[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Carbon or Stainless #44064

I like the abowyer heads. I have used them the last 3 seasons with great success (for me, that is…) I have killed 10 deer in that time with a bow and had all but 1 drop within sight. And that one only went about 60 yds.

I like the high carbon steel because it is easier to sharpen. -I haven’t tried the Abowyer SS, so this opinion is general to SS, not specific to Abowyer…

I think I heard somewhere that the crystalline structure of the high carbon steel is such that it can take a keener edge than stainless is capable of taking.

The carbon steel heads are cheaper.

I have repeatedly shot the high carbon Abowyer heads through deer and had them remain shaving sharp after pulling them out of the dirt.

I had one get a bent tip after hitting a rock on the other side of a beaver. That’s been the only “failure” I’ve had with them. I have 1 head that’s been through 5 deer and it still looks new.

I like ’em!

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Improving accuracy #44041

snitkerb wrote: Thanks for all the advice. I looked into a few of the books mentioned and plan on getting a few to read through. Hopefully this will either solve the problem or improve it dramatically.

Grasshopper say: “Don’t think of it as a problem, this will cause frustration. Think of it as a challenge.”

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Improving accuracy #42895

I would read a few books on shooting. Byron Furgeson’s Become The Arrow comes to mind as a good one. 3Rivers has a good selection of books.

Step much closer than 20 yds till you start getting smaller groups. Maybe start at 5 yds.

Learn about tuning arrows as already suggested, and

Try to find some folks to shoot with. Archery is a social sport.

You have demonstrated a key necessity for good shooting, and that is commitment. If you have been shooting at least once a week for 4 years, that’s great! Once your shooting improves, you will probably want to start shooting even more…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Soft Fingers effect #41797

Are you shooting well with them? Are you having fun? Are you hitting your target? Are your arrows flying well?

Do what works for you. Don’t worry ’bout it.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: 3-blade broadhead sharpening #39299

I use a bench grinder to sharpen my 2 bladed single bevel broadheads. They are fast and easy and get the blades crazy sharp.

I know it ain’t “traditional” but it is smart. I’d rather spend my traditional time doing something else, like getting upity on this forum 😆

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Black Widow #39294

I’ve never shot a bow that wasn’t just a bow. I don’t believe there are any magic bows out there. I get sort of embarrassed for guys that wax so much about this bow or that bow… I’d like to offer them a cigarette when they get done 😯

That said, I just sent a black widow long bow back after taking the “test drive” And I did order one. Here’s what I can tell you about the longbow:

The limbs are rigid and stable. Probably due to their thickness and the layer of woven glass near the center. They have the most pronounced trapezoidal shape I have seen. I have seen many claims about “trapped limbs”, but these are the real deal. These limbs appear to have about twice the thickness of carbon as most bows.

The riser is heavy due to the paper phenolic in it. I like a heavy riser.

The overall fit and finish was good, but not the best I’ve seen.

The bow did have a strange “kink” in the upper limb. If it was a self bow, I would call it a hinge.

The bow shot well and felt good in the hand. I tested the standard grip.

The bow speed with a heavy arrow was good, but not great. I would give you the numbers, but I don’t remember them. I compared it to 4 other bows and they all shot within 2 fps of each other…

On Blacky’s website, the BW longbow he tested has the highest efficiency of the 4 longbows shown on the website.

If you are really interested, they will send you a bow and charge your cc for it. Upon return of the bow, you get your money back less shipping.

I ordered mine with no bells and whistles. The price was about 200 dollars more than other’s “basic” models.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Reduced bow weight #36844

I would think you could use the same arrows. You may need to increase the point weight 50 grains or so to keep the arrows flying right. Doing this will affect your speed, but it will increase the stability of the arrow and the penetrating power of your setup as well.

If you do get a new bow, I wouldn’t change anything right off. Just start shooting the new bow with the old arrows. Different bows like different arrows. So you may not have to do anything at all.

Reducing the bow weight reduces the energy you put into the shot. Therefore your arrow speed will, necessarily, decrease. Unless, of course, your new 45lb bow is of a much better design than your 50lb bow.

How’s that for wishy-washy?

