A terrible weapon of nomads: a bow without poison - arrows into the wind. The most powerful bow What is a bow and arrow in antiquity

October 25, 2013

Modern compound bow

Most people believe that the fundamental design of the bow has not changed since antiquity. New materials were used and, in principle, everything. But this opinion will change for anyone who ever sees a modern compound bow.

Historians and archaeologists do not have a similar opinion when a person began to use a bow. But the 64,000-year-old stone arrowheads found in the Sibudu Cave give every reason to assume that at that distant time, a person already used a bow. Almost all peoples, in all cultures, in all armies used this throwing weapon for hunting and warfare. Only the indigenous peoples of Australia and Oceania did not have bows - they lived "apart" from the rest of the world for a very long time.

Bow Design Changes

There are also references to the bow in world painting, literature, poetry, and historical documents. There were legends about the skill of archers, many of which have come down to us in the form of literary works. Many films have been made about this. We can safely say that the bow is the most important throwing weapon in the history of mankind.

During its use by mankind, the bow has undergone many changes in its design. The simple yew bow, known to the British, replaced the compound bow, which consisted of several layers of wood and could still be strengthened with horn plates. The wooden bow had disadvantages associated with the rapid loss of elasticity of the tree, which affected its fighting qualities.

The best characteristics were possessed by the so-called composite bows, when several different materials: wood, bone, metals, were tied together with the help of tendons. Such bows were smaller than yew bows, had a greater firing range and could be transported in a combat position, which gave their owners a tactical advantage.

Compounds

To fire from this weapon, the shooter pulls on the bowstring, which bends the elastic arc. When the bowstring, together with the arrow embedded in it, is released, the arc tends to straighten up and transfers the force to the bowstring, and that to the arrow. That is, it is nothing but a physical device that converts the accumulated potential energy of the arc into kinetic energy - the flight of an arrow. The main problem in archery is keeping the bowstring taut, which requires considerable physical effort. But at this time, you also need to aim and monitor the correct release of the bowstring. Only long training was able to lead the archer to the correct shooting technique.

1966 was a breakthrough year for all archery enthusiasts. American Holles Wilbur Allen decided to improve the design of the bow. To do this, on the shoulders, where the bowstring is attached, he installed blocks, and threw the bowstring over them. Thus, he reduced the effort applied to hold the bowstring. This design has undergone many changes, but the very principle of the arrangement of blocks gave the name to this family of bows - "compound bows" or "compounds".

The power of a modern bow

In the future, eccentrics began to be placed on the shoulders, which allowed them to "relieve efforts" on the bowstring. When a special device was invented for holding and lowering the bowstring - "release", the designers began to think about the use of eccentrics with large radii, which made it possible to multiply the force on the bowstring and at the same time significantly reduce the size of the bow. The bow acquired new outlines, the shoulders began to be placed at a large angle to the handle, the bi-eccentric scheme became popular, when two eccentrics at the ends of the shoulders, in addition to being connected to the bowstring, also have a connection with each other for synchronization. This scheme made it possible to greatly increase the power of this weapon.

The most powerful bow currently available is Bear Motive 6 by Bear Archer. This weapon is striking in its beauty, and the declared characteristics spur you to try it "in work" faster. The handle made of light alloys is very ergonomic and comfortable to use both when shooting and when transporting. The shoulders are made of carbon fiber, which further facilitated the construction. Equipped Motion 6 weighs only 4 pounds or 1.8 kg. Durable magnesium alloy eccentrics are mounted on reliable bearings and have a lot of adjustments, which allows you to fine-tune the bow.

In the kit of this "handsome" there is an optical sight, which greatly increases the accuracy and accuracy of fire. An original type of stabilizer has been used, which has its own settings and can still be used as a carrying handle. Well, and most importantly - the speed of the arrow of this formidable weapon is 350 fps, which is translated into the SI system - 6.7 meters per second. Only crossbows have such power, however, given that they do not shoot arrows, but "nails", we can safely say that the Bear Motive 6 is the most powerful bow in the world.

The contemplation of this beautiful weapon brings a lot of positive emotions, but whoever decides to try to shoot with it will definitely want more. But, the powerful bow Bear Motive 6 still has one drawback - a high price.

The bow is one of the oldest weapons / hunting tools known to mankind. The bow and arrow appeared no less than 10,000 years ago.
First, let's define what a bow is. Although bad manners, we use "our FSE" - Wikipedia. So:
A bow is a type of throwing weapon designed to shoot arrows. Shooting occurs due to the muscular strength of the shooter, which the bow accumulates into the elastic energy of the bent arc and then, straightening, quickly converts it into the kinetic energy of the arrow.

modern bows
Modern bows are not much more effective than ancient ones. The force of their pull is much less, and the arrows are lighter, since the targets are no longer protected by armor. This became their main difference. The widespread use of aluminum alloys and other structural materials with properties inaccessible to ancient masters made it possible to create bows that are much more reliable, accurate and comfortable. Adapted for sport shooting or recreational hunting, modern bows are designed for the less physically trained shooter. On the pages of many sports clubs, it is especially emphasized that even children can practice with them and shoot from modern composite bows (this does not apply to “classic”, including sports, bows). Modern bows provide greater accuracy and comfort when shooting due to the loss of combat characteristics of the bows and arrows themselves. They generally impart less kinetic energy to the arrow than their ancient cousins. However, due to the use of many different devices and, most importantly, much better materials, modern bows still impart more energy to the arrow with the same pulling force. The main advantages of modern bow materials and designs are as follows:
* They are less affected by weather conditions, for example, ancient solid wood bows can break in the winter in the cold, and the bowstrings get wet in the rain. Modern bows made of aluminum alloys with a synthetic string are practically all-weather.
* They are designed to use very light arrows and achieve relatively high arrow speeds. The pulling force of even sports bows is from 18 to 25 kilograms. Ancient bows were much more powerful in this regard, if you are physically developed enough.
* Sights, rails (special devices for holding and lowering the bowstring), vibration dampers, etc. and so on. allow to achieve greater accuracy with a certain practice. At the same time, these devices greatly slow down the rate of fire.
* They last longer and do not require tedious maintenance.

