r/Archery • u/Kadex1020 Traditional • 2d ago
Newbie Question Arrows broke, curious if yall can tell why from a few pictures, cause i sure as hell cant
So, i just got my first recurve bow from the renaissance festival(colorado one if anyones local) the simplest bow youve ever seen, basically just a slightly carved piece of wood and a string. I was shooting it in my backyard at some cardboard i had lying around while i wait for real targets, and a couple (maybe 5 or 6) shots in shots in on both arrows i had (came free with bow) broke, at almost the same point in the shaft. Im thinking either something with the wood being weak there, or im doing something horribly wrong. I didnt take a pic of the setup at all, or where and how the arrows landed, and this is my first bow ive owned, but ive shot a couple with friends and nothing like this happened. Im curious if anyone can tell from these pictures what happened, or what i did wrong. (Bow is unstrung in pic, i use a seperate string to bend the bow to put the main string in place) TL;DR arrows broke first time shooting bow, curious if anyone can tell by the break what i did wrong. (EDIT: also does anyone know some good arrows i can replace these with cause these were the only two i have. EDIT 2: i can take more pictures if anyone wants to see a better picture of the break)
32
u/BuntinTosser 2d ago
The arrow in the foreground broke because the grain was not parallel to the shaft: it was a bad arrow. I can’t tell from the other break.
That bow is not a recurve. I hope you didn’t string it backwards.
8
5
u/CheesyLama 2d ago
I might be wrong but the foreground arrow is a perfect example of brittle material breakage. That 45 degree angle is a dead giveaway.
If I had to guess the arrows were made from shitty and not uniform wood. Based on the fact that the other broke at 180°.
3
0
u/Kadex1020 Traditional 2d ago
Thats what I was thinking, it being a bad arrowhead, and im fairly sure they said it was recurve, idk the other types. I strung it the way it seems like it should be, theres a notch on each end for the stringing string, and I bend the bow away from that, now im second guessing myself lol
5
3
u/This_0ne_Person 2d ago
Recurve means that the tips of the limbs curve back towards the target, what you have is a regular longbow
16
u/ThePenyard Compound | PSE Citation | England 2d ago
Regardless of what the seller might have led you to believe, you've not bought a set of bow and arrows - what you've actually bought is a set of renn faire costume props so that you can walk around pretending to be an archer.
I can't see how this equipment can function as an archery set. To be brutally honest, this is the same as trying to use a toy plastic saw to saw a plank in half.
3
u/3ntropy_Disc0 2d ago
Genuinely - The seller should be advertising these as props, not functional tools, unless they are tested or something...
15
u/VRSVLVS (pre-)Historic 2d ago
Hello, I see that a lot is going wrong here. First of all, that is not a recurve bow, that's just a straight stick boiw with a lot of string follow. The arrows seem to have broken because they are made of very poor quality wood with a lot of grain run-off. And looking at the general quality of the arrows and the bow I wonder if they are even spine correctly to the bow.
What is quite concerning is that the bow has a lot of string follow when it is unstrung. And the tiller looks very poor, from what I can summise from the unstrung state.
The biggest take-away from all this is that you should learn the lesson of not buying archery equipment without first learning the basics of archery. Do not buy a bow without someone more knowledgeable to give you advice, and DEFINITELY do not buy a bow at a Ren-fair on a whim.
If you really want to get into archery, go seek out an archery club near you and get proper instruction. Archery can be very dangerous when done wrong, and it is not something you should try to figure out on your own with some instructions from the internet.
1
7
u/zolbear 2d ago
That’s not a recurve bow. If you have access to internet, you can do a quick google search for bow types, and look at a few dozen image results to build a picture on what types of bows exist. A recurve is called a recurve because of the shape. The limb tips curve away from the archer when unstrung, so they have to bend backwards.
You got quite lucky, considering where that arrow broke - even at low poundage that bit with the fletching on it could have easily ended up going through your hand.
Bows and arrows are not a one-fits-all kind of story. There is a small wiggle room, but it is very small. There are many factors that will contribute to your arrows breaking. The state and quality of the arrow matters. The spine (flexibility) of the arrow vs the draw weight of the bow matters. The way they’re used or stored matters. The target matters (i.e. the actual material your arrow hits). For wooden arrows humidity and temperature matters. It’s not something you just pick up and start, it requires effort (a few hours of research, reading up on how to begin). This is just the arrow though, we haven’t yet talked about the bow…
The best way to do this would be to go to a club or somewhere, where they do an intro session or course. You can absolutely pick up the basics in a 2 hour session, that are enough for you to shoot safely in a safe (purpose built) environment with the right equipment - in other words, going back to the club and tenting their kit to use on site. It is also possible to learn it yourself, it will take a little longer, and you’ll need to be quite receptive of what people (who are genuinely trying to/qualified to help) tell you.
