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Post by Ceebs on Oct 24, 2010 3:45:28 GMT
We've had plenty of topics about how people got in to swords and such but what about archery? For me it was when my parents bought me one of those nerf bows. That, coupled with that Disney remake of Robin Hood with all those animals sealed the deal for me. When we moved to New Zealand I started making bows out of bamboo and arrows out of thin dowells and dart heads. Then sometime in 2003 I got my first bow. It was a little 30 pound kids carbon fibre longbow. Seven years later and I'm starting to make my own War arrows as well as being the proud owner of five bows ranging from 30 to 110 pounds in draw weight. I still have that little kids bow and I have no intention of selling it! Hopefully when I have kids the wee ones can use it too.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Oct 24, 2010 4:05:23 GMT
For me, it was when I made my own self-bow for a school project on Native Americans when I was... 5-6? Something like that. Anyways, that's what got me into archery even though the bow didn't work. A few years down the road, when I was about 13 (2003-2004), I spent a few hours shooting my cousin's compound bow; I think it was about a 40-50 pounder and I remember how easy it was to pull it and how accurate it was. Since then, I've never lived in an area where I could practice archery (or anything else, to my aggravation), but I still have my eyes on a bow: a traditional Mongol styled bow, hand crafted in Hungary and available on Kult of Athena. It drew my eye because the Mongols were legends with their bows and it's a handsome looking bow in its own right. I may get some traditional wood arrows, but otherwise, I'll probably stick with carbon fiber arrows since they're more durable.
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Post by Ceebs on Oct 24, 2010 4:16:47 GMT
Thanks for sharing mate. I've wanted to add one of those Mongol bows to my collection for a while. I also want to try the draw/loose technique they do with the thumb ring. Very cool.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Oct 24, 2010 4:23:18 GMT
Oh, the Mongolian draw? It's also used in most Asian style of archery and, though I've never used it, a word of advice: keep your thumbnail trimmed religiously. The bowstring can tear it off when you let go.
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avery
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Post by avery on Oct 24, 2010 4:33:51 GMT
Oh man, I would love to have a Mongolian bow!
As for me, I got my start very young; I remember buying those cheap fiberglass bows with suction cup arrows when I was around five. I don't think they make those anymore too dangerous when you take the cups off. Got my first longbow around eight for my birthday and a "little Bear" compound for christmas when I was ten. Which I still have. I started shooting competively after that, mostly with the Boy Scouts, but with other associations too. I shoot mostly traditional now, which is what I love the most. I have a hickory long bow and a Cherokee flat bow that I prefer now. Wish I still had my Cobra recurve, but I had to sell it. I tell ya, I love to shoot instinctual, and even when I'm shooting compound now I don't use the sights 'till about the 50 yard mark.
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Post by Ceebs on Oct 24, 2010 4:40:18 GMT
You're lucky Avery! I would've loved to have started as early as you. Traditional is definitely the way to go! (no bias there, none at all)
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Oct 24, 2010 4:47:06 GMT
Traditional is definitely the way to go, especially since compound bows seem to have so many problems to take care of, plus I specifically recall that they can't handle as much weight as a traditional bow; something to do with the pulleys, I think. Anyways, aside from the Mongolian Bow I mentioned, I'm also looking at a Japanese Yumi and the bamboo backed English longbow, both of which KoA sells.
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Post by Ceebs on Oct 24, 2010 4:56:16 GMT
That's why i like longbows so much. Just a nice stick. No pulleys, risers, nuthin. Just a stick.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Oct 24, 2010 5:05:28 GMT
Well, what about horsebows? They're more compact, yet just as powerful as long bows, possibly more so (especially the Mongol bow); there's a report of Yesungge, Genghis Khan's nephew, shot a target at 536 meters. It's probably exaggerated some, but that's still pretty impressive. The Korean archery team regularly shoot targets up to the 145 meter mark without sights and the Hwal isn't much different from the Mongol bow, albeit it has a lot more tension in the arms since, when unstrung, it forms an almost complete circle.
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avery
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Post by avery on Oct 24, 2010 7:14:06 GMT
Gotta disagree here; a good compound requires less maintence than a solid wood longbow. A compond doesn't need to be restrung while storing, doesn't have the chance to take a set, and the pulleys nowadays will last into the next century, as they are mostly made out of chemical compounds that wont warp, shrink or rot; there are more advantages, but I'll stop here.
With a long bow you have to worry about stringing it applying equal force so as not to warp it, sights (if attached) are subject to the swelling and shrinkage of wood,as is the string. A longbow will shoot quite differently on a dry, hot day than a cold, rainy day. Also the string on traditional bows are more subject to weather than their compound counterparts.
Having said all that, Yeah, I'm a traditional shooter through and through. I'll hunt with a longbow, but I won't make the shot outside of 40 yards. Took me a long time to work up the courage though, around here we believe in clean hits. The first time was from 21 yards and took me 45 minutes of waiting. Worth it.
