[Kegan]

in reply to: Bow Weight Reduction #23904

It works, but more than one respected bowyer has advised against it. In addition to changing the weight, you’re changing the ration of core-to-fibreglass. If the fiberglass becomes too thin in relation to the core, it will shoot disproportionately more slowly.

If you had no options or no other choice it would work, but be aware you might be sacrificing the bow’s performance as well.

[Kegan]

in reply to: GrizzlyStik questions #14690

Thanks for the input. This is all putting my mind at ease, and I think I will give them a try next year. It’s nice knowing ahead what might prove to be tricky rather than being suprised:wink:

[Kegan]

in reply to: GrizzlyStik questions #12436

Thanks for the input Dave. So far they still sound like something worth giving a try, and I feel a lot better about it too.

Thanks again guys, you’ve really helped me out:D

[Kegan]

in reply to: GrizzlyStik questions #12393

Thanks Treetopflier. As I mentioned, most of what I read is just “they’re great!” or “they’re awful!” No one seems to be giving any highlights of things to watch for.

Are their any big issues when bare shafting them to be aware of?

[Kegan]

in reply to: Straight ends vs reflex/deflex #57856

From a building standpoint…

The straight bow stores less energy. Depending on the length and whether it has reflex, is dead straight, or has deflex, this might not mean that much. Depending on the tiller and tip width, the efficiency can be very close. A straight bow with very light, narrow, stiff tips will shoot without much hand shock and with impressive speed. Most straight bows are tillered to bend all the way to the nock, which robs it of efficiency, and also are too wide. This extra mass adds shock and slows the arrow. However, slight design differences can make a straight bow shoot exceptionally well. Case in point, there are bamboo laminated wooden bows that are designd to take advantage of the “lever tip” design shooting almost as well as fiberglass laminated recurves. However, the don’t look like the “traditional” Hill bow and most fiberglass laminated straight bows don’t take advantage of those characteristics.

D/R bows, or hybrids, are as different as can be. Some bows with only a mild curve to the limbs, like the Bear Montanna, shoot more like a straight bow than a D/R bow. Ones with radical curves, like my Gray Wolf bows, have performance like recurves in a longbow-styled package. The reflex in the limbs store extra energy, more than a straight bow. The deflex means the limbs recover outward rather than just forward, and at the same time recesses the mid-limb, which means there is less mass trying to jump forward of the handle when the string slams home to brace height. All of the deflex works toward reducing hand shock which can help with accuracy all things being equal. Because there is no contact to the reflexed outer limbs, they can be made more narrow than a recurve, and therefore have some of the same low-mass recovery benefits to the “lever tip” straight bows. However, a D/R bow cannot be made as narrow as a straight bow because the limbs would want to twist to the sides. Fortunately, the reflex itself stiffens the outer limbs some what (again, depending on the particular bow) which allows the limbs to work as levers increasing the mechanical efficiency (reducing hand shock and adding arrow speed). In all-wood bows, especially selfbows, these bows have more mass than even recurves and shine with heavier arrows, but may not be as advantageous. With fiberglass, the difference can be night and day depending on how much D/R.

Whether the bow is shot like a recurve or true longbow is more a matter of the handle design. I use narrow, low grip handles which allow the archer to shoot them just like a longbow, with recurve performance. Often all of the stability factors are removed when shortenning the bow significantly. At equal lengths I find the D/R or hybrid bow to be much more stable, however a long straight bow will be just as stable, and in many cases more so, than a short hybrid. In some cases the bows are so short that they store less energy (stack) and the performance is closer to a long straight bow.

[Kegan]

in reply to: yew or osage #44207

I’m with others, unless Osage grows around you look elswhere for bow woods. The Bowyer’s Bibles covers everything about bow building, and Vol 4 will allow you to build any bow as a high-performance-super-durable weapon.