Pictured above is a modern compound bow ("compound"). Thanks to the rotating elements at the ends of the bow, stringing has become easier, and a special string vibration damper allows you to make the shot as accurate as possible. There are also modifications for left-handers. The speed of an arrow from such a bow can reach 300 m / s !!! Weight from 1.2 to 2 kg. Price up to 2000 "green".
Please note that the weight of an arrow for such a bow is only from 16 to 35 grams, depending on the material. Sports arrows are made in the form of a hollow thin-walled aluminum tube with sharp conical (60 degrees) or rounded tips to hit various types of targets. It was the quality of modern materials that made it possible to create such light and, at the same time, durable arrows.

Shooting with a modern bow

For modern high-speed arrows, small plastic plumage is used, which has low aerodynamic resistance. And, although the aerodynamic drag of an arrow is still much higher than that of a bullet, it is still significantly less than the aerodynamic drag of a medieval arrow, which makes it possible to achieve a high shot speed. The energy of a light arrow when fired from a bow is always less than that of a heavy one. This statement requires proof. Indeed, consider the limiting case of a very heavy arrow. Its energy will be equal to the full work of the bowstring, equal to the integral of the tension force over the entire working stroke of the bow arms. More than this value, the arrow cannot acquire energy, since only this energy is stored when pulling the bow with bent shoulders. There is nowhere else to take it. That is, if the arrow is too heavy, the bow will not be able to shoot. When shooting with modern sports light arrows, part of the energy is spent on accelerating the shoulders of the bow, and the lighter the arrow, the faster the bow straightens. Most of the energy is wasted. Worse still, most simple wooden bows can break with a dry shot, as the unloaded shoulders absorb all the impact energy and simply burst. This effect is often encountered by modern manufacturers of homemade "remanufactured" bows. Thus, the speed of the arrow cannot be greater than the maximum speed of the bowstring in a "blank" shot, and this speed is finite. For each bow, you can pick up arrows of the optimal weight, which will receive the most energy when fired. Lighter arrows will acquire a greater muzzle velocity, but the bow will "clap" partly at idle.

The lighter the arrow, the less energy it receives. What is the energy of a modern sports arrow? According to Josser's formulas, the stopping effect of a bullet is equal to the product of its kinetic energy at the moment of a meeting with an obstacle and the cross-sectional area, without taking into account the design of the bullet. The penetrating effect of a bullet is equal to the ratio of the above values. The kinetic energy of a bullet in joules (J) is equal to half the product of the square of the velocity in m/s and its mass in kilograms. The same, in general, is true for the arrow. Having broken from the bowstring of the magnificent hunting bow drawn above at a speed of 300 meters per second, a 20 gram arrow receives an energy equal to (m * v2 / 2): 0.02 * 90000 / 2 = 900 Joules or (divide by g = 9.8): we get 90, more familiar to warriors for measuring muzzle energy, kilograms. Almost like a hunting rifle when fired with a bullet of the same weight! At a real shot distance of 100 meters, the speed will drop (why we will see later) to some 100 meters per second. The impact energy will be about 10 kg. This is already significantly less than that of a round 12-gauge hunting rifle bullet at the same distance (for a 12-gauge round bullet, when fired at 100 meters, energy = 80 kg.) Due to greater air resistance to the flight of a feathered arrow. This may be the answer to the question why the American Indians were so eager to abandon their wonderful longbows and get their hands on the guns of the palefaces?

What does the figure of 10 kilograms mean? Dividing the energy by the cross-sectional area (for example, 0.1 cm2), we get the penetrating effect of the arrow, multiplying it - the stopping effect. This should be understood as 10 kilograms of weight per 0.01 square centimeter - the section of the arrowhead. By dividing you will get the pressure of the arrow on the armor at the moment of impact, or penetrating power. This means that an arrow may not pierce the forged armor if it strikes casually. However, a 10 kilogram blow to the tip of an awl placed against your chest will not seem weak.

In the sports championships of our time, the longest distance of aimed archery is 90 meters. In sports clubs, distances up to 60 meters are preferred. A modern bow can shoot at a greater distance, but few athletes can fire at least a dozen shots at a fast pace over a distance of more than a hundred meters. Shooting at long distances is associated with significant deviations, which even an excellent archery sight cannot take into account. There is no question of an accurate shot at a target at 150 meters, and this is with the excellent stability of a modern composite bow and almost unchanged properties of arrows. No sight is able to take into account all the factors necessary to achieve an accurate shot at such a distance. And although the most advanced bow produced today using space technology is able to send an arrow to a distance of up to 500 meters, aimed shooting at such a distance is impossible.

Medieval bows.
There were many different types of combat bows, but in Europe the yew longbow is probably the best known. It was made from a whole piece of yew wood and its design is not fundamentally different from many other ancient bows. This is the so-called simple bow.

