correct spined shafts for longbow

1415

New member
I need some advice for buying the right spined shafts for my English Longbow,to make some arrows.
- 45 # at 29 inches and I'm drawing to 29.
-Indoor Target shooting .
-I'll be going with port orford cedar at 5/16
I've asked various sources and the following was suggested
30 to 35 spine
35 to 40 spine
40-45 spine
Now at a loss as what to buy!
If all else fails I can buy one of each and experiment as Quicks sell them singularly.
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Rule of thumb 10# below the draw weight.
It's not hyper critical, but it's important to have them matched so they fly the same. You'll adapt to their idiosyncrasies.
I shoot 35-40 from a variety of bows from 35 up to about 55#... anything over 60# I use my 11/32" stiffer shafts.
If they stick in the boss straight at 10 yards, they are fine.
Del
 

1415

New member
35-40 would be good middle ground if I'm honest.
The beauty of quicks selling them seperately as well as in packs of 12 too means at worse I could get one of each to experiment with before making 12 then shooting them and it not working out.
Had one shop saying the 30-35 would be fine (10 # below 45 is 35 so I get that) then another saying that sounded a bit low for my bow weight and draw.
Going for a 100 grain head and 4 or 5 inch fletches too btw

And each spine chart for longbow varies everywhere you look!
 
D

Deleted member 7654

Guest
Bottom line is bow poundage is only a rough guide anyway and doesn't correlate to the acceleration imposed on the arrow. My 50# ELB flight bow shoots faster than most 60# bows and some cheapo re-enactor bows shoot well below their expected speed.
And it's not a linear relationship anyway! A 70# bow doesn't shoot twice as fast or twice as far as a 35#...
It's just a rough guide for average bows.
It also depends on arrow length point weight etc... I've shot 50# spined arrows from 120# warbows, thet didn't explode 'cos they had V light points which allowed them to accelerate away without too much inertia.
Del
 

1415

New member
Thank you both for your advice.
Decided to order a couple of 30/35 and 35/40,make them up,experiment and just shoot the buggers for two hours.
 

1415

New member
All ready to go with the supplies,but one more thing.
Tapering tools (oversized pencil sharpener)
Would this work ok for modkin/medhead points or best to make the point taper by hand?
 

Corax67

Well-known member
I use the older style Bearpaw taper tool for all my arrows, irrespective of point style, and I’ve yet to have a problem.


Karl
 

modernlongbow

Active member
Remember, your arrows are ammunition, and as such, sacrificial offerings. An archer's dozen is 11, because the archery gods always get one.
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
You know what Del
I've just been explaining this to my Dad,who made all the family arrows back in the 90s when we first started Longbow and he said "I don't remember all this bollocks when I did em" 😂
That may be true but I was taught in the '80s by a county coach, and longbow champion who stressed the importance of getting the arrow spine right, doing it has always worked well for me.
 

Bandit

Active member
My wife and I are both shooting longbow. She can shoot my arrows and they petty much group in the same place but lower ( heavier arrow) as her arrows, yet my bow is 10 lb heavier at my draw weight etc. I reckon as long as they are matched to each other it's a good start.
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
My wife and I are both shooting longbow. She can shoot my arrows and they petty much group in the same place but lower ( heavier arrow) as her arrows, yet my bow is 10 lb heavier at my draw weight etc. I reckon as long as they are matched to each other it's a good start.
But do they fly straight, or does she aim off? An arrow that is too stiff will group, but fly to the left (For a R/H archer) A correctly spined arrow will fly straight. I hear so many people saying that you have to aim off with a longbow because it's not cut for centre-shot. This isn't true, if the arrows spine correctly you don't aim off at all, you aim directly below the target.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hi EB,
Can you answer a question for me please? I would just like to know the details of aiming a longbow.
At full draw, in my head, I would want to see the arrow point on the gold,or below, but where is the string blur in relation to the arrow?
 

Bandit

Active member
But do they fly straight, or does she aim off? An arrow that is too stiff will group, but fly to the left (For a R/H archer) A correctly spined arrow will fly straight. I hear so many people saying that you have to aim off with a longbow because it's not cut for centre-shot. This isn't true, if the arrows spine correctly you don't aim off at all, you aim directly below the target.
Well we have yet to test it longer than 10 yards but this is point on ( or well under at this distance)

I'm pretty sure a bar shaft test would show quite different results. Fletchings mask the effect considerably.
 
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Bandit

Active member
Black band for elevation, point of arrow for windage. No need to aim off if the weather is calm. So you have two separate sights to check before release.
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
Hi EB,
Can you answer a question for me please? I would just like to know the details of aiming a longbow.
At full draw, in my head, I would want to see the arrow point on the gold,or below, but where is the string blur in relation to the arrow?
For me I see the string blur straight down the belly of the bow, which is the same way as I shoot my recurve.
 

English Bowman

Well-known member
Well we have yet to test it longer than 10 yards but this is point on ( or well under at this distance)

I'm pretty sure a bar shaft test would show quite different results. Fletchings mask the effect considerably.
It'll show up more over distances, and with longbow the draw weight is only a starting point, I have a 45lbs snakewood bow that will shoot the same arrows as my 65lbs osage bow. The osage isn't a slow bow, but the snakewood is ridiculously fast. It's about the speed of the bow, not the measured draw weight, a fast bow needs a stiffer arrow than a slow bow.
 
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