[Bert]

in reply to: Arrow Spine #62255

Dennis- What length and height of fletching- 3 or 4- and right or left hand? Three fletch 5″ right wing will give me the same feather ‘burn’ as you but the same in left wing will not. Have been trying some 4″ with a 90 degree 4 fletch right wing helical and so far no rubbing in my preliminary EFOC arrows. As for shaft rub and the ragged feather syndrome, check to make sure your shelf rest and sideplate do not have any ‘steps’ or edges to abrade- sometimes it helps to glue a matchstick or bamboo skewer piece under the rest right where the deepest of the grip is to provide a single contact for the shaft. Since you’re bareshaft tuned, perhaps some lower feathers will work- template and a sharp pair of scissors- and keep us informed of your results. Since our bows are basically the same once setup, all we’re left to tinker with are our chosen missiles- check out the Ashby Lethality studies and posts.
Good shooting and have fun! Bert(Go Canada!)

[Bert]

in reply to: Gap shooters #62215

I use the Ferguson-Hill split-vision method. As he states in chapter 2 of ‘Becoming The Arrow’-“Of course, the most common-and accurate- statement regarding instinctive shooting is that the only time anyone can take a truly instinctive shot is the first shot they ever take. After that, something learned is applied to the aiming decision with every shot.”
Remember your first shot with a bow?- bet you put it point on at 10-15 yards and watched the arrow fly way over the target!
While experimenting a while back, shooting at a tennis ball in the backyard with a judo point at 10-15 yards, with my normal anchor first finger in the corner of my mouth, I of course had to “aim” way low so tried what is referred to as ‘face-walking’, that is moving the arrow up by anchoring with my third digit in my usual place- and bingo! spot on!
Shoot split-finger but can see some advantages to three-under- as long as your nock has the correct tension- anybody else have any experience, comments or ideas about this?
Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Got snow? #62190

Dave- Looks like a cabin somewhere outside Fairbanks, Alaska! El Nino-ed here in the PNW- frosty morns with a high in the low 60’s- and everything is abloomin’. Wife already has the springtime honey-do list well in hand…..sigh!!
Stay warm and don’t get too many snow-shovel blisters.
Best-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Shooting Gloves #55560

I’ve had good luck with my Martin and my Alaskan Bowhunting ‘Skookum’- I shoot Mediterranean, one over, two under the nock. Started out with a Howard Hill-because he used them!- but it felt like a Medieval torture device so I ‘gifted’ them to Dr. Ed Ashby along with a Pearson 70#+ longbow that severely strained that which should not be strained!
Highly recommend that you purchase in person if you can, like boots and shoes- there is no substitute for trying them on for a not too loose, not too tight fit.
Ignorant of tabs but I’m sure many on this site will be better able to direct you in your quest- am going to make an old English style out of leather with holes for the first and third fingers- any users out there?
Best- Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Is some pickin' okay here? #55538

At least, George, you’re not stuck in your ways!- and since you’re not hunting hogzillas or Asian buffalo so, all good natured kidding aside, your ‘old’ equipment worked back then in the Cretaceous, and it still works now in the Cretinoid Age.
Will we have to further divide into ‘Old” Traditional and ‘New’ Traditional or old and new ‘Primitive’?- hell, let’s just call it ‘Archery’ and go kill some stumps!
Though some of us are just tinkerers, with the curiousity of a cat- we can’t help it, it’s in our DNA to reinvent the wheel with new and old materials and methods-Help!- is there a Intervention Hotline somewhere? Anywhere?!!
Bert- currently experimenting with EFOC mortar shells.

[Bert]

in reply to: A Poem for a Campfire. #55456

I concur with SteveMcD- George, you are the poet emeritus of the site!- Reminds me of some of Robert Service- and yes, children, you can write a poem with rhymes even in the 21st century!
Bert- who pulls only a halfahundred.