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Fletching glue #35472

Duncan wrote:

Had a fletch rip off of a carbon today when it went through a brush pile.

I hope there wernt no pesky wabbit in that brush pile 😀

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: White Christmas surprise #34236

Looks great! I love the light cast by snow. Sure hope we get a little this year…

I hope your dry spell ends.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: string silencer placement #31948

I like to use 4 silencers instead of two…

Whether you use 2 or 4 silencers, the best place to put them is where they look the best. Not too close to the limbs, not too close to the center. String the bow up, take a look at it’s profile. Then use a sharpy to mark the string where you want the silencers to go. Use a ruler to get them even as measured from the limb tips.

Using 4 silencers, 2 on each end spaced about 3 inches apart serves to disrupt the harmonics in the string more effectively than a single set can.

The other tidbit I would give you is to tune your arrows after you attach string silencers. It likely will affect the arrow flight/spine.

Have fun!

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Barta Wilderness Arrows #30849

Is the taper too long? If the shaft is tapered, the field tip should go on some amount. But it may not “stick” if the taper is too long and the field tip stops on the small end before coming snug… If this is the problem, just cut the small end off a bit…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Nels Grumley Take-Down Deerslayer #24790

It would be nice if something like that ended up in a museum where many people could appreciate it, instead of squirreled away in some guys man-room.

If you donated it to a museum, you can set the value of the donation for tax purposes… You might end up further ahead as well as assuring the preservation of the bow…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Wisconsin Albinos #23187

OK, so… I’m going on record as noting that I wasn’t the first to stir this pot. Nice to hear from you Patrick! But since it has now been stirred…

I think Dave took the argument full circle when he said:

David Petersen wrote: … And we simply aren’t qualified, either intellectually or morally, to decide what “should” or “should not” be allowed to continue…

Unless there is some quality to these deer that makes them “better” or more able to deal with the troubles of this world, I think it might actually be a bad idea to protect these deer. It reminds me of the “oh ain’t that sweet” story of the local vet here that removed cataracts from a starving buck and then let him go again so he could pass his crappy genes on…

Something about it bothers me when we say one deer deserves more protection than another deer. When they are basically the same, except for color… What if I see a stripped deer in the woods… I’ve seen really black deer, and really red deer. Should they be protected too?

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Is it the Traditional way? #17626

David Petersen wrote: … forced complacent academics to take another look. There are similar sites clear down in S. America that are as old or older. Clearly, there was more than one human migration here, and probably from more than one origin. This stuff fascinates me, whether they used tripods to hunt mammoths from or not. 😆

I don’t know about “academics” but I feel like science needs defending here… The great thing about science and scientists, and the thing that also causes the most confusion about scientific progress is that results are published as they are made. There is no statement of ” well folks, this is it. This is the final answer” There is no final answer. There is only the pursuit of better understanding.

Problem is that doesn’t sell. So the media likes to take every “breakthrough” and proclaim it as the final answer to whatever the topic is…

I salute archeologists for continuing to dig into the past with new technology and more sensitive instruments. I watched a documentary a while back where they described not only “human” exoduses from Africa, but 7 migrations from pre homo sapiens species. Most of which spread to the farthest extents of the earth.

Mans wanderlust has been a part of us from the start. Is it any wonder we are still compelled to pick up the bow and go?

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: 200 grain head/ 35# longbow/ wood arrow? #16475

My guess is that you would get no better than 120 fps with that weight bow, from that weight arrow.

For animals that don’t duck, like pigs(?) that may be acceptable… But for deer, I don’t think that’s enough speed.

Deer can dodge an arrow moving that slowly with no trouble at all.

Everything is a balancing act. For me, the minimum acceptable arrow speed is 150 fps. I try to get the heaviest arrow I can with the most FOC I can that still yields at least 150 fps. And i am not really happy unless I can get 160 fps…

A secondary effect of such a slow arrow is loss of accuracy IMHO. At least for me. And I attribute it to the fact that the arrow is spending so much more time on the bow, which gives me more time to screw up… That and a much more pronounced curve in the trajectory.

Thus a lethal shot has to be 1 part accuracy and 1 part penetration…

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