[Loch-Ruadh] Bow information

[Elizabeth Hawkwood]

Sluggy !
Would you please "clean" this up and submit it Asa
for the Scarlet Letter?  This is excellent information
and would benefit many.

/EH

slugmusk at linuxlegend.com wrote:


> 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
>
> --
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