The long arms of the yew bow, a design feature most characteristic of the English longbow (the famous longbow), allows you to increase the length of the draw and, therefore, improve the fighting qualities of the weapon. The English longbow appeared at the end of the 13th century. A bow was cut from yew in such a way that it consisted of two layers of wood with different properties. Yew was the best wood in terms of density / elasticity, which made it possible to create a more effective bow with a smaller bow. Efficiency here refers not so much to the pulling force of the bow as to the speed with which it could straighten up and send the arrow (which is directly related to the range and accuracy of shooting). By the way, English yew was not considered good wood, the main source of yew was Spain, and later Italy. Special government officials strictly assessed the quality of the timber supplied. Studies of the few surviving samples of the 15th-16th centuries. show an exceptionally high level of material used. Accordingly, the range of shooting from English bows was a third more than from other wooden bows - up to 200 meters. The yew bow did not serve for long - several months, then the elasticity was lost, and the bow broke. A wooden bow with a bowstring removed was transported.

Although most feudal archery recruits came with their own bows, they had to be re-equipped with new bows at the expense of the army. The percentage of "waste" could be very high. State-owned bows were made in accordance with clearly defined state requirements. In addition to purely technical advantages, it was a very cheap, high-quality weapon that could be produced in mass quantities in a short period of time. Sometimes, in various sources, there are statements that the manufacture of one bow took several years. This is true for the full production cycle: from a felled tree to a finished weapon in the hands of a fighter. Yew, the main raw material for the production of English bows, being an extremely dense wood, needed a long exposure before being used. The very manufacture of a bow from a blank rarely took more than one and a half to two hours, and given the enormous practice of the masters of that time, probably even less. A significant number of bows were transported with the army in the form of blanks and completed for a specific fighter directly in the theater of operations.

The massive use of the longbow in the English army should probably be explained by socio-political reasons. Nowhere in continental Europe did the feudal lords welcome the appearance of such a formidable weapon among the peasants. In England, this weapon was massive. Since it is impossible to get a good archer without many years of training, only the British could afford to make up entire armies of archers.

The tension force of the English combat bow of that time was in the range of 35-70 kg. For most fighters, it's closer to 35kg. The firing range from such a bow reached 300 meters, and it was very dependent on the wind. It should be noted that this figure is valid for mounted shooting. The range of a direct shot from a bow is much less - about 30 meters. The initial boom speed was 45-55 m/s. Of course, there was no question of any aimed shooting with a heavy combat arrow with a forged tip at a distance of more than 50 meters. A good archer could hit a person at such a distance, but that's all. In competitions at distances up to hundreds of meters, lighter arrows were used, which had a higher initial speed and, accordingly, ensured greater accuracy.

But oriental bows were made using a more complex technology. They were glued from several materials. Modern masters call such a bow in different ways: composite, complex, puff, or reinforced. The term "composite" bow is used here to indicate that this elaborate bow uses different materials: wood, horn plates and tendons. The composite bow is the most complex in design. It took a lot of skill to make it. This bow is an amazing display of mechanical ingenuity. The part farthest from the arrow is subjected to the greatest stretching. For her, materials with a greater ability to stretch were selected. Often used leather, processed veins, etc. The inside of the bow experiences some compression - it was made of wood, bone and other available materials. Ancient bow makers in East and West Asia used more than just animal sinew. Compound bows made of sinew, wood and horn (sometimes other materials could be used) were of better quality and more widespread. The classic compound bow is a wooden core, to the outside of which tendons are glued, and to the inside - horn plates (usually from buffalo horns). With the same length and tension, composite bows were fired one and a half times further than wooden bows. They were in service in Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome and throughout Asia. During the Middle Ages in Europe, composite bows remained with the Byzantines and Russians. The shortest composite bow was used by the Scythians - only 90 centimeters. He shot close. The service life of a composite bow was calculated in decades. Composite bows were transported in a combat-ready state, but, during long-term storage, the bowstring was removed.

The compound bow makes intelligent use of the properties of the materials it is made from. The tendons on the back of the bow experience tensile stress. Horn plates, having a maximum tensile strength of about 13 kg/mm2 (about twice that of hardwood), are designed to work in compression. The horn plates also have a high coefficient of elastic recovery, or the ability to return to their original shape after the load is removed. Due to the flexibility of these materials, short, light, elastic limbs of the bow are able to accumulate a large amount of energy when drawn. In addition, the flexible limbs of the compound bow make it possible to significantly increase the draw length of the bowstring without increasing the overall length of the weapon. The combination of long draw length and short limbs allows the composite bow to fire an arrow at greater speed and farther than a wooden simple bow with the same draw force. Tests by Edward McEwan, Robert L. Miller, and Christopher Bergman showed that a replica compound bow with a draw force of 27 kg should fire the same arrow at the same speed as a replica of a medieval yew longbow with a draw force of 36 kg (about 50 m/s). ).

Medieval craftsmen achieved great skill in the manufacture of compound bows. The figure below shows an 11th-century compound bow made in India for hunting and shooting at arrow range. The bow is made of wood, sinew and horn plates and is covered with a thin layer of elaborately painted bark. This combination of materials makes the weapon more powerful than a medieval longbow, and the beauty of this weapon is astounding.

So, shoulders with forward-curved ends, made of various materials, provided a large draw length with relatively small bow sizes. The composite bow could be bent more and imparted more energy to the arrow. Due to this, it was possible to reduce the size of the bow and, finally, to equip riders with it. It is believed that the draw force of a medieval bow was, for the most part, more than 30 kilograms. Apparently, the bows were made as powerful as the shooter was able to draw them. The limit value for a trained shooter can be considered a figure of 45 kilograms. More powerful bows, apparently, were never used in large numbers in combat conditions.

