Encyclopedia of historical weapons - Recurve bow
Unlike the longbow, the ends of an unstrung recurve bow are curved away
from the archer. This allows the strung bow to be more powerful and
shorter than the longbow - ideal for the horsemen who invented it!
Unlike the longbow, a one-piece recurve is made of several thin
laminations fixed together in the recurved shape rather than one piece
of straight wood.
Although one-piece recurve bows are used, particularly for field
shooting, most modern recurve bows are made in three pieces - a body
(called a riser) with two detachable limbs that fit into each end.
These are called takedown bows. The riser is made of wood or
lightweight metal alloy cast into shape or machined from a block of
metal.
