[Horsebow] Chinese horsebows

DavidH

New member
I'm getting more and more tempted by the Chinese horsebows (which they call longbows) on Ebay. They usually cost around ?40+. Has anyone bought one and what do you think? They look a lot of fun. I guess you'd shoot them in the barebow class but I'm not really bothered about that. I think they are wood backed by class fibre. Arrows would presumably be interchangeable with my longbow arrows. If I get some good response I might be able to persuade my wife that its an ideal Christmas present:)
 
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Davewarn

New member
I'm thinking the same, they do look like fun and barebow also looks like fun, having only really shot recurve :) If you get one i'd be interested to know what you think about it :)
 

ghound

Member
I'm thinking the same, they do look like fun and barebow also looks like fun, having only really shot recurve :) If you get one i'd be interested to know what you think about it :)

I have a used one for sale on ebay, 60lb at 28'' snake skin jobby, well enough made.
The handle is cut out a bit on it so arrows are easy to sort.
They are fun to shoot, fast and smooth, i just don't get the time to use it..
 

DavidH

New member
I have a used one for sale on ebay, 60lb at 28'' snake skin jobby, well enough made.
The handle is cut out a bit on it so arrows are easy to sort.
They are fun to shoot, fast and smooth, i just don't get the time to use it..
Very tempting, if a little bit heavy, hmmm shall I?
 

DavidH

New member
Well I went for it, a Chinese horsebow made of mulberry wood and glass fibre for only ?38 (+ delivery of ?20) Its 50# at 28. I'm already spending Christmas present money that came early. At that price I guess I cant go far wrong.
 

BillM

Member
Just having looked at this thread, you will need to think about getting arrows with a spine near the draw weight of the bow - so 50# @ 28". The actual spine will depend on your draw length. longer darw length - heavier spine, shorter - whippier. Longbows will shoot arrows about 10# less but horsebow and recurve it is nearer lb for lb.

BillM
 

DavidH

New member
Just having looked at this thread, you will need to think about getting arrows with a spine near the draw weight of the bow - so 50# @ 28". The actual spine will depend on your draw length. longer darw length - heavier spine, shorter - whippier. Longbows will shoot arrows about 10# less but horsebow and recurve it is nearer lb for lb.

BillM
Is that so Bill? I've never quite understood why longbow arrows are spined 10# under, something to do with the speed of the bow?

I seem to remember reading that wooden arrows. at least POC, are spined for American flatbows. Why on earth don't we have arrows spined specifically for elbs, in which case they would be spined pound for pound, or why dont shafts have a dual marking, one for recurve and one for elb?
 

GoneBad

Member
Is that so Bill? I've never quite understood why longbow arrows are spined 10# under, something to do with the speed of the bow?
a bow string travels towards the centre of the bow handle. Recurves and AFBs have a cut out window in the handle to allow the arrow to be pushed inline with the string movement. Arrows are spined to allow for the initial sideways movement of the nock caused by finger release. On a ELB there is no cut out and a nocked arrow sits on the bow pointing off to the left. When shot, the nock will travel towards the centre of the handle and the point will move to the left even more as the angle between the nock and the side of the bow increases. ELB arrows are spined 10# under to allow the arrow to flex even more with the paradox and in effect bend around the handle and leave the bow in the direction of string travel. This is why ELB archers who don't spine their wooden arrows correctly find themselves having to aim right of the target and getting poor groups due to erratic arrow flight. Hope this makes sense.
 

ghound

Member
a bow string travels towards the centre of the bow handle. Recurves and AFBs have a cut out window in the handle to allow the arrow to be pushed inline with the string movement. Arrows are spined to allow for the initial sideways movement of the nock caused by finger release. On a ELB there is no cut out and a nocked arrow sits on the bow pointing off to the left. When shot, the nock will travel towards the centre of the handle and the point will move to the left even more as the angle between the nock and the side of the bow increases. ELB arrows are spined 10# under to allow the arrow to flex even more with the paradox and in effect bend around the handle and leave the bow in the direction of string travel. This is why ELB archers who don't spine their wooden arrows correctly find themselves having to aim right of the target and getting poor groups due to erratic arrow flight. Hope this makes sense.
I wouldn't conclude that over stiff arrows don't group or are erratic, not in my short experience anyways, i find that they just don't go where you point!!
 

