Longbow / Flatbow?

[Raedwald]

Originally Posted by Shel

The mongo would probably fit in to HT

Well, depending on what it's made from, wouldn't it be Primitive class?

[pHz]

Originally Posted by Raedwald

Well, depending on what it's made from, wouldn't it be Primitive class?

its a modern glass limbed one

slainte rob

[Raedwald]

Originally Posted by pHz

its a modern glass limbed one

slainte rob

That'll be a "no" then....

[Macbow]

Originally Posted by Ffish

My question is – is this bow then classified as an American Flatbow, or does it still fall into longbow category?

Falls into longbow as far as the IFAA is concerned - even if it is a glass backed, carbon cored AFB it is still classed as a longbow.
Personally I think AFB is the way to go for your son - more stable and forgiving to shoot, an arrow shelf for a consistent release, glass backed laminated construction so more durable in all weathers with a better cast for less draw weight and if it has some reflex deflex built into the limbs it should have little handshock.

[English Bowman]

Originally Posted by Ffish

My question is – is this bow then classified as an American Flatbow, or does it still fall into longbow category?

It'll be an American Flatbow.
If he's going to enter target competitions then get an English Longbow. It shouldn't be a problem for him to learn to get his hand position right. (We have a 10 year old shooting an English Longbow that his dad made him at our club, and he does quite well with it, and has never cut his hand)
If you are taking him field shooting, and/or not interested in target competitions then the AFB is probably the way to go

Daniel

[RichardH]

Must admit our 8 year old son hasn't had a problem with cut bow hand on English Longbow, and he doesn't use a bow hand glove. He, my wife & I only started shooting in December, and we have all started straight on longbow.

We're fortunate in that the club we belong to (a longbow only club) has a wide selection of club bows (all the basic Bickerstaffe reenactment bows), so we have been able to work our way up through the weights as we gain strength and form. Our son's just moving on to a 20# bow this weekend.

[Ffish]

It transpires that the AFB is not recognised by GNAS as a longbow, and therefore has no category for classification or handicaps. He'd also have potential issues when it came to GNAS target tournaments too, despite the fact that our very friendly club records officer (thanks Joe!) would allow him to gain a classification for longbow by using an AFB.

Therefore, we have to go down the traditional English longbow route, as we both want him to be able to do GNAS and NFAS shoots without any controversy.

So, my next question is - anyone know where to buy a half-decent (English) longbow of around 25-30lbs for a 5 footer?

[FlightyRachel]

Hi Andrew, I think if he wants a longbow, it's definitely the way to go! Joe loves shootng his, and there aren't that many small boys shooting them! (There aren't that many women either, which is why i do so well on the bronze medal front! )

You could try Flybow

or the NFAS small ads

or maybe try ebay. I think some very reputable bowyers stick their slightly imperfect bows on ebay every now and then.

Good luck, I look forward to hearing how your son gets on!

[Ffish]

I think I've got the ideal solution! After a bit of searching around today, I got a great reply from Steve Ralphs longbows who has offered to make him a bow to suit his size and draw weight/length for £120.(ish)

Well pleased!

[English Bowman]

Try Pip Bickerstaffe at http://www.bickerstaffebows.co.uk
I think he does children's bows at £80 to £100 I know you've spoken to him before, but if you tell him that your son needs an ELB to enter GNAS competitions he should make you what you want, and his work is excellant. (Although I've heard nothing but good about Richard Head as well)

Daniel