Anyone into archery? [Pics of new bow up]

Re: Anyone into archery?

im in the city, but when i still had a country house i used to shoot with my friend every weekend. i was a decent shot... could take out cans at 40 yards or so if i remember correctly.

at one point i missed being able to shoot (friend moved away, still miss him, then more recently sold the country house, i miss that place more than anything i know, spent my whole childhood there!) so i made myself a bow and fletched some arrows.

it wasnt bad. i was impressed with how it came out. the arrows were wood with feather ends, and the bow was... i cant remember the wood... oak? anyway, it was about 50" with a string made of twine which i unwrapped and braided myself.
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

jordy_g_77: Yeah 30lb of pull for a bow is very light. I've used a female friends 33lb bow... it was way too easy to pull back for me. The 68" bow I've ordered has 60lb of pull at the standard 28" draw length.

biker_reject: Now I get it... I know a guy who kinda fits the description you gave of yourself on page 2. He hunts wild boar & deer with a 90lb compound bow, he's pretty good too. I'm not built up much but am in pretty good shape otherwise, so the 60lb bow should be about right to start off with I reckon. As for the cockatiel story... we got a soccer ball stuck up in a tree at university. We kicked a football at it to dislodge it, and it got stuck. 2 cricket balls, a few tennis balls, a golf club and a large stick later (all now stuck in the f***ing tree!) we managed to get the original soccer ball down ;D

Rocan: The bow you made sounds cool, how'd it shoot? You ever fit it with a proper string?

Anyway, practise is definitely on the adgenda. Summer is in full swing and rabbits, foxes, kangaroo & boar are all out and about. I've got close to 2000 acres of family land, and a good friend has close to 10,000... so I'm damn keen to get some practise up hahaha. We go shooting a bit but I'm not really into that. Can't wait to get this happening...

- boingk
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

the bow i made had decent power, but absolutely terrible control. out of 15 tries (on multiple occasions) i landed one shot on a squirrel from about 8 yards, and it killed it on the spot.

never got a real string for it.

Now i feel like making a new one.... that thing was fun, and REALLY taught me control, as most new bows simply hold straight when you fire them, this one would flail about and took a strong arm.
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

:D No way I can pull back 90lbs. anymore! I shoot in the low 70's where it's nice and comfy. But, if you talk to bow hunters who were around in the 90's, a lot of young bucks were shooting heavy poundages. PSE's were renown for the really long limb bolt that allowed the shooter to crank them past their rated draw weight. As a testament to the toughness of the PSE, they could take that kind of abuse and never explode. Back then, it was the bow to have. I couldn't imagine roaming around 2000 acres, let alone 10,000! The largest area I ever hunted was part of a friend's family farm. The particular area was 400 acres and I was the sole hunter. I felt like a damn land baron!
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

Biker, as its known to be said around here, "Welcome to Australia!" (envisage a guy in thongs, stubbies & bluey saying it and you'll get the drift). I knew a girl at school who's family owned something ridiculous like 100,000 acres. Those kind of acerages are generally found out west in the middle of nowhere, the kind of place where you use a helicopter instead of a car to get around. Feels damn good when you know you're the only person around for a couple of miles hey... reminds me I need to plan my annual walk soon.

Back to the point though... I have no idea what the 'bow to have' now is. Some decent traditional stuff (laminate recurves) is coming out of Korea under the Samick brand name but thats all I've really investiagted. On the compound scene I've heard that Martin, Hoyt and Bear are all companies that offer good bows.

Rocan, the flailing you describe is generally part and parcel of traditional archery. Compound bows reduce this a lot due to their limbs not being a mere extension of the handle, but mostly because they are drawn inwards and not backwards. Cool to hear you bagged something with the hombrew bow, even if it was only a squirrel :D

Meanwhile, got a half dozen carbon arrows from the local hunting store. Field pointed heads for now, but I'll get some decent braodheads once I'm good enough to think about hunting. Just gotta wait for the bow to turn up now...

