Flight arrows for Korean (i.e. long draw) Bows
Looking to get some arrows for flight shooting my Kaya KTB 55# (52"). I usually shoot the bow Turkish style (drawing about 29") but would like to draw to my shoulder (33") for flight.
Would really appreciate any advice on shaft material, weight, thickness & stiffness (ooer!), fletching, point weight... everything really. I understand traditional Turkish and modern flight bows use very small, light, barrelled (pine?) shafts with the arrow 'point of balance' towards the nock rather than the point but not sure if this theory holds with a long draw bow and its arrows.
I shoot carbon arrows such as Easton Aftermath for target.
Cheers
Would really appreciate any advice on shaft material, weight, thickness & stiffness (ooer!), fletching, point weight... everything really. I understand traditional Turkish and modern flight bows use very small, light, barrelled (pine?) shafts with the arrow 'point of balance' towards the nock rather than the point but not sure if this theory holds with a long draw bow and its arrows.
I shoot carbon arrows such as Easton Aftermath for target.
Cheers
Barrelled arrows and rear of centre balance points are valid for long or short flight arrows. If you are really skilled you can make segmental bamboo arrows like Alan Case. You take six strips of bamboo, taper them on the insides so that when they are glued together they for a true barrelled shape and add a point and a nock.
Stiffness is not such a big problem. The points are usually so light that the arrows behave much stiffer than they really are.
Wooden barrelled arrows are easier to make than the bamboo ones. Start out with a moderate degree of tapering and test the arrows out then gradually increase it when you are confident they are safe.
Stiffness is not such a big problem. The points are usually so light that the arrows behave much stiffer than they really are.
Wooden barrelled arrows are easier to make than the bamboo ones. Start out with a moderate degree of tapering and test the arrows out then gradually increase it when you are confident they are safe.
Thanks, Bede; this is good to know. Flight archery is not something I'll be able to do that often but I will when I can. My first thought was maybe a light, slim carbon arrow, with the lightest of points and smallest of feathers.
I spoke to Wendy Hodkinson last week, the curator of the Manchester Archery Collection, who was a flight record holder herself back in the day. I was shocked at the delicacy of the Turkish flight arrows I examined there and the idea of 33" versions of the same seemed unlikely but what do I know. Indeed why wouldn't the same design work scaled long.
The bamboo arrows you describe would be beyond my skill set, for now at least.
Much obliged
Iggy
I spoke to Wendy Hodkinson last week, the curator of the Manchester Archery Collection, who was a flight record holder herself back in the day. I was shocked at the delicacy of the Turkish flight arrows I examined there and the idea of 33" versions of the same seemed unlikely but what do I know. Indeed why wouldn't the same design work scaled long.
The bamboo arrows you describe would be beyond my skill set, for now at least.
Much obliged
Iggy
In the experimental "Modern Asiatic Bow" category at the flight shoot in Utah last year, we tried carbon shafts up to 36 inches long and they shot well from a Kaya bow. Incidentally, I could not draw them that far, but two people could. Even plastic vanes worked. Using carbon arrows to practise flight with Korean bows is okay as long as you know they can stand the force of the bow. A slightly damaged arrow or one that has a weak shaft are dangerous. Try them with shorter draws first after checking the shaft integrity and stiffness.
Yes, I've heard about that new category from Justin Ma. The ideal carbon flight arrow would perhaps be something like the slim, light, barrelled a/c Easton ACE. Cheaper options look to be Easton's Carbon One, or perhaps Hexx. I'm thinking slim/light is best but please feel free to correct me.
I have a standard 48" Kaya KTB too, which is 50# at 31 (so I'll draw to 31"), so I may try that with a 400 spine to begin with as there is a 50# category in 'Modern Asiatic' I understand.
I'll keep in mind what you say about avoiding painful accidents.
Much obliged
Iggy
I have a standard 48" Kaya KTB too, which is 50# at 31 (so I'll draw to 31"), so I may try that with a 400 spine to begin with as there is a 50# category in 'Modern Asiatic' I understand.
I'll keep in mind what you say about avoiding painful accidents.
Much obliged
Iggy
Once you have the bow and the arrows, the real skill is getting a long arrow with very small fletching to leave the bow perfectly straight. Every bit of correction the fletching does to the arrow flight reduces the distance. I have hundred year old Korean target arrows and the fletching is only one eighth inch (3 mm) high, which is much lower than most modern archers could use.
The Turks used to practice with unfletched arrows to perfect a clean release. The Koreans had an unfletched arrow on a string attached to a vertical pole for the same reason.
The Turks used to practice with unfletched arrows to perfect a clean release. The Koreans had an unfletched arrow on a string attached to a vertical pole for the same reason.
You're right. Why should tuning be something for modern recurve archers alone. With a true, clean release you feel like you are flying with the arrow. I always thought my fletchings covered up (my) bad technique :lol:. Sadly, that clean release is too rare for me at the mo. I s'pose I'm a relative beginner, not two years shooting yet, but my clean rate is improving.
3mm fletchings? I have shot target with 5mm plastic fletchings but found that the the arrow kicked to the right as it hit the fletch, which I don't get with feathers. Will try 3" feathers trimmed v low.
Easton ACE look the perfect 'off the shelf' choice being slim, barrelled & relatively light. Easton Carbon One's are just as slim and light but parallel. Then again they are a third of the price at ?6 a shaft compared to ?18. I would go for the lightest point option (60gn). This is just the beginning for me and not something I would be able to do that often, so Carbon One's will do it for now.
I wanted to add that the release in flight shooting, then following the arrow (as far as one can), produces a euphoric feeling I haven't experienced in archery before. It's pure.
3mm fletchings? I have shot target with 5mm plastic fletchings but found that the the arrow kicked to the right as it hit the fletch, which I don't get with feathers. Will try 3" feathers trimmed v low.
Easton ACE look the perfect 'off the shelf' choice being slim, barrelled & relatively light. Easton Carbon One's are just as slim and light but parallel. Then again they are a third of the price at ?6 a shaft compared to ?18. I would go for the lightest point option (60gn). This is just the beginning for me and not something I would be able to do that often, so Carbon One's will do it for now.
I wanted to add that the release in flight shooting, then following the arrow (as far as one can), produces a euphoric feeling I haven't experienced in archery before. It's pure.
You mean "make a flight arrow that is both hollow and tapered".Bede wrote:
You take six strips of bamboo, taper them on the insides so that when they are glued together they for a true barrelled shape and add a point and a nock.
That sounds very cool, yet much easier to make than a hornbow.
Alan Case has a video on the internet on how he makes these arrows. It's worth looking for.
"In the experimental "Modern Asiatic Bow" category at the flight shoot in Utah last year, we tried carbon shafts up to 36 inches long and they shot well"
Could you tell us how far did you get with those kind of arrows?
Could you tell us how far did you get with those kind of arrows?
Daniel,
Look up the results for Fred and Carla. They shot with the same bow, a Kaya 50 lb model. This was not the most efficient bow but performed surprisingly well shot by four or five different archers.
Look up the results for Fred and Carla. They shot with the same bow, a Kaya 50 lb model. This was not the most efficient bow but performed surprisingly well shot by four or five different archers.
Any links? I looked up The US archery records website, but couldn't find any recent info.
I'll check with Alan and find out where they are posted.