Denny,
No, I dont do SCA.....just too old to pick up another habit. I make and shoot Mollegabets because the design is solid and the bows shoot smooth, hard, (good cast) and have good speed. More importantly to me they are dead quiet even at the heavier weights (60-80#).
The pin knocks common to a lot of early European and Nordic bows are very strong. If ya think about it you would be trying to snap off a piece of hardwood that's only about 1/2 inch long.....that amount of force required would be more than a man could pull.
As for the carvings, most of them are in fact based upon the Russ models.....but also I have done several from the Icelandic models as well. I believe that the squints break them (Vikings) into groups based upon which way they migrated/ explored/ fought. So ya have Eastern expanding, and western expanding. I have friends of Nordic stock who are from both groups....so whatever I'm carving beit a bow, seax scabbard, weapon handles or whatever I try to make them designs that are true to their particular ancestors.
As a side note, N2huntin....Jeff taught some of his friends to build mollegabets and one of them is a retired mechanical engineer who promtly took measurements, plugged 'em into some programs and came up with a "bow efficientcy model" for various bow designs. Turns out the mollegabet is so highly efficient that is all he makes now. I got that second hand from Jeff so can't give the man's name....but generally most people who actually shoot them, like them.....a lot. I recently made a 70# for Gothmog, and I guess he's tickled pink with it.....I believe he said that it outshot his newer model compound bow.
rich
