Longbow Help

[CryoNomad]

If you really want a productive and time-consuming hobby, take up mail weaving.

I don't see how that or bow-making are really productive in modern times unless you're going into some sort of blacksmithing. 


To me productive hooby means, cooking, photography, gardening, vehicle maintenance, music, biking, running, hiking, dancing, yoga, weightlifting. playing a team sport, and just about anything that deal with repairing houses. That's productive.


You're stretching the line by calling mail weaving or arrow making productive.

EDIT: Wow LordofShadows!

You linked some impressive Viking Arrowheads.

 

[Night Ninja]

That was a joke. It's tedious and time-consuming, and not very many people find the finished product useful.

 

[Urlik]

but the ones who find it useful do pay a LOT for it, even if it is butted instead of rivited.

I knew someone who tried to "cheat" and used small stainless steel keyrings.
the section he made was really good and would hold up against almost anything but it was just too much trouble to make a complete shirt.

 

[Chief]

if you haven't got a bow yet, see if you can find an old Slazenger longbow. they were made in the 1950s and 60s and I still have my Dad's 40lb bow and my Mum's 21lb bow (that would be a great one for you given your height and it is really easy to draw to 28") considering they are at least 40 years old and they spent at least 20 years in a cupboard, they are both in fantastic condition and all I have had to do is buy a new string for the 40lb bow.

I saw one on ebay for about £30 and if it is in the same condition as my 2 it is a very good deal.

if you are making your own butts to practice at, get enough bales of hay or straw to build a big wall behind the target. it is easier to find any arrows that miss and cuts down on the risk of accidents.

you might also want to invest in a chest guard and a wrist guard so you don't get twanged by the string

Well, drawing to the face the most common anchor point is the corner of lips, which gives me about 33 inches from hand to hand and to loose above the horizontal I would have to bring my arm up high, which is harder work on the muscles.

the method of drawing the bow has changed since medieval times.
today we keep the arrow pointing at the ground and raise the bow as we draw it, but in medieval times, the left arm would be almost pointing straight up with the arrow nocked and the right hand would move towards the cheek/ear/mouth while the real work of drawing the bow is done by the left tricep.
it is easy to loose the arrows in a high trajectory in this way, often by accident, so it is safer to keep the arrow pointing down until you are ready to draw and loose.

"We"? I've seen alot of different ways "we" modern people draw a bow. I personally start with it horizontal at waist level, lift and rotate my left arm, while pulling back with my right. Do what ever is comfortable for you.

 

[Urlik]

Spoiler

if you haven't got a bow yet, see if you can find an old Slazenger longbow. they were made in the 1950s and 60s and I still have my Dad's 40lb bow and my Mum's 21lb bow (that would be a great one for you given your height and it is really easy to draw to 28") considering they are at least 40 years old and they spent at least 20 years in a cupboard, they are both in fantastic condition and all I have had to do is buy a new string for the 40lb bow.

I saw one on ebay for about £30 and if it is in the same condition as my 2 it is a very good deal.

if you are making your own butts to practice at, get enough bales of hay or straw to build a big wall behind the target. it is easier to find any arrows that miss and cuts down on the risk of accidents.

you might also want to invest in a chest guard and a wrist guard so you don't get twanged by the string

Well, drawing to the face the most common anchor point is the corner of lips, which gives me about 33 inches from hand to hand and to loose above the horizontal I would have to bring my arm up high, which is harder work on the muscles.

the method of drawing the bow has changed since medieval times.
today we keep the arrow pointing at the ground and raise the bow as we draw it, but in medieval times, the left arm would be almost pointing straight up with the arrow nocked and the right hand would move towards the cheek/ear/mouth while the real work of drawing the bow is done by the left tricep.
it is easy to loose the arrows in a high trajectory in this way, often by accident, so it is safer to keep the arrow pointing down until you are ready to draw and loose.

"We"? I've seen alot of different ways "we" modern people draw a bow. I personally start with it horizontal at waist level, lift and rotate my left arm, while pulling back with my right. Do what ever is comfortable for you.

yes, that is the approved modern method with safety being of paramount importance.
the arrow will go into the ground if you should slip and loose it early.
and that method uses the muscles over the top of the left shoulder as you raise the bow while drawing.

if you start with the bow at 45 degrees and your left arm raised you will find it very easy to draw because it uses a different set of muscles in the left arm and shoulder that are much better suited to the task.
I am guessing you have a bow nearby that you can try this out with.

any early loosing sends the arrow towards the enemy in battle, but, under most modern archery settings, it could end up killing someone in a different field, etc.

 

[Æon]

Sorry to dig this up, but it is related to the topic at hand.

Arrghh, I thought for sure that the longbows had a longer range than a crossbow. I realise that crossbows were capable of much heavier draw weight, but I am reading a lot of conflicting information about which weapon had the greatest range. If anyone could post some reliable articles or data, I would be most grateful because I need it for a project.

 

[Overlord-]

It's highly depending on specific period.

 

[Urlik]

at Crecy, the longbows had a greater range than the crossbows.
it has been said that the crossbow bolts were landing at the feet of the front rank of archers while their arrows were raining down on the heads of the crossbowmen.


the overly simplified reason that crossbows have much higher draw weights than crossbows to get a similar range is that the bow part of a crossbow is far shorter than a longbow.
the crossbow has to impart enough energy with a short draw (10 or 12 inches) while the longbow has 3 times the draw to impart the energy.

 

[LordOfShadows]

According to some guys on a different forum, there was a great difference in weight between the arrows and bolts. Arrows, being longer and heavier would keep their momentum longer, so go further, especially on a high angle shoot.

Add this to the structural difference that Urlik pointed out, and you get different ranges.