[handirifle]

in reply to: broadheads for grouse and pheasant #34927

In 50yrs of archery, I have killed 2 pheasants with a bow. One in the air, one on the ground, both with broadheads, and no dog.

It’s tough, but not impossible. One thing to remember is to lead them, of course, BUT, as I taught my sons when shooting them with shotguns, lead the HEAD not the body. You’d be surprised the difference it makes. If you’ve hunted them with a shotgun before, consider that lead, and double it. That will be a starting point to learn from.

Use a SHARP broadhead for pheasants. Their feathers will stop a dull one, and it might just wound him, not what you want. The arrow should stick out the other side to impair the wings as well as do internal damage.

For on the ground, shoulder shots, if sideways, of shoulder height, center mass if facing to or away from you.

Use flu flu’s of course, and get as close as possible before flushing him. It gives you more time to set up.

You can get aerial disks for practicing this, just need someone to throw em for ya.

Oh, and the loops, I wouldn’t use them on pheasant. They impede penetration. I seriously doubt you will get a pass thru, especially with flu flu arrows.

[handirifle]

in reply to: new to archery too #34918

Here is a pic borrowed from eddersbow.com.

Look at the picture on the left to get an idea of what I was describing about the upright stance.

When I described drawing the bow and releasing, without a bow, that is taken from the Koreans. Their olympic hopefuls, practice 6-8hrs a day, sometimes for 2 years, BEFORE EVER HOLDING A BOW. That is the importance of form in archery.

[handirifle]

in reply to: new to archery too #34914

Oh, one other point. For target archery, it is usually better, to keep the head full upright, and bring the bow string to you. I see a slight leaning of the head. If this is not consistent, that will scatter arrows as well.

Target form is much more stringent than hunting.

[handirifle]

in reply to: new to archery too #34911

gblue86

Congrats on the bow and welcome to the sport. You will run into the same issues you are having now, many times in the future. I have been shooting since about 8-9 yrs of age, and am 59 now. Been there done that, many times.:D

I agree with all that is said above, in addition, make sure your release is the same every time. just like shooting a gun, the break of the trigger, or relaxing of the fingers for the release, should be a sub-conscience act. If you are thinking about it, you will NOT be consistent. That is one form of what is known as target panic. One way to eliminate that is to get about 5ft from a BIG target that is set to the height your arrow points when the bow is drawn. Have someone watch you just to make sure it’s safe, then cover your eyes, raise the bow to target level (this is why it’s set 5ftaway) draw and release as you normally do. whether it’s a snap shoot or full anchor, just repeat it. Do it the same way, each time. The purpose of this is to focus on the release, letting it be as natural and un-anticipated as possible. You will start to “feel” when it is slipping away before you “think” it to. That is when it’s right.

Also things like changing your grip, as in gripping it higher or lower, harder or looser, all this can change the point of impact. There are some ways considered better than others, but for now, just be consistent.

The importance of the string elbow being lower, is, as was mentioned, the use of the back muscles. You should be able to practice drawing a bow, without ever picking one up. If you use the back muscles like you would when drawing the bow, it is a form of isometric exercise. The only muscles of the string arm that should be used, are those required to hold the string. Let the back muscles, pulling the shoulder blades together, draw the bow for you.

Lots to think about, I know, but take it one step at a time.

Oh, and don’t worry about the string material, not all bows are rated for anything much stronger than B-50 dacron. Fastflight CAN break the tips off a bow, not built for it.

Bows built for it usually have the tips reinforced with linen micarta or similar.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Ebay bow redo #30860

I figured out I will need to thin the bamboo for the riser, quite a bit more. It’s still too stiff to conform to the riser, sooo it will see some more belt sander time for sure.

I took the clamps off the tips last night for a quick peek, and found the piece on the lower limb slipped down over my tape a bit :(. Something I never noticed when clamping.

Oh well, more time on the sander than planned.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Ebay bow redo #29681

wildschwein wrote: This thread is looking good, can’t wait to see how it ends.

Me too!:D I just hope I can learn to hit something with it..:lol:

[handirifle]

in reply to: carbon arrow broke upon release #29229

I have carbons for my wheel bow, but not for the recurve. But I have to say, I have forever been a fan of aluminum arrows, for many reasons. I can say I have never had one break on me while shooting. Maybe it’s like someone posted, they bend way before they break, and you see it and do not shoot. I know they do not seem to be as durable as carbons, but if they go that easy when nicked….well I dunno.

That is the same issue the old Bear fiberglass arrows used to have. Old problem, new material.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Ebay bow redo #29087

Thanks Robin,

The coppy/paste was what I did for this post, just in case. Hopefully you find the bug. Might be a day or two before I can get back on it.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Ebay bow redo #28962

OK that’s it for now. Will post more when I start on the riser section.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Ebay bow redo #28958

OK, got the first installment up. The pic does not really show just how bad the lower limb is twisted, but it was pretty bad. The upper not as bad, but it too had to be fixed.