[Bert]

in reply to: Dream Job #55387

Good fortune,Andy- Looks like a good, ethical company that makes a fine product(like the 3-piece longbow- any 2nds let me know!) Man, are you in for a change, from a Michigan woodrat to a High Plains drifter! Give it some time, your eyeballs will stretch out, the harsh sun will dry you like jerky, the boots will finally fit and you’ll get used to the 2# belt buckle. And if you need a Diamondback snake skin to back your bow- well, it’s probably coiled up and rattling right outside your front door!
I’ll leave you with the Garth ballad-‘And then her hands of leather turned to feathers in a touch’- George, add a little pickin’ here. Added note- Chuck Norris’ ranch has a sign with a Colt single action on it with the statement above that reads-‘We Don’t Call 911 Here’-Ha!
Best-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: A Starting Point for EFOC Arrows? #52982

Chad- I’ve got an order form from 3rivers filled out with the exact same items as you- plus a few extras. Think I’m going to wait just a bit to see what works for you- nothing like using others money for the same experiment!
What draw weight and bow are you shooting and what’s your arrow length from nock to BOH(back of head)? What type of fletch-3″, 4″, or 5″-3 or 4 configuration- cap wrap or not?
Have you thought about the A&A fletch- 2″ to 2 1/2″ by 1/2″ high, 90 degree rocket fin cut with a strip of auto detail tape 1/4″(turbolator) in front of the fletch?
Don’t forget to give us the overall shaft weight and percentage of FOC(forward of center_- Dr. Ed’s got a great chart here on the site).
Now let’s get out there, in wind ,rain or snow and get this sorted out so you can post soonest the results of your experiments- we await with suspended checkbook(shows you how old I am!). Most of all have fun!
Best-Bert Edit- Duh!- just reread your 1st post which states you’re shooting a 50# longbow which just happens to be what I’m shooting now-PSE ‘Sequoia’ 68″- 50#@28″ with a SBD D-97 8-strand padded loop flemish- a little shorter draw length than you but we all know every bow is a law unto itself.

[Bert]

in reply to: Keepin' It Trad… #52397

Most respectfully to those whom it may concern-Query-Since we no longer have a ‘Topics Outside of Trad Bow’ forum where(re Duncan’s post) are we going to place such diverse subjects such as Dan’s(StandingBear) knife making tips, Patrick’s ‘Avatar’ movie review, the members book selections(which I found very informative), Dave’s recipe for elk heart and morels with the reduced Merlot sauce(MMMM!), and others?
Just as a suggestion, mind you, perhaps the forum could be relabeled ‘Topics Outside Trad Bow- No Politics-No Religion- No venting of Spleen- No Exceptions’. I, for one, would solemnly pledge to never mention or discuss those verboten subjects on this forum ever again. Violators would be punished by having to sharpen and return at their own expense, the broadheads of those in the thread.
Just an idea to raise up the ole’ flagpole and see if anybody salutes it!
I remain,
Sincerely yours.
Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: HELP – STINGER! #52190

BobRay-My sympathies, bowbrother- no expert here either but I do labor in construction as a carpenter and know the effects of excessive vibration(rotohammers, sawsalls, jackhammers) on the ill-equipped human hand, unprotected over time. Usually worse in cold weather but it involves the entire hand not just one finger, and a stinger is an impact(generally through the misapplication of a hammer!).You stated you shoot a zillion arrows so I’m surmising its a variation of the old tunnel carpal(inflamed tendon and sheath from repetive over use). Have you researched a good sports medicine practioneer in your area?- might be able to render some treatment and advice on a professional level
Remember, if worse comes to worse, we can always start shooting- that forbidden instrument in trad circles- a CROSSBOW! GOD FORBID!!!!!
Best- Bert and keep us informed please.

[Bert]

in reply to: Does anybody SELL Paper USGS Topo Maps anymore? #52175

I have an old(over 6 months) Garmin gps that I’ve played around with but never really seriously used for hiking or hunting as there’s just something about totally relying on batteries and satellite positions that leaves me somewhat dubious. Not that I don’t think it could be useful but call me somewhat paranoid, if I know where I am by satellite do the mysterious powers-that-be know and can track me? Cellphone too?
There’s still a few independent sporting goods shops here in the PNW that have the old map drawers- just makes you want to get out and explore doesn’t it?
Think I’ll stick to the Silva and map- remember the map is not the territory and your’re not lost, just geographically challenged!
Good exploring and where is that sextant and slide rule I stored away?!!-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Keepin' It Trad… #52158

