[English Longbow] New Longbow Hunt

Gary S.

New member
Hi

I would like to get a longbow. My previous bow was a recurve at 25lbs. My Draw is 27 1/2.

The Supplier is The Longbow Shop (Online Only Sales)

English Longbow crafted from a single piece of Ash with horn nocks. Top nock has second groove for stringing. Comes with dacron string and laced leather handle. Bow is length 76"

Price: ?175.00 Bow Weight 76" long ? 33lb@28"

Has anyone used this supplier

English Longbow

Any alternatives, I have heard about Gary Evans is he worth contacting.

Gary:poulies:
 

Naedre

Member
hi gary,
if you've never shot longbow before, you should be aware of what you're in for. the cast of a 33lb bow is going to be at best, limited. this is fine for a while, but as your technique and strength improve, you will soon find that you are under-bowed for the longer distances. so don't spend too much on your first bow.
also, you should get the best arrows you can. Even a mediocre bow will shoot pretty consistently with the right arrows, but unmatched arrows will not shoot well, regardless of the bows pedigree. find out who is the best longbowman in your area, and draw on his expertise.the effort will be well worth it.
Don't expect to aim at the gold with a longbow, unless you hit the jackpot, and find a set of arrows which are perfectly matched to your bow, you are going to have to aim off (usually to the right).
i hope this reply helps, and welcome to proper archery.
 

Paradox

New member
Getting well matched arrows for longbows is not impossible, but it does take a while and a bit of practice - as an ex-recurver all of the time spent messing around with buttons and tiller etc will now be spent trying to find arrows which go straight. If they're going off to the right - they're too stiff.

Longbows vary wildly (even ones from the same wood, built by the same maker), but a 30 pound bow should get you a point-on distance of around 40 yards, which is fine for field, but not so good for longer target distances.

The ash selfbow you mention is a nice looking bow, but ash will lose it's cast after a while so though it's good for a first bow, paying that kind of price for it may be a bit over the top. The guy who makes the bows for the Longbow shop is good, apparently, but there's quite a few good ash selfbow makers who will make a good bow for quite a bit less. Unless you've got to conform to GNAS's silly rules, a bow of that weight really doesn't need horn nocks either.

Have a look at Irondale Longbows - chris makes a really nice simple ash bow (with horn nocks) for ?100 - they're full compass, rather than victorian pattern - a bit more handshock than a handled bow, but they seem slightly quicker than an equivalent poundage victorian bow. He'll also do a laminate for ?130ish - I shoot one of these most weeks - lasted a year of reasonable use (150 arrows/week ish) and shows no sign of going soggy or following the string much.. Also The Archery Centre do a nice "Get You Started" bow without horn nocks for ?80.

Bear in mind that unlike a recurve, a longbow will have a much shorter lifespan - probably about 2 or 3 years at my rate of shooting.

Whatever you do - have fun with it! Longbows are the way to go.
 
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Shewolf

Member
Ironman
Have a look at Irondale Longbows http://www.irondale-longbows.com- chris makes a really nice simple ash bow (with horn nocks) for ?100 - they're full compass, rather than victorian pattern - a bit more handshock than a handled bow, but they seem slightly quicker than an equivalent poundage victorian bow. He'll also do a laminate for ?130ish - I shoot one of these most weeks - lasted a year of reasonable use (150 arrows/week ish) and shows no sign of going soggy or following the string much.. Also The Archery Centre http://www.archery-centre.co.uk/do a nice "Get You Started" bow without horn nocks for ?80.
We've had several bows from Chris. Excellent value for money, great for someone wishing to start with the longbow.
 
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Naedre

Member
Quote (Getting well matched arrows for longbows is not impossible, but it does take a while and a bit of practice - as an ex-recurver all of the time spent messing around with buttons and tiller etc will now be spent trying to find arrows which go straight. If they're going off to the right - they're too stiff.)

Sorry Paradox. i know that if arrows shoot right their spine is too stiff, but in the absence of a perfect set, IMO, its preferable to being underspined.
 

Paradox

New member
Apologies for the egg-sucking lecture Naedre!

As long as they're consistent, you can adjust for it simply enough.
 

Gary S.

New member
Thank you for the information.

I find the bow aspect the most challenging at present. I am unable to find any website for Gary Evans or Rob Powell. Pip Bickerstaffe has been very helpful to me in past when i had questions. He has a good reputation. I like the look of the Gary Evans Bows Artisan and Adamas.

