So, you’ve decided it’s time to invest in a longbow. Good choice, since it takes you back to the true origins of archery. You could have one custom-built for you, but that’s often an expensive proposition and doesn’t always give you the best final product. To help you decide on the best longbow of 2017, we’ve put together a list of our eight favorites. Read on, and choose your own favorite.
Just a note, for the uninitiated, AMO is short for Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization, the body that provides standards for bowyers to measure lengths and other specifications.
8 of the Best Longbows of 2017
Here is a quick look at what we believe are the best longbows of 2017. Hopefully this will help you narrow down your search for the best longbow for you. Keep in mind that when shopping for any style of bow, it’s best to do to your local proshop and test out the bows for yourself. What might feel right for one archer may not work for another. Good luck in your search!
Martin Archery Savannah Stealth
First of all, we have the Martin Archery Savannah Stealth, based on a tried and true model. On the Stealth, Martin Archery adds additional beauty and features that allow it to blend into the shadows. The bow might not have been around for very long, but it benefits from Martin Archery’s long history of manufacturing excellent bows. In the few years since the original Savannah was released, it’s become one of Martin Archery’s best-selling longbows.
The dark silver reinforced riser features zebra wood accents. The varying shades of dark woods and accents help it blend into the background, and the off-the-shelf arrow rest provides for excellent accuracy and shot placement.
The limbs are manufactured from laminated zebra wood and clear fiberglass. The reinforced limb tips allow for the use of a FastFlight or Flemish string. In fact, the Savannah Stealth comes with a Dacron Flemish Twist bow string. The Savannah Stealth will be in the running for the best longbow of 2017.
Specifications of the Martin Archery Savannah Stealth
- AMO Length: 62 inches
- Draw Weight: 40# to 65#
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: 6.5 inches to 7.5 inches
Pros
- Very accurate and almost silent
- No hand shock worth mentioning
- Powerful
- Includes Flemish string
Cons
- None worth noting
More details on the Martin Archery Savannah Stealth. Click here for the price on this longbow.
PSE Sequoia Longbow
Next, we have a truly unique longbow. PSE’s Sequoia is one of a kind, absolutely gorgeous to look at and also deadly accurate. It is built with modern technology, but don’t let that fool you — the Sequoia is traditional longbow through and through. Its reflex/deflex shape is crafted with strict observance of tradition, allowing for lightning-fast arrow velocity and great stability.
The riser is constructed from maple and padauk, in a three-layer lamination, and includes an arrow rest for instinctive shooting off-the-shelf. The grip is nicely wrapped in leather, aiding in handling and reducing hand shock even more.
The limbs are a three-layer lamination of maple and clear fiberglass, and the limb tips are reinforced for use with FastFlight or Flemish strings. This longbow comes with a FastFlight string, giving you the ultimate in performance right out of the box.
Specifications of the PSE Sequoia Longbow
- AMO Length: 68 inches
- Draw Weight: 40# to 55#
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: 7.5 inches to 7.75 inches
Pros
- Zero hand shock
- Fast, powerful, and accurate
- Nicely priced for the budget conscious
Cons
- None worth noting
More details on the PSE Sequoia
Bear Archery Montana Longbow
The Montana is definitely a classic, and it’s still turning heads today. This longbow was first introduced in the late 1990s, designed by one of Fred Bear’s long-time bowyers, Grant Neil Byce II. It features a slightly reflexed design, tapered limb lamination, and a leather grip.
The riser is made from hard-rock maple, and Bear Archery applies its Futurewood technology to the handle. Futurewood was introduced in the 1970s, and then rejuvenated in 2013 by popular demand. This process gives completely new physical properties to the wood in the riser, utilizing a pressurized vacuum to fill all the natural pores. This strengthens the wood greatly, and increases the weight. After baking, the handle is no longer natural wood — it’s Futurewood, virtually impossible to warp, check, or crack. Still, the grain and natural beauty of the wood remain intact. An off-the-shelf rest allows for clean arrow flight.
The limbs are made of clear white maple, backed and faced with high strength black fiberglass. The limb tips are handcrafted and feature black and white fiberglass overlays. The reinforced limb tips allow for the use of a FastFlight or Fleming string. The bow comes with a Dynaflight 97 Flemish string.
