Arrow weight

Corax67

Well-known member
I fell in love with longbow last autumn as I recovered from illness and currently own a nice second hand bow made by a local Kentish bowyer - I can comfortably shoot 60yds with it point on the target face & 80yds by referencing high in the tree line behind our targets, the bow is nominally 43# @ 28"

Today I was shooting a fellow a fellow club members Gary Evans bow (planning to buy one in two weeks) which references low on the target face at 80yds and mid tree line at 100yds. This bow is 47# @ 28".

Ideally I would like to keep to a bow which is as close as possible to this draw weight as I found it really comfortable to shoot but ideally referencing on the boss is my prefence if possible.


Is it possible to drop my aiming point by shooting lighter arrows ?

Is there a "minimum weight" below which wooden arrows lose performance ?

Is there an optimum point weight / shaft weight / shaft spine / feather size combination that longbow archers favour ?



My current arrows which came with my bow are 5/16" shafts, 3" feathers, Quicks plastic nocks and 100 grain target points and perform OK with both bows, probably a bit whippy with my current bow if honest, and I've no idea what spine they are.






Karl
 
Hi Carl,

Not a longbow archer (other than occasional dabbles), but for what it is worth here are my thoughts on the matter:

Will lighter arrows allow you to drop your aiming point?
Yes, within reason. As long as they retain a suitable weight distribution with the balance point in the front end on the arrow then less mass will generate more speed and better sight marks. Smaller fletching area would also have a similar affect, as long as it is still large enough to do the job; you can experiment with shorter fletchings or lower profiles for example. Bear in mind that there will be a limit to how light you can go, as the shaft spine/size will impact the minimum point weight needed to keep the balance point forward of centre.

Is there a minimum weight below which wooden arrows lose performance?
Probably, but I would be more worried about the minimum weight suitable for your bow. If the arrows are too light then they won't absorb sufficient energy from the power stroke at the loose - this will affect the performance of the arrow, but more critically will mean that most of the energy from the loose is transferred into the bow instead, similar to a dry fire and with similar results. Generally, most modern recurves recommend at least 5 grains of arrow weight per pound of draw weight (measured); I imagine with longbows it varies dependent on material used, so I would ask your bowyer what they recommend, although it is likely to be higher than 5 grains per pound.

No idea on whether or not there is an optimum that most other longbow archers use (will leave that for one of the other actual longbow archers!), although I would generally say that rather than worrying about what others do, just have a play around until you find what works for you :)
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
A couple of things you can do.
Lower your anchor to under the jaw if it's not there already. If it is already under the jaw you could maybe put a high shelf on the tab?
Go to 2.5" fletchings and maybe 70-80 gn points preferably bullet or conical rather field shape.
Bear in mind most of the weight is in the shaft, so going light on points doesn't always make much difference (Iused to use 70gn, but these days I use 100 as they are good general purpose for any bow from 35 to 60#)
Slightly stiffer shafts may help, and make sure they are cut to length rather than having any overhang at full draw.
If you can get 9/32" shaft of sufficient quality and stiffness that would help.
There comes a point where the cast of the bow becomes the limiting factor, but I'd say point on at 60 yards is pretty damn good.
As a quick try you could trim the fletchings to about half their height, that may be quite effective.
A lot of people will talk bull about trajectories etc... some bloke at a roving marks shoot said his warbow "shot flat at 80 yards"... I had a bit of a rant until it becam apparent that he really meant it was "point on" at 80yards which is totally different!
Del
 

Corax67

Well-known member
Thanks gents - I am currently anchoring under the jaw Del but do have vertical adjustment available for the shelf.

Dan - I will check the recommended grain/poundage with the bowyer this week.

Will pick up a batch of 80gn points and 2.5" fletchings at the same time as the bow, luckily I really enjoy making arrows and it's an excuse to try out my Lego cresting machine :0


Got chatting to a chap I was introduced to in church this morning who is a longbow archer from another club, he has invited me for a session at his club as he has "boxes full of arrows" he has accumulated over decades that we can try in order to determine the best spine for the new bow - major win :)



Karl
 

mrpurple

New member
Just a quick note; rule 206.e.ii would seem to prohibit the use of an elevated platform on your tab.

You can shoot with two or even three fingers above the arrow if you like. I certainly find this helpful to get a comfortable mark at the longer ranges, and similarly three under at closer ranges.
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Just a quick note; rule 206.e.ii would seem to prohibit the use of an elevated platform on your tab.

You can shoot with two or even three fingers above the arrow if you like. I certainly find this helpful to get a comfortable mark at the longer ranges, and similarly three under at closer ranges.
It would be helpful if you quoted the. "Would seem" is a bit woolly, mind most regulations are poorly written, who defines "elevated" and elevated in relation to what?
I can't imagine there is anything stopping you anchoring to the inner end of the clavicle if one was so inclined.
Del
Del
 

mrpurple

New member
206.e.ii "A separator between the fingers to prevent pinching the arrow and/or a platform tab may be used. An extension so as to provide a greater angle, prior to release, other than that achieved by the use of a normal tab, glove or other form of finger protection, is not permitted."

It would seem that you can anchor where you like, but you can't do it with the aid of an elevated platform.

http://www.archerygb.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Proc0104RoSApril2017-22490.pdf
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Ta' :)
So if everyone used one it would be ok because it would become "normal". It really irritates me that these muppets can't write a decent definition, they've obviously never worked in an engineering environment. It would be easy to specify the maximum height of a platform above the edge of the hand, maybe zero...
Del
 

Corax67

Well-known member
Nothing wrong with using my platform tab then, I simply cannot add something on top of the platform or make & fit an extended platform. No problem then.


Karl
 

Corax67

Well-known member
I agree with you Del - wuffty tuffty rules badly written and open to 'interpretation' are the bane of us all





Karl
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Reading the wording it seems that a platform tab is allowed. A platform, I suspect, that offers a more secure anchor for the archer in question. Why else would it be used?
It can't be used to get a higher trajectory from the same anchor point wearing a glove or normal tab( no platform). So if the arrows fly higher with the platform it must be elevated. If the arrows fly at the same height; it's an allowed platform tab.
 

little-else

Supporter
Supporter
AIUK Saviour
I use a platform tab for lb but a plain leather tab for bb as I anchor to my mouth for the latter. There are those who tut at the use of the platform tab but I would make the following observation- if modern glues were available back in the 14th century do you think the archers of the time would reject their use because they werent traditional enough or would they use any technological advantge they could?I
you are going to say that something is to be in a traditional style you either introduce an absolute cut off date for development or you dont complain when someone uses something that is within the rules of today.
 
Top