Am I Just a Wuss?

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MikeD

New member
Or is there something wrong with my set up?

I got a Scythian bow and have shot it a couple of times this week. I keep getting deep scratches on my bow hand from the feather fletchings. Does this mean the nocking point is too low or is it normal for the fletches to make contact?

The arrows seem to fly well and if I put a piece of paper where they land I can hit it again and again :)
 

Et tu brute

New member
I think that happens with alot of scythian/Hungarian bows, not entirely sure why, possibly because they're quite fast? Anyway, I've found just wrapping a bandage/gauze type thing around my bow hand works fine, and doesn't interfere with the arrow flight etc. The other option is to get a bow hand protector glove, which can be gotten from a few places, Richard Head does one, so do a few other places I think.

Hope this helps!
Dave
 

Macbow

New member
A cheapo fingerless cycling glove will give good hand protection - enough to prevent quills from entering flesh which is painful when trying to pull them out. I've actually had feathers well embedded into the wooden butt frame as well as right through a finger once.
Hand placement and nocking point is important when using these asiatic-style bows which is hard to explain but Kassai's Horseback Archery book has some excellent advice.
 

compkiller

The American
American Shoot
Or is there something wrong with my set up?

I got a Scythian bow and have shot it a couple of times this week. I keep getting deep scratches on my bow hand from the feather fletchings. Does this mean the nocking point is too low or is it normal for the fletches to make contact?

The arrows seem to fly well and if I put a piece of paper where they land I can hit it again and again :)

Yes the knocking point is too low. Had the same problem with a longbow. Raised the knocking point and all is well.
 

Ceri Jones

Member
Ironman
Or is there something wrong with my set up?

I got a Scythian bow and have shot it a couple of times this week. I keep getting deep scratches on my bow hand from the feather fletchings. Does this mean the nocking point is too low or is it normal for the fletches to make contact?

The arrows seem to fly well and if I put a piece of paper where they land I can hit it again and again :)

Yep, perfect scalpel cuts when i shoot mine, usually i just ignore it, untill i have to bandage it up due to blood running down the back of my hand.
 

steve58

New member
Is the leading edge of the feathers sharp? When I make the arrows up I trim the leading edge of the fletchings to get it to blend into the shaft as smoothly as possible and then put a blob of glue over the top of it. Since I started paying close attention to this I have not had problems, it also keeps grass roots from getting under the feathers and pulling them off if you are unlucky enough to miss, trust me I know this from extensive practical experience!
 

Bald Eagle

New member
Sounds like the nocking point is too low, raise it a bit to eliminate cutting your finger!! If all else fails, I sell a leather finger protector/shelf for ?1, pm me for details
 

moley101

New member
Ironman
Nocking point too low, had same problem with longbows, move your nocking point up a little and that should sort it.
 

MikeD

New member
As others have pointed out you may need to raise your nocking point a little or first of all if your feathers quill base is a little high on the shaft you may want to look at binding the lead points of your feathers (looks better on trad arrows than a blob of glue IMO) as these are:

The Longbow Shop ? traditional archery supplies - Basic Medieval

J
I've got my fingers crossed that someone will give me money for Christmas. I know where I'm going to spend it :)

I've started wearing a cycling glove, which has saved me from the scratches. I'm still experimenting with my grip on the bow and the nocking point.

I have a feeling this kind of shooting could become adictive quite easily. Another member of Kingdom Archers (a long time compound archer) tried my Scythian on sunday and has now ordered a bow, back quiver and arrows (he claims his wife is getting him green tights too).

How long can my life be complete without an AFB and an English longbow...
 

TheLongbowShop

New member
I've got my fingers crossed that someone will give me money for Christmas. I know where I'm going to spend it :)

I've started wearing a cycling glove, which has saved me from the scratches. I'm still experimenting with my grip on the bow and the nocking point.

I have a feeling this kind of shooting could become adictive quite easily. Another member of Kingdom Archers (a long time compound archer) tried my Scythian on sunday and has now ordered a bow, back quiver and arrows (he claims his wife is getting him green tights too).

How long can my life be complete without an AFB and an English longbow...
Hehe I know what you mean - I shoot ELB and Horsebow... have my eye on a Falco AFB bow (Will be stocking them soon in the shop!) Now I just need some time so I can shoot them lol!

J
 

darthTer

Active member
Supporter
Ironman
American Shoot
Mike,

When your shooting your scythian, do you constantly have a rather stupid looking grin on your face - or is that just me...:veryhappy

I love shooting my AFB - less pressure, more fun!!!
 

MikeD

New member
Mike,

When your shooting your scythian, do you constantly have a rather stupid looking grin on your face - or is that just me...:veryhappy

I love shooting my AFB - less pressure, more fun!!!
I'm not sure if it is a grin or grimace ;) It's hard work shooting left handed. 30lbs is a lot for right handed compound shooter.

It is serving it's purpose though. When the compound gets frustrating or boring, the sythian puts everything back into perspective. You can shoot balloons and get a big smile when one bursts. No fun in that with a compound.

I was at Eastcote on Sunday and bought a glove to try instead of a tab. That should be fun tomorrow. I also got a Byron Ferguson DVD. Become The Arrow, which nasty pictures of bear hunting aside has some great instructional material for 'instinctive' aiming for barebow shooting.

He recommends concentrating on the place you want the arrow to land and being aware of a reference point below to place the arrow point on. I've been aiming the arrow point at the reference point, but I'll try this other way tomorrow.
 

Quadratus

New member
The main things that cause arrow damage to your bow hand:

  • Nocking point too low
  • Bracing height too low
  • Fletchings too long (very common if you're pretending to be Attilla the Hun)
  • Arrow too stiff
  • Bowhand wrist position too low
Trimming feathers so they have a smooth quill etc is a sensible thing to do, since we all make bad shots (well, I do anyway) but remember that the fletches shouldn't touch your hand at all.

Cheers
 

TheLongbowShop

New member
The main things that cause arrow damage to your bow hand:

  • Nocking point too low
  • Bracing height too low
  • Fletchings too long (very common if you're pretending to be Attilla the Hun)
  • Arrow too stiff
  • Bowhand wrist position too low
Trimming feathers so they have a smooth quill etc is a sensible thing to do, since we all make bad shots (well, I do anyway) but remember that the fletches shouldn't touch your hand at all.

Cheers

Hmm have to disagree with the 'Fletchings too long' unless you mean past 7-8" as IMO feather length has nothing to do with hitting your hand otherwise we'd all be using 1.75" low profile clout feathers!
 

steve58

New member
The main things that cause arrow damage to your bow hand:

  • Nocking point too low
  • Bracing height too low
  • Fletchings too long (very common if you're pretending to be Attilla the Hun)
  • Arrow too stiff
  • Bowhand wrist position too low
Trimming feathers so they have a smooth quill etc is a sensible thing to do, since we all make bad shots (well, I do anyway) but remember that the fletches shouldn't touch your hand at all.

Cheers
I'm sure I have read elsewhere on the forum that mongolian/hungarian type bows seem to shoot best with long low fletchings on?
Why would the length of fletching make a difference anyway (educate me!) I have some indoor longbow arrows with 5" "Victorian" fletchings and they have given me no bother.
 
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