selfbow speed

[frank bullitt]

Ozy, can't wait to see the one you build! If like the points you knap, it will be a looker!

You will enjoy  

[ozy clint]

lots of learning to do. i haven't tried to make one yet. i've got some wattle staves to have a go at. i'll get to them soon. i suppose you could say i've started my primitive journey the other way around, having started by learning how to make a primitive arrow. now i need to make a bow with sinew string. oh yeah and then go hunting.......

[ozy clint]

wow, this thread is too old!

ok, so in the last 6 years i've made a selfbow, rawhide strings, primitive quiver and bamboo arrows.

i've recently been tuning the arrows and they all ended up between 550-600gr.

i shot it through the chrono today and the 550gr arrow was averaging 146fps with my 26" draw, however i'm not entirely sure what the draw weight is yet. at a guess it's at about 50-55#. i'll try and measure it accurately tommorrow.

[ozy clint]

oh, the bow is brigalow, an acacia species.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Great job on that journey! Your short draw length is what nips a little speed from you. If you shot that same bow with the same draw weight at 28", you would pick up a lot of FPS. Maybe 10.

[nek4me]

Looks nice. Any close up pictures of the bow....and accessories?

[frank bullitt]

Nice Clint!

I have always seen an average of 150 fps on most selfbows. A high performance string material works great for these bows. Not just for speed!

But I know, not primitive.

A shark beside that bow, would be a cool pic!

[Tajue17]

selfbow speed is irrelevant,,, the number one thing I look for in my selfbows is finding the perfect flying arrow,  sound I hate when selfbows make that clank sound (weak shaft, low brace, tiller favoring  the opposite side)

I will be hunting with a 46# selfbow my guess its shooting 140-150 but it hits  within 6-8" at 20yds, bare shafts a 45/50 woodie with 125gr point pretty dang good,,, it loves the cock feather in though for some reason.

honestly with a selfbow forget speed they will never be considered fast, hit where your looking with good arrow flight and be done with it.

Looks great Clint!

Good work!

I can't wait to see the pic of the first critter you take with it.

Bisch

[Pine]

I am a tool maker by trade . I have had to work to close tolerances for years .
In the past several years computers have taken away the craftsman from my trade .
I enjoy making walking sticks and canes . The only measurements are when I need to fit a rubber tip .
I also make knives , all freehand . I could make an awesome blade with the CNC equipment but it wouldn't have any character .
Where am I going with this ?......
Traditional Archery is supposed to be about getting off the moddern speed buss , high tech , steel your life away craziness .
Forget the calculators and just find what you like and relax and enjoy it .
If your bow shoots like a slow pitch softball but you can hit what you are aiming at , it's all good .
This life is to fast now , so just take time to smell the pine pitch .
Sorry , just venting , and just an old farts opinion .    

[Sixby]

One of my favorite bows is an osage self bow that Pearl Drums built for me. I have never chronographed it but I know a fast bow and there are no flys sitting on the arrows coming off that string. It shoots as well as any bow I have ever owned and is a thing of great beauty in all respects. Chrono it? not happening/. I know it will do the job within any distance I will shoot an animal and that is all that matters performance wise. But , like I said, I know the difference in a fast bow and a slow bow. This one is fast.

God bless, Steve

[ozy clint]

i make the rawhide stings with a flemish loop one end and a bowyers hitch at the other.
 
 
 
 


the quiver is axis deer hide that i bark tanned and stitched with rawhide lacing.
 

[kennym]

Clint, your equipment is so camoed as to be invisible! Well done!

[monterey]

I love that quiver!

Nice looking bow too.  Did you scale it yet?

I fully understand the anti speed thing and admire that mindset and view.  But (there's always a but!), From the bowyer's point of view, the Chrony tells a story.  It sets a bar to be bested not by others, but by himself.  Before a chronograph became something within the reach of nearly anyone, bowyer's sought cast as their measure.

I have only one self bow (not built by me) and when I got it I couldn't wait to chronograph It.  It's nominally 38# @28", but that depends on if it's strung and scaled immediately or shot for a bit first.  In any case, it flung a 525 arrow at 137.  My slowest bow, but still a favorite to shoot.

[nek4me]

Love that handle. Looks a fine grade gunstock. That quiver is special too... and seems to disappear even when out in the open. Thanks for the pictures. This outfit evokes an appreciation for this primitive side of the sport. Good luck in the bush with it.

[frank bullitt]

The wood looks like some older Osage! Very nice!

Quiver looks cool, too!

What is the black hair/fiber on the top limb? Horse hair?

[Terry Green]

The 1st one I made turned out 53@28 and shot a 500 grain cedar at 172.

[Thumper Dunker]

Real nice bow. Selfies are a kick in the pants to shoot. A good self bow is stronger than most people think. My hickory stick is about 8 years old and still gets a 590-600grn arrow to 160fps. 58 at my draw. And I bet thousands of arrows through it. I once had to wack a coyote in the head with it . Hurry up and get something with that bow.

[Possum Head]

I never had the pleasure of shooting one but sure hope to. I watched a man shoot an Osage once and couldn't believe how it would spit an arra! I guess the most attractive attribute in a selfie is the quietness. One of these days I'll hunt with one. 172 wow!

[awishanew]

When I first made and then hunted with my selfbow I thought shooting out to 20 -25 yds.All the deer ducked the string. Now I just set up 12 to 15 yds with good success.Bow speed doesn't register on the chrono which starts at 140.