THE ENGLISH LONG BOW.

[Peter Hudson]

Originally Posted by kronckew

Peter, I think the metallurgy of the period would not have allowed for making all-metal arrows light enough to be fired at the velocities required to penetrate their armour. Some experimental archaeology may be required.



Waxing the arrows could also have prevented them absorbing water in the rain & warping. They are occasionally varnished to make them more weather resistant.



Turkish flight arrows were indeed an aerodynamic shape & minimal flights. Some has grooves in the rear portion in lieu of flights to assist stabilization. Their composite recurved bows were more efficient at allowing long draws with shorter bows, but were more prone to weather damage and warping from mishandling as they are unwaxed/varnished to save weight. And they took a lot longer to make properly. They would have bone knocks and points for lightness. They were generally shorter than normal target or war arrows, and generally used with an overdraw device.

Thanks for the excellent drawing of the bolt/arrow and it is interesting that they also had grooves in their arrows.. The Comanche arrow also has grooves...three in fact, so it is something they knew about centuries ago...I noted from my own archery practice how an arrow snakes toward a target and how it develops spin similar to a bullet. I noticed how the arrow bends itself around the bow then wobbles its way onto the target... with further twist being done by the flights. In a three finger draw it also causes the string to twist and in slow motion it shows how the arrow performs on its way to the target. Peter Hudson.