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 FAQ The following is a list of the most common questions and concerns I'm asked by people interested in ordering a custom bow. If you are new to archery or are coming over to the traditional side from a compound bow you might find them helpful.You can always contact me to ask any question. Q.What poundage of Bow should I use? A. This is the most FAQ. An age old question and a source of hours of conversation and argument. The thing to remember is that accuracy is key. You should shoot a bow that you are comfortable with and can fully draw without undue strain. A light bow will let you concentrate on your form, as well as let you shoot it longer without fatigue. Good for target archers or beginners where longer practice sessions are needed. A heavy bow gives you a flatter trajectory and therefore better accuracy out to longer ranges, a benefit to the hunting archer. A bow drawing 45 to 55 pounds will allow you to enjoy a day on the range without pain or strain, and it will be suitable for almost all hunting situations in North America. Compound shooters coming into traditional archery need to know that due to design differences a 65 pound longbow is significantly harder to draw than a 65 pound compound. As a rule compound shooters should drop their draw weight 25% to get into the same comfort zone. Q. What woods are best for my bow? A. This is the second most FAQ. As mentioned earlier, performance is a product of design, not material. You could however, spend countless hours at the hunt camp or archery club discussing this as well. Any well dried, quality, hardwood either domestic or exotic can be crafted into a fine performing bow. I 've found that most people select the type of wood they want based solely on how they would like it to look. This is fine, as you want your bow to be unique, pleasing to the eye, and a source of distinct beauty. Obviously different woods have different properties which would lead one to believe there are technical differences when it comes to bow performance. If you are scientifically minded, a good discussion of the merits of various woods can be found at www.stickbow.com Q.What is finger pinch? A. When a person draws a bow which is too short for their draw length, the angle formed by the string at the nock becomes too acute. This will cause an uncomfortable anchor. It will also force your fingers to pinch the arrow causing an inconsistent, sloppy release. Ensure your bow is the right size. Q. What is stack? A. A bow is said to stack when the draw weight becomes suddenly excessive as you near full draw. The bow should draw smoothly with a uniform increase in draw weight from start to finish. If it is a chore to draw the bow the last few inches into a good anchor accuracy will suffer. Again this is a result of an incorrectly sized bow. If the string and the upper limb are at or close to 90 degrees as you reach full draw you'll suffer from a stacked draw. Q. What is hand shock? A. A problem specific to longbows, especially flat bows or reflexed designs. The simple explanation is it is the sensation caused as the limbs slam to a stop after the arrow has been launched. We can alleviate some or all of this by adding some deflex to the limbs or having the limb tips work dynamically as in a hybrid or a recurve. Handshock is the same tingle feeling you get when you break a baseball bat. It can go from a mild discomfort to downright painful. Ways to conquer it without changing your bow design are to lower the brace height, wear a glove on your bow hand, employ string silencers, or use a string with a little more give. Use a slightly longer string but wind it down more, this will cause it to act more like a spring or shock absorber. What Arrows Should I Use? Generally speaking, for wood arrows, select arrows from the upper spine range. For example, if your bow is 50# @ 28, select arrows spined at 50-55 instead of 45-50. For aluminum and carbon arrows use the arrow selection charts available. A good rule of thumb for this design of longbow is to use arrows with a total weight of 10 grains per pound of actual draw weight. For example if your bow is 50# @ 28, but you only draw it 27 inches your actual draw weight is about 47.5 pounds. Your arrows should weigh at least 475 grains. Keep in mind that this is a good starting point only. There are many variables that can effect arrow flight, such as point weight, FOC (percentage of weight forward of center), feather size, arrow length, and more. Also remember that all arrow charts and tuning guides assume a 28 inch arrow. Add or subtract 5# of spine for every inch above or below 28 inches. Are The Bows Quiet? The bows are designed to be quiet. Bow design is a series of trade offs and we have sacrificed some pure arrow speed for a quiet, shock free release. I believe that in a hunting situation a quiet, soft shooting bow is more important that a fast shooting bow. The long riser and the solid wood limb core work together to absorb vibration and noise. When coupled with a B50 string, one set of cat whisker string silencers, an arrow of 10 gr./inch, on a correctly tuned bow, all that is heard is a very soft thump on release. What Is The Brace Height? Brace height is the distance from the bowstring to the bow. It is measured at 90 degrees from the string to the deepest part of the grip. Brace height has a huge effect on a bows performance, getting it right for you is very important. For our longbows it is normally anywhere from 6 inches to 7 1/4 inches. There are many variables, such as draw length, and release technique that can make the brace height different from one shooter to another. Generally speaking a low brace height is better than a high one. A low braced bow utilizes more of the stored energy in the limbs, and it usually uses it more efficiently, resulting in a quiet, smooth release. When tuning your bow, untwist the string and commence shooting with a low brace height, twist the string to increase the brace height about 1/8 of an inch and shoot some more. Eventually you'll find a "sweet spot" where the bow feels right. Also known as Fistmele, which comes from the Olde English fist measurement, about 6 1/2 inches, measured with a closed fist with an extended thumb. It was the brace height of the medieval English war bow. What Is Tiller? A bows tiller is the measurement from the sting to the bow, measured at the fade outs. The distance on the top limb should be slightly more ( 1/8 to 1/4 inch) than the bottom limb. This is known as a positive tiller and shows that the top limb bends a little more than the bottom and is therefore very slightly weaker. This is done to compensate for the fact that the arrow is nocked and shot from above the geometric center of a longbow. It is achieved in two ways. The easiest and most common way on production bows is to make the top limb slightly longer than the bottom. Our bows use a symmetrical tiller meaning that the limbs are the same length and the top limb weakness is built into the limb. An even tiller, where the limbs are the same strength is often used by shooters using a three fingers under release. By having their fingers lower on the string their draw is closer to the geometric center of the bow. |
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Each of our bows is handcrafted on a one off custom basis. We offer three different styles of longbow. Classic Longbow - As a weapon the classic longbow is a study in simplicity. Long straight limbs and a simple riser bend to a graceful D shape when braced. Three Shilling Longbow - Similar in simplicity of form to the classic longbow except that the limbs are reflexed slightly away from the shooter. Mark One Longbow - Carbon fiber and bamboo limb construction and a compact riser result in a very fast, flat cast, with a total weight of just over one pound. See something you like ? Need to ask a question ? Contact us anytime! Enjoy our weekly editorial on topics of interest to traditional archers and hunters, feel free to comment, or just read and ponder posts from other traditionalists. Each of our bows is handcrafted to the specifications supplied to the customer. We offer four different styles of longbow. Mississippi Lake Longbow came into existence on my retirement after 27 years in the Canadian Army. View the image gallery. Q.What poundage of Bow should I use? |
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Jim Godden - Smith Falls, Ontario, Canada - Tel: +01 613 284 0936 - Email: jim@mllongbow.ca
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