On Fri, 09 Aug 2002 16:57:14 -0000, "bethexton" <bethexton_at_...> wrote:
>I'm a long way from an expert on the subject, but I thought one of
>the distinguishing features was the length of the draw? That is to
>say, the long bow was designed to be drawn back to the ear, while
>most bows had been made to draw to the cheek.
Actually, where you draw to is a matter of style, not bow construction. What you want is a solid, firm string hand position, be it ear, cheek, chin, whatever. You're talking 2-4 inches there, maybe 4-8 pounds draw (1"= approx 2 lbs), not much over 120-odd pounds. True, the angle at the string hand is much sharper the longer you pull, and more painful to hold, so a longbow ALLOWS a longer draw. But the longer a bow is, the more energy is wasted in the mechanical effort of it's straightening out, so a bow should be as SHORT as it's poundage and your draw length allows.
> The advantage of the
>short draw was that you sighted right down the arrow (handy for
Handy for losing an eye too, if you're unlucky... in our Live RolePlaying, one fair Elf maiden was sighting down her arrow when a great buffoon in plate ran across in front of her, hitting the arrow. Luckily it 'kicked' upward, but she now has a very faint but seemingly permanent battle scar on her forehead!
>hunting), but the longer draw lets you fire a heavier arrow, which
>allows it to punch through armor better and which also holds its
>momentum better over long flights. (If I'm recalling my basic
True, but a heavier bow needs a heavier arrow so as not to break or fly erratically when pushed by the string (remember, the weight is chiefly in the head at the front, held back by inertia, while you push from the back). A heavier arrow will fly slower for a given poundage. And the time and distance of flight is limited by the speed the arrow leaves the bow, and the constant force of gravity. So lighter arrows will fly farther, unless they break or whip around.
>physics properly, for the same draw you don't get any higher arrow
>velocity, aside from issues of portion of the energy into the arrow
>rather than the bow, and I think the long bow actually comes out
>ahead of a short one that arcs back more when drawn in this regard,
>even assuming a short simple bow could arc enough for the ear draw)
An effect of the mechanical waste I mentioned above, yes. Also, recurved bows (where the tips point a bit forward) 'flick' the string tight quicker and so shoot the arrow faster.
>I'd assume it takes more practice to shoot accurately from the ear
>draw position, but when you are firing en masse at a couple of
>thousand attackers you don't need pin point accuracy anyway.
Practice will enable you to shoot accurately from whatever position you are used to, so long as it's consistent and predictable. You shouldn't really have to aim after some years, just look at the target and shoot...
>Anyway, I don't think Odaylans would use a long bow--not practical in
>the bush! Also you don't need that heavy fire power for most things
>that you are hunting.
Not practical in the bush? It never did Robin Hood any harm in Sherwood Forest! * Besides, Odaylans have a lot of scary stuff to hunt...
Wulf
Powered by hypermail