Many designs of medieval simple and compound bows have come down to us.
The main types of bows are the medieval yew longbow (a), the sinew-reinforced Indian bow of the Teton Lakota tribe (b) and four types of compound bows: the West Asian angled bow (c), the Scythian bow (d), the 17th century Turkish bow. (e) and the bow of the Crimean Tatars of the 17th century. (f).

The main advantage of the compound bow is the large ratio of the length of the draw to the length of the bow. Consequently, a relatively short 127 cm bow could be drawn considerably more than its length would suggest. Sometimes the base of the three-bladed tip was made narrow in order to be inserted into the hole at the end of the arrow shaft. The base of such a tip, used in the Middle Ages, was usually made conical with the greatest thickness in its central part. The Scythian bow, like the compound angled bow, seems to have been completely flexible. His shoulders did not have the structural rigidity that was achieved in later compound bows due to the installation of bone or horn plates in the handle area and in the places where the bowstring was attached.

The improvement of weapons often occurs simultaneously with the desire to provide more reliable protection against them. In the III century. BC e. the eastern neighbors of the Scythians - the Sarmatians - invented new ways of warfare. They dressed the riders and horses in armor and trained the warriors to fight in close formation. The presence of strong armor made it necessary to create a bow capable of shooting an arrow with a heavy iron tip with great speed and striking power.

The nomadic peoples of Central Asia - the Huns and Avars - created weapons capable of penetrating armor. They stiffened the points of fastening of the bowstring and arched them forward at an acute angle. As a result, a "compound lever" was formed at the end of each shoulder. Such "levers" allowed the archer to bend the stiffer limb of the bow with less effort. Due to the deflection of the end of the bow relative to the back, there is such an effect as if a wheel of large diameter is attached to the end of each shoulder.

When the shooter pulls the bow, the bowstring "winds" off the unwinding "wheel" and its length increases. When the bowstring is released, the ends move forward, shortening the bowstring, which gives the arrow more acceleration. A similar principle is used in the modern sporting bow, which has a pulley system designed to achieve a similar but greater effect. Remember the "wheels" of the compound bow tensioner at the beginning of the article.

According to their characteristics, medieval bows are inferior to modern models. But this did not prevent the armies of warriors and the detachments of the steppe nomads from winning amazing victories. The mastery of this weapon was as high as ever, and the combat strategies were extremely well thought out.

One of the most curious questions of our time, the answer to which will allow us to better understand what awaits us in the future, is related to batteries. Will experts be able to significantly increase the density of energy stored in batteries? There is no chance, some skeptics say, because two centuries have passed since the appearance of the first Alessandro Volta battery. So, scientists have already improved the design to the utmost. However, this opinion has a strong counterargument. The first man-made battery - the bow - was invented several millennia ago, but it was over the last century, with the advent of new materials and technologies, that significant progress has been made. However, the technical advantages of the current bows would hardly allow us to defeat, say, medieval nomads. Before the advent of firearms, the art of archery among many peoples was higher than ever.

Bow without poison - arrows to the wind

Archaeological finds suggest that the bow was invented by man at least 10,000 years ago. Ancient bows were small, about 70 cm long, had an extremely low efficiency and were used in conjunction with non-feathered arrows. The latter were reeds with a faceted wooden tip. Ancient arrows weighed only 10-15 g, which further reduced the effectiveness of prehistoric bow shooting, due to the lack of materials more suitable for making arrows. Such bows were mainly used for hunting birds and small animals.

There is, however, an established opinion that back in those days, bows were used in inter-tribal "showdowns": the inhabitants of the caves shot each other with poisoned arrows. After all, without poison, a weak bow with light arrows was capable of harming the enemy, except perhaps when shooting point-blank. However, most scholars believe that in those days bows were practically not used for military purposes: only a few tribes had poisons suitable for this.

A step forward in the evolution of the bow was the appearance of arrows with plumage and heavy tips. Arrows with a bone tip weighed about 25 g, with a stone tip - up to 50 g. The greater weight of the arrow led to an increase in destructive power, which, in combination with the almost doubled length of the bow, made the "world's first battery" a serious weapon. In tribal battles, fighters increasingly used a bow and less often used a spear thrower and a sling - the oldest types of military weapons. What the ancient assassins liked the most was that the bow could be used covertly - for example, by sneaking up unexpectedly, hitting a strong opponent without a fight. With other types of weapons, such a trick was impossible. The only competitor in this regard was a spear, but it soon lost in a fight with a bow. When firing at a short distance, the arrow at high speed, entering the body of the victim, formed a deeper wound due to the small impact area. Archers-hunters now shot not only at ducks, but also at bison.

Terrible tool of the nomads

With the advent of civilization, weapons continued to develop: in order to increase the firing range, the Europeans lengthened their bows. Most of all, the increase in size was carried away by the British. The medieval English bow reached a length of 180-220 cm.

Unlike settled civilizations, nomadic peoples followed a different path. Preferring to ride, the nomads preferred a small bow and honed their shooting skills at a gallop. Soon the nomadic archers became a fearsome force.

The weapon of most nomads - a composite bow - came from Ancient Egypt, where the existence of such a kind of bow was already known in the 2nd millennium BC. Composite bows were made from tendons, wood, horns and some other materials, selecting them in such a way that on the outside (on the back of the bow) there were materials that could better withstand tension, and on the inside (on the stomach) - better working in compression. As a result, with relatively small sizes, composite bows were distinguished by a high firing range.

And large Turkish composite bows have always been champions in this area: they could throw an arrow at 250 of their own lengths.

