Love the initials on the score book – is that what you write in it? 😉

Those look fantastic! What is ash like as a self-bow material? Quite fancy having a go at one of those some time…

Ash is ok, it sometimes gets a bad rep but it’s inexpensive readily available and will make a perfectly adequate bow. For those reasons it’s ideal to start with. You can even make an English longbow that conforms to all the rules and costs almost nothing in wood! My first longbows were like this, around 45 lbs from a 76″ bow is not high performance but 5 years down the line they are still in one piece. I’d suggest starting with a flat bow made from commercial timber to start with though as it’s easier to tiller a flat bow and the design is little more forgiving of errors. You can also go straight to making and skip all the tedious seasoning stuff.

The ash bow in the pic up there was a bit more involved as it’s from a local coppice and is complete with knots, curved back and a wibbly profile! I made that to prove to myself I could do it! It shoots well though.

I’d recommend having a go at making a bow, it’s very satisfying to shoot with something you’ve made with your own hands.

That marksman is nice but I’d be careful , it’s not got ILS fittings so you’ll struggle to upgrade the limbs due to the fitting on the riser, plus at 66″ is will stack like a git once you start to draw past 28″.

I think you’d struggle to go wrong with one of the Korean risers that have come out in the last few years, light limbs to work on form and you can then swap these out as you look for better sightmarks outdoors after a year or so.
Have a word with yourself. It’s twenty quid for everything! Fully expect to get less than a ton for it all. In beginner recurve world that’s a wooden handled kit bow, and I bet you advise new riders that carbon rimmed 27.5ers are future proof and make the trails come alive 😉

@hamishthecat lols! My mum’s kit. Never thought about her initials until you said it!

This pic shows some of the new steps I finished this weekend – they make life a lot easier!

Far posher than anything I’ve ever seen at a shoot

I dont think there are many so called instivive archers who can shoot truly instictive beyond 50yards and be accurate and consistant.

Probably because they rarely practice at that distance

I’d recommend having a go at making a bow,

Incidentally, do home-made bows fall foul of any sort of regulations? Like, if I rocked up at a shoot with an “I Made This” bow would anyone care or would it be “no chance sunbeam, health and safety innit”?

Have a word with yourself. It’s twenty quid for everything! Fully expect to get less than a ton for it all. In beginner recurve world that’s a wooden handled kit bow, and I bet you advise new riders that carbon rimmed 27.5ers are future proof and make the trails come alive

LoL legend!!

I’ve just seen too many people rush out and get cheap kit that doesn’t suit them! You get all sorts of long term form issues from being over bowed, not to mention a poor release due to fingers being pinched by the string angle.

As for new riders….always a plus bike with boost rear end…. 😉

You get all sorts of long term form issues from being over bowed

Plus there’s an element of willy-waving, like people going bowling casually who go straight for the cannonballs. Sure, you can draw a big daft bow; will you still be drawing it with the same enthusiasm six hours later?

It used to be a bit of a running joke at my club. One of the Strong-Like-Bull archers had some silly weight compound bow, when the new starter wannabe Rambos turned up he’d give it to them to try and they wouldn’t get anywhere near drawing it. Then he’d give it to me, a 9-stone 14-year old, and I’d pop it to full draw (partly muscles in the right places but largely technique) and give it back. What we never told them was, I could almost certainly have only done it once.

Incidentally, do home-made bows fall foul of any sort of regulations?

Nope, no regulation as such. The bow will have to comply with the rules governing the specific bow type though, realistically this means any home made bows in the UK used at a target shoot are most likely to be Longbows. Barebow is possible but unlikely to be competitive with modern manufactured kit.

home made bows in the UK used at a target shoot are most likely to be Longbows.

Nowt wrong with homemade kit but be careful if you want to be competitive though. Nobody would stop you shooting, but if you rock up expecting to win, need to be sure your kit complies with the category you think you are shooting in.

There are quite strict definitions of what constitutes a longbow, and the rules differ slightly between different governing bodies.

For instance, I have a 100% bamboo longbow that is fine for GNAS target shooting but would probably be lumped under hunting tackle in NFAS as their rules say there must be some wood used in a longbows construction (bamboo being a grass).

as their rules say there must be some wood used in a longbows construction (bamboo being a grass).

Jesus, and I thought cyclists were pedantic!!

@councilof10
Liking your range

Cheers, had another half hour this morning shooting stumps so I’m getting a feel for where targets could go.

