I have a 66" long bow with a low grip and an 1970 Bear Kodiak.   I shoot them both well but the recurve much more consistently with smaller groups.  The more I shoot the two the more I think my better shooting with the recurve is due to the higher grip.  Hoping to shoot a higher grip long bow at the Baltimore Bowmans next month to check out my theory.  Am I on to something.

No one bow style is more inherently accurate than another, Just the guy behind the string. Put any decent bow in a shooting machine and it will stack arrows all day long. They all shoot better than any of us. That said, find one that fits YOU well and you shoot consistantly and You will be more accurate with it. For me, that is a low grip longbow or 50's style recurve.

Evidently, the average shooter is able to shoot a recurve more accurately than a longbow, which is why they have different classifications for recurves and longbows in tournaments, and why the recurve category usually has higher scores.  Sometimes, of course, the winning longbow shooter will turn in a higher score than the winning recurve shooter, but not on average.  Of course, if Howard Hill were still alive, he would probably still be shooting longbows and beating everyone else including the compound shooters.

I don't mean to sidetrack the thread. I do feel the recurve may tend to be shot more accurately on avg becuz of the mass weight of the riser. Less occilation of your bow hand. I think it really shows up in longer shots. I have always noticed that the guys who really pile up the game tend to be shooting recurves?  Not sayn Longbow guys don't (I shoot a longbow) but just when you see guys like Gene and Barry etc.

Bows do differ in terms of forgiveness. No matter how good the archer, we all have some degree of error. The main difference between a typical recurve and a longbow is riser mass and arrow speed. The larger and heavier recurve riser do tend to be more stable on the shot. This is why a reasonably good archer can stack arrows into the x at 20yards with a long metal riser recurve but not nearly as easy with a hill longbow. Different degree of forgiveness.

This comparison comes up every now and then. Last time I read a post on this subject I strung up all of my bows, recurves and LB's and took them out and shot one arrow with each, alternating between recurve and LB. I shot from 18 yds. and all the arrows grouped into a -4" circle. I think it becomes a mind game with some shooters. When switching back and forth, one must remember to hold the LB much more firmly than the recurve.

P.S. I have more bows than are listed.

It is really an individual preference. I shoot a longbow better than a recurve. I started on recurve, went to a compound, back to a recurve and on to the longbow. I have recurve and longbows and shoot the both, but if I has one shot to hit a quarter at 18 yards I would use a longbow.