What to do with these?

I have these two bows. Sorry I couldn't get a screenshot, I don't know how to take them in GW.

Skull Hornbow of Fortitude (purple)
Dmg 15-28 (req. 9 marksmanship)
health +28
Inscription: "Strength and Honor" (13^50)

Barbed Composite Shortbow (yellow)
Dmg 14-25 (req. 7 marksmanship)
+33% bleeding (barbed bowstring)
Inscription: "I have the power!" (+5 energy)

I can't decide what to do. I could just use the two as a primary and secondary setup, but I prefer just making the best of one bow. The hornbow has better damage and a nice mod, but I really like the +5 energy from the shortbow. I could replace the 13^50 with +5 energy - would that be worth it? I play a R/Me interrupter.

The hornbow has inherent armor penetration +10 which increases your damage without the 13>50. If I had the bows and they were for my own use, I would put the +5e on the hornbow. You could then add the string of your choice also as the hornbow has none. Being purple means that no matter how good it is, no one would want to buy it, you could also customize it for another 20% damage. This would give you a very good all-around-bow.

But keep in mind that the hornbow is not the best bow for interrupting. For that you need a recurve to get the fastest strike/refire rate. The damage done is not as important. Here is a link to guildwiki's bow info from their testing http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Bow which will help you decide the best bow for you.

Thanks, but I'm wondering why a fast bow is best for interrupting. I might be wrong but I don't think regular damage interrupts skills/spells, and all of the interruption abilities I have are either spells, or instant shots where the speed of your bow has no relevancy (Savage Shot and Distracting Shot). Am I mistaken?

Savage and Distracting shot arent instant, like spells. http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Savage_Shot http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Distracting_Shot
"If (skill) hits..." means its not instant. These skills can be dodged or evaded, unlike Power Leak/Spike, for example.
Question of my own here: Would adding a sundering string add to the inherent AP of a hornbow? Seems it would, but Im not sure.

They are instant in the sense that it doesn't take any time to fire the shot. You click the hotkey and it fires instantly, as opposed to skills such as Power Shot or Screaming Shot.

Here's the wiki link for AP
http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Armor_penetration

According to that page the inherent AP +10 (base) stacks with the sundering string or a bonus AP skill, but two bonus' will not stack with each other.

This makes the hornbow types good damage dealers, but you need to use skills like "Read the Wind" to increase their accuracy and/or increase their speed.

A recurve while slightly slower than a shortbow has the shallowest arc which compensates, making it fast and more accurate than the other bows.

For interrupting you want the arrow to get there quickly, before the enemy has finished casting his spell or activating a skill. How much damage you do is unimportant, disabling the spell/skill is your job.

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=5430

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10050346

and some help for your screenshot knowledge

As an added comment, a ranger should have one of each type of bow plus a +15e caster weapon. You need a longbow for pulling, hornbow for max damage, shortbow for barrage, recurve for interrupting. The +15e, or more if you can get both wand and focus, is for trapping or in OP's case mesmer skills.