Scythian, Mongolian, Hungarian....which to choose?

minti35

New member
I currently shoot with a Raven Antelope which I love, but I want another bow and after a lot of thinking I have decided to go for a 'horse bow' style. I am now confused as to which bow to get as there are just so many different ones to choose from!

Does anyone shoot with these types of bow who can advise on speed, accuracy etc? Also, does anyone actually do horseback archery?

Thanx
 

dtalbot

New member
Have shot various horse bow styles and the Mongolian is the one for me, not done horseback yet but it is on the to do list for this summer so think I need to pick up a 35lb ish bow for that. I go with Mongolians for the speed and the very little hand shock even with a pretty heavy bow. I'm certainly the limiting factor on accuracy but I can normally get them on the target somewhere at about 80yds which is the longest shot on the field course I've most with my 55lb Mongolian.
 

Uller

The American
Fonz Awardee
American Shoot
I originally started shooting horsebow with a Hungarian bow, then bought a second hand Scythian. The Scythian felt smoother to shoot, probably because of the recurved tips rather than the stiffer siyahs, and with less 'handshock' on the release. Since then I've bought another two Scythian bows, upping the poundage each time and going for the horn/sinew ones.
Just as dtalbot said, the limiting factor on accuracy is mostly me and perhaps arrow selection. I've never tried shooting the different types of bow through a chrono, but a 52# Scythian got around 150ft/s with a 500gn arrow.
 

steve Morley

New member
Have a look at Saluki Bows, my opinion one of the best on offer, Lukus makes orginal Horn bows as well as a cheaper more affordable modern version, I have the fibreglass 'Ibex' and 'turk' both a 50#, the turk has gone through a chrono 218fps with a 420g arrow and Ibex 198fps.

Easier to shoot than many other Horsebows, I've won many Field tourneys in Recurve div with these two bows, the Ibex is slower but better for tourney.

Bow Models
 

BillM

Member
Like Uller, I have a 52# scythian bow and I find it easier to draw than my 46# longbow. The scythian is smooth to draw and quiet on release but the longbow is more accurate just now as I only got it a Christmas and need lots more practice. It should be fun first time I use at the field course.

BillM
 

Dorset Lass

New member
Ironman
I love my Scythian horn and sinew bow - so smooth and so little hand shock. Like Uller any accuracy problems are entirely down to me, the bow is not very forgiving if your release is less than perfect! It is an excellent teacher and gives instant feedback!

I also have a couple of Kaya KTB fibreglass and maple composite bows which are much more affordable than the horn and sinew version. This is my bow of choice for horseback archery (not that I have done much) but you should be prepared to throw the bow down to the ground if there is a problem with the horse and I would not want to do that with my precious horn and sinew one!

So glad you are going for a horse bow - soon we will take over the world (again) !
 

ChakaZulu

New member
Just found this thread!

I have a couple of Grozer bows, which I love. The Kaya is fast but I personally didn't get on with it. Many do, including many mounted archers.

It's also worth checking out the Arcus range from Quicks: the ones I tried are very nice, if a touch long for my tastes. Again, many mounted archers use longer...

If you have the money then I agree with Steve Morley: you can't go wrong with a Saluki.

As for horseback, yes, I do horseback archery, as does Dorset Lass. In fact, as of this month I'm the new Chairman of the British Horseback Archery Association, so do feel free to fire out any questions and we'll try to persuade you to shoot your bow the way it's meant to be shot!
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
I'm tempted to get a Samick SKB bow for a bit of fun. But I have a few questions people on here might be able to answer.

Am I right in guessing that the draw length is longer than with an english longbow? I'm assuming it is because I had a go with another member's and I kept wanting to draw it back to the ear, it was only the length of my arrows that stopped me. though it could have been due to the lighter poundage.

When making arrows for this type of bow which spine weight do you use? I know your ment to take around 5-10lbs off the spine chart for the english longbow, do you do the same or is the chart reasonably accurate for this type of bow?

I know traditionally you should shoot it with a thumb ring, and shoot it off the thumb rather than off the forefinger, it there much of a difference doing it this way?
 

BillM

Member
I asked the maker of my scythian bow what spine of arrow and the reply was "pound for pound". My bow is rated at 52# and I shoot an arrow spine of 50/55 and they shoot fine. I don't know the exact spine but am O.K. with what I got from Stan at Aim4sport. With my longbow a 38# spine is best matched to the 46# that I am drawing and I did try several options before settling on that.

BillM
 

ChakaZulu

New member
Raven's_Eye said:
Am I right in guessing that the draw length is longer than with an english longbow?
Depends how you draw your elb! If you shoot in the bow, warbow style, then no. If you draw in a more target style then probably yes, although obviously you can draw a horsebow to any length.


When making arrows for this type of bow which spine weight do you use?
Generally stiffer than elb since the horsebow will probably be faster and, as mentioned above, you may be drawing longer.[/quote]

I know traditionally you should shoot it with a thumb ring, and shoot it off the thumb rather than off the forefinger, it there much of a difference doing it this way?
It's certainly a very different way of shooting. It's a bit of a Marmite thing: many people never get the hang of it whereas other pick it up straight away. I find Mediterranean release really difficult now!
 

