Why are recure bows more inexpensive then compund if compund bos ar better?

Question

What makes a recurve bow better then compund and why are the more expensive or why is a compund better then a recurve?

Answer 1

Because most recurves and longbows are made of natural (more expensive) materials. A large number of these bows are made of exotic woods. Some like Black widow have a large amount of hand made parts. They are a lot more labor intensive. Besides that, I think they look better and i prefer to hunt with them. The recurves made of the same materials as modern compounds like the PSE Coyote can be had for less than 300 bucks. The thing that keeps traditional bows going is the same thing that keeps a market for the Sharps and similar black powder cartridge rifles going strong. History, nostalgia and, some people just like to do things the hard way.

Answer 2

There is NO compound bow that's "better" than a comparable recurve bow. Never has been. Never will be.

Compound bows were designed for one thing and one thing only....and that was to relieve some of the stress on the draw to allow weaker people to enjoy a form of archery without having to go through all the steps everyone else always had. It's not designed to make you a better archer....it's designed to sell the sport of archery to as many people as possible. It's akin to buying a motorcycle with training wheels. As long as you have them on, you'll never get beyond the point where you need them.

Real, serious archery requires lots of long days of practice in hitting the target that guarantees you that with every arrow loosed, you're getting stronger as well as more accurate.

Recurves generally cost more because they take more skill and time to get right. You have to assemble/craft the bow in one piece so that the entire thing works as a whole. Compounds, on the other hand, are made up of machine-made cookie cutter parts that don't have to work perfectly. They can be adjusted and compensated for in situ. If a limb on a compound bow is screwed during manufacture, you simply replace it and keep going. A good recurve, if the limb is screwed, the bow is trashed.

Of course, the past few years, most bowmakers....and I stress that word over the traditional "bowyer" because the major makers are no more bowyers than any other mechanics....have created recurve bows designed with replaceable limbs etc. It was designed as a labor saving method of making a good recurve where it couldn't be done before....but it does tend to yield a good bow.

Never the less, a good bowyer-crafted one piece will always be the epitome that a true archer strives to attain. When you find it, you know it. You'll shoot it for years to come. Compounds, on the other hand, almost invariably end up replaced from year to year by "archers" that won't ever get beyond having to rely on those training wheels.

Answer 3

The price does not mean one is better then the other.
It’s all supply and demand.
Most manufactures are geared up to produce the compounds now in the past it was just the reverse, recurve were the cheapest were the more expensive was compound.
Because there is a larger demand for compounds today more companies are mass-producing them.
The recurve is not under such volume of mass-production, there for limited quantities and limited competition makes for a much higher price tag.
If there was more competition in production of recurves the price would drop.

That my opinion

I hunt big game with a super fast compound and Bow fish and small game hunt with a recurve.
I get the best of both worlds and the price tag to go with it.

D58

Answer 4

IF they were better a compound is just assembled from a bunch of parts theres a lot of hand workmanship in a recurve bow you pay for time labor & craftmanship and its worth it .I have a 55 pound recurve thats about 40 years old would you like a shooting match you name the range with same weight compound Ill be there I havent lost yet

Answer 5

There's more art in recurve and long bow construction. You have to get a long piece of flexible, uniform and springy material to make the bow. You then have to form a more complex shape evenly so that the bow is balanced between the limbs and across the limbs, so it doesn't twist when it's drawn or released.

By contrast a compound bow uses short limbs with a very simple shape

Answer 6

Recurves and compounds have variable pricing.Buy at
Cabela's Cheaper.By a Hoyt ,Mathew's ect... more expensive.Buy accessories,more money.I have a Hoyt Pro tec,shoot release,arrow rest,Hogg-it site,carbon fiber arrows.
Spent for everything about 1700.00