Looking for a 400 yard shot

[sleek]

I wish I had a spot to shoot. But the math equals out to a potential 486 yard shot and I just cant find a clearing big enough. I spine test them, and I static balance them, and I can tie a string around the dynamic center of balance and spin the arrow over my head like a control line airplane to test for how well it balances in flight, but thats really it.

[sleek]

Here's a few action shots from the event. My wife is shooting her 35 pounders, and me with my 85. The guy in the crazy wolf outfit, his name is Jozsef Monus, one of the best archers in the world, and he is shooting my 85 in a practice round. Thats him at the point he released the arrow on accident, and it landed 10 yards from the world record distance. With proper arrows and string this bow can break the record and sail well into the 400 yard territory.

[RyanY]

Congrats to you and your wife on the record. The bows look awesome. I’ve only just started making broadhead arrows and it seems so tricky. Can’t imagine flight arrows.

[willie]

I wish I had a spot to shoot......potential 486 yard

if a guy had a way recover arrows at fifty yards or less
you could fine tune the clean release and fletching issues

[sleek]

Thing is, these arrows are .300" thick, moving at speeds over 250 fps. They like to explode when hitting a target. If I could find a target that allows these arrows to sink in and not break that would help. Paper tuning would get me leaps and bounds into getting good flight.  Anyone know of a good target for stopping flight arrows?

[willie]

I have heard of using large plastic bags loosely stuffed with the lightweight plastic grocery bags for a backstop

a screen in front of it for paper tuning sound like a good idea.

[Del the cat]

I've been working on flight arrows to try and get the 400yards, only 20" arrows for a 23" draw.
Dunno if this video I made will be of interest?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNa585HBnYg
Del

[JW_Halverson]

I've been working on flight arrows to try and get the 400yards, only 20" arrows for a 23" draw.
Dunno if this video I made will be of interest?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNa585HBnYg
Del

I checked on the Alaska Frontier Archery website for their Forgewood arrow shafting, but it appears nothing has been updated since 2018 (eons in internet years). I wonder if they are still producing Forgewood shafts?

[sleek]

I've been working on flight arrows to try and get the 400yards, only 20" arrows for a 23" draw.
Dunno if this video I made will be of interest?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNa585HBnYg
Del

Every video you make is of interest Del! That one I did particularly enjoy. I like your hinged board jig, I will have one of those in my shop very soon. How much did that pine shaft end up weighing? In the states our arrows may not be less than 23 inches long for primitive class. I wish we could shoot the 20 inch arrows you are making.

[sleek]

Im getting excited to start making next years unlimited primitive flight bow. This one was 85 pounds, but only because I missed my weight by 5. Im hoping to make this one 90#@25. I learned that I can decrown a stave and it will hold up to the stress without issue so that should increase my available staves with high enough quality to make the bow. I have over 7 hours of recording time on my phone from making this last one. I need to sit down and make that video and pot it so I can start my next one.

By the way, if anyone wants to make a video 30 minutes long or less on a subject related to this forum, let me know what it is, and I will post it on the PA TV.

[Del the cat]

...
Every video you make is of interest Del! That one I did particularly enjoy. I like your hinged board jig, I will have one of those in my shop very soon. How much did that pine shaft end up weighing? In the states our arrows may not be less than 23 inches long for primitive class. I wish we could shoot the 20 inch arrows you are making.

Cheers 
I made 3 from compressed pine.
5.6mm diameter 167gn
6.3mm dia 259gn
6.5mm dia 319gn
Del

[willie]

I checked on the Alaska Frontier Archery website for their Forgewood arrow shafting, but it appears nothing has been updated since 2018 (eons in internet years). I wonder if they are still producing Forgewood shafts?

I think wayne at true shaft acquired Forgewood. Not sure about the production schedule tho.

I'm also experimenting with compressing wood using heat and pressure like was used to produce "forgewood" shafts back in the 70's 80's.

Can you share more about your experiments with compression, Del? If I recall, Forgewood utilized tapered blanks.

[JW_Halverson]

I checked on the Alaska Frontier Archery website for their Forgewood arrow shafting, but it appears nothing has been updated since 2018 (eons in internet years). I wonder if they are still producing Forgewood shafts?

I think wayne at true shaft acquired Forgewood. Not sure about the production schedule tho.

I talked to the guy at Alaska Frontier Archery just the other night and he did sell the equipment to True Shaft in Canada. They've apparently shuttered the project. *sigh*

[Del the cat]

I checked on the Alaska Frontier Archery website for their Forgewood arrow shafting, but it appears nothing has been updated since 2018 (eons in internet years). I wonder if they are still producing Forgewood shafts?

I think wayne at true shaft acquired Forgewood. Not sure about the production schedule tho.

I'm also experimenting with compressing wood using heat and pressure like was used to produce "forgewood" shafts back in the 70's 80's.

Can you share more about your experiments with compression, Del? If I recall, Forgewood utilized tapered blanks.

I've added more info and another pic to this blog post:-
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2025/09/wooden-flight-bow-arrows.html
Del

[willie]

I've added more info and another pic to this blog post:-
https://bowyersdiary.blogspot.com/2025/09/wooden-flight-bow-arrows.html
Del

Thanks for  showing us more about your process.
looking at turkish flight arrows I see they were barrelled, I suppose to lighten the arrows where the stiffness was not needed on the outer thirds .
If stiffness in the center third can be accomplished by compressing the wood, one could "forge" an arrow of varying density by compressing a blank shaped like a long diamond.
in other words, an arrow of same diameter from end to end having lighter ends but stiffer midsection