I am shocked-shocked and dismayed that my carefully crafted posts and that of certain others are now in the dustbin of cyber purgatory. Are they gone forever or do they await the resurrection by some cyber-archaeologist of the future intent on discovering the mind-set of early 21st century primitives?
Has Political Correctness sunk low enough to invade even a Traditional Bowhunter site whereupon certain ‘topics’ are forbidden to be mentioned much less debated in a cogent, rational manner by its members? Do the unseen but omnipotent ‘Administrators’ have that right and power?
The answer is-Yes, thank God!
I regret- since there’s no ‘My Apologies’ page anymore- to have been a player in the demise of the forum but unfortunately, like most human endeavors, corruption sets in, either slowly, or in this case, increasingly rapidly and we end up in a ‘High Noon’ situation(without Grace Kelly) with drawn bows at fifty yards, curses on our lips at our unworthy opponents who are just too stupid to agree with me or you.
So the adults, who run this most excellent site, decided wisely to pull the plug before it descended into another ‘HuffingtonPost’ screaming invectives and expletives at each other-I mean, we have enough controversies with longbow vs recurve; wood, aluminum or carbon arrows; three or four fletch and size; glove vs tabs; to EFOC or not EFOC; where’s the best place to stick a hog and various other topics germane to our interests without invoking and involving those two, guaranteed to ruffle feathers subjects- Politics and Religion.
Besides, this is a private business site and we are but invited guests allowed to sit at the feast and partake of the banquet, if we mind our manners.
This is what occurs when opinionated old geezers(Patrick and those under sixty excepted) have too much time on their hands during a long, cold and dreary winter, everything’s going to hell-in-a-handbasket(including ourselves!) and our beloved country is(in our opinion) under assault once again by the powers of stupidity(see, there I go again!).
We but await the warming Springtime sun, with the promise of wintermelt and signs of life in the urgency of crocus, daffodil and wake robin; to cast off these winter doldrums and stretch our atrophied archery muscles to the weight of our draw and once again loose the singing shafts, brightly fletched and steel tipped at our uncovered targets.
But it’s only February, so go grab some hot chili and the libation of your choice(in moderation of course!) and quit bitching!
The Good Lord Bless and Keep all of you-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: My Apologies! #51299

NOYB! I too apologize for hijacking(shudder) your post- why don’t we get in touch with our wonderful(mean it) administrator, Robin and make ‘My Apologies’ a permanent part of the forums. Sort of like a Roman Catholic confessional where you could run over at any time, make your mea culpas, and be absolved. Or, for those of the more secular bent, a tidier version of the Oprah show!
Just kickin’ around a few ideas here gents since your all snowed in and probably bored-Wife-(In a blackboard screech ala Hillary)-“Are you STILL on that computer? Are you STILL playing with those DAMN arrows!- You-“Here, hold this target Honey-I want to check my EFOC out!”
Bert- There may be snow on the boiler but there’s still a fire in the firebox!

[Bert]

in reply to: My Apologies! #51281

Johnny2-IT WORKED!!!! Sort of like tying a white rag on a bush in pronghorn country and when he comes over to investigate-ZIP>>>———> a shaft(EFOC of course) in the old ticker. Unless you’re the ‘Nuge’, then a gut or hipshot will suffice(don’t read this SteveMcd).
This was way too easy- Eccentric? young man- there is a method in my madness or is it , a madness in my method?
After the age of sixty, you really don’t care what people think of you, just try not to dribble snous down your beard and make sure(oh she will!) your wife checks your zipper(most probably down) before you leave the house.
With those sage words, I leave you to your own devices.
P.S. If I told you what I REALLY think the stream of invectives and expletives would most surely get me kicked off this most gentlemanly forum- thank you Robin!
Bert-somewhat to the right of Attila the Hun on most issues.

[Bert]

in reply to: Is some pickin' okay here? #51090

Hey, George- Sounds great out here in the rainy PNW!- Is it a rendition of ‘I Got the EFOC Blues’ by C. Shaft and the Woodies?!!! I mean, this being a trad bowsite and all.
Keep pickin’-Bert

[Author]

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