Bow Lenght

[outcaste]

Just to add that the 70#+ weight for the EWBS was decided upon to differentiate from the BLBS which shoots up to 70#.

Regards,
Alistair

[Peter-t123]

OK, well if you're not a new member anymore (past your first year) and you're a male between 16 and 60, to shoot in an EWBS event, you need a 70#@32" bow, which is >74", has no grip, is shot off the fist, and which is tillered in a circular fashion.

the thing is, you dont... that is what is annoying me, someone in another thread is being given advice about whether their bow would be allowed to be shot by two people who arent even in the society and dont know what is allowed

[Peter-t123]

This is why you can't really use EWBS requirements to say "thats a warbow" and "that isn't".  Its just one society with one set of rules.  I think that as long as the bow is tillered to 32" (in order to give maximum penetrative force to the only war arrows ever found) and its heavy enough to do that then you can call it a warbow. 

Just because one ship was found with bows that didn't have handles (at the very end of the warbow's military life) does not mean that's how they were made throughout the whole of history.  Yes, certain bows wouldn't be allowed at EWBS shoots today, but nobody can say whether the EWBS would have been laughed off the battlefield if they turned up with what they think are "warbows" only to find that they had completely missed something that the medieval bowyers considered crucial to the construction of the weapon.

no one in the society claims that that one sentence is what they believe represents a medieval bow (that isnt what they think) and you are trying to change the sentence to say that is what it says.

[Peter-t123]

Just to add that the 70#+ weight for the EWBS was decided upon to differentiate from the BLBS which shoots up to 70#.

Regards,
Alistair

this is the correct reason, that is as far as it goes. no one has said that we believe that medieval bows were 70lb which is what people seem to be trying to twist that sentence to say

[WillS]

no one in the society claims that that one sentence is what they believe represents a medieval bow (that isnt what they think) and you are trying to change the sentence to say that is what it says.

You should read more carefully.  Nowhere did I mention that the English Warbow Society think that all medieval bows would comply with their society rules.

They are a society, therefore they need some form of guideline to stop people trying to join with 45# horsebows.  The society guidelines are a separate thing to what individual people think medieval bows might have been like.

[Peter-t123]

no one in the society claims that that one sentence is what they believe represents a medieval bow (that isnt what they think) and you are trying to change the sentence to say that is what it says.

You should read more carefully.  Nowhere did I mention that the English Warbow Society think that all medieval bows would comply with their society rules.

They are a society, therefore they need some form of guideline to stop people trying to join with 45# horsebows.  The society guidelines are a separate thing to what individual people think medieval bows might have been like.

people do shoot 45lb horsebows

[WillS]

I give up.

[RyanY]

I realize there are a lot of things written and known about standard warbows but here's my opinion on what should be considered a historically accurate warbow. These bows had to be heavy enough to cast a standard arrow a desired distance and must be made well enough to survive and perform well in warfare conditions and for a long period of time. I believe laminated bows would have been too time consuming to make where a good yew bow would work just as well. Longer length will add to energy storage and durability where shorter bows will not make weight as easily and be more strained. Draw weight, of course, will launch the arrow farther. As for draw length it's my understanding that the arrows were made by the thousands and therefore any archer should be able to shoot those arrows the desired distance. Drawing them their full length is an easy advantage for distance and the bow has to survive. I can't say for sure what the minimum standard warbow would be but I can imagine that bowyers and archers of the time had enough experience to know if a bow was capable of achieving the desired result, shooting war arrow after war arrow a desired distance. (Typed on my phone so please forgive any typos)

[adb]

no one in the society claims that that one sentence is what they believe represents a medieval bow (that isnt what they think) and you are trying to change the sentence to say that is what it says.

You should read more carefully.  Nowhere did I mention that the English Warbow Society think that all medieval bows would comply with their society rules.

They are a society, therefore they need some form of guideline to stop people trying to join with 45# horsebows.  The society guidelines are a separate thing to what individual people think medieval bows might have been like.

people do shoot 45lb horsebows

So... you show up to EWBS shoots with a 45# horsebow?

[Thesquirrelslinger]

@#(^@ warbow societies. Sorry if that offends anyone...
A warbow is a bow made for war or BASED off of one that was. We do not have many surviving examples from that period.
Therefore we really do not know precisely what they looked like.
I know I AM offending people, go ahead and say it.
But I am rather tired of argueing over what the heck a warbow is.
-Squirrel

[WillS]

I dunno.  I think healthy debate on a topic that we're passionate about is fine.  Forums are here for a reason - passionate people having discussions about things.  I don't think anybody on this thread or any of the others are really getting annoyed and angry at what other people have to say.  It's just good conversation.  It would be exactly the same if everybody was sitting around with a pint, and the topic of warbows was brought up.

Very rarely it gets spiteful or nasty but that certainly hasn't happened on this thread!  Also, it's not the warbow societies that you should be annoyed at, if you want to be annoyed at anybody.  The societies are in place to encourage and inspire people to get involved in a sadly dying tradition.  They put some rules and regulations up to keep themselves separate, but that's not something to be annoyed about.  They could say "Eh, we don't KNOW what all warbows looked like, so until we find some 14th century photos of bows, feel free to come along and shoot with anything you've got" but then there wouldn't be much point in their society, would there.  Remember, you can't please all the people all of the time.

[Peter-t123]

no one in the society claims that that one sentence is what they believe represents a medieval bow (that isnt what they think) and you are trying to change the sentence to say that is what it says.

You should read more carefully.  Nowhere did I mention that the English Warbow Society think that all medieval bows would comply with their society rules.

They are a society, therefore they need some form of guideline to stop people trying to join with 45# horsebows.  The society guidelines are a separate thing to what individual people think medieval bows might have been like.

people do shoot 45lb horsebows

So... you show up to EWBS shoots with a 45# horsebow?

personally mine is 53lb

[adb]

Let's not forget that this is the 'English' War Bow Society, for the preservation of the 'English' War Bow, based mostly on the artifacts recovered from The Mary Rose. Not the Asian Horse Bow Society (if there is such a thing)? Why on earth would you attend an EWBS shoot with a 53# horse bow? I don't understand your reasoning?

[Peter-t123]

Let's not forget that this is the 'English' War Bow Society, for the preservation of the 'English' War Bow, based mostly on the artifacts recovered from The Mary Rose. Not the Asian Horse Bow Society (if there is such a thing)? Why on earth would you attend an EWBS shoot with a 53# horse bow? I don't understand your reasoning?

personally i wouldnt use it to rove with but others do and theres no problem with them doing so, when it comes to the flight shoot which is just one of the several activities held yes you do have to use bows of xxxx spec, but for roving etc there are no limitations and i was pointing out how incorrect it was for another poster above to be told his bow has to be xxxxxx to attend a shoot, he could shoot whatever he liked unless he was setting a recorded shot in the flight with a specific bow and arrow

[brian]

      I just love it when you boys get going