My New (And First) Bow!

[Et tu brute]

Hi everyone, i've just taken delivery, about an hour ago of my new and very first bow, I also have bought a quiver, armguard and ten traditional arrows, which arrived at the same time.

The bow is a Hungarian Nimrod bow that I bought from www.bowshop.eu . My thanks go out to Jyrki Halme AKA Virilis who reccommended this great website to me, and to all the members of Comitatus who have helped me in choosing the bow.

In the absence of pictures of the actual one I have here is a link to the bow that i've bought http://www.bowshop.eu/?term=27 I'll get pictures up pretty soon, when I can prise myself away from my new purchase!

Dave

[Robert]

Bow looks great! Many happy shooting hours! On the quiver, Coulston and Bisschop seem to favour the back quiver with a round opening and paralel sides for infantry use, protruding above the right shoulder. On the traditional arrows, evidence from the Duro finds suggest the feathers are 15 centimers long and are clipped to a parabolic shape, so no big vanes sticking out at the back. Feathers would be goose to be more accurate, as the turkey is a New World bird to which the Romans had no acces. White or grey turkey is the closest is you must use turkey, no banding, as this does not occure in geese. That is how I will be making my arrows, although I am cheating using a commercialy available cedar shaft instead of hazel or the like. Wil be making some hazel shafts though (when I find the time and patience). So much to make ........

[The Eagle]

Hi Dave.

Glad you are pleased with the bow. I have just ordered mine today!! D

[Et tu brute]

Hi Robert, thanks for the info, i'm not quite sure what you mean for the quiver, how would it be used by the infantry? Or do you just mean the foot archers as opposed to the horse archers?

Hi Paul, happy to hear you've ordered your bow, is it the same model as mine? What draw weight have you went for?

Here are some pics, forgive my rookieish technique in the one where i'm holding the bow, it was only the second time i'd drew the thing!

Now after a bit of practice I can draw the bow pretty much to the anchor point under my chin, but I struggle to hold it there for very long, but i'm sure that i'll get stronger with practice etc.

[Virilis]

Great bow, Dave

-start the draw pointing your arrow either down or high in the air (I prefer starting from up). It is important to keep your left hand (holding the bow) also bent. In this way when you will reach your anchoring point you will draw with your right hand and ALSO PUSH with your left hand! In this way it is possible to shoot with a powerful bow and also prevent injuries. You could describe this technique like trying to bend the iron bars of your prison cell and trying to dive between the bow and the string (of course remember not to leave your head in between :wink: ...)

[Et tu brute]

Thanks Jyrki, well described, I know exactly what you mean. I'll have a go at that tomorrow, I can only fire up to 15-20 meteres in my garden (luckily there is nothing behind that i'll hit!) but that's not bad for when i'm first learning, there's also an archery club near where I live, so I think i'll join and i'll be able to shoot further distances etc.

[Virilis]

You´re right Dave, your local archery club is the right place to start. Just make sure to tell them that you are not interested in shooting some straw studded rounded targets, your job is to quard the frontiers of the empire from the barbarian menace :wink: !

[Et tu brute]

:lol: Death to the barbarians!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Nice bow. Any reason you didn't choose the Roman recurve bow they have? Looks nice to me!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

Bow looks great! Many happy shooting hours! On the quiver, Coulston and Bisschop seem to favour the back quiver with a round opening and paralel sides for infantry use, protruding above the right shoulder. On the traditional arrows, evidence from the Duro finds suggest the feathers are 15 centimers long and are clipped to a parabolic shape, so no big vanes sticking out at the back. Feathers would be goose to be more accurate, as the turkey is a New World bird to which the Romans had no acces. White or grey turkey is the closest is you must use turkey, no banding, as this does not occure in geese. That is how I will be making my arrows, although I am cheating using a commercialy available cedar shaft instead of hazel or the like. Wil be making some hazel shafts though (when I find the time and patience). So much to make ........

Strange, someone once disputed my idea of a find being a back quiver as not having any proof they existed? Seems some people are maybe a bit too quick to knock other peoples suggestions!?

interesting thread!

[Et tu brute]

Nice bow. Any reason you didn't choose the Roman recurve bow they have? Looks nice to me!

It is indeed very nice, but one thing is that at the bottom it says "Not made to any faithful findings" and it's about £200! hock: With having to get arrows and quiver aswell I couldn't really afford to get anything really expensive, I am only 13!

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

:lol: :lol:
yes sorry I did read that after i posted, and figured that would be the reason.
Very nice bow you have tho, and i am looking forward to your progress.
The only bow I had at your age was a hand made one with catgut for a string. It was a great bow to learn on, and the guy who made it was very skilled, when I think back. the one he made for his own use was a lot stronger pull than the one he made for me.

ah the memories..... :roll:

[Et tu brute]

Hehe, well I hope this bow will last me a long time, I certainly wont need anything more powerful, this one is 40lbs drawweight. I've just got in from practicing for a couple of hours, i'm definately improving!

[Robert]

Salve Dave!

I would really like to be able to give you some instructions first hand but the guys at the archery club should be able to help. Mind you, few shoot barebow and even less shoot replica recurves!
Important in archery is the stance. In the picture, you lean into the bow, doing al the work with the arms. Best stance is straight up, shoulders in line with the target, head up and pulling the bow with the shoulders, pinching the shoulderblades together, as it where.
You can make your own quiver, by the way. I made a backquiver around your age (times long gone, sigh ). If you can get hold of a decent piece of stiff leather, look at the Legio XX site for some leatherworking tips. You could even make an inner brace using a large rawhide dogchew. Some are 44# long when soaked and unknotted.

[Virilis]

Hi again!

Here is a picture of me shooting my Kassai "Bear" bow (110 pounds with a 30 inch draw). I can honestly say now after a couple of years of shooting that the roman army bows must have been at least in this range too. It is a really powerful weapon and if a social scientist like me can shoot it how about an experienced syrian archer!?

I have never felt a pain before quite like the one I experienced when my string broke durin shooting. It felt like a mule kick in my left shoulder :wink: ...