The Bent Stick by Paul Comstock is much shorter and easier to read, but covers everything you should need to get started:D

[Kegan]

in reply to: Ground Hunting #61913

I much prefer ground hunting. I recently bought a climber but it hasn’t seen much use and it probably won’t. I get bored and cold very easily, and the simplicity of hunting off the ground is just too appealing. My first few years of hunting (off the ground)even found me within close bow range several times. Too bad I wasn’t a better shot:lol:!

[Kegan]

in reply to: EFOC without the IF? #59519

Thanks for the input Sapcut! Have you had any issues with deflected shots breaking behind the footing?

[Kegan]

in reply to: EFOC without the IF? #58479

Thanks for the input guys. Steve, right now I’m using Carbon Collars, which accomplish the same thing (preventing mushrooming).

My set up right now is about 22% FOC or about, and so far my breakage issues while stumping have been few and far between (that includes on a couple glancing impacts that I swore were dead arrows). I just thought that I was really pushing my luck asking for more?

[Kegan]

in reply to: Build alongs #57404

Thanks Cottonwood:D

[Kegan]

in reply to: Arrow quivers while hunting #35182

I’m in the process of making a Plains style to play with, but I really like the back and bow quivers anyway. Whatever I’m in the mood for, unless the bow is too light in the hand and needs that extra weight of the bow quiver. I make all my own quivers along with the bows, so I can play with any style I’m not too incompetent to attempt:wink:

[Kegan]

in reply to: Wensel woodsman for elk #35175

The two blade hole sealing up is indeed a myth. Made when folks who couldn’t hit didn’t recover their game- and was told over and over again ever since.

Does a paper cut stop bleeding when the skin touches again:wink:?

Oh, and I haven’t used the WW, but several fellows have mentioned that one heavy arrows they had no issue getting good penetration.

[Kegan]

in reply to: Draw Weight? #51036

If you overbow yourself at 60# and wind up short draw, you will lose alot more everngy than if you were shooting 50-55# and drew it back as far as you comfortably could. A longer draw with a slightly lighter weight will throw a heavy hunting arrow better than a heavier bow at a shorter draw length.

See if there’s a shop or what not around to try the bows. The bow you could hold back for 5-10 seconds without any wavering or shivering is a good one to go with. Regular practice and you’ll be able to move up in weight without issue.

[Kegan]

in reply to: Question of Traditional or Primitive Bowhunting #48956

If it has wheels, it’s not traditional. If it has a synthetic component such as carbon, fiberglass, or even aluminum, it’s traditional. If it’s made from natural materials, it’s primitive archery.

Even those lines can be muddled. Frankly, I muddle around the boundary of “traditional” since I use mostly selfbows (occasionally sinew backed bows) but with carbon arrows.

The Thompson brother’s were more or elss the first to bring bowhunting to the white American public. For the most part, they prefered ELB’s they oredered from England. They paid others to make their hickory hunitng arrows for them. Pope and Young built their own bows because it was easier to do so than trying to find bows for hunting. Even then, Young later prefered to buy Osage staves from which to make his gear. Even Hill ordered bamboo from China to build his longbows, and he did that because he was such a crank about his gear (his words from Hunting the Hard Way).

Though the number of archers using weapons without wheels is growing, it still seems that we’re a small enough group that if one fellow is using an ash bow with obsidian tipped dogwood arrows and another is using a double carbon recurve and Axis arrows with nanotechnology with a stabilizer, relevated rest, and sight, as long as no one is trying to snub anyone else we might as well shoot together in my opinion.

I know I’m happy with what I like to shoot. I’ve no problems with anyone shooting something different. Besides, categorizing has been tried before… alot. Never really works. In the end, the best we can come away with is “no wheels”:lol:

[Kegan]

in reply to: Hickory or Osage #46799

Hickory’s my favorite wood, but only after leaving it in a hot box to cure out nice and dry and then making sure the belly is well tempered. Osage has the advantage to being much better in wetter climates though. Hickory needs a good water resistant stain and several coats of the best finish you can get.

[Author]

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