Specifications of the Bear Archery Montana Longbow
- AMO Length: 64 inches
- Draw Weight: 30# to 60#
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: 7.5 inches to 8.5 inches
Pros
- Highly accurate and almost silent to shoot
- Little to no hand shock
- Includes Flemish string
- Very powerful at upper draw weights
Cons
- Some manufacturer defects, such as gaps in the lamination hidden beneath the leather grip
- Often suffers from lengthy replacement times
More details on the Bear Archery Montana. Click here for the price on this longbow.
October Mountain Products Ozark Hunter
The OMP Ozark Hunter longbow is traditionally designed, combining high performance with a smooth draw. It’s built with style, and looks absolutely gorgeous. It also shoots like nobody’s business, giving you great looks, awesome accuracy, and outstanding power at the higher draw weights. It’s also priced for the budget-conscious, making it an excellent entry into longbow archery.
The Ozark Hunter’s riser is sleek to reduce hand shock, and it’s constructed from hard maple, purpleheart, and walnut woods. Unfortunately, it’s not leather-wrapped, but you can easily customize the grip yourself with leather or any other material. The built-in arrow shelf makes instinctive shooting a real pleasure.
For limbs, you get multi-laminate wood with black fiberglass fiberglass. The limb tips are reinforced, so you can use FastFlight or Flemish strings with this bow. A Dacron string is included, but it’s a standard string, not a Flemish or FastFlight one.
Specifications of the OMP Ozark Hunter Longbow
- AMO Length: 68 inches
- Draw Weight: 35# to 55#
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: 6.5 inches to 7.5 inches
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Very little hand shock
- Accurate and deadly quiet
- FastFlight and Flemish string compatible
Cons
- Does not include a FastFlight or Flemish string
More details on the OMP Ozark Hunter. Click here for the price on this longbow.
October Mountain Products Sierra Longbow
The OMP Sierra longbow is in a class all its own, with a truly elegant design. October Mountain Products manufactures the Sierra with traditional standards, but modern technology that combines form and function. It features a smooth draw, almost no hand shock, and it’s a stunning longbow to behold.
The riser is made from hard maple, purpleheart, and walnut woods for a custom finish. The grip isn’t wrapped, but there is an arrow rest for instinctive off-the-rest shooting. The sleek handle reduces hand shock, making the bow very pleasant to fire.
The limbs are multi-laminate clear fiberglass, with reinforced tips. You can use FastFlight or Flemish strings with this model, but it only includes a standard Dacron string.
Specifications of the OMP Sierra Longbow
- AMO Length: 68 inches
- Draw Weight: 40# to 60#
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: 6.5 inches to 7.5 inches
Pros
- Quiet and deadly
- Very little hand shock
- Compatible with FastFlight and Flemish strings
Cons
- Does not include a FastFlight or Flemish string
More details on the OMP Sierra Longbow. Click here for the price on this longbow.
Southland Archery Supply Pioneer
The SAS Pioneer longbow is one of those longbows that you just have to look at twice, because it’s so gorgeous and unique. Like many of the longbows in this list, the Pioneer combines modern manufacturing innovations with traditional longbow design, providing you with a gorgeous weapon that is accurate, powerful, and a true pleasure to shoot. The main drawback to this bow is that it’s not available for lefties.
Southland Archery Supply crafts the riser from makore and cassia siamea wood. You don’t see that mix very often in longbows. However, it makes for a very stable and durable riser. The arrow rest allows for off-the-shelf shooting. SAS covers the arrow rest with fur padding to keep everything pristine.
The limb construction is a combination of maple and fiberglass, making them quite strong and durable. SAS reinforces the limb tips, so you’re free to use a Flemish or FastFlight string with the bow. The included string, unfortunately, is neither of those.
Specifications of the SAS Pioneer Longbow
- AMO Length: 68 inches
- Draw Weight: 35# to 55#
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: Not specified; ships at 7 inches
Pros
- Fast and powerful
- Very little hand shock
- Compatible with FastFlight and Flemish strings
Cons
- Only available in right-handed models
- Does not include a FastFlight or Flemish string; just a standard bow string
More details on the SAS Pioneer. Click here for the latest price on this bow.