The ground is heavy clay that hardly dries out in summer, and as you can see, there are lots of steep embankments… My idea is to dig out some meter-wide squares to give me an almost-vertical target so I can just shoot at clay/soil. I could them mount some faces on canvas-backed carpet and hang them in my recesses when I’m having a proper shoot.

Do you think that would work? The carpet would give a flat surface for the target paper and the clay would stop the arrows… I can just bin the carpet squares if they get shot out, and they’ll be easy to carry/store in the dry.

Can’t beat carpeted recesses when you need something to aim at.

Jesus, and I thought cyclists were pedantic!!

Oh, it gets worse that that…

Just under GNAS/Archery GB rules:
A longbow can have a sighting mark/band for target shoots but not for field. It can be bamboo backed for most shoots but not for flight shooting. Bamboo can be used in the bow but not in the arrows. Longbows must be over 66″ long except when they can be as short as 60″ long (if your arrows are less than 26″). A longbow limb thickness must be at least 5/8th its width and its cross section is typically ‘D’ shaped except this isn’t properly defined and so any shape is technically actually allowed*. Horn nocks must be used, but are not required for flight shooting.

I can keep giving examples like this all day!

*(BTW if making an Ash longbow as suggested up there ^ I’d not do a ‘D’ section as it puts a lot of compressive strain on the wood and Ash doesn’t do well in this situation.)

There’s a helluva lot to be said for loading up the quiver, wandering round the wood and shooting at stumps and clumps!

I *quite liked* the level of geekery involved with my old GNAS club, but you’ve really got to be mustard to carry on enjoying it… I found it interesting while I was learning, but when I started to hear the same old anecdotes repeated ad nauseum, I knew I’d had enough!

I won this one :-)… rib cutter, during today’s shoot.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/T1gnMV]Jason and the Argonauts – Broken Arrow Target[/url] by SGMTB, on Flickr

and only managed 8 arrows in 52 seconds…12 might might be pushing it for me.

Incidentally, do home-made bows fall foul of any sort of regulations? Like, if I rocked up at a shoot with an “I Made This” bow would anyone care or would it be “no chance sunbeam, health and safety innit”?

NFAS have a primitive class, the best archers are still good and the scores high

Just under GNAS/Archery GB rules:
A longbow can have a sighting mark/band for target shoots but not for field. It can be bamboo backed for most shoots but not for flight shooting. Bamboo can be used in……..

Which is why the NFAS a boon a lot less rules and those generally sensible

The ground is heavy clay that hardly dries out in summer, and as you can see, there are lots of steep embankments… My idea is to dig out some meter-wide squares to give me an almost-vertical target so I can just shoot at clay/soil. I could them mount some faces on canvas-backed carpet and hang them in my recesses when I’m having a proper shoot.

I’d watch out for digging down and getting close to stone or buried roots

NFAS have a primitive class,

Oh yeah, good point, I’d totally forgotten that (I don’t think I ever knew anyone who shot it).

Bloody hell Sorry Rich, I didn’t realise you were the owner…I really didn’t mean to be an arse, I though it was a chat about a bit of kit on ebay, I owe you a pint mate….

I’d watch out for digging down and getting close to stone or buried roots

Like an idiot, I aimed at what I thought was a rotten stump yesterday and it turned out to be a stone.

I wouldn’t mind but it was only fist-sized and about 30 yards away… possibly my best shot ever, but it smashed an XX75 in the process! Bitter sweet moment.

Like an idiot, I aimed at what I thought was a rotten stump yesterday and it turned out to be a stone.

I prefer proper bosses or hanging bags of clothes

The backdrop needs to be carefully thought through as digging arrows out of trees or breaking them on rocks is tedious

This is (one reason) why I shot HT. Hit a rock with a wooden arrow, you can usually turn it into a slightly shorter arrow. That and they’re considerably cheaper to start with, especially as I made my own.

Is compound crossbow a naughty word?? 😀

This is (one reason) why I shot HT. Hit a rock with a wooden arrow, you can usually turn it into a slightly shorter arrow. That and they’re considerably cheaper to start with, especially as I made my own.

I hate breaking my wooden arrows, the time and effort that goes in to a good arrow for it to die on you. I usually get one or two pile breaks if lucky but it is demoralising when one shatters.

I’m using carbon heavy hunters for training in the woods which don’t survive oblique hits but are good overall

[Quote] Is compound crossbow a naughty word?? [/Quote]

Arbalists!!!!!!!!!