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Post by Vincent Dolan on Oct 24, 2010 7:34:29 GMT
Thanks for the info, Avery; still, I prefer a traditional bow and I believe most traditional bows these days that are commercially available are permanently finished so as not to require much of the maintenance usually needed for a traditional bow.
There's just something about the aesthetics and feel of a traditional bow compared to a compound or even modern fiberglass bow that just calls to a person; it says, 'I am a weapon that has been in use for millennia, I am powerful, I am reliable.' The same could be said of a sword or spear. A compound or fiberglass bow on the other hands says 'I am a tool for people to enjoy themselves without much effort.' I'm not bashing anyone who likes those types of bows, but that's just what they say to me; they feel like they're for hobbyists.
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Post by whitefeathers on Oct 24, 2010 11:08:20 GMT
The only experience I have with Archery was in middle school when we did the archery unit in PE class. That was my favorite unit. And the only unit I aced the tests on. We used these red recurve bows. I loved every minute of it and even tried making a bow but that failed since I had no idea what i was doing and i was only 11.
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Oct 24, 2010 20:14:59 GMT
I got into archery before I can remember. Literally. My parents have pictures of me at age 2 holding a "bow" I made from a stick and some shoelace. I only Just got my own real bow (not even a toy, Nerf bow) last year because my folks were worried I'd shoot the dogs (not a chance) or my siblings (most certainly). So now I finally have my own longbows, my wife has one, and I'm waiting for my light-weight bow to be remade because it failed on me early this summer.
You forgot the fuss with "tuning" a compound bow every time it's been left sitting for more than a few days. And checking the tuning every time you use it. Quite a few disparate parts on a compound bow that slowly shake themselves out of proper alignment during use or are shifted by gravity when stored. Sights (front and rear), rest, I can't think of the name of it, but the part that sticks out the front, the pulleys themselves... Every one of them must be checked every time. No. A longbow or recurve has far less maintenance required. Take care when stringing/unstringing, wax, check to make sure the string is sitting right... Yep. Pretty much it. Sights are additional and you don't see them much anymore.
The difference is in all the doohickeys compound bows are designed to have.
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avery
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Post by avery on Oct 25, 2010 1:44:24 GMT
Taran, I agree on the annoying tuning; but all in all, I still believe that a strung compoud taken out of a case, with no adjustment to the sights, will out shoot a longbow. Especially above the 45 yard mark. At 65 or 75 yards, a long bow can't compete unless the man with the longbow is an expert. Even then it'd be a heckuva race.
I tell ya what, you bury a traditional longbow, made of wood with a waxed string, in the ground for a few years. Do the same thing with a fiberglass limbed, plastic pulleyed, rubber stringed compound right beside it. Tell me which one will be the most useable when you dig them up.
I'm not disagreeing here, I'm just playing devils advocate. I see where you're coming from, but this is too good of a discussion to pass up.
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Post by Ceebs on Oct 25, 2010 2:19:10 GMT
A bow stringer made out of paracord can quell any problems with unequal pressure if you're worried about your bow taking a set. Took me all of 1 minute to make one. It's very convenient when the bow has spare notches for a bow stringer. I've no doubt that a compound can outshoot a longbow, but with a longbow the shooting is "purer". It's up to you to draw, hold and loose. There's no system of pulleys helping you out. And definitely no sights! .
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Razor
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Post by Razor on Oct 25, 2010 5:58:00 GMT
I have been into archery since I was a boy. I had a red bow made by bear. I still have the bow and my kids got to shot with it. I have a Mongolian bow and I love it, I just haven't shot it in awhile.
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Lunaman
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Post by Lunaman on Oct 25, 2010 6:22:15 GMT
I just became interested in archery:
Yup.
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avery
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Post by avery on Oct 25, 2010 18:17:59 GMT
Yeah, I remember watching that on T.V. and being amazed,.....and instantly in love.
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Taran
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Post by Taran on Oct 25, 2010 20:59:20 GMT
I'm just going to address this part of your post. The rest is... Silly.
The ONLY advantage of a compound bow is the mechanical advantage that gives you a greater velocity for your arrows. That's it. Even the "let-off" is not something inherent to the basic design, but added after the fact by special pulleys.
The rest is lost or gained by adding or removing things. Things that can be added or removed to/from a longbow or recurve.
And let's not try to say that the materials either is made from are superior to the other, either. The materials are 100% interchangeable. A longbow can be made from fiberglass or a compound bow from wood. Both happen. Or even other materials (carbon fiber, metals, horn...)
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Hairu
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Post by Hairu on Oct 25, 2010 21:19:36 GMT
for me it was age of empires 2 the longbowman in it were just so badass that and a little bit of legend of zelda which is also why i got into swords
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