How to Identify Recurve Bows

Archery has been an important part of sport and warfare for centuries and many archers developed different designs through the years. One of the most popular with archers today is the recurve bow. It's shape provides more power than a standard bow of the same length and it pierced armor when it was used in warfare. It takes a trained eye to tell the difference between a recurve bow and one of the many other types of bows used today.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
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Instructions

    • 1

      Unstring the bow. Examine the ends of the bow and their shape. A recurve bow curves outward away from the shooter unlike a standard bow which is a straight piece of wood when unstrung. This shape is what gives it more power than a standard bow because more kinetic energy is stored in the design and released when shot.

    • 2

      Restring the bow. Measure the length of the bow from top to bottom. Shorter bows are generally recurves because they pack more power in a smaller frame. A small recurve provides the same power as a large standard bow. This made it popular for marching archers who carried their bows long distances and larger bows were cumbersome.

    • 3

      Place an arrow in the bow. Fire the arrow at a target. Listen to the sound the bow makes when fired. Recurve bows place more tension on the string and materal than a standard bow and make a louder sound when fired. The louder noise doesn't come from the string, but the bow material because it is under more strain.