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- Please e-mail
Aldric with any questions!
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- Archery Manuals
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- A collection of old archery books, articles and prints!
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- Safety First!
Never draw, aim or shoot unless
the Rangemaster has given the appropriate commands to do so and you are sure
that line of fire is clear.
Remember:
Once an arrow is in flight, it cannot be recalled.
"If you draw the arrow past the rest, do not discharge the bow."
- Bows
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- For the Archery Lysts (target archery) all
types of long bows, flat bows, and recurve bows are allowed. Modern
compound bows and crossbows are not allowed.
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- Bows used for Combat Archery may not
have a draw weight of more then 35 lbs. at 28" draw length.
Most bows (not all) will have some
useful info inscribed on it somewhere. This may include the bow draw length,
draw weight,
brace height, bowstring length, serial number, and the manufacturer or
bowyer.
Never "dry fire" a bow.
Drawing and releasing an arrowless bowstring can result in severe damage to
the bow.
Always unstring your bow when not in
use.
- Store your bow in a cool, dry place and avoid
prolonged exposure to excessive heat and moisture.
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- Occasionally waxing your bow with a quality
furniture wax will help to preserve its finish.
Bow Draw Length
Draw length is
the length the bow is drawn to the anchor point.
To determine your personal bow draw length
measure the length of your arm span in inches.
- Stand in a
natural posture with your arms out, palms facing forward.
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- Have someone
measure the distance from the tip of one middle finger to the other.
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- Divide that
number by 2.5.
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- This is your personal bow draw length.
Bow Draw Weight
Draw weight is
the force required to draw a bow to full arrow length, usually measure in
pounds at a certain draw length measured in inches. For example 35# @ 28.
Smaller Ladies
and children might try starting with bows in the 25 lb. range. However
distance shooting may be challenging with a
bow of this power. As your skills improve you may well outgrow such a bow.
Medium frame
Ladies, small frame Lords, and larger children might look at bows in the
30-40 lb range.
Larger frame
Ladies and medium frame Lords might look at bows in the 40-50 lb. range.
Larger frame
Lords should be able to handle bows in the 50-60 lb. range.
These are guideline of course!
Bow Brace Height (Fistmele)
The distance between the bow string and the
pivot point (most inward point of the grip) is known as the brace height.
To achieve correct brace height the bowstring
must be the correct length for the bow.
Twisting your bowstring will reduce its length
and increase your brace height.
Untwisting your bowstring or installing a longer
bowstring will decrease your brace height.
A higher brace height helps reduce bow vibration
and noise and minimizes the effects of shooting errors.
A lower brace height provides increased arrow
velocity.
Increased noise and poor arrow flight can be the
result of a brace height that is too low.
If you don't know the correct brace height for
your bow here are some guidelines:
Longbows are
generally never braced lower than six inches.
Many modern
longbows like to be braced at or around seven inches.
Recurve bows are
rarely braced less than seven inches.
Many modern
recurve bows like to be braced between seven and nine inches.
Experiment and fine tune to find the best brace
height for your particular bow.
Avoid untwisting "Flemish" style
bowstrings as string failure may occur.
You may want to keep your unstrung bow string
from twisting/untwisting during transport
so you won't have to keep readjusting
your brace height.
Nocking Point
Most bows will have a small brass nock
"set" to indicate where the arrow nock should be placed.
If you acquire a new bow you may have to install
this yourself. We can help you do this.
Arrow Rests
Some bows have an arrow rest which makes the bow either for right or left
handed archers. Bows without an arrow rest can be shot right or left handed.
Bow Stringers
A bow stringer is a simple device that allows
bows to be strung and unstrung without twisting the limbs
resulting in damage to the bow. A bow
stringer also provides the safest method of stringing your bow as the limb
tips are away from you during the stringing and unstringing process. (Avoid
placing your head close to the limb tips when stringing and unstringing your
bow).
Lubricating The Bowstring
Natural fibre bowstrings should be waterproofed
and lubricated periodically.
Artificial fibre bowstrings don't usually
require waterproofing but should be kept lubricated to protect the strands
of thread from abrading against each other during use.
There are products available from archery stores
for this, but beeswax works just fine. Rub the bowstring well with a piece
of beeswax. Then take a piece of cloth and rub up and down along the entire
length of the string until it is well saturated with the wax. Remove any
excess if you apply too much. (It shouldn't be gooey when you are finished.)
Arrows
Wooden arrows tipped with target (field) points
or sensible period points are used for the Lysts.
Specially tipped
fiberglass arrows must be used for Combat archery.
Using a longer arrow then that scribed on the
bow may result in overdrawing the bow causing
damage or catastrophic failure when the bow snaps or shatters.
For accurate shooting the flex of the arrows
(spine) must match the draw weight of the bow.
(This is not usually marked on the arrows and a
special device is required to test arrow spine.)
If your arrows wag left and right it is usually
an indication of improper spine - probably too little spine.
If you are getting a good arrow flight but your
arrows are shooting to the left it is probably too much spine.
Arm Bracers
A simple leather arm bracer to protect from
bowstring bites is a good idea. These can be made as well as bought.
Shooting Glove/Finger Tabs
Most archers protect the fingers of their
bowstring hand with a leather shooting glove or finger "tab".
Period archers used leather gauntlets but modern
shooting gloves cover only the three fingers used to
hold the bowstring.
See you on the Range!
Copyright © 2010 Steve & Patty
Vanik All rights reserved.
