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Sir Kenneth thank you for your tests and the report of your findings.<br>
<br>
I didn't expect much different. Lets face it the UHMW blunt with a
sidewrap is basically no larger that a Baldar Blunt in diameter and
still weighs less. As far as stability and accuracy goes people have
been using Fellwalker style blunts for a decade without problems in
that regard.<br>
<br>
Regarding impact force, it is certainly going to be different but there
has always been a huge span there. We have people using anything from
wimpy wimpy bows up to 600 IP crossbows and a HUGE variety of foam
densities and Baldar Blunts. The retrofitted blunts are still going to
impact within the range that we have already had to work with.<br>
<br>
As far as HE Donnchadh's report that "the problem is also that the
foam is much stiffer so you don't feel the impact of the UHMW
underneath"... I can only say that if a person has been using blunts
with 1" of padding that allowed the foam to bottom out so that the
impact of the UHMW could be felt, then I would worry that person has
been using illegal blunts all along. The foam is supposed to provide
progressive give so that ya don't feel the UHMW and that is
particularly true for 1" padded blunts.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
-EA<br>
<br>
<br>
Ken Theriot wrote:
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<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">I have honestly forgotten which list is the
new one, so I’m
sending this to all of them.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">I spend some time experimenting with
different types of padding, and
methods to apply the wrap. I had sticky-back 1/4-in. foam left over
from Gulf
Wars and I had the stuff that Eadric suggested, the sticky-back 2-mm.
foam from
Walmart (Darice). It turns out that, on my arrows anyway, the 1/4-in.
wrap was
WAY more than was needed (about 1-3/4 in. diameter after taping). I
applied
strapping tape around the wrap as tight as I could, and there really
was very
little in the way of compression. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">I made a majority of my original arrows with
a leather disc on the tip,
and even before applying a side-wrap, the diameter of the vast majority
of these
tips was already about 1-3/8 inches. So 1 of the Darice 2-mm.
sticky-back
strips was really all that was needed. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">Nevertheless, I conducted an experiment with
the ones I wrapped with
1/4-in. foam. I shot 6 of the old arrows from my longbow. They flew
an
average distance of 37 yards with very little variation. Then I shot 6
of the
fatter retrofit arrows from exactly the same spot. There was no
significant
difference in the distance (or variation) that they flew! Though it
seems logical
(and is definitely true to some degree) that a wider face would
encounter more
wind-resistance, and a heavier head would not fly as far; in (my)
real-world
testing, those differences were negligible, and amounted to basically
no real difference
at all. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">I did NOT conduct a test of impact force.
But the observations
mentioned about folks being hit by arrows not feeling them may not be
indicative
of a cause-consequence situation from the retrofit. Obviously I can't
say this
for certain, but I would bet money that if those same individuals were
hit with
the old arrows, their answers would have been the same. A valid
experiment
would be to get some willing stick jocks (hey, I get to say that
because I'm a
knight;)) to let us shoot a random mix of old and new arrows at them,
and
report their reaction to the hits (blind experiment). That would
eliminate any
possible bias on the part of the target....I mean other fighter;).
There still
could be some bias in the way the testing archer since they would be
able to
see which arrow they were shooting. But if we set up a way for the
archer to
shoot accurately WITHOUT knowing which arrows they were, we could do a
double-blind experiment and have actual evidence of the differences, if
any, in
perceived impact to another human fighter. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">Does it suck? Yup. But if we give up in
disgust, then we let the
"enemies of CA" win! Those "enemies," are mostly (not
entirely) the dukes and other hot sticks who feel their years of
training, and
their amazing god-like skill should not be vulnerable to a weapon that
a newbie
can learn in a day. We all know the arguments: how effective archery
would
have been in our period, presumed armor, plate armor, arrows and bows
used at
different times, archery is unchivalrous, blah, blah, blah. That is
pure doggy
doo. If ANYONE brings that argument up, all we have to do is say,
"yeah,
and a single hit with a 1-handed broadsword to a steel helmet would
barely make
a dent. And wrap shots? Shyaa! Oh, and I love the
"fighting-from-your-knees" part after someone slices one of your legs
open (or off)." Almost nothing we do as fighters in the SCA is
"realistic." But one thing is for sure, archers were an integral
part of medieval battle, and there is no way I foresee a day when
combat
archery disappears from the SCA. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">Anyway, this has been my 2-pence (OK, maybe a
more like 9 or 10) on the
situation.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><font face="Courier New" size="2"><span
style="font-size: 10pt;">Kenneth <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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