The crack is what the glass lams are for and it will be fixed, and the finish repaired when all else is fixed. First off, I sanded the limb tips and taped them off for the upcoming epoxy.

Then, I prepared a piece of the glass lamination, and also a piece of bamboo I decided to use over the repair. The bamboo was left over from my bow building days.

The other limb

Before I go further, I used the hot water treatment to correct the twisted limbs. Worked like a charm. Took about 25-30 min altogether, but worth it. This pic was not the last session. There was still a bit of twist in the one limb but I did get that out.

Took about 4 sessions under the water, but finally came out straight as can be.

I didn’t realize it till I posted the pics that the darn bow blends in with the counter top. 🙁 Anyway, the limbs are now straight.

Back to the gluing.

Here is the limb with the glass overlay, and the bamboo over that. I am letting this set overnight for curing. Both limbs were done.

I also decided to set up a piece of bamboo for the riser, might as well make it match, right?

Due to the slippery nature of the epoxy, and the curve of the riser and the stubbornness of the bamboo, I decided to go a slightly different route with the riser. I made up a form from a piece of 2x lumber I had. I traced the riser shape on the lumber and used the band saw to cut it to shape.

This is how it will look when I glue the riser, except it will be on its side. The tips were very hard to keep lined up and trying to clamp at the same time.

[handirifle]

in reply to: New to the EFOC idea #27649

I can add weight whether it be with lead or steel, that I make up, so that is not an issue, but cost is, and workability. At least for now it will be aluminum, maybe even wood, but wood will be trickier, as I might have to sleeve the wood shafts with aluminum and add weight there.

I was playing around with a 55lb recurve I have and I have ALWAYS had a tendency to shoot high, and when I added a considerably heavier broadhead, they went right where I was looking, I was tickled. But these old heads were out of balance and grouped poorly, but the spark was ignited for heavier arrows in general, and more FOC in particular.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Tuning wood shafts #22709

jreller wrote: I don’t understand. snag32 on 4/23 and marine nelson 4/26 with jwesbrok commentin on nock orientation to arrow grain.

one says grain should be perpendicular to string and grain, the other says the opposite. or they are saying the same thing with different words,,,or I just don’t understand.

I run grain perpendicular to bow and allege the nock and cock feather with the grain. ie bow is up and down grain is left/right and tab on nock and cock feather also left/ right. right ?

Well crap, wrote a big answer and this thing times me out:x. Yes they are saying the same thing. Align the bowstring and the nock groove perpendicular to the grain of the arrow. I drew a pic to show, hope it helps.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Bullet casing to suit 5/16 wooden shafts #13720

Duncan wrote: [quote=handirifle]Sure you can get lead. I live in CA also. Go to tire shops and they usually have plenty of lead they pull off wheels. They may need to recycle it but most usually will give some. I used to get buckets of it from them. Gun shops might sell it. Dont buy shot, too hard and too expensive, get lead bars. Also check ebay

Don’t want to sound like a killjoy here but please be careful with molten lead, not only is there the obvious burn risk but more importantly the risk of breathing dangerous fumes. Tire weights are likely alloyed but with what metals? Melt lead outdoors and keep your head out of the fumes. By all means please don’t use commercial shot as it has high levels of antimony and may contain arsenic. Melting it releases these agents that help it retain roundness when used as shot. I think most who use shot just weigh out what they want and drop them in the casing and then epoxy it in place with no need to melt the lead.

Duncan

It’s not voodoo, but folks like me, have been casting bullets for many centuries, and as long as you use common sense there is no danger. For one, I suggested melting the lead once it was already in the casing and this could be done easily with a propane torch, in fact that would be a preferred method, since you could weigh them beforehand to match weights. Stay in a well ventilated area, and you could even have a small fan going.

Always wash your hands when done, this is sufficient to clean the lead residue off your skin.

Nearly all of the old style wheel weights were pure lead. Modern weights are usually zinc, and this could be used as well, it’s just lighter than lead so you’ll have to use more. Use the same precautions. You could use commercial shot with NO ISSUES, as long as you do it the same way as described earlier. Shot is a LOT harder than pure lead and requires a little more heat to melt.

[handirifle]

in reply to: diy 3d targets #11369

I asked, because I use targets stuffed with used plastic grocery bags, when using only target points. These are incredibly tough, yet even when shooting carbons from my Mathews compound, they can be pulled out with two fingers.

The bags last longer than whatever you’re covering them with.

For a deer, it would take a target about 15-18 inches deep, but thickness of the target will have little to no affect on arrow placement, unless it’s a shot from a treestand.

To be clear, I have not used the bags in anything but cardboard boxes, but see no reason someone as resourceful as yourself, couldn’t come up with a way to make them work.

[handirifle]

in reply to: Bullet casing to suit 5/16 wooden shafts #10900

Sure you can get lead. I live in CA also. Go to tire shops and they usually have plenty of lead they pull off wheels. They may need to recycle it but most usually will give some. I used to get buckets of it from them. Gun shops might sell it. Dont buy shot, too hard and too expensive, get lead bars. Also check ebay

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