Hunting is a great way to bring us back to our roots. Being in the woods, isolated, trying your wits against some of the smartest animals in the world is a wonderful experience. However, some modern types of hunting are starting to incorporate so much technology that they feel more modern than some hunters would like.
For those individuals who want to make a connection with their hunting heritage, there is nothing quite like hunting with a recurve bow. It takes you back to a time before sights, draw weight reducers, and other technological advancements helped to make bow hunting almost as simple as shooting a rifle. Using a recurve bow challenges your marksmanship, strength, endurance, and patience. The thrill of a successful hunt with a recurve bow is second to none.
You want to make sure that you are using the best recurve bow available; this will help to tip the scale ever so slightly in your favor so that you can have that successful hunt. But what makes one bow superior to another?
We have put together a list of the ten best bows on the market, and at the end of this article, you will find in-depth reviews of what we found to be the five best of the best.
Top 10 Recurve Bows Comparison Table
| Picture | Name | Draw Weight | Price | Rating (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. Longbowmaker Hungarian style Handmade Longbow Flagella Recurve Horsebow Archery | Available in 5-pound increments 20 pounds-110 pounds | $$$ | 4.7 |
 | 2. Southwest Archery Spyder Takedown Recurve Bow and arrow Designed by Engineers of the Samick Sage | Available in 5-pound increments 20 pounds-60 pounds | $$$$ | 4.7 |
 | 3. Buffalo Hunting Bow and Arrow Handmade Recurve Horsebow Longbow | Available in 5-pound increments 30 pounds-65 pounds | $$ | 4.7 |
 | 4. SAS Courage 60" Hunting Takedown Recurve Archery Bow | Available in 5-pound increments 40 pounds-60 pounds | $$$ | 4.5 |
 | 5. OMP Explorer 2.0 Right Hand Recurve Bow | Available in 4-pound increments 20 pounds-40 pounds | $$ | 4.4 |
 | 6. SAS Spirit 62" Take Down Recurve Bow | Available in 2-pound increments 22 pounds-34 pounds | $$ | 4.4 |
 | 7. PSE® Razorback™ Recurve Bow Right Hand, 25# | Available in 5-pound increments 20 pounds-35 pounds | $$$ | 4.1 |
 | 8. SAS Explorer Metal Riser Takedown Recurve Bow | Available in 2-pound increments 22 pounds-34 pounds | $$$ | 4.1 |
 | 9. Martin Jaguar Takedown Bow, 40-Pound, Camouflage | 45 pounds | $ | 4.0 |
 | 10. PSE Stalker Recurve Bow, Right, 45 | 45 pounds or 50 pounds | $$$$ | 3.6 |
Buying Information
When you are looking for the best recurve bow, there are a few factors that you should always consider.
- Material. Traditional recurve bows use wood as their primary material. However, the type of timber that the bow is used to make the bow will have an effect on its performance. The best wood for bows are types that will bend easily but not break.
- Draw Weight. Even though you are trying to get back to your roots and take pulleys and draw reducers out of the equation, you also want to be mindful that you don’t get a bow that you can draw. The higher the draw weight, the faster your arrow will travel, but this will also make it harder for you to hold your draw for a long time.
- Draw Length. Depending on how tall or short you are, you need to look for a bow that has a draw length that will fit you. To find your draw length, extend both of your arms out to your sides and have someone measure from the tip of one middle finger to the other. Divide this number by 2.5, and you should get a close idea to your draw length.
- Will It Work for Your Handedness? Some bows on the market will only work for right handed archers, while others will only work for left handed archers. You could also get a bow that is ambidextrous, meaning it is useful for either right or left handed archers.
- Portability. Most recurve bows are already extremely light. However, others can break down so that their arms detach; this would be a useful feature for someone who intends to backpack into their hunting area.