Riders could only use short bows, so the use of composite bows, which, at equal tension with wooden ones, provided about 30% more energy, was fully justified. There was another explanation for the popularity of composite bows among nomads: in the steppes where they lived, trees were almost never found. Therefore, despite the complexity of manufacturing, a noticeably more durable composite bow was the optimal choice.

The use of a more efficient composite bow was only one part of the success. Shooting skill was of great importance. The riders trained regularly. Moreover, among the Arabs, archery was even considered a religious obligation prescribed by the Koran. The Prophet Muhammad was himself an archer and urged his community to engage in horseback riding and archery, preferring the latter.

The Scythians were considered first-class equestrian archers: they knew how to shoot from both hands at a gallop. They were the first in the world to use metal arrowheads made of bronze. Small bows of the Scythian type (about 70 cm long) quickly spread among the peoples of the Middle East and Europe. Among others, the Persians and Parthians began to use them. The latter enriched world languages ​​with the expression "Parthian arrow", which meant a well-aimed insidious blow. The ancient Asian people used cunning in battles - the Parthian horsemen feigned flight and hit the enemy pursuing them with well-aimed arrows over their shoulders. The skill and cunning of the Parthian archers brought them a number of significant victories in battles. The most famous was the battle of Carrhae, when a small army of Parthians shot down a 40,000-strong Roman army led by Mark Crassus. True, the victory was not easy - the Parthian archers, according to historians, used up more than 2 million arrows per day.

However, the "Parthian arrow" tactics are not optimal from a physical point of view. If the retreating archer shoots at the enemy while galloping, the speed of the arrow is reduced by the speed of the rider and the lethal force of the shot becomes less.

Centuries later, the Mongols used more kinematically correct tactics. They fired in the direction of travel at full gallop. Due to the addition of speeds, the arrow received a noticeable increase in speed, and the range of the shot increased by about 40%, so the arrows of the Mongols were dangerous at a distance of up to 200 m. However, let's return to Europe of the XIV-XV centuries, where during the Hundred Years War between England and France there were curious events connected with the history of the bow.

Celebration of Longbows

English archers, as already mentioned, used the longest simple bows in the world. The long length provided high stopping power and made the accuracy of the shot more stable. From the point of view of lethal force, large composite bows would be preferable to use in battle, but such weapons were expensive and difficult to manufacture, so the British chose an ordinary wooden bow. Simple and inexpensive to manufacture, such a bow could be produced in mass quantities and provide weapons to all the men of the country without exception. The British bow manufactories were something like Henry Ford's prototype assembly line. Everything was done extremely quickly to ensure high productivity. Much attention was also paid to training - during the reign of the Plantagenets, all men were required to practice archery without fail. In the main battles of the Hundred Years War, the English side usually involved several thousand archers: this fettered the enemy in his maneuvers, and the soldiers, falling under the rain of arrows, lost their morale. The popularity of the bow was so great that out of three soldiers in the English army, two were archers, and at the famous battle of Eisencourt, four out of five were archers. It is curious that in addition to foot archers, the British also had mounted ones. In some books, they are depicted shooting in the saddle. But this is not true: the horse was used for mobility, and they went into battle on foot.

A triumph in the history of the English bow was the battle of Eisencourt, when the heavily outnumbered French army (25,000 against 6,000) was defeated, suffering noticeable losses. This was the result of the skill of the English archers, who skillfully destroyed the advancing French with a hail of arrows. The Hundred Years' War was, in a way, a curious clash between the crossbow, which the French were armed with, and the English bow. The French considered their crossbowmen to be an impressive force: in terms of firing range, lethal force and accuracy, their guns were decisively superior to the English bows. But in battle, the main drawback of the crossbow affected - the low rate of fire. While a good archer could fire 10-12 shots per minute, the crossbowman fired no more than four bolts. In addition, the effective range of the crossbow was lower than that of the bow.

However, later, when warriors began to use armor of ever better quality, more powerful and accurate crossbows began to be used more and more often. True, their age was short-lived: surpassing the first firearms in accuracy, both the bow and the crossbow were distinguished by the slowness of the projectile. It was easier to hit a stationary target with a bow, which was demonstrated in 1792 by a curious bow and gun competition held in England. Of the 20 shots fired at a target 100 yards (91 m) away, 16 arrows and 12 bullets hit. But it was noticeably more difficult to hit a moving target with a bow! The heavy arrow of the English archer overcame the combat distance in 1.5-2 seconds, so the moving "target" had time to go to the side.

At the beginning of the 16th century, the musket had already become more often used on the battlefield than the bow. And by the beginning of the 19th century, bows were completely forgotten in the troops. Therefore, in 1813, in the “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig, the soldiers were surprised to see the Bashkir archers who were part of the Russian army. The French even called them "cupids". But, by the way, the archers fought quite successfully. Four decades later, the Bashkir archers performed well in the Crimean War. But after that, the image of a warrior with a bow left real life and passed into books and films, and the skill of medieval archers was overgrown with legends. A new hobby has also appeared: inspired by history, amateurs began to create medieval bows using authentic technology. In terms of efficiency and ease of shooting, they, of course, lose to block carbon-fiber models, but they allow the owner to feel like a brave Scythian horseman or Robin Hood ...
Legacy of English archers

The “V” gesture, two raised fingers of one hand, which Winston Churchill often used, is not at all an imitation of the first letter of the English word victory (“victory”), as many believe. It turns out that this gesture has an ancient and rather gloomy history. During the Hundred Years War, the French were terribly angry with the English archers, so the captured shooters were cut off two fingers with which they pulled the bowstring: a person forever parted with his profession. Therefore, returning home with a victory, the archers showed their two “main” fingers to those who met them: fingers are intact, we won!

