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Does any one know about the "Leclair Special" longbow.  I know it wasn't made by him.  Who made it and how did it perform?

Strange shooting session this afternoon. Please don't take anything I'm about to share as bragging, because I certainly don't mean it that way. I started shooting a recurve in 1958 when I was 8 yrs. old. Except for a few years with a compound, I have mostly shot recuves since then. I do own a couple of r/d longbows which I shoot some, but again mostly recurves. Folks at the club and at traditional 3d shoots tell me I shoot very well and that I have good form. Since I haven't made a video of myself, I'll have to take their word for it. I have always admired HH bows and after a couple of nice folks let me shoot a few arrows from one, I bought a used Big Five from far rider on this forum a few months ago. At 68" it is probably a little long for my 26-26.5" draw, but from the start I shot it pretty well. Today was VERY different. I shoot a recurve by focusing hard, coming to an established anchor, increasing back tension, and the shot is gone. It works for me. I don't like to see the arrow, only my spot. Except for the low grip and slightly bent bow arm, I have been shooting longbows much the same way, until today. This time, without thinking about it, my method seemed to change itself. I was still focusing hard on my spot, but I caught myself releasing at a slightly different anchor point ( sometimes it was slightly different from shot to shot). For lack of a better way to describe it, it was like I was focusing and simply feeling the shot, if that makes any sense. Anchor was more a function of alignment than a spot on my face. I wasn't seeing the arrow, even in flight, until it appeared in my spot. I noticed after a few shots that the more I believed my arrow would appear in my spot, the more it happened! I usually shoot a round of four arrows, one each at random distances from 10-25 yds. Today I was shooting too good to shoot groups. My bag target is mostly white, so an arrow hole shows up as a small black spot. I honestly hit arrow holes several times at ranges of 10-15 yds. and once at 18. Trust me, I don't usually shoot like that, and I don't really know why it happened. The only group I shot was my last 4 shots at 25 yds. and when I went to the target, I wrapped one hand around all 4 arrows and pulled them together. What's going on? Was it just a rare day of "being in the zone" or was it as Nate says just letting the shot be a smooth flowing motion. I just hope that it can occasionally be repeated. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Sorry for the long-winded post.
Gerald

Nate, thank you for the reply and encouragement! My broadheads have a taper on the back end so it would be forgiving if I did pull it back to the riser... or my finger    

Maybe I'll 3 fletch 3 of those 31.5" xx78s and see how they fly. If they fly right and don't cost me a 3$ sideplate every night I practice that would be pretty cool!

Oh this is another brand new string I tied up on Sunday, another observation was brace height. Normally I start at 6.5" and try to work down, but since it was brand new and not pre-stretched I started at 6.75" and it was dead quiet and drilling them in. By the time it worked down to 6.25 it was throwing arrows everywhere. I've got it cranked back up to 6.75 to get started tomorrow night. Amazing the effects on brace height and tuning!

Not many variables left, but not many days left til season either!

JCJ-

Ok,    I thought it was another story.

Darren

Gerald ...
I call it " mojo" brother ... lol . I think sometimes its the relaxed nature that lets us get in the zone ... form is still form but a relaxed archer is a more accurate archer IMHO ... and yep I have experienced what your talking about many times ... cool ain't it ?

QuoteOriginally posted by GRS:
Strange shooting session this afternoon. Please don't take anything I'm about to share as bragging, because I certainly don't mean it that way. I started shooting a recurve in 1958 when I was 8 yrs. old. Except for a few years with a compound, I have mostly shot recuves since then. I do own a couple of r/d longbows which I shoot some, but again mostly recurves. Folks at the club and at traditional 3d shoots tell me I shoot very well and that I have good form. Since I haven't made a video of myself, I'll have to take their word for it. I have always admired HH bows and after a couple of nice folks let me shoot a few arrows from one, I bought a used Big Five from far rider on this forum a few months ago. At 68" it is probably a little long for my 26-26.5" draw, but from the start I shot it pretty well. Today was VERY different. I shoot a recurve by focusing hard, coming to an established anchor, increasing back tension, and the shot is gone. It works for me. I don't like to see the arrow, only my spot. Except for the low grip and slightly bent bow arm, I have been shooting longbows much the same way, until today. This time, without thinking about it, my method seemed to change itself. I was still focusing hard on my spot, but I caught myself releasing at a slightly different anchor point ( sometimes it was slightly different from shot to shot). For lack of a better way to describe it, it was like I was focusing and simply feeling the shot, if that makes any sense. Anchor was more a function of alignment than a spot on my face. I wasn't seeing the arrow, even in flight, until it appeared in my spot. I noticed after a few shots that the more I believed my arrow would appear in my spot, the more it happened! I usually shoot a round of four arrows, one each at random distances from 10-25 yds. Today I was shooting too good to shoot groups. My bag target is mostly white, so an arrow hole shows up as a small black spot. I honestly hit arrow holes several times at ranges of 10-15 yds. and once at 18. Trust me, I don't usually shoot like that, and I don't really know why it happened. The only group I shot was my last 4 shots at 25 yds. and when I went to the target, I wrapped one hand around all 4 arrows and pulled them together. What's going on? Was it just a rare day of "being in the zone" or was it as Nate says just letting the shot be a smooth flowing motion. I just hope that it can occasionally be repeated. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Sorry for the long-winded post.
Gerald

Welcome to the magic of the straight-end American  longbow.  In the words of Eric Clapton "it's in the way that you use it!".  

Enjoy the zone as long as it can last.  It is cool when it hits, nothing really like it, shooting a longbow, IN THE ZONE.  It is just plain awesome!

