Hwarang feedback, please...

I bought a bow from Thomas several years ago.

It is smooth drawing and shooting. I do not use the Korean hand position on the bow and cannot comment on whether it has hand shock with that technique. Using a Middle Eastern hand position with the thumb in line with the forearm, I have no hand shock.

The bow is accurate and fast shooting. Due to the setback handle, there is a short brace height. This means that the arrow is more likely to rub against the arrow pass area. I have replaced two leather arrow passes so far.

The narrow limbs make aiming easier. I have used the bow in standard FITA ranges from 30 to 90 metres. Up to 50 metres, I shoot instinctively. After that I aim along the edge of the bow.

Used with a Turkish draw length, the bow is perfectly capable of shooting fast arrows. At the longer Korean draw, it handles just as well. I was surprised at the good performance at the shorter draw.

You can use and arrow guide with this bow, but the brace height is too short for a siper.

They are good bows. The finish is excellent and most people who see them for the first time can't believe they're not hornbows. Some people who have only seen pictures don't grasp how small they are.

I have used them a lot; but my personal taste is for something a bit bigger and heavier in the hand. When you get into higher draw weights, the lightness of the material makes for quite a lot of shock.

S

Hi Rob,
Like you I've just been listening.
You've drawn me out though.
I have a 45# Hwarang from Thomas. It's excellent value for money and Thomas' help is second to none. The bow is really good to shoot with appropriate arrows.
Using Thomas' thumb rings is not too difficult to get used to, ie hitting the mark after viewing Thomas' video and reading about technique here, is not hard. Going suddenly back to a mediterranean draw causes muscle memory confusion and results are wild.
Improperly fitted though the ring will abrade the skin. I've tried wrapping my thumb in tape first. I need someone to inspect me.
Bede's experience with arrow pass attrition is my own too. Leather's easy to replace though.
The most amazing thingthough was relative performance. In Hungary last year, I had a 39#TRH Turk and a 40#Lam.Assyrian off Csaba Grozer. Both are lovely bows and I reccomend them.
In the grounds of the hotel :D , I used them consecutively with the Hwarang45 with the same Kelemen arrows. The Hwarang was certainly faster and the trajectory was flatter. But, the Hwarang was noticeably EASIER to pull and hold. Especially when compared to the Assyrian40. I remarked on this to Thomas, proposing the flat 'W' unstrung shape of the Hwarang as opposed to the 'C' of the Grozers. Thomas put it down to superior materials, the detailed nature of which are secret!

Hi Rob, this thread couldn't come at a better time, as I am too, looking to purchase the Hwarang.

One thing that puzzles me is why is the bow fitted with a thick, form-like handle? Does it make holding the bow easier or it's purpose is to absorb hand shock? Can the handle be removed?

Also, I heard from an owner that the bow does not have any finish. Will the climate affect it's performance and durability in anyway?

cheers

I've been following this thread (of course :D ) with interest. I generally wouldn't reply on it, but there is one thing I felt compelled to comment on. Sean mentioned,

Thomas put it down to superior materials, the detailed nature of which are secret!

Sean purchased a bow from me almost a year ago and asked me many questions regarding it, which I answered to the best of my knowledge. He wondered about how the the bow could draw so easily and yet be so powerful in comparison to other bows. I rechecked my e-mail to him and my exact reply was,

As for the ease of draw, it comes from a combination of the materials the Korean bowyer uses, plus the design.
Korean laminated bowyers tend to be fairly proprietary when it comes to the design and workings of their bows, so the answers I usually get [from them] are rather general.

I just wanted to clarify what I said, as I couldn't imagine I would ever have said "superior materials" (although the materials are high quality--some, like carbon lams, come from the same suppliers other bowyers use).

I appreciate your enthusiasm and support, Sean! :D


Thomas

raygun wrote:

Hi Rob, this thread couldn't come at a better time, as I am too, looking to purchase the Hwarang.

One thing that puzzles me is why is the bow fitted with a thick, form-like handle? Does it make holding the bow easier or it's purpose is to absorb hand shock? Can the handle be removed?

Also, I heard from an owner that the bow does not have any finish. Will the climate affect it's performance and durability in anyway?

cheers

While I'm at it, I'll try to answer these questions, too. The original horn bows of many years ago used to have almost no grip at all. Of course, at that time Koreans' hands tended to be quite a bit smaller than they are today. The purpose of the larger handle is to make the bows easier to hold [in relatively larger hands], as you mentioned. Yes, the handle can be removed (or I can request that the bowyer not put one on at all).

As for the finish, you are correct that it doesn't have one. The only covering for the bow is the birch bark on its back.

The only report I've ever had on the climate and performance came from a gentleman from Florida I sold a bow to several years ago; evidently, it dropped several pounds in the heat. He sent it back to me, asking for a heavier bow; when I weighed the bow upon its return, it was the same draw weight as when I sent it. I've sent bows to many hot climates around the world, but have never heard of that happening after that one time.

The durability is unaffected by climate, from all reports.


T

Hi!

I have one hwarang bow, 85lbs@33", so a strong one.

I have four dry shots at full draw with my bow and is no damaged. Is very reliable and tolerant.

