Turkish flight arrow replica
The Turkish Flight Arrows
Fred Isles measured two groups of Turkish flight arrows totaling 55 in number. A summary of these measurements includes:
Shaft: conifer (typically pine)
Length: 24 ??
Shape: barreled shaft
Pile: sharp ivory or bone point ? ?? long
Fletching: Feather or parchment (calfskin) attached straight at 120?
Nock: Brazil wood or wild goat horn. Glued to shaft and wrapped with sinew
Shaft dimensions
Base of pile = 0.11?
6? from pile = 0.22?
12? and 18? from pile = 0.27?
Base of nock = 0.19?
Weight: 162 ? 236 grains
Balance point: Behind center @ 13.5? from the pile
Spine: Varies from 32 ? 80# (supported at 22?)
Payne-Gallwey measured and weighed about two hundred Turkish flight arrows and found similar results.
Some pictures of my replica built to the above specs are attached. Please forgive the day-glo red color. The first one I made was natural wood color. It is still in the field where I shot it...lost forever! I am able to find this one.
Fred Isles measured two groups of Turkish flight arrows totaling 55 in number. A summary of these measurements includes:
Shaft: conifer (typically pine)
Length: 24 ??
Shape: barreled shaft
Pile: sharp ivory or bone point ? ?? long
Fletching: Feather or parchment (calfskin) attached straight at 120?
Nock: Brazil wood or wild goat horn. Glued to shaft and wrapped with sinew
Shaft dimensions
Base of pile = 0.11?
6? from pile = 0.22?
12? and 18? from pile = 0.27?
Base of nock = 0.19?
Weight: 162 ? 236 grains
Balance point: Behind center @ 13.5? from the pile
Spine: Varies from 32 ? 80# (supported at 22?)
Payne-Gallwey measured and weighed about two hundred Turkish flight arrows and found similar results.
Some pictures of my replica built to the above specs are attached. Please forgive the day-glo red color. The first one I made was natural wood color. It is still in the field where I shot it...lost forever! I am able to find this one.
I glad to see some one else, building and experimenting with these type of arrows. I am curious though about the distance you placed the feathers down on the shaft. The turkish arrows that I have noticed, the flechings where glued to the nock, Starting at the bottom of the throat of the nock. I find this difficult ot shoot with out hurting my fleathers, But I do think, the turks though this very important for the dynamics of the flight arrow.
Can't remember where I found the info, but I have notes that the position of the fletchings are a "tunable" feature. The author suggested that moving them forward might give a slight increase in distance. The reason mine are where they are is because I built it before I made the siper. I shot it with a 3 finger draw. I moved the fletchings forward to keep them from getting crushed by the draw method.
The next one I build will be with the fletchings at the nock as shown in pictures of actual Turkish flight arrows. The fletchings don't get crushed if you use a thumb ring properly.
The next one I build will be with the fletchings at the nock as shown in pictures of actual Turkish flight arrows. The fletchings don't get crushed if you use a thumb ring properly.
Dave
I have moved mine forward to, for your same reason, I do not quite understand how the turkish shoot them with out damaging the fleches, I have tried shooting paper. I have determined it is diffently with a different ring methode then mine.
I have moved mine forward to, for your same reason, I do not quite understand how the turkish shoot them with out damaging the fleches, I have tried shooting paper. I have determined it is diffently with a different ring methode then mine.
Dave,
I would have commented on the feather position if someone hadn't beaten me to it. I have some pictures of the nocks that might help you. They are much slenderer than other sinew wrapped nocks. The cusps are very thin and angle inwards.
As you probably know, the male feather (cock feather) points down when you shoot with a siper (like the letter "Y"). The arrow is nocked almost a finger's width above the thumb so that the nock sits near the knuckle of the index finger at full draw. There is generally no pressure on the feathers.
I would have commented on the feather position if someone hadn't beaten me to it. I have some pictures of the nocks that might help you. They are much slenderer than other sinew wrapped nocks. The cusps are very thin and angle inwards.
As you probably know, the male feather (cock feather) points down when you shoot with a siper (like the letter "Y"). The arrow is nocked almost a finger's width above the thumb so that the nock sits near the knuckle of the index finger at full draw. There is generally no pressure on the feathers.
I made few bad replica arrows.
Lenght: 35cm. Wood: bad fir. Feathers: 2 per arrow. Nock: none. Arrowhead: none. For now.
I have attached a picture of a bakkam sinew wrapped nock and a horn nock to show the proportions. These are from Turkish arrows in my collection. The grid is 1 cm squares.
Here is a picture of my siper on my wrist without the tabla. As you can see the wrist is turned out. At full draw the path of the string is towards the tail of the siper and it comes nowhere near the wrist.
My new arrow.