gpp for warbow flight shot?

[Del the cat]

Cheers Badger, due to time constraints I'm sort of hedging my bets now, I'll end up with 4 different arrows at variety of weights and spines.
Probably 300, 400 500, 600 gn
Does hitting my foam boss straight at 10 yards sound like a sensible test to you?
The 400gn seems faster than the 600, and needs less flight to stabilise it, skinnier too so my money is on that one for now.
I've found I do have some skinny boo shafts that are long enough, maybe I'll sort out the best of those for a 300gn arrow.
I feel pretty happy that the bow is ok with the low weight arrows, I don't think its particularly fast being a self wood warbow.

Hopefully I should learn something from the exercise (even if it's only how little I know about flight shooting )
Mind I think I'll be struggling to get a clean fast loose at 32"... I'm probably better being content with 31" but I don't want to start cutting down the arrrows.
If I'd known I was going in for this I'd have had a go at making a flight longbow say 70#@ 28". Maybe I'll see when and where the next event is and have a go...although that may depend on how well I get on with this one!
Del

[Badger]

   At 32" draw 400 grains may be the best you will be able to do. I have shot 200 grains from an 80# bow but only drew it 26". Now I am struggling with 65#. Not positive but I think with a 400 grain arrow you might need a 2" fletch but keep it low.

[Del the cat]

   At 32" draw 400 grains may be the best you will be able to do. I have shot 200 grains from an 80# bow but only drew it 26". Now I am struggling with 65#. Not positive but I think with a 400 grain arrow you might need a 2" fletch but keep it low.

Cheers, I think I'm homing in on some reasonable arrows, but it's a real time burner making fancy arrows...
Thanks to everyone for the input, it's given me the reassurance I was needing.
Del

[Marc St Louis]

I will certainly be interested in hearing which weight arrow travels farthest.  Personally I think 400 grains too light for a longbow but then I've never shot a longbow in flight.

[Del the cat]

I'll hopefully have a full report and pics.
Got to make 2 more arrows tomorrow.
I might go for two slightly different 400gns, the 600gn and a Boo 500gn, gota go shopping with Mrs Cat tommorrow too
Del

[wood_bandit 99]

I have always heard that you can use light arrows but there is a point where light becomes too light and it can't go far. With a warbow I would say 7gpi+ with very narrow,barreled shafts. This would be more in your optimal range of weight for a bow that heavy. I would also do low cut feathers and a decently heavy, narrow tip to reduce all drag but maximize distance

[avcase]

For reference, Many of the English Longbow flight records recorded at our annual US Nationals were with barreled flight arrows 3-5 ggp.

Alan

[adb]

Could you guys post some pics of these flight arrows?

[Del the cat]

Heres a pic of the original on I did with it's un-altered couterpart. This one hits the target at 45 degrees from 10 yards so I've increased the fletching size and am going to re-test it.
When I've finished my 4, I'll post on my blog*.
Del
*It's easier to post on the blog as there is no image size limit, which means you can post a decent pic and zoom around it, it saves a lot of time cropping and reducing resolution to get under the 2k, it's also quicker than going via photobucket etc.

[adb]

Thanks, Del. So, the top one is a flight arrow obviously, and the bottom is a regular target arrow, yes?

[Del the cat]

Thanks, Del. So, the top one is a flight arrow obviously, and the bottom is a regular target arrow, yes?

The bottom on is not full 'standard arrow' spec', I made it to look reasonable but to be ok for lighter weight bows.
It's a 3/8 Maple shaft 150 gn 'modkin' point (for 11/32) the flights are 5". I made 'em for filming on 'Tudor Monastery Farm' which is on BBC2, the episode with the archery is being shown as a Christmas Special... they also filmed me doing some bow making/tillering, but they are not using that footage, much to my irritation, as I spent ages preparing for it.
They fly nicely from the 100# Warbow.
I've just about got the 4th arrow done now, it will be anout 500gn, so I'll have 2x 400, a 500, and a 600 should give me a reasonable test.
Del

[WillS]

Did they let you know why they've cut the footage?! That sounds daft.  They stuck a good 5 minute clip in of a guy turning a wooden bowl on a lathe which was riveting... Why not show the procedures involved in making one of the most prolific weapons of the period?!

[Del the cat]

That's TV for you, I'd rather have seen more about the wood turning than the endless repeated footage of 3 monks walking down the nave or cloisters.
Maybe they felt it didn't fit in with the farming... but then how does illuminating a manuscript either?
I'd asked for feedback and they said they were pleased with the days filming and I was a 'real find'. But the impression I got is that everything is always great, lovely, super, and then once you've gone they don't giveadamn if it ends up on the cutting room floor (all those bits of data and pixels must be a pig to sweep up)
I was a bit irritated that they won't release any footage even for private use .
Still it was a good day out and hopefully there will be some good footage of the shooting in the Christmas special
Ruth Goodman is great on camera, and she shot a little 35# Hazel primitive which I took. Shes a bit quiet off camera. The blokes were a real laugh up the pub the night before.
The way I look at it, maybe they are doing me a favour! Better than editing it to make me look like a pillock. I also think they maybe just didn't 'get it', and it wasn't interactive enough with Peter and Tom. There was no briefing on what they hoped to see, so I basically crammed 2 days of tillering into 2 hours (without my reading glasses) taking a bow from deliberately asymmetric at low brace, to an even tillered shootable bow of about 80# at 28" !
It was real knotty stave that I had earmarked as a character bow and unsuitable for a long bow really... but I made a longbow anyway!
They prob' just didn't know what they were seeing.
I prob shot myself in the foot a bit too by not being opinionated enough... I wouldn't spout stuff about the history that was just my opinion. I was happy to talk about the intricacies of working a stave and the suitability of English Yew!
I din't have time to properly finish or check over and fine tune the bow... Soooo in the afternoon, I pushed my luck and took it to about 30" and it exploded on camera! I'd have thought footage like that was gold dust.
There are some good pics in the book, but it's another case of all rush and no checking... I'd have proof read it for them.
One picture is captioned "Peter about to loose an arrow... you certainly don't 'fire' a bow!" ... Then the text proceeds to use the term fire at every possible point
Del

[PatM]

Pretty sure the bow breaking made you lose all credibility in their eyes.

[Badger]

  Del, A few years ago I did a show for the discovery channel where I had to build a giant bow to power a Da Vinci designed catapult. I swore I would never do another show for them. Another show I did I had to build 6 300# crossbows and finish them all in a week. The giant bow was about 22 ft long and shaped like a C. They take out all the good stuff and focus on the little squables around the shop.