Have you shot a selfbow?

[PredatorX]

What was your experience with the first arrow you launched from a selfbow? What was your first impression?

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[LostArra]

Well the first bow I made rattled my teeth. As I improved my bow building I got rid of the hand shock.
A well made selfbow is extremely quiet and can be an accurate and deadly weapon.
It does occasionally take some voodoo tuning with wood arrows because selfbows are usually not cut with a shelf (mine aren't) but do have a small arrow rest incorporated into the grip.

 

[PredatorX]

How long can you leave one strung up for? An all day of elk hunting?

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[slvrslngr]

Built mine at Raptor Archery in Hood River OR thanks to a class my wife bought for me. What surprised me most when shooting it, was how fast and quiet it was. It's osage, btw.

Yes, you can leave them strung all day for hunting, but definitely unstring it at night. A properly built and cared for selfbow will last a lifetime.

 

[LostArra]

Built mine at Raptor Archery in Hood River OR thanks to a class my wife bought for me. What surprised me most when shooting it, was how fast and quiet it was. It's osage, btw.

Yes, you can leave them strung all day for hunting, but definitely unstring it at night. A properly built and cared for selfbow will last a lifetime.

+1
No problem strung all day while hunting. Osage is the top of the line in my book. Hickory makes a good bow but is a little shaky in wet climates and can take some set.

 

[tater]

What was your experience with the first arrow you launched from a selfbow? What was your first impression?

My first shot from a Yew selfbow was that it had a "soft" reaction (recoil?) compared to a laminated bow. It didn't lack speed, and it was quiet. If i recall correctly it was 70"ntn, and i know i shot it using birch arrows.
My buddy hunted for years with self bows before he passed, and besides unstringing them every night, and gradually drawing them when restrung he used them like any other bow, in all kinds of conditions. I know for waterproofing on one of his last bows that he rubbed layers of rendered bear grease into it. Worked well until his Lab pup got hold of it.

 

[wyodog]

My first self bow shot seamed magical to me at the time. The arrow hit where I aimed and the bow felt quiet and solid. It was my first bow I built and I went on to hunt with it for several years. I still shoot it 23 years later. Its a 68" Osage flat bow.

 

[smoke]

The first one I shot was really not very made and I as a bit disappointed - wasn't very fast and had a bit of kick. The next one I shot really impressed me - I've been hunting with them ever since. About 12 years now.

 

[marktole]

I just had my first experience with one the other day. It was a class I took this semester at Kansas State University for 1 credit hour over a weekend called "Self Bow." One Wednesday night and a Saturday and Sunday and finished with a shooting bow! Made it out of a bitternut hickory, came out to 68", with a 35# draw. I'm sure its absolute garbage by any standard, but hey, for never having done anything with traditional archery and never having built one, I was pretty happy with it. Even hit a block target at 40 yards! I think the experience will probably lead me into traditional archery after I get some more experience under my belt archery hunting in general.

 

[Beendare]

Does it count if i didn't make it?

Yeah, thats the great thing about going to trad shoots....just about anyone will let you shoot their bow...in fact many offer if you show interest. There are many degrees of trad shooting. going from a stable recurve to a one piece longbow is an adjustment.

Then further still going to self bows is even more of a higher degree of difficulty....and my older joints didn't like the vibration. As it is I just got to the point where I can shoot again with my bad elbow....I don't need to screw up the one on my bow arm.