If you’ve ever been interested in archery or bow and arrow shooting, then you must be sure you like the materials you’re using. Certain bow types, for example, work better for these people, while other bow types work better for those people. The differences between the types of bows are many, but the inherent skill involved is the same. The evolution of the bow gives an array of breeds of bows today.
Here is an example of what can be found widely in and out of use today in archery.
Way back when, bows and arrows were always made of wood and animal guts. Like bow types today, the wood was made from the saplings of various trees. Depending on how the wood was cut and carved (and cured in water, for example), the bow could shoot an arrow more or less forceful. These wood bows often used other animal parts, such as horns from water buffalo and guts from other wild animals. These were the very first composite bows, a mixture of wood and other rudimentary technologies.
Other types of bows formed later are often referred to as composite bows. These, like the animal gut and wood bows before them, are an mélange of materials used for one purpose. The composite bow type can have a wooden core today, however, with outer laminations of fiberglass, carbon or other space age mediums. The draw weight of the wooden and composite bows differs greatly. The latter is obviously more powerful and more accurate than the former.
US $899.99
The various types of bows that branch off from the wooden or composite bow today are as numerous as they are different. The assortment of bows includes the recurve bow, the reflex bow, longbow, composite bow, straight bow, self bow and compound bow. Each of these comes innately with their own strengths and weaknesses, one out-weighing the other only by the archer’s (or shooter’s) preference. Most competitions, however, require either a category for each bow or that each archer use the same bow type.
The recurve and reflex bow can be confused with one another, as they are close to the same type of bow. The recurve has tips curving (thus the name) away from the archer. These are used from everyone from beginners to Olympians. The reflex bow, conversely, curves away from the archer when not strung. The self bow is not a composite at all, but made from one category of wood, usually linear and uncurved. The self bow and the straight bow can be confused with each other, as the straight bow is straight, but is usually made up of two or more materials, like wood, carbon, fiberglass and laminate.
The longbow was the weapon of choice by many warriors of yesteryear. Today, the long bow is still made of wood but is not a “serious” archer’s choice of weapons. These can shoot a long ways away, hence the name “long” bow. They often come with a level hand grip and sight for long distance shooting. The composite bow, similarly, is made of multiple materials, such as carbon and fiberglass, making it the namesake for a mix-type bow. The compound bow, however, can shoot very fast and hard like the longbow, but is easier to pull and hold and aim. The compound bow uses a pulley system to lock an archer’s aim and arrow in place, making the release smooth and straight. They are often, too, made up of the most varying materials, with pulleys, string, grips and sights. There are other types of more specific bows pertinent to various cultures around the world, making archery a sport more or less carried out by cultures from Africa, Asia and North and South America.
Tags: Hunting Bows
