Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Primitive Skills => Topic started by: Kegan on July 14, 2007, 04:40:04 pm

Title: Atlatl
Post by: Kegan on July 14, 2007, 04:40:04 pm

Just finished up my first working atlatl last night- a fun little day project. Gotta say, I can see why it took so long for the bow to come about- it is simple to make and the dart was easier to straighten. It was fun. :)

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Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: Ryano on July 14, 2007, 06:19:15 pm

cool :)

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: jamie on July 15, 2007, 08:16:34 am

kegan when we do our primitive weekend a fella from mass shows up witha bunch of atlatls and darts. everybody stops what they are doing and starts throwing its a lot of fun. nice job

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: Dane on July 15, 2007, 06:50:20 pm

I was there at Jamie's event, and it was a gas! In fact, I just put a coat of finish on my atlatl, with the tip of a cow horn at the business end (since I don't know atlatl nomenclature). I'll post some pics when I have the handle wrap on it. I may put a counterweight stone on it, too, not sure yet.

Dane

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: Hillbilly on July 15, 2007, 11:05:18 pm

Cool. Just be careful, throwing darts is addictive.

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: Dane on July 17, 2007, 10:13:01 am

Is addictive indeed.

Here it is. A bit more work has to be done, but it is almost there. Elm handle and cow horn.

Dane

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Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: duffontap on July 17, 2007, 06:22:48 pm

Nice work guys.  I'll have to try that.

       J. D.

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: Dane on July 17, 2007, 07:40:24 pm

Thanks, JD. You should put one together. I most like the idea of getting a bit closer to our very ancient ancestors. Prehistoric technology is pretty addictive.

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: AndrewS on July 19, 2007, 06:41:18 pm

Oh I like these stuff!

I have made several atlatls and darts. But I haven't found the secret to hit anything ;D

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: mullet on July 19, 2007, 09:11:30 pm

   Oh they are fun.Andrew,the secret,,,,practice :D A while back we tried a little experiment.We made cane darts with turkey feathers and real stone artifacts for points.They were rough,Kirk serrated pnts about 5" long.Out of 5 people,nobody could throw the spear more than 45 yds by hand.But with the atlatl we were chunking it out as far as 120 yds.It impressed everybody and you wouldn't believe how much the dart was bending before it left the hook.

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: Dane on July 20, 2007, 09:51:41 am

The power you get is so impressive. I don't know if you can chronograph darts, but I read recently you can get the darts going over 100 miles per hour. They hunted wooly mammoths and other big game with these, after all. An atlatl is so much easier to build than a bow, too. And, if you found yourself in a survival situation, this weapon would be very viable.

Title: Re: Atlatl
Post by: M-P on July 20, 2007, 01:37:04 pm

Hey, I made one of these things , too, and a couple of darts to go with.  I'm far from good at using the darn things, but with practice I've gone from being lucky if the dart went the right direction, to being able to hit a 6" target at 10 yards.  Like I said, not impressive, but a step in the right direction.    Ron