When most people think of archery, they think about the traditional style that uses a longbow. Many people get into archery and what to connect to their roots, and starting to shoot a longbow is a great way to do that. Even experienced archers will enjoy them. In this post, I’m going to list what I consider to be the best longbows for beginners:

Best Overall

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SAS Pioneer

Best Value

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PSE Sequoia

Best Premium

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Bear Montana

Like all my other buyer’s guides, I’m not going to necessarily list the most high-end items, but going to focus my effort on getting you great value for your money. I want you to have a bow that will perfectly fit your needs, for a reasonable price.

Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means that if you buy through one of them, I’ll earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. It’s a great way to support the website.

1. SAS Pioneer Traditional Wood Long Bow

Bow Height: 68″

Draw Weight: 35-55 pounds

Riser Material: Makore wood and Cassia Siama

Limbs Material: Maple wood

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The first bow in this list, and my absolute favorite, is the SAS Pioneer Traditional Long Bow (link to Amazon). It’s a mixed wood bow, with a riser made of Makore wood and Cassia Siama, and maple limbs reinforced with fiberglass. This makes it very sturdy but also gives it its unique look.

I especially like it for its size, 68″ tall, which is considered to be mid-sized. It’s a pretty balanced size, great both for mobility and easy aim.

What’s more important for beginners is the draw weights on the bow. Most traditional bows come in a limited selection of draw weights, but this one has a variety to choose from. The minimal weight is 35 pounds, which is great as a starting point for beginners. Even if you’re confident and decide to go for higher draw weight, try to stay on the low end if you’re just starting out.

Some archers don’t like having a shelf on traditional bows, and this bow has one. If you’re looking for a bow that is 100% historically accurate, this might not be the one for you.

Overall I think this would be the absolute best bow to start archery with. It has all the features you need as a beginner, with a proper height and draw weight.

2. PSE Sequoia Longbow

Bow Height: 68″

Draw Weight: 40-55 pounds

Riser Material: Black walnut and cherry wood

Limbs Material: Bamboo

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A great budget option for beginners who don’t what to spend too much money initially. The PSE Sequoia Longbow (link to Amazon) is a simple and sleek model. It’s made out of a combination of black walnut and cherry wood, which gives it a gorgeous color. The limbs are made out of bamboo and fiberglass.

It’s also a 68″ bow, which is right on the sweet spot, balancing mobility and easy aim. The draw weight on the bow starts at 40 pounds, and there are options for 45, 50, and 55 pounds. For beginners I’d recommend going for the low poundage, to build the strength required for proper archery form.

The string that comes with the bow is usually not of the highest quality. You can get a custom flemish string for pretty cheap, and use it on the bow instead. You’ll probably see even better results with it.

For a budget option, it does have a lot of great features. Many beginner archers don’t want to spend a lot of money initially until they see if they like the hobby. This bow is a great option because it’s really affordable, but it’s also pretty good all around.

3. Bear Archery Montana Long Bow

Bow Height: 64″

Draw Weight: 30-60 pounds

Riser Material: Maple wood

Limbs Material: White maple wood

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This is more of a high-end option, for archers who want to invest a bit more and get an incredible piece of equipment. The Bear Archery Montana Longbow (link to Amazon) is both really beautiful and has high performance. Though it’s a bit more expensive, I think the value for money here is incredible – you can’t get a better deal.

The riser on the bow is made out of maple wood and comes with a leather grip and an arrow rest. The limbs are made out of beautiful white maple, reinforced with fiberglass. It has a really unique distinctive look because of the colors of the wood. White maple bows are pretty rare, and it’s an extremely durable wood.

The bow is a bit short, 64″ tall. This size favors mobility, but small errors in aiming may cause more significant shifts in the arrow path. It’s still close to mid-size though, so it’s nothing to worry about.

The draw weights start at 30 pounds and up to 60 pounds. This gives you a variety to choose from. Again, if you’re a beginner, you should probably stay on the lower end.

The bow comes with high-quality flemish string. It’s a string that is made out of several strands twisted together, which makes it really durable and consistent.

Overall I think this bow will be amazing for beginner archers. It’s really unique, the design is great and the specs are perfect for new archers. If you’re willing to invest a bit more into your bow, it’s a great option.

What to look for in a longbow

There are a few things one might want to consider when choosing a longbow. Here, we’ll review the main considerations you should make so the longbow you choose will perfectly fit your needs.

Draw weight

The draw weight on your bow is the amount of power you have to exert to pull it to full draw. A higher draw weight shoots faster arrows, with more kinetic energy, but is also harder to use.

Archers should choose longbows that they can comfortably aim and shoot with. If you’re having a hard time holding the bow a full draw, you probably chose the draw weight too high.

If you want to learn more about draw weight, I wrote a complete guide to measuring and understanding draw weight, so you should definitely give it a read.

Draw length

The draw length on a bow is the distance you have to pull it to full draw. Every archer has a natural draw length they’re comfortable with, and so you should choose a bow that fits your natural draw length.

If you choose a draw length too long, you won’t be able to utilize the bow properly, but if you choose a draw length too short, you’ll have a hard time anchoring and aiming.

If you want to learn more about what your draw length should be, read my draw length measuring guide.

Bow height

The total height of the bow, measured from the bottom to the top. This length is typically 3-inches longer than the bowstring. There’s no specific bow length one should choose – it depends on personal preference.

Longer bows are more “forgiving”, meaning small shooting errors affect them less. Shorter bows are more comfortable to move around with and handle.

Material

The traditional-style longbows are typically made of wood. Most traditional bows are made of yew, but some are also made with hickory and lemonwood. Nowadays, bows are made of different woods as well, like maple, cherry, and more.

Some bows are made of a single piece of wood (selfbow), and others are laminated with multiple layers of wood (composite), typically of different types, and sometimes reinforced with fiberglass. Most bows nowadays are composite, because mixes of different materials give the final product better performance.

Conclusions

There are a lot of incredible options for longbows. The variety is almost intimidating. But many bows are either expensive as hell or low quality.

Here I’ve listed what I consider to be the best longbows for beginners. Especially in terms of value for money, I think these bows are a great option. The initial investment is nothing compared to the value you get.

I hope this post helped you find the bow that best fits your needs. If you’re looking for quality archery equipment, check my recommended gear page, where list my absolute favorite gear.