Cheers - boingk
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

I started shooting recurves in '70 :eek:
I had a Martin and a Bear. Later in the '70s I was seduced by the wheeled atrocity. ;D I enjoyed the accuracy while practicing on targets, but missed nice bucks on two consecutive years from stuff vibrating loose and falling off when needed most.

I didn't shoot at all through the '80s, but got the itch again in the mid '90s. I bought a 35lb Martin recurve just to play with and shoot targets in the back yard. Handed it down to my Daughter and bought one of the Samic long bows in 50lb weight. And have been shooting it since.
Wood arrows that are splined for your bow weight are as safe as any, but are much more high maintanence than carbon. I've shot wood, aluminium, fiberglass, and carbon. And I think carbon arrows are a godsend!
They are durable, consistent, and faaaaast 8)

With a stickbow (longbow, recurve, or flatbow) stick to single blade broadheads that are razor sharp. Mechanical or multi-blade need more arrow speed to work right. A 40lb bow with a sharp broadhead will shoot a pass through on a whitetail no problem.

Another good website is:http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/lw/threadsx2.cfm
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

best of luck...you have a lot to learn. 60# is quite a bit of poundage, hopefully your form won't suffer and you won't pick up bad habits (lack of anchor and follow through). I love to watch all the big tough guys, especially high draw weight compound shooters try and draw my bow and hold it at anchor. What spine carbons did you buy? More than likely you'll have trouble with arrow flight due to the flatbow not having a riser cut to center or past center. Carbon is stiff and won't flex well around the riser unless it's a lighter spine. Carbons are easy to tune with different tip weights, inserts, and cutting the length hopefully the shop left them long for you to tune. The biggest mistake in buying carbon is buying too stiff of a spine and cutting them short which increases the spine strength.

Self Bows are fun, I've built a few to hunt with and target shoot in the various classes. Congrats on the squirrel a difficult target and always high on the list of any trad bow shooters list.

We're into winter here so it's time to chase rabbits and punch paper at leagues.
One of my hunting bows..
Sept2009171.jpg

My osage self bow backed with bull snake skin
OSAGEANDBULLSNAKE2.jpg



Gray squirrel this year
Picture146.jpg

Shooting this summer
Picture027.jpg

rabbit hunting
MarchEaster2008003.jpg
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

Man, that terrain is killer! You really have to be in shape to hunt out west, don't you? I was watching a hunting show a few years ago that profiled a young dude who crafted these exquisite long bows. Unfortunately, I don't remember his name. I looked up the web site right after the show just to see how much his bows were selling for. Total shock. Costs were around a upper end compound!

What the hell are stubbies & bluey??? :D
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

yes, but the higher elevation still kills us flat landers for a couple days till you adjust to it...
yes, most custom recurves and longbows start 450-500 and can go up in the 1200 dollars range depending on how you bling them out with exotic woods and backings, carbon fiber and foam limbs, so on.
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

Awesome snakeskin bow there! Seriously awesome... and yeah the arrows I bought are for 50 to 70lb bows so they're optimal for the bow I'm getting. All up with arrows I'll only have spent around $150, which is bloody cheap. I just couldn't justify spending $500 on starting something I'm not even sure I'll stick with. I mean, I probably will, but $500 is a lot of money for me - for most people, I imagine.

What the hell are stubbies & bluey???
Click to expand...

Stubbies: Otherwise known as football or gym shorts, they are essentially very short ('stubby') shorts.

Bluey: Common coloquialism for a blue singlet, as often worn by agricultural workers. Also known as a 'basher', coming from the term 'wife basher'. This originated because of their popularity with lower class drunken idiots, or 'bogans'.

Here ya go, they're even sporting flanno's:

EDE_30-08-2010_EGN_04_BR290810-05-02_t325.jpg


:D

Cheers - boingk
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

boingk said:
Awesome snakeskin bow there! Seriously awesome... and yeah the arrows I bought are for 50 to 70lb bows so they're optimal for the bow I'm getting. All up with arrows I'll only have spent around $150, which is bloody cheap. I just couldn't justify spending $500 on starting something I'm not even sure I'll stick with. I mean, I probably will, but $500 is a lot of money for me - for most people, I imagine.

