What is the difference between a right and left handed longbow?
Modern longbows are made from a variety of hardwoods from around the world. Traditionally, the bows would have been made of yew, a very ‘soft’ hardwood. To protect this soft wood, an arrow pass was placed where the arrow came into contact with the bow. This practice was probably started in the 19th century. With the woods used today, the arrow pass is really cosmetic as the modern hardwoods are quite resilient to the passing of the arrow however the finish may be affected. The arrow pass is really the only thing that makes the bow either a left handed bow or a right handed bow. If the arrow pass is on the left hand side of the bow, the bow is for a right handed archer and vice versa. Some longbows have an arrow pass on both sides making them ambidextrous. However it may be possible to make a bow ‘lean’ to the left or the right in order to make them ‘sided’.
