Trad Gang
Main Boards => Trad History/Collecting => Topic started by: Amberjack on August 03, 2015, 10:59:00 PM
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Howdy Longbow Gurus,
Here's an interesting bow, truly has a fascinating story behind it. I'm in the process of writing up the history of this particular bow and the arrows that accompany it and will share here when it's complete but for now, do these pictures indicate any particular maker to you or perhaps that it's a self-made bow?
What we know about it is that it was chosen by a life-long archer to use in rough conditions, has a draw weight of 93#. (Yes, ninety-three) and is obviously a takedown longbow with curved limbtips. Leather wrapped grip. Top and Bottom limbs are joined at the grip socket and secured with a single screw in the grip. It's 59 1/4" long unstrung. Appears to be two wood types, dark on the belly and light on the back, laminated together.
No markings.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1723_zpsd7tt2spq.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1725_zpsn0qo3oes.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1726_zpstmlmgwnx.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1728_zpsvq8oe0pe.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1729_zpsvkf17hmf.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1730_zpsiimmnwp2.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1735_zpsml3ueymh.jpg)
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/IMG_1739_zpscxho3wtp.jpg)
Any help is greatly appreciated!
-John
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Here's the broadhead on one of the accompanying arrows to the above bow. Arrows are POC, painted black, self nocks. No markings. 29" from broadhead tip to nock. BH is tiny by today's standards. Bonehead that I am I forgot to measure it but it's probably 1.25" long and maybe 7/8" wide.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/Jack_Breeding/arrow2_zpst5f2vgjw.jpg)
Homemade broadhead? Resemble any 'factory' heads from the 30s or 40s?
-Jack
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Looks a little like a Chester Brown head from the 30s
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It does resemble a 1936 Chester Brown but it also looks a lot like the 1936 Outdoor Sports Co. Head with the rounded brass ferrule.
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The bow looks like sinew backed yew with a lot of patina, to me.
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I'm pretty sure the bow belonged to Ralph Hulbert.
“Before leaving the States I bought a take-down Osage which I’ve been able to keep with me and with which I’ve shared many enjoyable hours. In case you’re interested, the bow was made by Fred Thomas of Denton, Texas, and has a Gibraltar lock-on handle. It is 59 inches from nock to nock with limbs two inches wide, is rawhide backed, pulls 92 pounds and needless to say, shoots quite fast. I had a bit of trouble controlling it at first but it now shoots my 3/8" fir shafts pretty close to where I want them most of the time. Targets have been entirely of the inanimate variety so far but I’ve carried bow and broadheads on a couple of combat missions and eventually may catch up with something more lively than a wind blown leaf. The Colonel saw me shooting a few weeks ago and later expressed the desire to “have an archer on every night patrol”–should keep me busy." Ralph Hulbert - "Archery" April 1945
I included his exploits during WW11 in an article titled "Silent, Flashless Weapons" published in the Dec/Jan 2010 Traditional Bowhunter.
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"Arrows were made by Tepee Archery Tackle of Auburn Mass., 3/8" birch painted flat black." "Night Climb" by Frank Harper.
Harper mentions Hulbert's bow was made by a bowyer in Texas, 96lb @ 27" and sinew backed osage.
It is not unusual to find varying comments from different sources from older material.
Harper's account of Hulbert's exploits is exaggerated.
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The close up pictures do look like sinew backing to me and not rawhide.