Stubbies: Otherwise known as football or gym shorts, they are essentially very short ('stubby') shorts.

Bluey: Common coloquialism for a blue singlet, as often worn by agricultural workers. Also known as a 'basher', coming from the term 'wife basher'. This originated because of their popularity with lower class drunken idiots, or 'bogans'.

Here ya go, they're even sporting flanno's:

EDE_30-08-2010_EGN_04_BR290810-05-02_t325.jpg


:D

Cheers - boingk
Click to expand...


Awesome! Learned some new jargon! We call the sleeveless white undershirts that used to be worn by old men, "beaters", short for "wife beaters", for the same reason you mentioned. Gotta love regional slang!
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

Thats interesting, good to know we're not the only ones!

As for the beer they're drinking... its Tooheys 'New' - a mildly bittered, fairly bland ale. Generally the mainstay of the working class, along with Victoria Bitter (VB) - a somewhat more bitter (although equally as bland) lager. Tooheys also makes 'Old' - a mainstay of the old guys and generally hard b@st@rds. Its quite dark in colour, very dark brown, and will shine a ruby colour if you hold a glass to the light.

Anyway, beer is generally available in 6-packs, cases (24 bottles) and slabs (30 cans). Cans of New are sometimes referred to as Blue Swimmers (like the expensive crabs, and as in 'Grab a slab of Swimmers, willya?") as there'll always be one of the damn things floating in the esky come morning time.

Nothing beats random regional dialect haha. Might go grab a VB now... but only because I was given a gift-wrapped single bottle as a Christmas present on my postal run :D

I think I'll start a slang thread.

Cheers - boingk
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

"I just couldn't justify spending $500 on starting something I'm not even sure I'll stick with"

That's why I went with the Samic, it's a reflex/deflex longbow and inexpensive. I like it so much I haven't replaced it yet. Although I have been tempted by two Martins a longbow and a recurve. I have a friend that has a Black Widow that is very nice also, and custom made to his specs.
http://www.shopatron.com/products/productdetail/Longbow/part_number=L-100/189.0.1.1.0.0.0.0.0?

http://www.blackwidowbows.com/store/Bows-C1.aspx
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

Cheers 4eyes, they look good. I investigated the Samick longbows but even they were a bit outside the envelope once I started with gear to actually use them haha.

The bow I ended up with is a hand-made, 68" 60lb American Flatbow in solid hickory. I can't shoot very well at all yet and need to get used to it - I think I may actually be shooting better lefthanded (right hand on bow), which is weird seeing as I'm right handed in nearly everything else.

Photos tomorrow when I get off work. Bt the way, riding through town on a big trailbike with a bow slung over your back feels awesome. I highly recommend it.

Cheers - boingk
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

I have a Rosewood composite Shakespeare Wonderbow, 50# draw weight, that dates from the 70's I have had since my Uncle gave it to me when I was about 12 or 13. He said if I could draw it I could have it, and I sure as heck drew it. Have hunted many seasons with it since, although not in a few years now. I have shot wood, aluminum and carbon arrows from it over the years, they all work :)

Over the years I have also had a couple of PSE's, an Oneida Eagle, and a couple of Bear bows. really loved my PSE, one tough bow. In fact it managed to bounce out of the jeep once and was run over by the rear tire, but all that really happened was it got muddy My brother still shoots a PSE of some sort.
I can literally spend hours and hours with the bow, its unfortunate that the development I live in is as crowded as most others.
 
Re: Anyone into archery?

As promised, here are some picture of the new bow:

bow.jpg


bow2.jpg


bow3.jpg


bow4.jpg


Still have to get some string wax and develop proper technique, but its a lot of fun in the meantime. The arrows are Redzone carbons, which I think are actually carbon-fibre wrapped aluminum shafts. Either way, they're nice to use. Running target point for now until I can shoot well enough to go hunting... then I'll up the tips to some broadheads and bring overall arrow weight to 550~600 grains.

Cheers - boingk

By the by, never mind the hyperextension of my arm. Thats how my arms lock. Any straighter and its unstable. Go figure.
 
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