ChakaZulu

New member
Raven's_Eye said:
Am I right in guessing that the draw length is longer than with an english longbow?
Depends how you draw your elb! If you shoot in the bow, warbow style, then no. If you draw in a more target style then probably yes, although obviously you can draw a horsebow to any length.


When making arrows for this type of bow which spine weight do you use?
Generally stiffer than elb since the horsebow will probably be faster and, as mentioned above, you may be drawing longer.

I know traditionally you should shoot it with a thumb ring, and shoot it off the thumb rather than off the forefinger, it there much of a difference doing it this way?
It's certainly a very different way of shooting. It's a bit of a Marmite thing: many people never get the hang of it whereas other pick it up straight away. I find Mediterranean release really difficult now!
 

Bernie

New member
I'm tempted to get a Samick SKB bow for a bit of fun. But I have a few questions people on here might be able to answer.

Am I right in guessing that the draw length is longer than with an english longbow? I'm assuming it is because I had a go with another member's and I kept wanting to draw it back to the ear, it was only the length of my arrows that stopped me. though it could have been due to the lighter poundage.

When making arrows for this type of bow which spine weight do you use? I know your ment to take around 5-10lbs off the spine chart for the english longbow, do you do the same or is the chart reasonably accurate for this type of bow?

I know traditionally you should shoot it with a thumb ring, and shoot it off the thumb rather than off the forefinger, it there much of a difference doing it this way?

I got the Samick skb50 marked as 50 lbs, they are measured at 30inch draw, ignore the number written on the bow, got to a shop and get them to put it on a bow scales, I only draw 27 inches, the bow came out at 38lbs at 27". I stuck some 4" feathers on a few easton blues 1816's just to test the bow without smashing my wooden ones, It is a very fast and smooth bow to shoot, only tried it out on targets, taking it in the woods next for some 3D shooting now I have the correct nocking point set without slicing my hand with the feathers.
I got a thumb ring at the same time, after attempting to use it without first looking for instructions on the web, had a few misfires and nearly ripped my thumbnail off, once the pain stops I'll try again. 38lbs hanging on your thumb being suddenly realest and catching on the end of your nail is not good.

For the money it's a great little bow, the more I shoot it, the more I like it.
 

BillM

Member
although obviously you can draw a horsebow to any length.
Because of the last post I just noticed this in a previous one. The "instructions" I received from the maker of my scythian bow stated - Use : The pulling length of the bow is 28" (= 70.7cm) but is ensured up to 30" (= 76cm). I took that to mean that the bow should not be drawn beyond the 30" due to it being only 54" long and anything beyond 30" might cause the string to come off the nock(s). It would be worth ckecking if my interpretation is near the mark before trying to draw more than 30".

BillM
 

ChakaZulu

New member
BillM said:
Because of the last post I just noticed this in a previous one. The "instructions" I received from the maker of my scythian bow stated - Use : The pulling length of the bow is 28" (= 70.7cm) but is ensured up to 30" (= 76cm). I took that to mean that the bow should not be drawn beyond the 30" due to it being only 54" long and anything beyond 30" might cause the string to come off the nock(s). It would be worth ckecking if my interpretation is near the mark before trying to draw more than 30".

BillM
Sorry, my comment may not have been clear. I was referring to the suggestion that a horsebow has a longer draw than an elb. What I meant by "any length" was that you can pull to the chest, chin, jaw, ear etc, so the draw is not necessarily longer than an elb. I didn't mean that horsebows are immune to breakage if overdrawn!
 

ChakaZulu

New member
Bernie said:
I got a thumb ring at the same time, after attempting to use it without first looking for instructions on the web, had a few misfires and nearly ripped my thumbnail off, once the pain stops I'll try again. 38lbs hanging on your thumb being suddenly realest and catching on the end of your nail is not good.
Good lord, how were you doing it? Unless you have seriously long nails a thumbring shouldn't be hurting them!
 

BillM

Member
Not a problem ChakaZulu. The beauty of the Forum is the exchange of thoughts etc. so if anyone wants to shoot a particular type of bow there might be information here that might be useful. In my case my recurve draw length is 28" (measured) and I use the same style of draw and to the same reference point regardless of bow I am using. I am assured by experience longbow archers that my draw with the longbow will be about 1" shorter and I suspect that it will be the same with the scythian, especially that with 52# on the fingers I do not want to hold it for any length of time. With my recurve with 40# at 28" I can hold for quite a bit longer without tremor but that sets in very quickly trying to hold the scythian longer than it takes to get POA.

BillM
 

Bernie

New member
Good lord, how were you doing it? Unless you have seriously long nails a thumbring shouldn't be hurting them!
It was the string sliding down my thumb and catching the tip of my nail not the thumbring, my thumb was still bent when the string slipped off the ring. I have since found instructions, watched the youtube videos and cut my nail right back. I'll be giving it another go today up close to a big target, it all feels a bit strange having the arrow on the wrong side of the bow and holding the string with thumb and index finger, I'll get there in the end (maybe). I like archery and want to have a go in all it's forms, I have a AFB, a Recurve and now a small Samick skb, I have to say that the skb is really good fun to shoot especially at 80 yards, just hitting a 120cm face is a good result for me.
 
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