends of both bow limbs. The grips are wrapped around with horse leather which ensures a tight grip for the shooter. The edges of the limbs are laminated with glass and a plastic string brace.

According to some tests, it has been found out that the AF Turkish shoots arrows 178 feet per second, which is comparatively higher than other bows in the market. Another important feature is that this bow comes in weights that range from weights of 25 to 50lbs, suitable for all types or archery practices.

What Are The Good sides?

• Super-fast due to its shorter-flatter structure
• Low or no vibration at all with higher accuracy due to the ergonomic hand truck
• Super lightweight
• Super unique design handmade by Turkish archers

What Are The Bad sides?

• A little noisy due to the fancy design, however, silencers can be used for a smooth archery experience.
• External arrows must be purchased since AF Archery does not provide arrows with the package

What To Consider To Buy A Traditional Style Recurve Bow

Target archers and bowhunters have different preferences when it comes to choosing their archery gears Now that we have explored the best possible options of traditional recurve bows available for you to buy, let's go over some buying tips and factors you must consider when ordering a traditional recurve bow.

We understand how much of a hassle it might be to choose from a wide range of weights, sizes, colors, materials, brands and the list goes on.

Bow size

This size is the gap of distance between the two limbs of the bow. The measurements range from 48 inches to 70 inches all the way. There are two different ways to determine bow size.

The first method is measuring your height then getting a bow that aligns as the perfect fit based on your height. However, this method is not so famous because arm lengths might sometimes vary, and you may end up with the wrong bow.

The second method focuses on draw length which can be found out by measuring the distance from one hand to the other with arms straightened outward. The arm length then needs to be divided by 2.5 and there you go! Use the estimated answer and check the bow size chart to match yours.

Draw weight

It is one of the very crucial factors because drawing the bow involves muscle tension release and has a lot to do with your physique. Choosing too much of a lightweight bow will give you a bad experience while using a heavier one might give you pain.

Thus, it is suggested that while using recurve bows, you find what draw weight would be most suitable for you and your body's tolerance. It is suggested that you start with a draw weight that is around 30 to 40lbs if it is your first time.

What your target is

What are you planning to shoot? Where is your aim? Are you going to be target shooting or bowhunting? These are questions you need to answer before you go bow shopping.

Target archery provides a lot of freedom with sizes and lengths to choose from. But, in the case of bowhunting, 40lbs is a good weight to start with as bowhunting does not involve repetitive arrow shooting like that of target archery.

Takedown or One-Piece

Then comes the question, do you wish to have a solid-assembled one piece bow or are you fine with getting a takedown bow that you get to assemble or dissemble later according to convenience? There are pros and cons of both.

A one-piece bow will be perfect for beginners with only string work to carry out but on the other hand, a takedown bow comes with several adjustable parts that you can keep switching to suit yourself.

Takedown bows are more cost-effective because you can just keep buying other parts to assemble them with the bow while for a one-piece bow, you have to re-purchase a new one every time.

Other factors

Limb material and right accessories are also important factors for bow purchasing. However, the preferences vary and are subjective. The best way to see what fits your purpose is by trying the bows and giving them some trial runs before making a final purchase. Naturally, all beginners feel a little uncomfortable even with the best bows at first, but eventually, it settles down and archers adapt to it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all recurve bows come in the same draw weight?

No, they come in different draw weights ranging from the least which is 25lbs to even 110lbs.

Do recurve bows break?

Yes, if not break, they can even bend. All levers under a heavy load are most likely to break.

Are accessories always included in bow packages?

No, not all bows include accessories while some packages include tools, gears and even safety tools.

How far can recurve bows shoot?

Most recurve bows are known to at least shoot over 60 to 100 yards.

Are recurved bows rain or waterproof?

It depends on the type. Some bows are made with pure wood without any laminating or plastic lining, they are likely to be affected by water while other super well-constructed bows are waterproof and suitable for all weather conditions.

Final Verdict

From traditional Mongolian style bows to the most intricate Turkish high-quality bow designs, we have tried our best to summarize information about five of the most popular and well-reviewed best traditional recurve bows of current era. These bows are not only there to serve the looks but specified features that are designed to give you the best experience with performance, speed and accuracy. So, what are you waiting for?

Get up and browse through the internet to order your desired bow today. Make sure you take into account the factors to consider before you purchase one. Also remember that most bows are highly customizable. Most popular brands also offer very effective customer services in case you face any trouble while setting your archery spot up. Good luck with all your archery endeavours!

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