Nocks, String and Shooting in.

I've done the nocks in black Waterbuffalo horn, normally it comes out solid shiny black, this piece has a grayish white streak in the centre which gives it a distinguished and decorative look. Waterbuffalo horn has a small line in the centre a bit like the pith up the middle of a branch, often it's flattened into a seam rather than a tube, normally it barely shows, or looks like a fine crack. I've managed to cut the two nocks from the same piece of horn which gives matching nocks. I had been thinking of inlaying a dot of silver, but that wouldn't look right with the nice white/grey streak.

I've given it a wipe over with Danish oil so that I can see the colour and surface finish better. It is very much like the other bow from the same quarter stave (that was the one with the Devil's thumb print). It has a patch of that darker wood and some attractive streaks of reddish colour.

I shall get a decent string on it and give it some exercise.On the tiller at 26" it's looking a really good shape now and having sat at full draw for a minute or so it's reading 30# so I'm pretty close. Pulling it briefly from braced to 24" read about 27# which will do for now.

I'll get the string made and take some pics later.

Woo, it spits out those arrows! I made a 6 strand Angel Majesty string, padded out at the centre serving with 6 strands of Dacron so that it doesn't slice your fingers off. The brace height is fairly low, but probably in proportion to the length of the bow 5 3/4 "

I'm shooting it in using my lightest arrows and just drawing to my lips with my left arm slightly flexed. It shoots rather well considering the arrows are prob' a tad stiff for it. I was just snap shooting, and it was grouping ok, feels strange shooting from a short draw but it feels predictable and a bit like my Hazel flat bow, which I s'pose would be a similar weight at 24"-26" draw.

It's looking like it's about 27# or 28# at 24" so it may be a bit over, it will be good to let her try it and see how it suits. I don't know what her technique is like, if she's using a 'target' style draw using mostly the right arm, it may require a slightly more 'warbow' type draw coming up from a low start point using both arms, back and chest in a more dynamic draw, no time to hang around on target before loosing either. Obviously I won't let her use it if it's too much for her, but I think field shooting is made for a more dynamic style... The longer I spend 'aiming' the worse I get.

Stare at the target, bring the bow hand up and out punching it towards the target and as the right hand hits your anchor 'and' loose.

The 'and' is the length of pause, none of this standing at full draw for 5 seconds.

All just my opinion and style of course, doubtless a target archer would wipe the floor with me over known distances on a regulation target. I think field shooting with a self wood bow is a totally different discipline.

If you were being attacked by Zombies would you rather have a target archer or a field archer alongside you? Yeah, and if it was Vampires, you'd definitely want the field archer with the wooden arrows.