Just posted this elsewhere, but hopefully it helps ....
I thought I remembered this thread.
I hope the following comment may be of some interest and is not too late.
I shoot roving clout/mark almost exclusively. I use a 60lb @ 30"
Bickerstaffe Longbow with which I am extremely pleased.
I normally use some spine matched to bow Bickerstaffe Arrows, with medium piles, slightly larger than dumpy fletchings and parallel 11/32 shafts and would expect about 210-220 yds nil wind.
I also have (from previous 45lb bow with which I started) some Quicks' light pile, dumpy fletching, parallel 5/16 shafted arrows with which I can get an extra 10 yds although they do come out of the bow a bit sideways at full stretch.
This is certainly enough for me at all our club shoots with clouts (known distance) at between 110 and 160 yds (and occasional 180 yds) and for the majority of roving marks (unknown distances) although the odd one in the 240 yd range causes a few problems.
It was the latter, and the opportunity to participate in a few flight competitions along with the roving mark days, such as fraternity of St George in Kent with whom we have now shot a few times, that got a few of us interested in obtaining a few extra yards.
Let me stress that we are not flight shooters and these comments and suggestions are for those in the 'few extra yards category' rather than the flight and warbow merchants amongst you (many of whom I know and have been very helpful to me)!
The initial reaction was to consider a heavier bow, but this is an expensive solution for what is not a priority requirement and very often the increased bow weight can be offset by a necessitated change elsewhere ? bearing in mind that is probable (and advisable medically) only to increase by say 10lbs at a time ? as for example, if I move from 60lb to 70lb it will become impossible to use 5/16 shafts (which are rare at even 55 spine) otherwise the resulting initial unstable flight will increase drag and yet simple maths (backed up by experimentation) says the increased surface are will again increase drag so that a benefit is not achievable until perhaps 80lbs.
These factors lud us/me to become more interested in the 'science of the arrow' as the solution.
I asked for advice and opinion from a number of sources (including Pip Bickerstaffe, Steve Stratton of DIY Archery ? an excellent warbow and flight exponent, and John Catley at Little John Arrows) ands one thing was obvious ? no-one agreed as to the ultimate solution!
Therefore I set about some modest (and semi scientific) experimentation and with John Catley's endless patience and assistance produced four basically matched (5/16 shaft at 55 spine and with 5 grains weight) but different shaft designs:
1) Barreled
2) Tapered front 2/3rds
3) Chested (tapered front third / rat tailed rear third)
4) Rat tailed rear third, with taper in front three inches.
Then shot them in and out of wind, together with one of each of my own arrows (see above) and recorded the distances over a period of time ? nearly 600 shots in all taken into account.
The result showed a clear winner in the rat tailed arrow with slight taper at front.
The other indication was that a light arrow was best with wind, but a heavier arrow into wind.
John has since produced me a superbly finished set of 12 clout arrows, matched to 55 spin exactly and initially (same pile) to within 8 grains and dumpy flights (great attention to the join at pile and knocks).
I then changed the six lightest to light piles (with wind shots)
At the recent flight competitions I achieved 265 with a slight tailwind and 238 into a steady wind ? so am well pleased.
I have ordered another 6 which will have cut down fletchings and would hope to be in the 270 yd nil wind area with those.
The normally fletched arrows are superbly stable and provide a good clout grouping.
Other than I am having to learn new distances, so scores will fall ? hopefully temporarily, I am totally pleased.
I would recommend John Catley's craftsmanship to anyone. No doubt he will be pleased to copy our design for anyone.