BillM

Member
Is that so Bill? I've never quite understood why longbow arrows are spined 10# under, something to do with the speed of the bow?QUOTE]

I was thinking of how to answer this in a way that could be easily understood but GoneBad has done it very well. I would add that the bracing height of a longbow is much less than recurve and horsebow - about 6.5" compared to about 9" - so the distance left between the string and riser is much shorter. The arrow needs to achieve a shape which will allow it to clear the bow so a whippier arrow does that. I'm sure someone out there will be able to go through the mechanics of the system but I shoot recurve, longbow and horsebow and while the rec and h'bow shoot near to lb for lb the longbow @ 47lb draw weight shoots arrows @ 39lb without clearance problems - established by trial and error and advice from experiened archers.

BillM
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
I wouldn't conclude that over stiff arrows don't group or are erratic, not in my short experience anyways, i find that they just don't go where you point!!
I must agree with this, just because the arrows are too stiff doesn't mean that the grouping suffers, technically with the same aim point the arrows will go to the same place just off to the right. I shoot an ELB with arrows that are a little over spined and my PB for a Bray 1 is 198 with 1 miss(bad release). Not my average but shows that as long as the arrows are of the same spine they'll still group. If they are underspined grouping can become more erratic as the arrow will hit the bow upon release and depending on the consistancy of the archer holding the bow it could deflect the arrow differently each time.
 

DavidH

New member
OK guys, unbelievably, the horsebow I bought from China has arrived in record time, posted out of China yesterday and delivered today!!! The bow looks great but after struggling with the stringer (it does love to slip on a horsebow I've found) and contemplating whether I'd actually bought a 100" bow, I finally found the problem. The string, which they quote as being 140 - 146 cm long, is actually only 125 cm unstretched. Unless its made of rubber, I think it unlikely that any give in it will amount to 15 cm;) So I'm currently fiddling with a longbow string.

I would have loved to post a video of the antics going on here, but I don't believe this forum allows obscene language, and you wouldn't want to watch me pulling out what little hair I have left.
 

DavidH

New member
Someone must know this, is the bottom limb the one with markings on the siyah (is that right?) or is that the top, the bow is slightly assymetric so it must matter, HELP!;)
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
I would suggest that the bottom limb is the one with the writing on. I'd also assume thats the longer limb.
 

DavidH

New member
I think you're right Raven. For anyone following my trials and tribulations on the string length, they did supply the right string, it was their info that was obscure. They said the string is 140-146cm, what they meant was length of bow when strung (I think), Stringing, to anyone thinking of getting a horsebow, is not easy. I ended up using a version of a method shown on Youtube

ATARN presents: Chinese Archery [part 1] - YouTube

By the way its worth watching the rest of his videos, the one where he simulates riding and shooting is just hilarious, but he is very informative.

I sat down, bent the bow across my knees, the string went behind my knees ( are you getting this!) and my wife hooked it on to the nock. I have read that you shouldnt draw a horsebow that you cant string on your own. That is piffle. The force needed to create the bend in the limbs is way beyond the poundage of the bow when strung. Using a stringer is near impossible, at least for me. If anyone has other advice on stringing Id love to hear it.

Anyway the bow looks superb when strung, and considering the price I paid, its exceptional value. Hoping to get out and shoot it on Sunday
 

ghound

Member
They are a bollox to string, but well worth the effort as they are serious fun to shoot, i found mine very fast like the arrow was on the target as soon as you released.
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
Real buggers you lot are aren't you. Now I'm wanting one, already got 2/3 others on my wants list and thats not including the EWB.

Interesting thought though after watching the video there has to be a better way to string it, I doubt the chinese always walked around in pairs just to be able to string their bows.
 

DavidH

New member
I reckon that ghound has the secret;) Just had a fellow longbow archer in the office and Ive convinced him to buy one. Lets face it at the price I've paid, its worth a pop
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
Two questions:
Do you use these with fingers or thumb or either.
What spine/bow weight ratio are the arrows?
 

DavidH

New member
Well don't ask me;)

From looking around and talking to people, its some and some. I've watched a Mongolian video and some are shooting Mediterranean. I understand that if you use a thumb ring the arrow goes on the other side of the bow, that is opposite to recurve or longbow

I've read on here somewhere that is more or less pound for pound, because of the narrower handle and the faster speed. I'm going to try my various longbow arrows which I think are a bit overspined anyway. I'll know better on Sunday, and I reckon I'll string the bow before I leave home....
 
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