Reflex/Deflex Longbows

[joetapley]

Macbow
Picture partly a joke. A take down (Adcock) longbow with stabiliser and sights.

One drawback to the 'defined' competive bow classes is that while there is a great variety of historical and new bow designs (and I suppose you'd class the English longow as relatively new) the shooting line becomes very dull. Rather than have just 3 basic identical bow sets life would be more interesting with more variety. So IMO want you want is to promote more variety not try impose more restrictions. If a bow meets the class specification then OK to use it. Comments about fairness are spurious. An archer with wooden limbs and aluminium arrows is at a disadvantage to one with carbon/foam limbs and carbon arrows - calls for carbon arrows to be banned as they're 'not fair'?

Personally I'd like to see flatbows, extreme recurves etc all 'competing' with each other. After all the kit is the choice of the archer.
Maybe draw the line at horseback archery

[Yew Selfbow]

Originally Posted by joetapley

(and I suppose you'd class the English longow as relatively new)

Sorry, you've completely lost me ....????

[Tom]

Originally Posted by joetapley

I suppose you'd class the English longow as relatively new

The earliest evidence of bow use is from about 50,000 years ago (if I recall correctly). The 'English Longbow', of Robin Hood and 100 Years War fame, was developed about 1000 years ago from the 'Welsh Longbow'(again IIRC).

And in fact it was mentioned below that the BLBS harks back to a Victorian/Edwardian ideal of the longbow. Which would give the BLBS defined 'English Longbow' a heritage of only 150 years or so.

Joe is right, the 'English longbow' is 'relatively new'...almost modern in fact

[Yew Selfbow]

Tom
Sorry,I have to disagree with you I'm afraid. Having handled and examined the Mary Rose bows in great detail, I can assure you that they are almost exactly the same as any self bow made in the Victorian or modern era. So that makes the D section, straight limbed bow as we know it today at least 500 years old

[joetapley]

By 'relatively new' I was thinking of about 500 years.
IIRC the Welsh 'longbow' was of R/D shape.

[Tom]

I stand humbly corrected on both counts YS and Joe.

[Greenman]

I've always regarded the longbow shooters as "Free spirits ", that they are now obsessing about rules is another sad indictment on our rule obsessed society. A bent stick is a bent stick regardless of how many bends it has, it is the Archer that is important not the bow. I have this image of Robin Hood turning up to the Shooting competition with a reflexed bow and being told to "Bu**er off, you can't shoot that here!",...end of story,don't think it would have happened.Almost a rant there, sorry.ps I realize Robin Hood is fiction.

[tel]

Originally Posted by Greenman

....ps I realize Robin Hood is fiction.

WHAT!! You'll expect us to believe there's no Father Christmas next....

[Dave]

I'm gonna get hit by the 'off-topic' police here but......

Tom, like your new Weebl Avatar But where's Bob.

You'll be demanding pie next

Think I'll get myself a Magical Trevor avatar....

[Greenman]

Robin Hood fictious? don't tell anyone but I was trying to be contentious