Tomahawk Bows Thunderstorm II Diamond Series
Tomahawk Bows, exclusively offered by 3Rivers Archery, aren’t inexpensive, but they’re well worth the investment. The Thunderstorm II builds on the power and elegance of its predecessor, combining brilliant design with flawless workmanship. The Tomahawk Thunderstorm II Diamond Series is available as a takedown bow or a traditional longbow, allowing you the convenience of a takedown for storage if you need it. This longbow is gorgeous to look at, and it’s also deadly accurate and highly powerful at the upper draw weights.
The riser is constructed from black onyx super-action wood (dymondwood on the takedown model), with black phenolic plastic along with accents of maple and black onyx. The riser is cut approximately 1/16″ positive of center, with a black calf hair rest and plate pre-installed for instinctive off-the-shelf shooting. That means you won’t mar the finish of your riser. Tomahawk stitches black leather on the one-piece model’s grip, or black Posi-Grip on the takedown. Neither the one-piece or the takedown model suffer from any hand shock worth noting.
Tomahawk has constructed the limbs from Stabil-Kore between foam lamination, finished with black fiberglass. Stabil-Kore is a proprietary composite that reinforces the limbs at the core, eliminating torsion in the draw cycle and improving limb recovery. In a nutshell, it improves the reduction of hand shock, makes the limbs more stabile, and allows you to shoot with pleasure and confidence. The limb tips are black and natural G10 fiberglass. The manufacturer reinforces the limb tips for use with FastFlight or Flemish strings. The included string is hand-twisted from 18 strands of FastFlight Plus material, tightly served with Brownell’s .026″ Crown serving material.
Specifications of the Tomahawk Thunderstorm II Longbow
- AMO Length: 58, 62, and 64 inches
- Draw Weight: 40# to 70# (58-inch up to 60# only)
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: Not specified; my 64-inch 65# model came with the brace height set to 7.5 inches
Pros
- Absolutely gorgeous longbow with superior accuracy and power
- Includes FastFlight string
- No hand shock
Cons
- Pricy investment
- No other cons worth noting
More details on the SAS Thunderstorm II Diamond Series
Tomahawk Bows SS Supreme Longbow
Now we get into the more expensive, but definitely more capable longbows. Tomahawk Bows, an exclusive brand of 3Rivers Archery, utilizes innovative materials in the SS Supreme combined with the time-tested form of the original Tomahawk longbow. This longbow pushes speed and stability to the limits, but the shooting experience is still silky smooth.
The riser for the SS Supreme is built with cocobolo dymondwood and phenolic plastic, with rock maple accents. Capping the riser is more colobolo dymondwood, black fiberglass, and RGS carbon to add additional strength. The riser is cut approximately 1/16″ positive of center, with a black calf hair rest and plate installed for off-the-shelf shooting that won’t mar your riser. Finishing off the riser, the manufacturer leather-wraps the grip for comfort.
Tomahawk constructs the limbs on the SS Supreme from a combination of Stabil-Kore, carbonized bamboo, and RGS carbon. The manufacturer reinforces the limb tips for use with a FastFlight or Flemish string. The bow includes a FastFlight Flemish twist string. We think that the SS Supreme is one of the best longbows of 2017.
Specifications of the Tomahawk Bows SS Supreme Longbow
- AMO Length: 62 and 64 inches
- Draw Weight: 35# to 70#
- Manufacturer Recommended Brace Height: Not specified; ships at 6.5 inches
Pros
- Available in take-down
- Gorgeous design married with outstanding power and accuracy
- Almost no hand shock
Cons
- Pricy investment
- No other cons worth noting
More details on the Tomahawk SS Supreme
Finding the best longbow for you
From this list of longbows, you should be able to find a model that fits your budget and experience. If you are new to traditional archery and unsure how “into it” you’re going to get, we’d recommend a more budget-friendly model. If money is no object, though, our absolute favorite is the Tomahawk SS Supreme. Whatever you decide, any of these longbows will provide you with years of accurate, powerful, pleasurable shooting.