Longbow newbie seeking advice

[mnmorton]

Hi all

I've been shooting recurve at my club for a couple of years but fancy trying longbow as it's why I always wanted to take up archery anyway !

I've been looking at various longbows (I quite like the look of yewtreearchery - read some good things about them and seems well priced) and the associated extras but have some queries which I'm hoping you might be able to help with (and yes I am also asking the guys at the club that shoot longbow, but at the moment always seem to be shooting on different days!)

Bow. Any advice on what would be a good poundage to go for. My recurve is currently 32lb (am 29" draw as well if that affects any of the answers), although I could probably go up a few lbs as I've been shooting that for a while now. I was thinking either 40 or 45 lbs ? Would 40 be too light and limit in that I'd probably what heavier quite quickly / is 45 likely to be too heavy (I read somewhere that 10lbs more than what you are pulling on recurve should be fine)?
Also what about length? I'm just over 6ft tall, so was thinking 74" i.e. a couple of inches taller than me?

Arrows. I'd like to make my own arrows. There seems to be a lot of variations on the shafts, feathers and even the weight of the points - how do you decide which of each to put together ! I've found loads of 'bits' of advice but nothing that puts it all together in a relatively simple way. Does anyone have any links to full advice sites, perhaps even with a full step-thru on making arrows ?

Anything else you think a newbie to the longbow might be interested in or needs to know then please advise

Thanks a lot

[Ffish]

I've just ordered a bow for my 13 yr old from Yew Tree Archery. It's currently in the tillering process, and will be available to deliever in about 2-3 weeks. Although my sprogg is a longbow shooter, he too originally came from the recurve route, and I was also unsure of what poundage to get him.

My suggestion would be to drop Keith Rayner an email detailing all your criteria, and he'll call you back and discuss it with you. I spent over half an hour on the phone with him, and thought his approach, his knowledge, and his whole friendly attitude and helpfulness was fantastic. The bow builder page on his website is also very useful too.

In terms of arrows, take a look at the longbow shop (advertised on this site) and get a spine to suit your bow once you have it.

[Del the Cat]

40lb is pretty common for a longbow where I shoot and gives a decent cast.
That shouldn't be too much of a jump from what you are shooting now.
It's easy enough to take a few pounds off a bow, but harder to put it on, although if you go for a couple of inches taller than you then you can always shorten it and gain a few pounds.
personally I don't like a bow to be too long (ok if it's a huge draw weight).
Del

[Juicefree]

I've not been shooting a long bow for too long.

The way I got into it was through a Bow Making weekend at DIY - Archery with Steve Stratton. Not only is this probably the cheapest way to get a decent bow you also leave with shed loads of information on what's going on in the long bow/war bow world.

With regards to making your own arrows, try YouTubing some of Nick Birmingham's clips on arrow making.

[Yew Selfbow]

Whatever you do ..talk to the bowyer who is making your bow...
tell him/her (are there any lady bowyers?) what you want to do with it and all you personal dimentions, but talk to the maker.
Good luck

[Old Biker Dog]

I would recommend Yew Tree bows for quality and finish also the Bowyer is an excellent person to speak to for advice , the web site is excellent and gives a great choice of woods . I bought a yew tree bow and three other club members have now got Yew tree bows.

I also recommend Hi - Forces for arrows for making yourself they can supply all components required and give great advice .


Happy Long Bow Shooting

[mnmorton]

Thanks all for the response. Am trying to get hold of Keith at Yew Tree to discuss my bow requirements and will check out those arrow suppliers

[mnmorton]

Well my Yew Tree bow arrives tomorrow

Can anyone advise on initial setup and first shooting.

I know that the brace height should be 'fistmele' distance and about 6-6.5".

Is it worth putting a nocking point on straight away and adjusting it as the string stretches, or can I shoot without a nocking point until its stretched in ?

Before I shoot for the first time (or even everytime before shooting) do I need to do anything to the bow such as warm it up/stretch it in or something ?

Anything else I've missed ?

Thanks

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by Old Biker Dog

I would recommend Yew Tree bows for quality and finish also the Bowyer is an excellent person to speak to for advice , the web site is excellent and gives a great choice of woods . I bought a yew tree bow and three other club members have now got Yew tree bows.

I also recommend Hi - Forces for arrows for making yourself they can supply all components required and give great advice .

OBD you beat me to it. My wife is a keen longbow shooter and hs two of Kieth's bows. He's helpful beyond belief he spends so much time on the phone making sure everything is sorted out, I don't know when he finds time to make bows.
Dave at Hi-Force is also very helpful and all too ready to pass on advice over the phone. We've several sets of Hi-Force arrows, some made up and somewhich have been send as a kit (the shafts were tested and indexed which was a great help).
Happy arrows

[Araglin]

Originally Posted by mnmorton

Well my Yew Tree bow arrives tomorrow

Can anyone advise on initial setup and first shooting.

I know that the brace height should be 'fistmele' distance and about 6-6.5".

Is it worth putting a nocking point on straight away and adjusting it as the string stretches, or can I shoot without a nocking point until its stretched in ?

Before I shoot for the first time (or even everytime before shooting) do I need to do anything to the bow such as warm it up/stretch it in or something ?

Hope you enjoy it!

Don't see why you shouldn't shoot it without a nocking point at first.

For warming up before each session I believe the advice is that the bow should be gently flexed several times in increasing increments before taking it to full draw and gently letting down a few times.

[steve58]

Mr Bickerstaffe is the man!

Wish I'd stuck with 10# above my recurve weight when I started, wouldn't have wasted a year. Once I got a 45# bow it took about a year to work up to 53# again and shoot it properly.

Arrows, HiForce. I have always had good advice and good service (I get kits from them and make up my own)

[Bender]

If you're worried about string stretch, use a tie on string nock. Shooting without a string nock is an exercise in frustration.

[nutterforlongbows]

Always buy from a bowyer who has a degree from the carft Guild of Bowyers and Fletchers and you cant go far wrong, my bow is from Richard Head, he was very helpfull to me in what to choose and he invited me to visit his workshop to measured for the bow, excellent!

[jb.68]

Originally Posted by nutterforlongbows

Always buy from a bowyer who has a degree from the carft Guild of Bowyers and Fletchers and you cant go far wrong, my bow is from Richard Head, he was very helpfull to me in what to choose and he invited me to visit his workshop to measured for the bow, excellent!

I'll give you five reasons why I disagree with that statement.

Mr Roy King
Mr Chris Boyton
Mr Pip Bickerstaffe
Mr Ron Palmer
Mr John Marshall

You may struggle to get one from Ron nowa days, as he is getting on a bit, but the other 4 are the only ones I would personally have a bow from.
Not one of them is a member of the guild.


jb

[DenzilS]

The Guild can't award degrees, they are an association of bowyers who are probably already experienced in the subject.