Top 5 Best Recurve Bow Reviews
1. Longbowmaker Hungarian style Handmade Longbow
Out of all of the bows that we tested, this one is by far the best recurve bow we found. It is beautifully handcrafted and is extremely sturdy. It is made to be used by either right or left handed archers and has a variety of draw weights that you can choose.
These start low, at 20 pounds and then increase all the way up to 110 pounds of draw weight! Since it has such a wide range of draw weights, it is ideal for some applications, such as hunting small game, target shooting, distance shooting, or hunting of big game.
The bow has a draw length range of 28 – 33 inches, which should fit most users. It is also lightweight, only weight about 3 pounds. This weight would be ideal for someone looking to take it backpacking or deeper into the woods to hunt.
Summary. This Hungarian Style recurve bow has a broad range of draw weights to choose from, which makes it easy to find the right bow for your desired activity. It is well built and relatively light.
2. Southwest Spyder Takedown Bow and arrow
Our number two selection is a great bow for a variety of reasons but also has some drawbacks. First, on the positive side is the fact that you can select from a wide range of draw weights to make sure it is up to your shooting task. These weights start at 20pounds of pull and go all the way up to 60 pounds.
This is also a bow that can disassemble for easier storage or transport. You simply take off the two bow arms and reattach them when ready to shoot. This feature also makes the bow lighter, since the arms are from a different material than the rest of the bow.
On the downside of the bow is the fact that it is not ambidextrous. You need to make sure that when you purchase it, you get the bow that works for your handedness. The only reason that this would cause an issue, however, is if you want to let a friend use it and they use a different hand than you.
Summary. This bow would be perfect for backpacking and ideal for any hunting or shooting. You can break it down into three smaller parts for easier transport. Just make sure that you select the handedness that you require, as it is not ambidextrous.
3. Buffalo Handmade Recurve Horsebow Longbow
The Buffalo Hunting bow is another high-quality choice for someone who does not desire to be able to break down the bow and does not need the pull weight of our top choice. It is a smaller sized bow, measuring only 48 inches in overall length; this would make it perfect for backpacking or hunting in far distant locations.
Even though it is on the smaller side, it does not lose any draw weight. It is equitable to our number two choice in that you can pick from different models that range in draw weight from 30 – 65 pounds. Each of the various draw weights would give your arrows plenty of power. Just make sure that you pick one that will meet your needs accordingly.
The only drawback for this bow is that, while it is ambidextrous, it does not have a ridge to rest your arrow on while you are aiming. You will need to make sure you practice a bit with this since you need to rest your arrow on your fingers instead, which may make your shots a bit less accurate at first.
Summary. The Buffalo Hunting bow is small, light, and sturdy. It will work for a variety of activities. However, you need to make sure that you practice with it since it does not have an arrow rest.
4. SAS Courage 60″ Hunting Takedown Archery Bow
The SAS Courage is another bow that can be broken down to make it more portable; this makes it ideal for traveling, as well as hiking into more remote locations to hunt.
It is also good that it breaks down since it is one of the longest bows that we reviewed. Because of its length, it does not offer a broad range of pull weights, as they tend to be on the higher side. However, this will give you optimum velocity for hunting big game.
The most significant drawback for this bow, however, is the fact that you can only purchase it for a right handed person; this limits its effectiveness since someone who is left handed cannot use it.
Summary. This is one of the biggest bows that we tested, and tends to have higher draw weights as a result. While being able to break it down is a nice feature, it is only available in a right-handed format.
5. OMP Explorer 2.0 Right Hand Recurve Bow
The Explorer is a very lightweight bow that can be broken down into smaller pieces. Even when fully assembled, it was easy to carry around, and we could easily see hiking with it fully assembled.
It does not offer a broad range of draw weights, but those that are available will provide you with plenty of power and velocity for whatever kind of shooting you desire to do.
Like our previous selection, the Explorer is only available for right handed archers. It is a good bow, but please be aware of this fact.
Summary. A lightweight bow that can be broken down and disassembled, the Explorer is powerful enough to use for hunting, as long as you are right-handed.