Myths about bows

Myth 1. The arrow of a medieval bow easily pierced any metal armor.

- Not every arrow (much depended on the tip), not every bow and, of course, not every armor. In principle, this was possible, but rather as an exception than the rule.

Myth 2. Some medieval archers shot so accurately that they could break the opponent's bowstring with an arrow.

- Most likely, this is speculation. Why waste an arrow on damaging an enemy's gun when you can kill him with it?

Myth 3. The archer shoots the second arrow before the first one hits the target. With aimed shooting at short distances, this is not possible.

- An arrow flies for about two seconds, a good medieval archer spent five or six seconds to shoot one arrow.

Myth 4. Medieval archers usually fired on command.

“They only shoot like that in movies. It was difficult to keep the combat bows in a taut position. Therefore, the command was given only once - at the beginning of the shooting.

The bow was successfully used in hunting tens of thousands of years ago and remains an actual type of throwing weapon to this day. Of course, most modern hunters prefer the trigger to throwing arrows. After all, learning how to shoot a bow is many times more difficult than mastering a firearm. Even a professional rifle hunter will take months of training before the first arrow hits the target. Of all the types of hunting weapons in use today, the bow is one of the least productive. But therein lies its attraction. Hunting with it requires special skill and excellent physical shape from its owner.

Choosing the right bow

If the shooter decided to prove to the world and himself his endurance and love for a truly wild hunt, then the first thing he should think about is what type of bow will suit him. The selection criteria may be different, but the main ones are: resourcefulness, the complexity of training, the cost of weapons and equipment for them. Also, the hunter should be interested in the question of whether such hunting is legal. After all, the permissibility of using a bow for hunting purposes depends on the strength of its tension. This topic will be covered later.

There are three main types of hunting bows:

• simple;
• block models.

The design of each should be discussed separately.

Simple

A simple, or traditional bow, is a solid arc with a bowstring stretched over it. This type of weapon does not have any bends and horns, and a non-separable arc makes it inconvenient to transport. Hunting with a traditional bow originated in the Americas, when it was made from wood. Now, of course, a variety of raw materials can serve as the main material. This bow is the simplest in design, but the most difficult to use. Therefore, for real hunting, it is rarely used, but it is better to learn to shoot on it. After mastering it, working with more modern types of throwing weapons will seem like child's play.

Difficult

It is assembled from three parts that can be made from different materials. Variously curved endings enhance the power of the shot. A recurve bow for hunting (with shoulders curved in the opposite direction) is now popular. Modern compound bows are of course more effective for hunting.

Blocky

The most powerful type of bow in existence, capable of piercing through the carcass of a large animal from 50 meters. Hunting with it is much more promising than hunting with a traditional or compound bow. The strength of the shot is increased due to the elongated bowstring and rollers pulling it, located at the ends of the arc. The speed of a shot of such a bow exceeds that of its predecessors. However, its use does not require great physical strength.

Naturally, such a bow is not cheap for the owner. In addition, in addition to it, you need to buy:

1. aim;
2. shelf;
3. stabilizer;
4. pip site;
5. slip;
6. quiver.

What these parts are and how to use them is always written in the instructions with which the weapon is supplied. The details of a compound bow require individual adjustment, so before you shoot from it, you will have to tinker for some time.

Proper care of a compound bow

They break not so often, but it's not worth risking such an expensive and powerful weapon. Compound bows are always worn in a special case that protects them from mechanical damage and the scorching sun. In winter, some hunters wrap warm cloth around the blocks.

Arrows

They are of two types:

• hunting;
• sports.

Only the former are used for hunting. Hunting arrows have a longer fletching and a thread at the front end, onto which a replaceable tip is screwed.

The choice of suitable arrows is a very delicate and important point. The arrow is the main element of the bow, and the result of the hunt depends on its quality. The problem is that the modern market offers hundreds of different arrows, the characteristics of which at first glance are almost the same. And it is necessary to select an arrow individually for each hunter, it is impossible to advise universal arrows for all. The only thing that should be immediately abandoned is cheap wooden specimens. Firstly, they are almost never perfectly even, because. they are made of raw wood; secondly, they bend unevenly and break easily.

Hunting features

The bow allows you to hunt the largest animals. Today, even bear hunting with him is practiced. But first of all it is used to hit small animals and birds. Naturally, the technique and features of hunting different animals with a bow are very different, but there are also general principles:

1. In winter, hunting is almost impossible, because. a waxed string loses its flexibility in the cold, the same happens with frozen fingers;
2. The point of the shot must be correctly chosen so that the arrow does not collide with branches, trees or other obstacles during the flight;
3. The optimal distance to the target is 30-40 meters, the bow simply will not take more than 50 meters;
4. The very first shot should be cancerous for the animal, because laying the arrow, pulling the bowstring and aiming will take a lot of time. The animal may have time to rise, and the fleeing game is much more difficult to shoot.

Hare hunting

Hunting for a hare with a bow is a very difficult type of hunting. Everyone knows that hares are shy and cautious animals. In addition, they are capable of speeds up to 60 km/h, so it is difficult to hit a frightened rising beast. Any practicing hunter knows that it is best to hunt a hare in autumn or winter. But, as mentioned above, it is problematic to use onions in winter.
Therefore, to hunt a hare, you must wait until autumn. At this time, gray is most easily found in thorn bushes, apple orchards or harvested fields. You can use bait, which is suitable for stale meat, which attracts hares with its smell. The hunter needs to hide from the eyes of the animal behind a bush or other vegetation and not make excessive noise.

beaver hunting

Beaver hunting enthusiasts also often use a bow. Hunting for a beaver with him always takes place near the water or right in it, and the shot animal, of course, begins to sink. Therefore, when hunting beavers, experienced hunters tie a fishing line or rope to an arrow, which can then be pulled and pulled out. Therefore, you should wisely approach the choice of an arrow. It must be heavy enough so that the weight of the rope does not interfere with smooth flight, and long, otherwise, when fired, the hunter will touch the fishing line with his finger and knock down the accuracy of the shot.