Thanks guys....keep it coming...the comparisons to Grozer are particularly valuable to me. Oh, and Thomas.....don't worry, I'll have plenty more questions for you. :D
-Rob

Hi Rob,
Thomas is quite right to clarify. Apologies Thomas.
Some more thoughts from my very limited experience.
Both the Grozers I mentioned, while seeming to demand greater effort for the draw, are nevertheess really sweet shooting. They are fast. They have very long draws, don't stack and are a class apart from the cheaper Samick SKB in this respect.The arrow pass on both and particularly on the TRHTurk, is really narrow and accuracy is good. They are very light bows, much more so than the fibre glass limbed bows in the Grozer range.
With the 3finger draw one is more accurate currently than with the Hwarang thumbring combination, but I feel sure that the latter will in time lead to better consistency and accuracy. The release feels and is sharper. A tutor would be very helpful to me, and perhaps for you too. The method requires commitment and ideally, advice from experts.

The Hwarang's string is comparatively thick and certain knocks grip it very tightly. Speed knocking by the Kassai method is therefore difficult. The same is true with Grozer's strings, though slightly less so.
I have two Kassai laminate Falcons39&43#, narrow strings, easier to speed knock and very much faster and alot lighter than his fibre glass bows. They seem to do best with the extended draw and longer arrows he sells. Their length makes them more stable compared to the shorter bows, and being easier to draw than shorter bows of similar strength, makes seeking and maintaing accuracy easier. With light arrows though, hand shock is noticeably greater than with the Grozers. I recommend these Falcons to you. Kassai has designed the handles to allow holding of extra shafts for his method. As a novice speed knocker I hold 4/5 easily and they don't disturb. This is more difficult with the Grozers I have mentioned, due to handle profile.
My last word to the Hwarang; its easier draw idiosyncracy makes it truly astonishing. Was I to seek a stronger bow it would be this, as it is kind to ones muscles but kills with its velocity, holds politely at full draw and is very beautiful.

No apologies required, Sean.

Rob, I'll be glad to answer any questions (For any I might not have an immediate answer, I'll check into them).


T

Thanks Thomas....anyone else shooting this bow? Let me have it...the good, the bad, whatever.

BTW....are these bows FF compatible? If so, any danger in using a thinner (lower strand count) string in order to match nock size?

-Rob

Rob Taylor wrote:

Thanks Thomas....anyone else shooting this bow? Let me have it...the good, the bad, whatever.

BTW....are these bows FF compatible? If so, any danger in using a thinner (lower strand count) string in order to match nock size?

-Rob

The bows come standard with FF string. In the past, I have had the bowyer make strings with fewer strands, to accommodate Western arrow nocks.


T

Perfect....once again, thanks Thomas. I'm pretty sure I'm all in on this bow, but I always like to hear about others' experiences.
-Rob

I think the comments about string size are very important for accurate shooting. Strings that are too big for the nock have two problems. They can eventually split the nock and they are not good at releasing the arrow. The latter problem affects the flight and the perceived degree of archer's paradox.

I have seen several archers with badly flying arrows due almost entirely due to nock fit. Thick strings work well with properly fitting nocks. If a string is a little thin for your nocks you can compensate with a smoother release, but nothing in your technique will correct for an overly tightly fitting nock.

For those of you who haven't heard it, the way to check the correct fit of the arrow nock to the string is to hang the arrow by the nock downward from the nocking point.

If it falls off when you waggle the bow gently, it's too loose.

A firm tap (not hard enough to make the string bend visibly) from your palm should make it come off. If it stays put, it's too tight.

S

Well...I took the plunge. I now have a Hwarang on order. Now the dreaded wait....hmmmm....would love to hear more stories from owners. C'mon guys, give me something to read whilst I wait.
-Rob

If it's any consolation Rob, I am definitely considering buying one of these bows for my wife. I would love to get one for myself too but justifying that move with the wife would be more difficult.
At present she uses a 25# Grozer Hun, it's a great bow and she is very happy using it, the problems arise when shooting distance. As we are Field Archers our courses encompass all kinds of terrain, especially trees and this is where she finds difficulty. Her bow has the capacity to shoot the distance and more, however the cast is such that overhanging branches often impede the flight of the arrow. She has no problem holding at full draw and I'm convinced that she could handle a Hwarang of 35# or more after reading the reports. I was going to quiz Thomas about his thoughts on this nearer the time (funds won't stretch to a bow at the moment :cry: ) With the extra poundage and speed, hopefully the cast problem will be eliminated and when she starts praising the bow it should be a little easier to convince her that I should get one :wink:

haha, i'm surprise, in the case a Wales wife same a chinese wife, the wife control the husband' money in chinese after the woman free(woman has same droit /footing to the man)

my wife can use 45#skb bow but she are not love the archer, a dream your said shoot arrows with wife

I jsut tested my hwarang on the Chorie a few days ago.

I am shootin a 29" (74 cm) arrow, at 29" the bows weight is 73 pounds, I tested with two types and weight arrows.

Wood arrow, 29" long, 3.5"(89 mm) long feathers, 10 mm tall, weight 559 grains (36.3 grams)
Out of 10 shots its average speed was 195 FPS, its highest was 198 FPS.


Phragimite cane, 29" long, 4"(102 mm) long feathers, 10 mm tall, weight 415 grains(26.8 grams)
Out of 10 shots its average speed was 220 FPS, its highest was 224 FPS.

That's impressive performance. How does the 73lbs feel to draw compared to other bows?

I like the fell of it, I was shooting 65 pounds before going to this bow. It does not feel like I am pulling anymore weight, Although I noticed that I could not shoot as much as I usually do at a time , Do to fatigue. Besides that It did not take me long to start shooting well with this bow.