Too much to think about.
 

tinkerer

New member
Wales Archery sell bows by Evans, Powell and Bickerstaffe as do other retailers, I should think. If you're new to longbows, it's probably best to get something cheap before you find your feet. Even if it's cheap, it's still worth visiting the bowyer and trying a sample or two out before deciding

The ?175 bow you mention is very long for your draw length, and so will be slow, although fine for shorter targets. David
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
You've had good advice already, I'll just add a bit of my opinion.
If you get an Ash bow, get a cheap one as you will soon want to upgrade (probably in draw weight and cast)... don't pay extra for horn nocks, they add nothing to an Ash bow.
Personally I'd say any adult without a specific physical limitation will very soon get used to a 40 pound bow so I would recommend 40 as a minimum (or 35 if you are really convinced you can't manage 40... my daughter who hadn't shot since she was a nipper 20 odd years ago used my 40pound flat bow easilly at a field shoot). Bear in mind it's easy to take a few pounds off a bow by much much harder to increase draw weight.
If you want a fast bow at a lowish draw weight go for a laminate (bamboo backed bows will generally be fast).
Del
 

steve58

New member
I'm on my third Bickerstaffe, highly recommend them; maybe a bit dear for a starter bow though?

I'm fairly sure stiff arrows go left (for a right handed archer)? If they're too stiff they will probably be better than too soft as these can get a bit random.

Not being able to look at the gold could be string picture? (I have never ever been able to line the string up with the edge of the bow and shoot with any success at all, I prefer to frame the target between the string and the edge of the bow.)

Most people I know have gone up by 10# when changing from recurve to longbow without any problem at all.
 

Naedre

Member
while you're getting your coat paradox, will you pass mine. we both obviously meant the need to AIM right with stiff arrows.

(reminder to self) Left <--- ---> Right
 

TheLongbowShop

New member
Hi all - thanks for the feedback on our ash bows. The price is set by the bowyer so not a lot we can do on that but we are getting very good positive feedback from people that have bought and shot them - we've sold a lot so far worldwide with more stock due next week in mixed poundages.

We are also about to stock several new ranges of warbows, target bows and self-nocked ash bows all made by Heritage Longbows so keep checking the shop for availability on that. In the coming months you'll also see a primitive bow section on the site :)

Cheers

Jase
 

Naedre

Member
Quote (If you want a fast bow at a lowish draw weight go for a laminate (bamboo backed bows will generally be fast).

though i shoot a 60# Bickerstaffe bow myself, i know of several people who shoot with bamboo laminates. One of them is 55# @ 28" and the guy aims with point of arrow on the gold at 100 yards. i am so envious of its performance that i'm thinking of buying one for myself.
 

steve58

New member
Quote i know of several people who shoot with bamboo laminates. One of them is 55# @ 28" and the guy aims with point of arrow on the gold at 100 yards. i am so envious of its performance that i'm thinking of buying one for myself.
I'm thinking of going this route too, who is the bowyer? I know someone who has just got a bamboo backed bow from Heritage Longbows and he has been very pleased with it; his problem is that although he is very strong he only has a short draw length and this is the first bow he has found that lets him reach the 100 yards with confidence.
 

Naedre

Member
Steve,
the guy makes the bows himself. i can definitely vouch for his work, as i always ask people at open shoots who made their bow, and his name comes up regularly. they always comment on how much faster the cast is compared to their previous bows.
he is no mean archer himself, and puts in GMB scores regularly (always a good sign).
i don't know how he is fixed for making bows at the moment, but i will get in touch with him and ask if he minds me giving his name out.
 

TheLongbowShop

New member
His name is Lee Ankers from Heritage Longbows and you can contact him directly or wait a little while and look at the new range of bows he's supplying the longbow shop with.

Lee's website is Home all contact details are on his site

We are very impressed indeed with his bows so much so that I now own 2 of them myself :)

Jase
 

steve58

New member
Thanks for that. I was aware of Lee Ankers and had been on his website after hearing about his bows from my friend. Might drop him an email when my wife is not looking!
 

TheLongbowShop

New member
Thanks for that. I was aware of Lee Ankers and had been on his website after hearing about his bows from my friend. Might drop him an email when my wife is not looking!

No worries :) If you get a chance try and get on his bow making course for 2 days - you'll have your eyes opened and really enjoy yourself!

Jase
 

Naedre

Member
the guy i was talking about is not lee ankers, but i'm sure the quality is comparable. i don't know about price wise, as my guy charges around ?300 per bow.
one thing is for sure, my Bickerstaffe bow feels as heavy as a compound, compared with a bamboo bow.
light,fast sweet to shoot....... oh my, i think i've had an accident.
 
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