American Flatbow

[Alex Greig]

I have just agreed to purchase and American Flatbow of one of the club members.

Shot a Portsmouth with it tonite, scored 27 points and 10 hits, so there is room for improvement, but I don't want to peak too soon.

[Radar_UK]

Slow and steady - nothing wrong with that !

Also that's still a PB for you with a flatbow

[Macbow]

Find an aiming system that works for you, get a set of arrows that match the bow and stick with it. It won't take long before you're shooting respectable scores. And isn't it great holding something so lightweight. What make of bow and draw weight is the bow? I'm always interested in what AFBs people are using. Above all have fun with your new toy.

[Little Miss Purple]

I'm not sure how different the flatbow is from a longbow but I did notice a big difference when aiming using the point of the arrow!!

[Alex Greig]

Its a Samick 69 inch Hunter @ 35lbs. Beutiful looking bow, and feels like holding fresh air compared to my compound.

[hooktonboy]

I've just started having fun with an AFB myself. Sure is light compared to anything metal, ain't it?
I was given a piece of advice too. The flatbow is meant to be held "canted" at a slight angle to shoot as intended. For a right handed archer this means canting the top limb slightly to the right to bring the shelf "cutout" into the vertical. Anyone agree with this? I certainly shoot better with it that way (if only because I can see the aiming point better!!)

Steve

[hooktonboy]

Hi Macbow. Forgot to put in its a Ragim Little Hawk at about 40# (perhaps a bit less on my draw length) Pleased to say that after 2 weeks I can hit the target at sixty yards (well some of the time!)

Steve

[Macbow]

Hi Steve. Heard lots of good things about the ragim bows - glad you're getting on well with yours. As far as canting goes it's not a must but it can be useful at times - all of my AFBs are cut near to centre so i don't need to cant in order to get my arrows to go where I'm looking. For target shooting my bow is always held vertical so I can be consistent with my gaps. I find this is important in field archery where the terrain varies so much I like to keep as many constants as possible. It can be difficult to judge your cant angle eg fan shots from the side of a hill can play havoc with your aim. We have one target where the angle of the trees down the shooting lane looks vertical but if you line up with the trees you are actually canting right which throws the arrows to the right. For purely instinctive shooting at moving targets or short guessed distances I find canting helps - as it brings the arrow between my eyes kind of like firing a shotgun. In those situations I also snap shoot. Bowhunters also say canting makes it easier to get a longbow into tight spaces like stands or to take awkward shots and it closes down your gaps and therefore point on distance. That's fine for 20 yard shots but personally I think it makes it harder for long range accuracy. If your arrows are spined and tuned right you shouldn't have to cant but if it helps or if it feels more natural then go for it. Remember to cant your head also and keep your release hand in line with the string. My main archery buddy cants his AFBs as it helps with his bow arm clearance but I have a more open stance so tend not to hit my arm. Trial and error but I would say if you already have good form don't mess with your usual shooting routine too much. Just tune the bow and arrows to shoot as closely as possible to your recurve. Just my tuppence worth.

[hooktonboy]

Hi Macbow,

many thanks for the advice. I'll play with it and see how I get on. Just enjoying the very different shooting experience. The Ragim is a nice bow I must admit - feels very crisp on release. The cutout is probably a third on these - nowhere near centre shot.

Kind regards

Steve

[little_john]

I found that canting does not help and with the arrow shelf you dont need it. It's just one more source of errors and I found that my arrows tended to go left if I did it. If you want to cant then remember to cant your string hand as well because you will be inducing a twist into the system otherwise. AFB's are great fun, enjoy.