Native Bow?

[tacticalguy]

Any one know what type of bow this is? i got it at a mountain man show but it didn't say what type of bow it was. I'm thinking something like a short bow.

[klkak]

Its a bow made by a white man. As to it being a short bow.....that would depend on how long it is.

[rebel]

I've just started reading about making bows. All that I can tell from the picture is that the belly is flat. How long is the bow? How wide is the bow? How much does it weigh? What is the thickness of the limbs?

How does it shoot?

[Stairman]

Its a primitive bow.

[tacticalguy]

the bow is about 3-4 feet long and weighs about half a pound.

[crashdive123]

Oh, well that's easy then. It's a light weight, three to four foot bow.

[tacticalguy]

oh ok thanks.

[skunkkiller]

unstung is it mostly straight? if it is it would a plians pony bow.

[Nativedude]

It's a plains Indian flat bow. They were used, mainly, to hunt off the back of horses. They're flat so as to make them easy to carry strapped across their back (the curve lay flat against their backs), which made for a more comfortable ride. And when unstrung they were flat. This made them easy to pack (if need be) when they traveled from their summer range to their winter range and back.

I can't tell for sure about yours (although i looks like it?!), but they made this style of bow--ambidextrous--for lack of a better term. What I mean is that there is no top or bottom; no right way up. They can be shot with either end up. That is why they could ready and fire their bows so quickly.

They are usually a very sturdy bow, although not usually good for shots beyond 15, maybe 20 yards. Beyond that the arrow loses it's momentum quickly.

It looks like it's a pretty short draw, as is customary of these types of bows. They are a quick draw and release style of bow (kind of a run & gun bow)!

They tend to hold up to a lot of abuse, that's why they made them the way they did! :thumbup1:

If you don't mind telling. . .how much did it cost you?

[FVR]

Looks like a kids bow to me. Short with a kite string string.

How heavy is the draw weight and at what length.

It does not look like a pony or horse bow to me. But that is just my opinion.

[Styric]

It is no native bow. Look at the nocks. The handle is of modern design and the string is very non native. The taper to the nocks and the nocks themselves will be the best way to research it. Remember that a bow is a bow. It is what the maker and the user do with it that matters. If you are going for historical accuracy and it was to be a native bow then the look of the bow would be way different. Let me pour into my Boyers Bibles and I will see what this bow best represents. What is it made of (wood)? Is it all wood or does it have horn added, inlays, backing, etc?

[tacticalguy]

Draw weight is about maybe 10-15 pounds and it is made up of hickory or cedar of some sort of hardwood.

[canid]

yeah, that looks like a modern style youth flatbow.

i make a lot of my flatbows with modern riser styles.

at 10/15lb, it's virtually useless for anything but a starter bow for a child [or for target shooting in the living room].

[Nativedude]

Styric wrote: "It is no native bow. . ."

No it is not a Native made bow, but it is a Native style bow. . .with a modern twist.


tacticalguy wrote: "it is made up of hickory or cedar of some sort of hardwood."

Uhhhh, Tactical guy, FYI, Cedar isn't a hardwood. :innocent:

[tacticalguy]

I ment "or"

[Styric]

What kind of backing does it have? Sinew, wood, laminate.

10 to 15 pounds? Definately a small game bow or target bow.

The taper to the nocks looks like a couple of primitive bows I have seen. The handle is straight modern. Flatbow with no known recurve. A lot of the native made bows I have seen are flatbows and the nocks have less taper. Of course each tribe will have it's different styles of make. If it is from a Northwest mountainman then research his possible tribal influences. Look at the what was primarily hunted by the tribal community as far as small game. That should help.

[tacticalguy]

I think it's either wood or laminate.

[Jericho117]

A Native American replica bow would have no handle like that. The bow would be the same thickness throughout the entire length, even the handle would be somewhat flexible but more wood wood be left on the belly handle section than the mid limbs and towards the ears. A Native bow would appear a fully-bending arch with no true handle. I couldn't say the draw weight, but even a 40# ( laws require at least a 45#) bow is good for deer hunting. If you double the width of a bow, you multiply the draw weight by 2. If you double the thickness, you multiply the draw weight by 8 times. That looks much like a hunting bow, but as for a Native American Plains bow I highly doubt. I have tooken some looks at actual Plains bows utilized on horseback, and the were made of Osage, and bent evenly throughout the entire length. I always laugh at people who think a small bow is a childrens bow, yet the plains Indians put arrows with there compact 40 inch bows straight through Tatanka. Lakota had small 39 inch long weapons with a set back in the handle, but fluid, and since it was osage it not needed sinew backing. I avoid set-backs because of the fact that they have a greater chance of breaking. I make my bows exactly the way the Plains did, I like the short draw and finger pinch. Like Klkak said, it's a white man's bow.

[Jericho117]

If you read and look at the wood, as I just did, I highly doubt a bow of that length (saying that it is short- 4 feet) and with that thickness and width would only pull 10-15 pounds, which wouldn't even be adequate for small game like Rabbit and WoodChuck (If your using a blunt). I say it pulls around 25# at around 22-24 inches draw, but then again im not sure what type of wood it is. The string does look like some cheap yarn, but when I first glanced at it it looked like a single-ply sinew string, like leg sinew that hasn't been wetted with saliva, when it's nice and fluffy. It is hard when someone isn't being specific, or giving more hints as to how it functions.

[FVR]

40" is a little short for my liking. On pony bows I make them from 48 to 53 inches. I back with numerous layers of sinew so that I can pull them back to 26/27 inches. The woods I prefer are osage or elm. I have made 48" hickory but they are just not as bendy as osage even with sinew.