Archery for Writers Part 3/4: The Recurve Bow

With today’s post, we tackle the recurve bow, which has been around in some form since the days of ancient Egypt.  The recurve bow is therefore considered “traditional” by many of today’s archers, but it is by no means simple in construction when compared to the longbow we discussed last time. Even though both bows were very popular during the middle ages, the recurve bow was mainly used by the Mongols, while the Europeans preferred the longbow because of its simplicity and ease of creation.

(If you find yourself confused at any point because of archer lingo, you can refer back to part one of this series, which has a small glossary of archery terms and definitions at the bottom of the page).

Origins: As stated above, the recurve bow has been around for a very long time.  Though it was used in ancient Egypt, it was often imported from other parts of the Middle East instead of being made there in the land of the Pharaohs¹.  The Mongols², however, were really the ones that perfected the recurve bow, and were frighteningly accurate with it.  (Well, frightening if you’re not a Mongol). Description: The recurve bow is different than any other bow, because the tips curve away from the archer, oftentimes even when fully drawn. When not strung, the recurve bow may even bend so far in the opposite direction so as to form a crescent or even a nearly-complete circle. They are also composite, made that way even in the time of the Mongols.

When making a recurve bow, the Mongols started with³ a wooden backbone or spine typically made of birch, because it’s resilient and was readily available. The total length of this wooden frame was about five feet. On the curved tips, where the impact of the string was the greatest when released (the side towards the archer) they attached flattened pieces of sheep’s horn which added an extra “pop” to the arrow as it was released. They then covered the bow with a layer of birch bark and sinew to keep out moisture, and held the whole thing together with fish glue.
After all this, they wrapped it tightly in ropes and put it in a form where it was allowed to dry at room temperature for a year or more. When it was done drying, it was strung with stretched and twisted animal hide. What animal, you say? Horse was preferred. (My apologies, horse-lovers). Made this way⁴, a Mongolian recurve bow would last for many years, even with frequent shooting.

The difference between ancient recurve bows and modern ones is mainly the materials used for construction. Though the limbs are sometimes still made of wood, they are also made of other layered materials, such as fiberglass or carbon. The riser is actually separate most of the time, and can also be made of wood or carbon, but also magnesium or aluminum alloy. The string, it is safe to say, is no longer made of horse. Instead, various synthetic fibers have taken over.

Why These Bows Were the Pride of the Mongols: The Old Mongolian Bow had a draw weight of about 100 to 160 pounds, and archers could hit their target at about 350 yards (although there is evidence⁵ that suggests they could and did really shoot much, much further than that. Possibly even up to 585 yards).

Also, the recurve nature of these bows means that they pack a bigger punch in a smaller package, which in turn means they can be shot from horseback much more easily than, say, a longbow. (Think about it—wielding a six-foot longbow on horseback would be difficult).

Shooting: I described basic shooting techniques in part one of this series, but the Mongols had such an interesting way of shooting their recurves that I thought it was worth noting. I’ll quote Cold Siberia⁶ on this one. They proceeded as normal, up until the release stage: “Since this bow has immense power, the Mongols have to use a special technique to hold the string during the drawing of the bow and before the arrow is released. The technique is as follows: The string is held by the thumb, since this is the strongest finger. Still, it is not easy to hold 166 pounds* comfortably. Thus, the thumb is supported with the index finger curling around, placed atop the outermost joint, exactly at the base of the nail. The other fingers are also curled, forming a fist. Even so, this is not enough. Hence, the Mongols use a Reshafim – Projectiles