The trick is trying to stay in the zone. I do agree that when I am in the zone i am usually feeling relaxed and loose.

QuoteOriginally posted by swampthing:
This type of bird doesn't fly, but it will throw feathers at you  

Man I love the looks of his bows    I'm thinking about taking his bow building class. Your a lucky Guy!!

Tracy

CAUTION!

the ONLY forum to talk bow sales/trades is the classifieds.  any post attempts at selling/buying/trading (or "head's up" posts!) on any other forum will be removed, as has just been done.

The zone, I believe is when you get out of the way and allow yourself to shoot the bow.  If we allow ourselves to focus only on the spot to be hit and let the muscle memory and unconscience parts of our brain do what it has been trained to do, we hit the zone.  

We can only focus on one thing with our conscience mind, but we can do multiple tasks with our unconscience.  The longbow is a very accurate bow design.  The thick limbs and repeatability even when the string is not released just perfect is part of its accuracy.  This style can lead you to some very enjoyable experiences shooting a bow.

It really is amazing the ability we have to shoot longbows an hit a spot, if we will allow it to happen and not force it in our minds.  Most activities that are done well are done with ease, relaxed, and graceful movements.  You see that in running, tennis, golf, wing shooting, flyfishing, etc.  There is a flow and ease to the movements when exceptional perfomances happen.  We allow our body and all parts of our brain to work in a harmony, without disruption.  

Watch Howard Hill shoot and you see that smooth, casual, fluid harmony of human performance.  His shooting transcends to an "art-form".

ChrisM, Ron told me that the LaClair Special was built by Randy Dehnel (Saxon Archery).  Ron does not build any of the bows he markets.  Gregg Coffee currently builds Ron's bows (Java Man). Gregg did a bang up job on the ShrewHill I talked Ron out of--Alpha--ShrewHill #1.  :D  No waiting period!!!!  Boy does that bow shoot sweet.

QuoteOriginally posted by David Mitchell:
ChrisM, Ron told me that the LaClair Special was built by Randy Dehnel (Saxon Archery).  Ron does not build any of the bows he markets.  Gregg Coffee currently builds Ron's bows (Java Man). Gregg did a bang up job on the ShrewHill I talked Ron out of--Alpha--ShrewHill #1.   :D   No waiting period!!!!  Boy does that bow shoot sweet.

Anyone has pics of the LeClair Special?

Darren

Gerald...Ben and Jeff nailed it......you were in the zone and it's sure a neat thing.  You can get in the zone easier when you are shooting relaxed, fluid, and subconsciously.  Just let it happen.  Of course, you have to have the shooting fundamentals, but you've been shooting a long time...lol.    Pretend you are shooting like you're driving on a Sunday afternoon.....just letting it flow, enjoying all that's around you, seeing everything, yet still keeping the car between the lines without conscious thought, and keeping the gas flowing without thought.  That's shooting a longbow.  Casual, Fluid, Simple, Relaxed.  Your body knows what to do.... don't get in it's way.

Sorry been gone for while brothers, had total knee replacement, the Laclair longbow, ron has a pic of it on his site.  Hope all is shooting and hunting well, I am trying to get better for our deer/turkey opener.  Nate, that bow you made me is shooting so sweet, skoal can at 20 yards

Ben, Jeff, Clifford, and Nate, thanks for the replies. Mojo, magic, in the zone, and fluid shooting. I think you are all right. Yes it was great. As stated, I can shoot my curves very well, but it seems like I am working at it and very conscious of form and method. Sometimes I think I get too careful. Nate, you're right about shooting a loooong time lol. I bet with all those years of ingrained habits, if someone had been watching, other than speed of release, my form probably didn't look much different. But it seemed very different. When I was a kid, I was pretty deadly with a slingshot. Other than not shooting yourself in the hand, we didn't know anything about form or rules. We just looked at the target and let'er fly, with pretty good results. No conscious thought of form or anchor or release, and no conscious attempt of duplicating methods from one shot to the next. Yesterday reminded me of that. It sure was fun and I can't wait to try again.

Gerald

Todd,  Semper Fi....take something down this fall, we'd love to see pics.  especially if you are on crutches standing over a deer..  

I know I said I was done messing with stuff but that's just not my nature. I thought about some things that Nate and Rob have said over the last several pages. I thought I probably still had room for improvement.  I got remeasured with my Hill in hand instead of trusting the measurements taken off my recurve, draw came to 30.75 not 31.25. I put it on the scale and it came in at 56# and not the expected 60#. I had some extra 31" arrows so I plugged them in Stu's calc and it suggested a 125 grain tip so I screwed a couple of those in. It also said I might need to brace it a little higher so I went up to 7".

Long story short, I mixed those 3 arrows in with 9 of the longer ones and shot them for two hours. The short arrows with the light tips never threw a flier, always the longer ones going wide. I had 6 bare shafts for testing but I cut them down and will fletch them up and setup with 125 grain tips. This should get me through season, then I'm going to start working on transitioning to wood.

Only bad thing tonight was dropping 70 grains on the arrow did make it a tiny bit louder, has me tempted to put some wool puffs on the string... Well maybe just on my backup string...

SnS....it's so important to know what draw length you have when shooting, not when messing around or drawing the bow in front of a mirror.  That's your draw and what you need to get set up for...glad it's working for you,  send pics of what you shoot....

toddster, the LaClair Special is not the same bow Ron now sells.  It was one he marketed in the past which was a flat bow--wider limbs than a Hill style. It is not on the web site.  What is there are the Shrew bows he now sells, including the ShrewHill which is his newest addition to the Shrew lineup and a true Hill style longbow.