Bows and Arrows and Archery
Discussion
Design of bows. The Olympic archers seem to use bows like these:
But American hunters use bows like these:
Apart from the Rambo camouflage it seems a different design entirely, with more lines and whatnot, so I wondered which was most effective at hitting targets?
Any robbing hoods in the house?
But American hunters use bows like these:
Apart from the Rambo camouflage it seems a different design entirely, with more lines and whatnot, so I wondered which was most effective at hitting targets?
Any robbing hoods in the house?
Edited by Bushmaster on Tuesday 12th August 12:59
Compound bows (the second variety) appear to be better in all respects.
Edited by Einion Yrth on Tuesday 12th August 13:01
Did anyone see the tests they did on replica 7ft Long Bows identical to those found on the Mary Rose, these monsters needed a draw pull of 180lbs. Virtually no one can do it these days and those that do suffer the same shoulder injuries discovered on the skeletons found on board the ship. In comparison a modern long bow's draw weight is only 60lbs.
Smart roadster said:
Can't remember the proper name for them but wheelie bows allow you to pull more force than with a conventional bow. More power gives better range, penetration and a flatter tragectory.
Actually, compound bows allow you to HOLD more force - they take the same effort to draw as a recurve of the same poundage. Basically, then the cams roll over, there's very little effort required to hold the string - the energy is stored in the bow so you can aim/release more accurately.I have both recurve and compound bows (the compound is much like the one shown above) - the recurve is more 'traditional' and quite powerful, the compound is bl00dy scary!
I made a butt up from about 500mm of close density foam (not polystyrene). Shots with the recurve gave about 200mm of penetration (ooh err), the compound bow shredded the fletchings off my arrows as it just went through it!!
Olympic/sporting bows are really technical bits of kit with all manner of counterweights and shock absorption to counteract the force of releasing the arrow for accuracy.
A great sport. The accuracy at the distance they shoot is really quite amazing.
AFAIK when drawing a recurve bow, you need to hold the tension in the string until you release, whereas a compound bow 'ratchets' and holds the tension for you, making it a lot easier to both use a higher tension, and aim more effectively. (You are merely holding the weight of the bow with the front arm rather than bracing against the pull of the bowstring)
My old boss shoots quite competitively, using a recurve bow. He tried a compound bow and hit the centre of the target with virtually every arrow. Claimed it took the skill out of shooting, but clearly an advantage when the target is alive and you want a clean kill. For sports, the challenge of the recurve bow is where it's at.
My old boss shoots quite competitively, using a recurve bow. He tried a compound bow and hit the centre of the target with virtually every arrow. Claimed it took the skill out of shooting, but clearly an advantage when the target is alive and you want a clean kill. For sports, the challenge of the recurve bow is where it's at.
Sway said:
AFAIK when drawing a recurve bow, you need to hold the tension in the string until you release, whereas a compound bow 'ratchets' and holds the tension for you, making it a lot easier to both use a higher tension, and aim more effectively. (You are merely holding the weight of the bow with the front arm rather than bracing against the pull of the bowstring)
My old boss shoots quite competitively, using a recurve bow. He tried a compound bow and hit the centre of the target with virtually every arrow. Claimed it took the skill out of shooting, but clearly an advantage when the target is alive and you want a clean kill. For sports, the challenge of the recurve bow is where it's at.
Actually you are holding the string force with both. You're still holding about half the drawing force with a compound bow. They don't 'lock' at full draw, but the cams reduce the amount of effort required to do so.My old boss shoots quite competitively, using a recurve bow. He tried a compound bow and hit the centre of the target with virtually every arrow. Claimed it took the skill out of shooting, but clearly an advantage when the target is alive and you want a clean kill. For sports, the challenge of the recurve bow is where it's at.
I used to take part in archery as a student (albeit many years ago now!)
Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
Meeja said:
I used to take part in archery as a student (albeit many years ago now!)
Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
I was under the impression that compound bow users have to score much higher in competitions, like a handicap system, in order to win?Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
stackmonkey said:
Meeja said:
I used to take part in archery as a student (albeit many years ago now!)
Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
I was under the impression that compound bow users have to score much higher in competitions, like a handicap system, in order to win?Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
One of the reasons compond bows are more accurate is that they often also use release aids rather than holding the string on the fingers. As getting a good release is part of the physical difficulty of archery, using a release aid seems to be making it a bit too easy, you may as well shoot a crossbow.
The phrase "put your back into it" comes from the technique for firing a longbow (courtesy of Scrap Heap Challenge). Apparently, you only draw the bow so far before you rotate your torso to provide the last bit of pull. It increases you pull dramatically.
I found that nugget quite interesting as you use the same movement in climbing to reduce the load on your arms.
I found that nugget quite interesting as you use the same movement in climbing to reduce the load on your arms.
steve_amv8 said:
stackmonkey said:
Meeja said:
I used to take part in archery as a student (albeit many years ago now!)
Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
I was under the impression that compound bow users have to score much higher in competitions, like a handicap system, in order to win?Compound bows were not permitted at the club I was involved with. I did shoot with one when a chap asked for permission to bring one down for demonstration purposes, and they are much, much easier to shoot, and my accuracy with the compound (that I had only held for a few minutes prior to shooting with it) was greatly improved (Hit outer golds rather than outer reds at 70m)
As has been said, much of the improved accuracy is that it is easier to hold a compound bow in the drawn position for longer to target your shot.
There was a huge amount of snobbery in archery, with major "willy waving" contests going on with the equipment that some of the members had!
As a poor student, I had a second hand single piece composite bow (most of the top end kit has detachable limbs) with a single stabilising bar, and a relatively cheap targetting sight (there were some very complex sights around!) but it served me well, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.
I watched the archery in Beijing this week, and it has re-kindled my interest again..... am tempted to contact a few local clubs and perhaps take it up again as a pastime now I can afford to buy some decent kit!
"Targets are marked with 10 evenly spaced concentric rings, which have score values from 1 through 10 assigned to them. In addition, there is an inner 10 ring, sometimes called the X ring. This becomes the 10 ring at indoor compound competitions. Outdoors, it serves as a tiebreaker with the archer scoring the most X's winning"
ludo said:
One of the reasons compond bows are more accurate is that they often also use release aids rather than holding the string on the fingers. As getting a good release is part of the physical difficulty of archery, using a release aid seems to be making it a bit too easy, you may as well shoot a crossbow.
Except you can use release aids with recurve bows too...ludo said:
One of the reasons compond bows are more accurate is that they often also use release aids rather than holding the string on the fingers. As getting a good release is part of the physical difficulty of archery, using a release aid seems to be making it a bit too easy, you may as well shoot a crossbow.
Thats correct one of the most differcult parts of shooting is getting the release consistant, it is probably one of the most important too in target shooting.
I shot for about 6 years before packing in in 2 years ago and shot to a pretty high level, Under 18 British and Welsh champion 4 years running with a recurve and won once in Europe too but never got chance to compete at a world level due to the stupid f
king politics in the sport (the main reason i packed it in) 
Mind you I did pick my bow up 6 months ago and wipe the floor with a lot of people (I still got it!)
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