Tend to be shot by kids at swans or by the old and lame who can’t pull their bow anymore. 😉

To be fair I have come across the odd one who is a fan from the beginning, if it’s your bag enjoy it

Tomorrow is my first competition. “Ds and downs” at Bromyard Bowmen. A Worcester tournament. Really looking forward to it. My first competitive shooting since I shot full bore rifle for UK Cadets in the mid 90s.

I didnt quite get happy with my sight mark at practice last week, and didnt make it this week so I’ve set up a target at home from an old danage block. I will be shooting at it later this morning so a chance for some photos in a bit.

Worcester???? sight marks????

What is this strange language????? 😉

strange language? You should see my odd dangly bits:

and my range for today to sort out my sight mark (and my rest having just bust the wire!)

In that dark shed at the end is my target boss. I can shoot up to 25m at that.

The great thing about instinctive shooting is that it just about shooting a lot, no faff

I thought it was about looking for your arrows most of the time? 🙂
At least I know where 90% of mine are 😀

Very true, arrow rakes are essential, aided by big bright fletching, none of this tiny bits of plastic

Border Archery have a Facebook sale of limbs at the moment, you should upgrade to some super posh Hex 7’s

Has anyone on this thread ever dealt with Keith Raynor of Yew Tree Archery?

He hand builds traditional bows, and I would love to know what his work is like, but there is nothing to see on his website.

We have a metal detector for when some of our less capable Archers forget to move their sight marks from 50m to 20m in the outdoor season…

We have a metal detector for when some of our less capable Archers forget to move their sight marks from 50m to 20m in the outdoor season…

The archery hell of shooting on flat grass

What are these sight marks? Nowt worse than a group of twiddlers on a peg

@councilof10. Where are you based, I would love to have ago around your field course. looks great from the pics. I have recently purchased a timber creek cottonmouth Trad bow from Merlin archery. Our local gun club(Leigh) had an area for archery in an old mill but they have recently extended the shooting range at a cost of the archery section so not really worth it anymore. Have been looking for somewhere to continue shooting

Bloody hell Sorry Rich, I didn’t realise you were the owner…I really didn’t mean to be an arse, I though it was a chat about a bit of kit on ebay, I owe you a pint mate….

Ha! I’d retired from this thread to lick my wounds. Just checked back in to have another chunter and saw this – no worries fella! Anyway, 59 quid this morning. Woohoo! Mind you, the AGF sight alone goes for 70-100 quid new so someone’s gonna get a bargain.

Still mortified mate 😳

@councilof10. Where are you based, I would love to have ago around your field course.

I’m just north of Preston, near Longridge. I’ll have to organise a little shoot when it’s all done! Got 3 tons of self-binding gravel coming soon to finish off some of the paths, and I’m going to have a go at building a rustic log bridge today 🙂

Those Cottonmouths look really nice, isn’t that the reflex/deflex hybrid?

@councilof10. It is mate. Really nice to shoot. I am ordering some carbon arrows as the wooden ones from timbercreek are not the same quality as the bow. I got the zebrano limited edition as I liked the natural wooden finish. Will try and post a pic. I have some paper zombie targets I could bring along. Lol

Slow motion shot on Pig Deer yesterday.

Target.. blanket and engine nappy….its all you need 🙂

Slow motion 200fps then .25 in Movie Maker, second part. Check that arrow flex.

[video]https://youtu.be/3lNjugRiZco[/video]

I like the look of Stoner’s Hoyt, beautiful! Is it an Aerotec riser?

Flibrose, what carbons are you getting? I’m thinking of ordering some Easton Legacy – they’re basically XX75s, the same as my Platimun Plus but with a wood effect printed surface. They look the same as Easton Trad Carbons but are only about 4 quid each…

Ion-X

Silly me decided to play with the bracing height the day before a competition 😳
My button pressure is out, my tiller is out, and the string has barely a twist in it. All in all it’s a miracle I hit the target…

I came third with weak competition and really ought to have won 🙁

Ah well, I can now do lots of mucking about sorting it all out over the next week. Then it’s time to go shopping for some new carbon arrows I had promised myself for this season.

Gutted for you! Get it set up and NEVER faff with it again!

I remember once shooting an indoor FITA and my arrows were spraying in a vertical line – couldn’t work out what the problem was until I remembered that I was chewing gum which altered my anchor! Sounds daft, but at 20 meters, when your groups are normally the size of a £2 coin, a fraction of a mm difference in your anchor can have quite a significant affect…

(New targets have just arrived – 60cm Field faces, and some new fletchings, 3″ camo shields… 😀 )