Longevity of osage bows

[Eric Garza]

While perusing an older thread, I came across numerous claims of the longevity of osage orange bows. What is the oldest shootable osage orange bow that people have first-hand experience with?

[PEARL DRUMS]

About 40-50 years. My buddy found a Grumley replica in the trash can. I braced it and shot it several times.

[bluegill68]

The Osage bow in my office was built 5 yrs ago. I don't shoot or hunt with it exclusively but I have killed 3 deer with it.

[Dances with squirrels]

My favorite osage selfbow... 66" ntn and 63# @ 28"... has been my #1 bow for hunting and target shooting since '04 and shows no signs of wear. Not old by some standards, but it's spent those years shooting and braced for countless hours hunting. She.... Lioness.... still stands straight and is anxious to hunt again in a couple weeks.

[Eric Garza]

40-50 years seems quite old. Are there any other species of wood that can boast similar longevity for self bows?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Eric I could tell my looking at the bow he had been used hard in its lifetime.

[dbb]

I think  this is one more of those "too many factors" question.
surely what kind of wood matters but also storing,care,amount of use,climate matters a lot.

[adb]

I believe a well made, well cared for and carefully used osage bow will easily last a lifetime. I have some that are >10 years old that have shot thousands of arrows, and besides being darker brown, they look and perform the same as the day they were made.
I also have a 50's or 60's vintage Bear static recurve that has osage as the core. It's FG limbs mind you, but it is in mint condition and still gets shot regularily.

[Eric Garza]

I think  this is one more of those "too many factors" question. Surely what kind of wood matters but also storing,care,amount of use,climate matters a lot.

Fair enough. If I had an osage bow and a hickory bow and stored, cared and used them the same, would they last equally long?

[PEARL DRUMS]

Uh oh............now you opened a can of squirmy worms Mr. Garza!

[adb]

If I had to pick... like really PICK just one... I'd go with the osage. Every time.

[PEARL DRUMS]

How about this thought. Since hickory is very hydroscopic, or whatever that word is. If a person was to shoot his hickory bow year round whenever they felt the desire with no regard to seasons or weather. Would it be detrimental to the bow during high humidity? Is it crushing cells each time its drawn while "wet"? 

[BowEd]

I saw an osage bow that was 37 years old being shot.Gods' truth.Shot real well,about 30 shots or so.But all of a sudden it snapped in half at the handle.I examined it and it was a spliced handled bow.Looked like a too dry wood type of break.Like said earlier construction,care,and use all contribute here.Some people take better care of their bows than others.That's the beauty of the self bow.Just make another that'll be your favorite.Just think if you shoot every week at least 100 arrows X 52 that's over 5000 arrows X 10 years = +50,000 arrows.That's a lot of fun and entertainment for something with a minimal investment.No matter what the wood.

[bluegill68]

While not is use per se I think the Yew bows of the Mary Rose have to be mentioned, 450 years and still shootable?

[Eric Garza]

Uh oh............now you opened a can of squirmy worms Mr. Garza!

So far so good 

...But all of a sudden it snapped in half at the handle.I examined it and it was a spliced handled bow...

So do you think the failure was due to the wood, or perhaps due to the adhesive used for the splice?