Boar hunting

Hunting wild boar with a bow is a dangerous undertaking, so you should think twice before going on it. Only a skilled hunter will be able to go against this beast. This type of hunting is best done from ambush. The ambush can be on the ground or in the crowns of trees. The place of gathering and feeding of the herd must be known in advance, which will not be difficult for an experienced hunter. Wild boars are most active at dusk. At this time, they are the most noisy, and therefore, with a high probability they will not hear the hunter, besides, their already poor eyesight becomes dull in the dark.

When hunting wild boar, it is best to use a bow with a draw force of about 30 kg. But even such a shot does not guarantee the instant death of this large animal, and therefore the archer must be ready to finish off the boar with a second arrow. It is recommended to approach a wounded boar not earlier than 40 minutes after the first successfully fired arrow, when the beast is already weakened. Otherwise, the hunter can be seriously injured, because the boar is a ferocious animal and, in its death throes, is able to strike back. In any case, the relaxed ears of the boar can serve as a signal for action here, but if they are pressed, then it still has strength and should not be approached.

legality

This question is very sensitive. In fact, hunting with a bow in Russia is neither prohibited nor permitted. The use of throwing weapons is prohibited, but a bow with a draw force of less than 27 kg is not considered a weapon, when buying it, you can get documents confirming this. But the use of sporting weapons outside sports facilities is also prohibited, according to Section 6 of the Weapons Act. The use of a bow is allowed only for the purpose of carrying out research work related to the immobilization of objects of the animal world. This is what hunters hide behind, because it is not so easy to prove that you are not a researcher of the animal world, especially when you consider that most hunters can tell a lot about the forest and the habits of forest dwellers. Fortunately, recently in hunting circles, more and more often they talk about the imminent legalization of the bow as a hunting weapon.

Do it yourself

Hunting with a bow is an expensive pleasure. Therefore, novice archers, unsure that they should immediately spend money, prefer to make hunting weapons on their own. To do this, you need to use strong, but flexible wood: oak, cedar, elm, birch. When the future shooter has decided on the tree, he needs to measure the distance from the fingertip on the outstretched arm to the thigh - this will be the length of the bow.

The wood is cleaned of bark and coated with animal fat. Grooves for fixing the bowstring are cut out at one and a half centimeter indents from the edges of the arc. The bowstring is best made from rawhide, it should be located 15 cm from the handle. The ideal arrow should be as long as the hunter's hand, smooth and even. You can sharpen it with a piece of glass, and then process it with sandpaper. Thus, hunting with a traditional bow becomes available to almost everyone.

The passion for archery in our country arose relatively recently and almost spontaneously, mainly after the appearance on the screens of the saga about the adventures of the hobbits. Judging by the amount of materials on the RuNet about bows and shooting from this ancient throwing weapon, the number of followers of Robin Hood and William Tell is growing exponentially.

The most burning question for neophytes is where to start, how and which bow to choose? There is no single answer to it, so we will try to tell you a little about everything: the types of bows, their advantages and disadvantages, the selection criteria - a process in which the last word will remain with you. So, let's find out what kind of bows are for shooting, which one to choose for hunting, and in general, what to choose, a bow or a crossbow?

The design of a weapon for throwing a feathered stick with a sharp end has been improved over the millennia, refuting the saying about the futility of the invention of the bicycle. Therefore, today we have three varieties of bows.

The basic rules for choosing bows are presented in this video:

Traditional

Those that our ancestors used until the moment a firearm fell into their hands. These are the bows of the Indians, Papuans, Eskimos, Chukchi and other indigenous peoples. These are replicas of military weapons of the peoples of Europe and Asia.

They are made using well-known and restored technologies, using natural materials - wood, leather, natural adhesives. There can be no talk of any mass production of such products, each bow will have its own characteristics, style of behavior, one might say - character. Mastering the traditional bow takes years of daily practice.

We will talk later in this article about which traditional bow to choose.

Classic

These are bows used in sports and therefore called "Olympic". They are related to the traditional ones by the way of accumulating energy for a shot - by bending the elastic branches (shoulders) of the bow. Most of these bows have a recurve shape - a double curvature of the shoulder.

This design allows you to store twice as much energy with the same length of the elastic beam. Everything is very simple - one arc works in compression, the other in tension. Europe owes the appearance of recurve bows to the Huns - a nomadic people who came from the Steppe.

The sporting purpose of the classic bow predetermined the fact that they began to install elements on it that made it possible to significantly increase the accuracy of shooting and to exclude elements of chance from the training process as much as possible. These are sights, balancers, shelves for arrows from which they descend without hitting the handle, vibration dampers.

They are related to the traditional ones by the way of holding the arrow when the bowstring is pulled. Two of them are best known: English - the shank of an arrow between the index and middle fingers, as well as Native American - the index finger (the shank lies on it) is held by the bowstring with the middle and ring fingers.

The most essential element of the classic bow, despite its external insignificance, is the shelf on which the arrow is held. The ingenious design, the types of which are innumerable, allows the arrow to descend from the bowstring without hitting the hilt with plumage. This made it possible to abandon natural feathers, replace them with rigid stabilizers and significantly increase accuracy.

Sports rules prohibit the installation of devices on a classic bow, with which you can build a line of sight based on more than one point.

