[Loch-Ruadh] Bow information

[Sluggy]

Patrick Bixler wrote:

> I have checked ebay, but it is hard to find THE RIGHT BOW without
> having to look through 2000 items.

To make an omlet, ya gotta break some eggs...

> For example, what is the difference between a bow that is 62" long that is
> 35#-28" or one that is 58" long that is 35#-28", besides that one is longer
> than the other. :-)

The single biggest difference in a longer bow is what is called the
bow's "cast". For a given design, a longer bow will *generally* have a
better cast. Cast is a largely qualitative assessment of a combination
of smoothness, power efficiency and arrow velocity.

With a longer bow, the limbs don't have to bend quite as much at the
same pull length, so when you release, the ends of the limbs don't have
to travel as far to return to their resting state. While this does not
necessarily utilize all the potential energy of the limbs, it generally
releases this energy more smoothly, pushing the arrow rather than
slamming it.

A longer bow is also "stacks" less. Stacking is the characteristic of
anything you bend reaching the point where it won't bend anymore before
it begins to break. In the case of a bow, it stacks when you have drawn
it far enough that the limbs wont bend anymore. Typically, this is well
past the measured 28" draw length, and some designs are less prone to
the effect than others. For example, a straight longbow will generally
stack well before a recurve of otherwise identical specifications
because by their design, recurved limbs bend more. Where a typical
longbow might stack when the limbs are bent at about 30 degrees, my
Scythian bends nearly 45 degrees just between unstrung and strung.

Finally, a longer bow will have a less acute angle on the string at full
draw and thus pinch your fingers together to a lesser degree. Really
short bows, like Asian horse bows, are generally used with a thumb ring
to draw because of the acute string angle they have at full draw.

> I know there are many materials that bows are made out of.  Natural wood is
> what I am wanting to go with over fiberglass or other composite materials.
> What woods should I be looking for?

Hard to go wrong with yew, osage, maple, hickory, ash... virtually every
hardwood has some bow-wise merits. Bows made of a single carefully
shaped stick of wood are called "self bows" as a class. Lady Elizabeth
is, I believe, a journeyman bowyer and can teach us things about self
bows, particularly of osage. Polydore has a Norse bow that I think is
made of ash. It is a great shooter if your arms are big enough :)

I cannot think of a single wooden recurve that I've ever seen that
wasn't laminated and most of those were largely of maple with
fiberglass. Bear in mind that "laminated composite" is not really a
dirty word in traditional archery. The Mongol and Turkish bows were
among the world's first composite products, consisting of laminations of
wood, horn, sinew, flax fibers and leather, beating Fred Bear to that
game by 1000 years.

> Is there anything special about strings that I should know as well, besides
> "one that fits"?  Are dampeners allowed in lists (those furry things on the
> string)?

Strings are both trivial and vital to the way a bow works. Half an inch
too long, and the bowstring whacks you in the wrist and sends your arrow
awry. Half an inch too short and the bow stacks up and looses efficiency
and your arrows don't all fly at the same speed.

Luckily, strings are generally pretty cheap and are even pretty easy to
make and you know someone who knows how to make them :):):)

Dampeners are a double edged sword. They make a bow quieter, which is
great for hunting, but in doing so, they can hide tuning problems with a
bow. If the bow twangs when you shoot an arrow, something is out of
whack because the energy that is making the bow vibrate should have been
applied to the arrow and string dampeners can hide this from you. To
answer the question, though, I don't think they are prohibited, but I
can think of no reason I'd want them.

What is specifically frowned upon is a peep site. This is an aiming
device that ensures you always aim the same way. One can kind of skirt
the rule somewhat by mounting an extra nockpoint on the string and using
that to line up on, but if you shoot enough, you'll gain better accuracy
that way.

> I guess what I am looking for is the Bow Buying 101 guide.

I will try to think of other details to add later....

Sluggy!

--

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

                            Darth Vader

--