Another Crazy Badger Idea

[PatM]

All the bows seem to be 42-60 inches long with sharp short recurves. You can google images and find a few of his bows with glass backing and toxhorn belly but the basic design seems unchanged despite differences in material.
 There is clearly something special about that design as well and it is interesting that no modern day composite has come close to those marks  with any degree of consistency.
 There have been a couple of 500-600 plus yard shots but there is a question of materials allowed in those cases. Either fiberglass, fastflite or carbon arrows seems to have been allowed.

[Badger]

  I just looked up a self yew bow that shot 466 yards, i think it was 82#. Bow was 62" long. No doubt great bows but I still think the arrows were where they were beating us. We are getting wooden bows very close to the speed of glass bows and still not getting anything close to those records. I htink some guys were using  gut for strings, I don't know what the prefferred string was. Not sure about the overdraw either, I keep hearing they had different rules but they don't appear all that different.

[Badger]

  I recently finished up a little 62" yew bow that feels pretty fast. I am wishing now I would have brought it. I think I will put some statics on it this week and try it out next year. They are so light I can see where they would be good for the light arrows.

[PatM]

That Yew bow that avcase posted on PP? That's a good example. I made one as close as I could to it in appearance but haven't had a chance to take it to a long field for testing.
 I did once read very convincing evidence that an arrow does have to "plane" somewhat to achieve long distances. The evidence seemed to point towards sheer speed and aerodynamics not making sense from a physics standpoint when you factored in the energy stored etc.

[Badger]

  Pat, the lighter arrow you shoot the faster it will come out of the bow. It will not neccessarily maintain the speed as long as a heavier arrow that started out going slower. ZI tried somethign different on my wood arrows this year and it flopped on me, I figured I would make very long needle tips and effectively have shorter stiffer arrows even though the measured at say 26". They were falling out of the air at around 250 yards. The 300 grain arrows would go 300 yards or better. This year I am spending all my time on arrows, I have enough bows to last me a lifetime, maybe do a little modification here and there.

[mikekeswick]

One thing I would like to hear, is a perspective from someone who has been (or tried) to be a bowyer (or fletcher maybe)  professionally, as a living.

I could write a chapter on Singing String Archery and the absolute PITA that turned out to be.  Going pro is a nightmare.

Agreed! My advice is don't bother....plenty of easier ways to not make a living!

[mikekeswick]

So are we agreed that a chapter on flight bows and ARROWS  would be very very interesting?
I completely agree on the arrow being the most important. I've constantly been surprised at how various flight arrows i've made have actually performed compared to what I thought they would do.

[Del the cat]

I quite fancy messing with flight... but no where near to try 'em.
All the airfields have damn 'planes on 'em.
"This is Stansted Air traffic control to Ryanair FR823... hold your take off.... Del just wants to lob a few down the runway, over"
"Ryanair FR823.. roger on that"
Actually theres a grass airstrip fairly near, maybe I'll have to go and talk to 'em... Prob wouldn't be interested in case there were arrow left sticking up out of the runway....?
Del

[Aussie Yeoman]

I'm surprised this fell to the second page already.

Anything happening?

[mullet]

This magazine is in the "land of attorneys"

[Aussie Yeoman]

um, huh?

[Badger]

  Mike I have mainly concentrated on broadhead flight shooting which is basicaly hunting type bows. I do always dabble in the regular light arrow flight but really haven't given it too much attention, so I would not be well suited to right a chapeter on flight. I do however know someone well suited for the task.

[mullet]

um, huh?

I thought you were talking about PA's responce.

[Buckeye Guy]

Steve
Do you have a guess on why Bamboo flies different than wood   ?
Hollow vs solid, nodes changing vibration, ect
It see it too but have not shot enough boo to understand it yet !
I need more boo !
I don't flight shoot but do see a difference in impact point of boo arrows !

[PatM]

Many think that bamboo has better "dynamic spine". It's hard to argue with the fact that a pretty crude bamboo shaft can often radically outshoot the most refined wooden arrow.
 I have noticed that a bamboo shaft will do better with a tiny amount of weight added to the tip.
 I once had an exceptional piece of bamboo that I made into a flight arrow and just the addition of a target point from a kids arrow added a large amount of yardage to the cast.
 The general consensus that bamboo tolerates a wide range of poundage-spine variation likely has something to do with the better flight.