Author Topic: how do they compare? (Read 11946 times)

billmac · « **on:** April 14, 2007, 10:41:58 pm »

Compound vs Selfbow? Same draw weight. Comparable arrows.

Pat B · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2007, 11:40:36 pm »

I see very little comparison. Both are capable of doing what they were made to do, whether it be to hunt with or target shoot. Other than that, not much to compare. Pat

Jbell · « **Reply #2 on:** April 15, 2007, 12:26:35 am »

That is apples to oranges really. Their is no real comparison in performance at all, but both will equally do their job like Pat said. Now selfbows to glass bows that would be a more fun debate or glass bows vs. bamboo backed bows, they would compare even better. Justin

Justin Snyder · « **Reply #3 on:** April 15, 2007, 12:33:23 am »

OH come on Pat, you can compare the two. A selfbow is a lot more fulfilling and funner to shoot.

I would say comparing the two is like comparing free chase hunting to hunting an enclosure. If you are looking to compare speed, I couldn't even compare a compound to a compound. They are too different. Justin

DanaM · « **Reply #4 on:** April 15, 2007, 06:56:07 am »

funner, is that a word Justin?

Give yer compound to someone ya don't like, perhaps your daughters boyfriend

then take him bunny hunting and while he's messin with releases and sights shoot all the bunnies for him

Yup yer right Justin selfbows are funner!!!!

DanaM

Easternarcher · « **Reply #5 on:** April 15, 2007, 08:29:57 am »

I lost interest in compounds due to gadgets-weight-looks-feel and how they fit in with my interests...

I returned to Traditional archery for the same reasons minus the gadgets!

There's my comparison....

billmac · « **Reply #6 on:** April 15, 2007, 10:12:10 am »

I confess that I don't have a particular dislike for compounds. I also confess that what made me ask was when we shot our first selfbow yesterday. Turned out pretty well but quite a bit underweight and a little whip tillered. We moved our shop from the basement to an outside shop and it's been really damp so I think the stave soaked up quite a bit of moisture. Anyway it's around 35 lbs and we start shooting it. I haven't made any arrows yet so I just use some carbons and aluminums that I have for the compound. Well of course we aren't very accurate or consistent but we're doing ok and it's fun. So I get my compound out and fire off a few of the same arrows. Holy crap! At twenty yards the speed is nearly instantaneous. (of course I should know this but I haven't shot it in over a year) If this was just target archery I don't think I'd care at all, but I'm leery of deer jumping the string. Ah well, once we get a bow up to around 55lbs and get better at tillering I'm sure I'll be less concerned.

Easternarcher: I made my first string yesterday. Pretty easy once you know how. As soon as I figure out how to do the serving I'll send the video along. Thanks Chris.

Justin Snyder · « **Reply #7 on:** April 15, 2007, 11:08:52 am »

Don't worry about a deer jumping the string. People have been harvesting game with these bows for thousands of years. I shot a pronghorn at 20 yards and he hardly flinched. He didn't even run when the arrow hit. He trotted out about 45 yards and stopped and looked back before toppling over.

I don't have anything against compounds either. It lost a lot of its fun for me when all the gadgets came in to style, releases to be exact.

A couple of days before my first hunt with a longbow, I had a splinter rise. I fixed it and got out my compound. I shot the compound and I could hear something loose and vibrating. I took it to the bow shop and they said that nothing was wrong. I shot it some more and got used to it. When the sinew was dry on my longbow, I shot it then the compound. The compound sounded like a rattly old cattle truck driving down the road compared to the whisper of the longbow. Also at 170 fps the arrow covers the 20 yards in .35 seconds. I would be willing to bet you that 99.9% of the deer that people say jumped or ducked the arrow missed outright. The deer then reacted to the arrow that just passed. If I throw a baseball past your head you will duck even after the ball goes by, its the same thing. It just happened so fast and none of us wants to think we just missed so we believe the deer just heard the string and saw the arrow and moved.

If it did move before the arrow got there, it was reacting to your movement or you making noise, not the bow.

If you think your bow soaked up to much moisture, place it in a hot box until it dries out. If it hasn't already taken too much set, it should get a bunch of the weight back. Justin

Sorry Danna, i guess more fun would have been more appropriate.

Pat B · « **Reply #8 on:** April 15, 2007, 12:05:00 pm »

I was watching NC public TV last night and they were talking about "archery in the schools" program. The kids were shooting compounds but another thing that I noticed was that these kids(8or9 to 17yo) were shooting with fingers and without sights. They were competing with their peers and obviously enjoying themselves. I consider this archery. At this stage, the "tool" doesn't matter that much. A percentage of these kids will be introduced to traditional and/or primitive archery and go that route. It all depends on path that we, as individuals, want to take.
The world of compound bows, today(IMO), is more of a marketing program than it is a sportsman's or archery program. As a tool, the compound bow is incredible. If that is the way folks want to go, that's fine to me. I have chosen a different path to travel. There are more differences between compounds and self bows than comparisons(IMO). Pat

venisonburger · « **Reply #9 on:** April 15, 2007, 12:33:04 pm »

Compounds give blistering speed and the feeling of invincibility, the idea that since you can punch through a shoulder, accuracy may not be as critical,a false comfort that, you don't have to wait until the animal gets close enough for a precise shot, being able to brag to your hunting buddies that you have the fastest jet speed arrow flinging machine on the planet for the year.

Primitive, traditional bows make us wait until we know the animal is in our comfort zone, that the training and discipline that we worked on for the past year will put that arrow in the kill zone since we don't have 325fps to break every bone in the animals body. It gives us the ability to brag to our hunting buddies that we have the most beautiful wood, or design, or that we made it ourselfs.

We all want the same result I think, an animal that is harvested ethically. We are all individuals, thats the beauty of being an american, we don't have to all do the same thing or not be able to do something at all. I still believe that we as Archers have to stick together, but there's nothing saying we can't try and convert some of the compound hunters over to the fun of primitive/traditional archery.
VB

Hillbilly · « **Reply #10 on:** April 15, 2007, 01:43:24 pm »

If all you're interested in is arrow speed, then sure, a compound bow is hands down gonna smoke a selfbow, especially if you're comparing a whip tillered 35-pounder to a state-of-the-art high-weight compound. A 7mm magnum will easily smoke both of 'em for that matter. It's not always about the speed, it's about the feel and the overall experience, although a well-made, efficient selfbow has plenty enough speed and power to take care of business-they've been feeding and defending people for thousands of years before compound bows were invented. If you really want to see a comparison of the overall experience of shooting them, go shoot a 3D round with the compound crowd, then go shoot a round with a bunch of stick toters. Bet you'll see a totally different mindset, and have ten times as much fun shooting with the stick crowd. There's just a certain feeling and "magic" for lack of a better word, that comes from shooting well with a self made selfbow. You wouldn't see Legolas toting around a Matthews solocam lol. I have an old dusty compound sitting around somewhere that I haven't touched in years, even though at one time I could regularely skewer cigarette butts at twenty yards with it- after I got used to shooting a selfbow, all the gadgets and crap just completely lost their appeal to me. A factory-made compound shooting device ain't got no soul. A bent piece of living wood does. It's something you can't really explain in words, either you feel it or you don't.

Kegan · « **Reply #11 on:** April 15, 2007, 07:05:55 pm »

A selfbow, in my opinion, is the perfect hunting device. They are fast (it takes about half the time to shoot a wooden barebow then it does for most pin-shooters), but more so they are QUIET, something alot of compounds can't even come close to. No mster how fast your bow is, if the deer hears it, it's gonna get spooked and even if you do hit it right where you want it, it will run alot farhter than it will with a whisper quiet selfbow. At least that's my experience. And more so, a selfbow makes you part of the hunt, not just what pulls the string and aligns the pin.

Besides, selfbows are pretty

!

DanaM · « **Reply #12 on:** April 15, 2007, 07:46:32 pm »

Amen, Amen. Amen

DanaM

Easternarcher · « **Reply #13 on:** April 15, 2007, 08:07:16 pm »

Easternarcher: I made my first string yesterday. Pretty easy once you know how. As soon as I figure out how to do the serving I'll send the video along. Thanks Chris.

Quote

That's GREAT!!!! would love to see a pic of your work.....hope I do as well!

ScottH · « **Reply #14 on:** April 15, 2007, 10:45:02 pm »

I agree with what kegan said. The self bow is the perfect hunting device. They have been used for thousands of years with success for hunting and war. A few years a go when I shot a compound I lost out on a couple of shot oppurtunities because of all the gadjets. I believe with a good selfbow I could have bought home meat.

Primitive Archer