There are many kinds of bows out there. One of the most common type of bows  archers use is the recurve bow. It is popular for a variety of settings including bowhunting, target archery, competitive archery and even the archery tag ^TM game.

Often touted as one of the easiest styles of bows to operate, it is ideal for beginners, however, it still remains challenging enough for experienced archers. Recurve bows are simple, inexpensive and as I said before provide a good challenge. If your sold, then skip to how to choose your recurve bow.

What Is A Recurve Bow?

With an unstrung recurve bow, the limbs (ends of the bow) point away from the user and the string touches the bow at the ends. That is the primary defining characteristic of the recurve bow, and it provides a few significant advantages to the archer. Recurve bows transfer energy to the arrow more efficiently, making them easier to operate than longbows. The arrows tend to shoot at a greater speed than with a longbow, as well. Everyone, from beginners to archers in the Olympics, uses recurve bows.

What are Take-down Recurve Bows?

Bowyers (bow makers) often make recurve bows as a single piece. Some of those recurve bows could be considered traditional bows, if the material is natural in origin.   A one-piece recurve could be made from synthetic material,  a single piece of wood or laminated (glued) layers of wood and fiberglass or carbon fiber, or  natural materials glued together like traditional horse bows.

Take-down recurve bows are more convenient since they are 3 separate pieces, the riser and 2 limbs that attach to each other easily.

The main advantage of take-down bows is that they are easier to transport. Take-down recurve bows are generally made from synthetic materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber mixed with wood for the limbs and metal (aluminum or magnesium alloys) or wood for the riser.

A second advantage of recurve take-down bows is that the limbs are replaceable, meaning you can change the draw weight of your bow by changing the limbs only and keeping the riser minimizing the expense.