Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Nidhoggr on December 07, 2017, 08:36:07 pm

Title: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 07, 2017, 08:36:07 pm
As the title says: I just made my first arrow.  While it is far from the prettiest thing ever it was a proof of concept to see if I could pull it off.  It flies insanely well!

The shaft is a 5/16" oak dowel cut nock-to-end of shaft to 24" to accommodate my 23" draw..  The arrow head is a glue on field point that is 125 grains.  The fletching are 4" TrueFlight Parabolic Cut in Barred Purple.  The overall weight is 558 grains.  I got the best photo I can with my junky phone, and a video of it firing into a target at 10 yards in slow motion.  I thought I had a video of it in regular speed but I was wrong.  The fletching is held on with glue and heavy silk thread and lightly coated with glue.  No jig was used for any of this.   Done purely by hand.  The only tools used were a hand saw and a power sander to taper the point more evenly.

One one of my shots on about a 3" thick piece of styrofoam it passed straight through it and embedded about 5" into the ground.  Like I said: While it's far from the prettiest arrow ever it works really well and that's what counts to me.  Future ones I will beauty up.

Video: https://i.imgur.com/eUvKZP2.mp4 (https://i.imgur.com/eUvKZP2.mp4)

(https://i.imgur.com/6hEYkMI.jpg)
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Hawkdancer on December 07, 2017, 09:49:18 pm
Nice work!  Looks like you are on the way!  The pretty doesn't help them shoot better, but it can test your skill as well.  Hand work is great!
Hawkdancer
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: jeffp51 on December 07, 2017, 09:51:24 pm
my first one didn't look that good.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 07, 2017, 10:08:49 pm
Thanks guys!  Was funny: Had my stepson (he's 16) film me.  When I shot the arrow and we heard it SLAM into a milk carton filled with water and split it open he went "Holy s***!" lol.   I had a similar reaction.  One of the videos you hear me go "Well I think it flies well!"  and he goes "be proud! you made that".  For some reason hearing angsty teens approval and praise feels great haha.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Pat B on December 07, 2017, 10:22:36 pm
Arrows can be as addictive as bows. Nice work. Feels good when you get your new arrow to fly well.  :OK
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 07, 2017, 10:25:11 pm
I am curious if 5/16  cut to 24" would do okay...  There's nearly NO bend in this arrow on release.  Would definitely provide a huge speed boost as well as penetration for hunting.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Pat B on December 07, 2017, 10:31:58 pm
What draw weight are you shooting. 5/16 should be good for 45# to 50#.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 07, 2017, 10:51:05 pm
What draw weight are you shooting. 5/16 should be good for 45# to 50#.

I am shooting roughly 40# at 23".  It's a 50lb bow.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 08, 2017, 11:00:59 am
Question as I can't find my longbows IBO (it's 50lb @ 28", 72" tall, and the old Medieval Huntsman Longbow from 3Rivers if anyone could even take a rough guess).  Technically, these arrows are 11.7 GPI.  Is that too heavy for hunting, or no?  The arrow seems to fly like a bolt of lightning but without the IBO I am getting numbers from calculators that say it's onl 80fps and there is no way that is right as in that video I shared I am at roughly ten yards and even at that super slow speed you hear the arrow hit the target less than a second after release.  I don't have access to a chronograph which sucks.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Pat B on December 08, 2017, 11:09:06 am
If you are comfortable with how they fly, 11.7gpi isn't too heavy and actually would be preferable to a lighter arrow for hunting. Just be sure your arrow head is scary sharp.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 08, 2017, 11:20:50 am
If you are comfortable with how they fly, 11.7gpi isn't too heavy and actually would be preferable to a lighter arrow for hunting. Just be sure your arrow head is scary sharp.

For hunting until my forge is back up and running I was probably going to switch over to Toxic Broadheads as they are 100 grain and the glue on screw attachment is roughly 25 so it'd equal the same weight as my field points are now.  My only concern is with GPI where it's at would I achieve significant enough penetration at 20 yards for an ethical kill.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Pat B on December 08, 2017, 01:35:46 pm
Nid, have you seen the newest edition of Primitive Archer Magazine? Ryan Gill wrote an article, "Energy and Recovery", that will answer most of your questions.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 08, 2017, 01:41:32 pm
I didn't even know there was a magazine!  I live in the sticks so... we don't have the best of book stores available.  Thank god for the internet! lol
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 08, 2017, 01:43:20 pm
Are there digital copies too?
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Trapper Rob on December 10, 2017, 08:14:46 pm
Good looking arrow.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 11, 2017, 03:01:37 pm
Good looking arrow.

Thank ya!  I misquoted myself when I said it was 3/8". It is in fact a 5/16" arrow.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Pappy on December 24, 2017, 09:25:32 am
Yes their is Nidhoggr. Nice arrows by the way. ;)
 PAPPY
 Pappy
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on December 26, 2017, 11:53:59 pm
Yes their is Nidhoggr. Nice arrows by the way. ;)
 PAPPY
 Pappy

Thank you very much. Made a few since then and have realized that dear lord I need to get a fetching jig and make a rig to to convert a 3/8 to 11/32 dowel
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Eternalme on December 30, 2017, 01:25:02 am
What should be the price for bamboo arrows - natural fletched, steel tipped arrow in 30" . 300 spine.
I am planning to bulk buy from a supplier for reselling just confused what are the going prices.
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on January 04, 2018, 07:21:18 pm
What should be the price for bamboo arrows - natural fletched, steel tipped arrow in 30" . 300 spine.
I am planning to bulk buy from a supplier for reselling just confused what are the going prices.


Lol uh.... what?  Use standard economic pricing I guess?
Title: Re: Made my first arrow!
Post by: Nidhoggr on January 04, 2018, 07:24:03 pm
What should be the price for bamboo arrows - natural fletched, steel tipped arrow in 30" . 300 spine.
I am planning to bulk buy from a supplier for reselling just confused what are the going prices.

Wow... having looked closer at those... first time those arrows hit something hard (wood, rock, hard dirt) it's gonna shred the front of the arrow and basically whittle the wood right off.