Spear

[WildGoth]

i have mad a few attempts at making a spear it was sharp and good but i went to throw it and let's put it this way nearly turned into a spinning death trap is there a special way to make a spear so it goes forward or is it in the throw thanks for the help

[canid]

1. yes, it's mostly in the throw.

2. there are ways to make a spear fly straighter, and even further. this is why atlatls and spear catapults where invented.

i've never been great at throwing a spear by hand.

[Rick]

It also has to do with weighting. Do you just have a point on the end or did you affix something to it?

[crashdive123]

WG - how long is the spear that you made? A longer spear (6-8 ft) may take an straighter path. Weighting and throwing technique are important too, as mentioned by others. If you can't get the one you made to fly straight, call it a rabbit stick and nobody will be the wiser.

[WildGoth]

the length is about 3-4 feet and rick it is just sharpened

[crashdive123]

Something that short is not going to fly straight unless you put some kind of flites ont the back end, or are real, real, real, real skilled at throwing.

[Rick]

I agree. That's more in the realm of arrow than spear.

[crashdive123]

WG - with something as short as you describe - this may relate to the other problem that you started a thread on about making your tip sharp enough to get the job done. There is the difficulty in making the flight path straight, but you also have the problem of not being able to generate enough velocity by throwing it. Like Rick said - more in the realm of an arrow. There just isn't enough mass when throwing it to work properly. So the problem on your other post probably isn't the tip, but rather the spear.

[WildGoth]

oh ok thanks for the help

[canid]

or even a tuft of dry grass, spread out parallel, wrapped around the girth and tied off about the middle.
fletchings certainly don't have to be complicated.

[Wanderer]

Hi all. I've had a little bit of experience with self made spears. I use very light saplings, or very large river cane reeds. I'm not very good with the Atlatl, so what I do is attach about midpoint to the spear a thin rope/string. I tie it into a finger loop, with some rope trailing(about 6 inches). Two of your fingers are put in the loop as the spear is grasped. When you throw, the finger loop adds impetus. The trailing string adds drag, and acts like primitive fletching. Although the spear doesn't travel nearly as far as an atlatl thrown one, it is pretty accurate and certainly travels further than one just thrown by hand.
Well, thats it for now.
Alex

[trax]

Wanderer, what kind of velocity are you getting? I mean, I'm pretty sure you never measured it officially, but are you say, taking a rabbit at 20 yards? (just an example) Because I'm not much of a spear chucker but that sounded pretty cool.

[BraggSurvivor]

I couldn't throw a spear if my life depended on it. Two surgeries on my right shoulder and one on my left. I can hardly raise a beer bottle above my shoulder but I make do. I throw rocks like a girl and my push up days are over.

Spear making and throwing are days long gone.

[Rick]

Well, the head is above the shoulders so this is truly a dilemma. Perhaps something like this would help:

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Honest, officer, I only had one beer.......

[Ole WV Coot]

Even with fletching of some kind accuracy at 20yds would need mucho weight on the pointy end. I've chucked a few when I was young.

[bulrush]

IMO, a spear should be the length from the ground to the tip of your finger with your arm above your head. Hold one arm straight up. Measure from the tip of your finger to the ground. Make the spear that long.

[Wanderer]

Wanderer, what kind of velocity are you getting? I mean, I'm pretty sure you never measured it officially, but are you say, taking a rabbit at 20 yards? (just an example) Because I'm not much of a spear chucker but that sounded pretty cool.

Hi Trax. I'm not sure of the velocity. I got the idea from reading about the Ancient Greek javelinists who used to do the same thing in battles. According to records they could pierce shields. Mind you I've only practiced against rotten tree stumps and such, but was able to get them wedged in there pretty tight so that it took quite a bit of tugging to get them out...not very scientific though...
I'm not very good at flintknapping, so I fashioned the spearheads out of bone(easier to work with). I can only imagine how much damage a properly weighted metal spearhead would do.
Alex

[Wanderer]

As for taking rabbits, I use throwing sticks and any handy small(egg sized) rocks. I always hoped to use this spear on some slow moving animal like a porcupine, or if I got exceptionally lucky a deer sized animal. Mind you I believe taking game in northern Ontario with a spear is illegal...this would be strictly a survival situation strategy.

[hidingpool]

Also remember, there are two kinds of spears. Stabbing and throwing. It's construction will depend on how you plan to use it. Pool

[hoosierarcher]

the length is about 3-4 feet and rick it is just sharpened

If that is the total length of the spear it is entirely too short to be used as a thrower. Spears that short are strictly stabbing weapons for close quarter combat.