In addition, pulling the bowstring is always a strength exercise, because as the shoulders bend, their resistance increases. Therefore, learning to shoot from such bows is almost as difficult as from traditional ones. But training can be systematized and achieve good results much faster.

Block

We owe their appearance in 1969 to Holles Allen, who lived in Missouri (USA). The design is based on a system of blocks (chain hoists), which increase the force applied to the running end as many times as there are these blocks.

The energy for throwing an arrow is accumulated not only in the shoulders, but also in the system of cables, one of the branches of which is the bowstring. A feature of these bows is the "wall" effect - the release of force when the maximum draw point is reached. It reaches 80 percent. If, for example, the MK-SV75 compound bow has a maximum pulling force of 27 kilograms, then at the moment of aiming, the shooter needs a force of 4 kilograms to hold the bowstring.

The power diagram when pulling the "blocker" is a mirror image of the same process in the classic bow. First, there is an overcoming (peak of effort) of the elasticity of the shoulder, which has potential energy. As the tension increases, it accumulates in the cables (turns into kinetic), and the force applied by the archer to the bowstring falls. Athletes have recognized this phenomenon as a scam, so compound bows are not allowed in the Olympic Games. But it became possible to equip it with such elements that equated its effectiveness with firearms.

In addition to shelves for arrows, balancers and vibration dampers (optional), compound bows are equipped with complexes for building a line of sight. This is a sight with a ring frame and a pip-site - a ring in a bowstring through which the arrow can see the target.

But the most interesting detail was the release - a device thanks to which the shooter pulls the bowstring with the shoulder and elbow joints, like a lever. Fingers are not involved in this process, the hand is relaxed. Choosing a compound bow is not an easy task.

The most popular block models are:

How to choose a bow for shooting for beginners, block for hunting, sports or otherwise - you will learn all this below.

Choice problems

When choosing throwing weapons, they usually focus on compliance with historical truth (aesthetics), combat effectiveness, ease of possession, and price.

Truth and aesthetics

Many people are drawn to archery by the desire to be like the elf Legolas, other fantasy or historical characters. Although archaeologists have proven the fact that English archers suffered from monstrous scoliosis.

• Most faithfully repeat the contours and design traditional bows Samik products (ex. ). They have a handle made of glued solid wood, and removable shoulders are laminated with an external plastic coating. The only thing that can be installed on them without damage to the structure is a shelf that allows you to use arrows not only with natural plumage. The model (Sebastian Flute) is similar to them. Bows are also good.
• Real olympic recurve bows produced by SF. The series starts with the Axiom model. They have an aluminum handle, on which you can install a sight, balancer, plunger, shako. This is a transitional option between tradition and classic: their shoulders are laminated - wood covered with plastic. There are options for classic bows, completely made of modern materials. For example, the Blue Knight Bow (), which has fiberglass shoulders and an aluminum handle.
• Compound bows- this is an industrial aesthetic, they are a machine for throwing arrows.

This video will tell you how to choose the right bow for a beginner shooter for hunting:

combat effectiveness

• Classic bows give all the energy to the arrow during the descent of the bowstring. Due to the short duration of the force impulse, the arrow flies at a speed of no more than 50 m / s and does not have a large penetrating power. However, this allows you to increase the rate of fire if you do not draw the bow at full strength or do it in a jerk.
• At blocker the arrow accelerates relatively slowly, and the peak of force occurs at the moment it leaves the shelf. The arrow flight speed reaches 90 m / s, it is possible to use heavy arrows with high penetrating power. That is why such bows are most often positioned as hunting ones. Incomplete stretching of the bowstring is impossible, the rate of fire is low. But the accuracy and accuracy of hits is comparable to firearms.

Ease of ownership

First of all, this is the ability to customize the bow for yourself.

• Classic models are not in vain made collapsible. And due to the fact that for adjustment it is necessary to change the shoulders - for shorter or longer, rigid or elastic. When choosing such a bow, it is customary to focus on the growth of the shooter. Although the British proceeded from a different consideration: a longbow with the same tension force is less deformed, and therefore lasts longer.
• Blocky the bow is adjusted by changing the position of the blocks on the eccentrics. This does not require high qualifications from the owner, additional costs for the purchase of shoulders and bowstrings.

Wherein:

• By today's standard, a classic hunting bow cannot be longer than 60 inches (150 cm). Sports bows reach a length of 70 inches. The length of blockers does not exceed 90 cm; it is less problematic to wade through the forest wilds with it.
• In terms of weight, only the classics used in the barebow variant win over blockers - without a modern body kit, including sights.

Price

This is the most controversial criterion. If you evaluate the bow in combination with combat effectiveness and richness of equipment, then compound bows turn out to be cheaper.

• For example, Samik Polaris, which the manufacturer positions as a bow for beginners, is a good choice, costs more than 11 thousand rubles, and only a bowstring and a simple shelf are included in the package. The force of its tension is not more than 36 pounds (16.3 kg). A set of interchangeable shoulders costs at least five thousand.
• Compare it to the same tier Barnett Vortex compound bow, which costs 15k. Tension force from 19 to 45 pounds (9 to 21 kg), adjustment does not require any investment. The delivery set includes three arrows, a sight with three pins, a shelf, a shako.

Conclusion

If you want to master archery as an art, shapes and lines amuse your aesthetic taste, then buy the classics, which, by the way, can also.

Compound bows for those who value practicality first of all, who have no time to visit the training halls, and want to achieve good results quickly. But if you want to switch to classic bows, then they will have to learn again.

This video will tell you how to choose arrows for a bow: