old tech versus new

[bushboy]

Can a well made self bow come close in performance to a modern composite?thx's

[Pappy]

Yep ,close. In most cases not hardly but close.
  Pappy

[Pat B]

Ask Marc St Louis.

[Wooden Spring]

A fast bow makes a bad hunter...   

I had a boat-building friend one time tell me that "A good motor makes a bad sailor." And I think his wisdom applies here too.

[Badger]

  The all wood composite bows can come very close to the some of the better modern bows. Self bows are usually but not always a bit slower than the backed bows. But still close enough you will hardly notice a differnce. At the flight shoots shooting the broadheads with my slef bows I usually outshoot most of the modern bows in my weight class.

[Dances with squirrels]

Fiberglass is heavy. I made 3 bows of the same d/r profile and draw weight. The bamboo backed yew bow out shot the bamboo backed osage, which outshot the fiberglass/maple laminated longbow.

[bradsmith2010]

for speed or distance, what Badger said,,
but for me, yes they can equal the performance of a modern bow for hunting
I am a hunter,,the self bow performs just as well as any bow at close hunting shots,,
I dont feel like I am giving up anything to shoot a wood bow for hunting,,thats just me,, and I love to make them,,

[dragonman]

I find backed bows, especialy bamboo backings on the hardest tropical woods are able to take significant recurves and reflex, that self bows cant handle, thus they can store more energy and therefore shoot faster, with a smoother draw... but some self bows with a natural reflex come very close, but then I probably havent shot the best made self bows that some of the guys here make, so this is only an opinion  based on my experience

[crooketarrow]

  I like that wood spring.

  And it's very true.

  When I read that I think of compounders that shoot 75,100 yards.

  Trying to put aquipment in front of every thing else.

  Their missing the thrill if getting inside 20 yards of a mature buck.

  My answer after building a lot of selfbows, 6 horn bows, selfbow have  better cast.

  Horn bows are a tad faster at lest mine were.

[Wooden Spring]

  I like that wood spring.
  And it's very true.
  When I read that I think of compounders that shoot 75,100 yards.
  Trying to put equipment in front of every thing else.

Well, we teach archery to a lot of kids every year, and one of the most frequent questions that we get asked is "how fast is it?" My usual response is something like "I don't have a clue."

The most important aspect of a bow is if you can hit consistently with it. And if your bow is shooting bullseyes at 100 yards, you're not hunting, your target practicing with flesh as your target. Foam targets are one thing, but there is SO much that can go wrong in a hunting situation between you and the animal (wind, twigs, bad release, etc.), that I really don't think its very ethical to hunt at those ranges.

Just my personal opinion though.

[huisme]

The fastest dozen or so I've built might have met/beat your average f****glass bow but I haven't done much chrono work as mine is cheap and a pain in the butt to use.

[Dances with squirrels]

Don't know if it matters but perhaps I should clarify... I've never shot them through a chrono. I shoot them for distance when comparing them.

[Dakota Kid]

A modern composite/compound bow can outperform a traditional selfbow. For example; humid conditions, shots over 25 yards, holding at full draw, blasting through bone.

A selfbow can likewise out perform a modern composite;  more parts to break, getting all those sight pins confused, a false sense of skill, expense.

Both have their strengths and weaknesses. For me it comes down to which one do I prefer to shoot. The ones I build seem to feel better in my hand and at time I swear they even seem to get sad if I leave them on the rack. Plus, bow builders tend to appreciate a challenge from what I've observed. 

[Eric Krewson]

I have said this over and over, there is osage and then there is OSAGE. Every now and then I make a bow from a piece of wood that is a super performer, don't know why, it just happens, I am sure it is the wood not the builder's skill.

Case in point; my current static, unreal performance. I haven't chronoed it but can tell from shooting alongside a variety of other bows that it is special.

[Badger]

I have said this over and over, there is osage and then there is OSAGE. Every now and then I make a bow from a piece of wood that is a super performer, don't know why, it just happens, I am sure it is the wood not the builder's skill.

Case in point; my current static, unreal performance. I haven't chronoed it but can tell from shooting alongside a variety of other bows that it is special.

  Eric, you are right on here. Some wood is just lower in hysteresis. I rely on that when building flight bows. I know if I build so many a couple of them will stand out.