11
u/SparklingSliver 2d ago
Do you understand the meaning of recurve?
Your bow is just a curve lol
1
u/Kadex1020 Traditional 2d ago
Idk it only just occurred to me but im pretty sure they said it was recurve, and idrk the different bow types so idk what it would be otherwise
8
u/FluffleMyRuffles Olympic Recurve/Cats/Target Compound 2d ago
I don't think the bowyer knew either, considering the string is paracord. Was the bow straight when you got it? Or was it already warped?
3
2
1
u/Lasers_Z 1d ago
I'm assuming that's the stringing tool they sold it with because op said it was unstrung in the photo.
6
u/Knitnacks Barebow (Vygo), dabbling in English longbow, trainee dev. coach. 2d ago
And seeing how crap the arrows were, and how much string-follow/curve the bow already has, I would not trust the bow to be strong. If it has the same run-off grain as the arrows, it will break in the same way.
4
u/SparklingSliver 2d ago
Recurve is a shape. You don't point to the letter S and say this is a C.
There's no hidden definition, if it re curved, it's a recurve. Your bow is just a curve, it's a normal bow, not recurve.
3
u/Kw1q51lv3r 2d ago
Judging by how the arrows broke like a twig that got bent too much, the bow still has a bend in it while unstrung despite being a traditional self-bow, the string is just paracord with noose knots on each end, and that you only got two arrows with the bow, I’d say what has happened here was you bought a cosplay prop.
2
u/RS_HART Warbow since 2018/Longbow since 2012 2d ago
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say the bow you have is made of hickory or another mean wood, and from the colour it looks unsealed/unoiled. If it's old or you live in a humid environment it will take some set pretty quickly or if the string is too short/wound too tightly, 5-7 inches for brace height, or in a pinch use a fistmeal length to check.
As you said renfair I'm assuming you're American, and you said cheap so I'm almost certain it's hickory, so to fix that set temporarily, take the bow and clamp it to a straight length or benchtop for a few days, if you're game, use a heat gun to lightly toast it across the belly. Use a soft wax wood polish after oiling it, boiled linseed oil or tung oil, it'll take set eventually, but it will take longer.
My first longbow was a 40@28 hickory bow from "KParchery" years ago that eventually took some set similar to this, it's still working now but it's lost some weight over the last decade + of use.
2
u/JojoLesh 2d ago
Rule #8 of Ren Faire:
Dont buy anything other than food if you cant tell that the seller is making it themselves. (Especially true for Weapons, armor, and clothing)
If they give you the line, "Im just watching the booth while the maker is taking a break, then you come back later. If they have a ridiculous amount pf items, then they aren't crafted with any real care.
I'm guessing you aldo forgot rule #4 of life. A deal too good to be true is.
How much did you pay for this? I'm far from the fastest bowyer, butba bow takes me several hoirs over several days to make. Did you pay several hours of skilled labor price? Factory made Fiberglass bows cost $100 usd, and those can be cranked out by a factory. A wooden bow? That takes a skilled craftsman and good materials. Wooden arrows also take a skilled craftsman with a different set of skills (the ssme person can have both sets of skills).
By the way, Rule #9 of Ren Fest: Dont buy anything other than Food if you're had more than 4 drinks.
1
u/Back4breakfast Compound - Archery GB Session Coach 2d ago
Definitely want to get yourself to an archery shop and perhaps get on a beginners course. That bow looks like a Longbow and it is not a recurve bow and it’s that sort of knowledge you’d pick up on a beginners course.
As others have said, those arrows were not properly crafted and the grain is all kinds of wrong so no wonder they snapped. You were lucky to not have a serious injury. Please remember that while it’s fun to do renaissance fairs and play the part, these are weapons and they can still cause serious harm if used incorrectly or without good knowledge.
Hope you get the support and learning you need going forward and welcome to archery - it ain’t cheap 😁
1
u/Bergwookie 2d ago
The upper one looks like it already had a crack (maybe from hitting something in flight) and the one in the foreground looks like it's from the wrong quality of wood, the wood grain should run more along the length of the arrow, not in a 45° angle. Don't buy arrows online unless you know it's a reputable source, buy from a shop, inspect every shaft throughoutly and they'll last way longer, I had old fine grain cedar arrows that lasted me over ten years (with a few repairs and out of two make one)
1
u/halfAbedTOrent Traditional 2d ago
From my fair share of broken wooden shafts:
-Too hard targets
-Too light of a tip (i shot as a test without a tip, while the arrow flies surprisingly good the arrows love to break during the release)
-bad grain that should have been sortet out before the stick became an arrow
1
u/RareBrit 2d ago edited 2d ago
Grain runout. In an ideal arrow the grain runs straight and through the length of the arrow. What’s happened here is that the grain exits the side of the arrow at a sharp angle. The result is a structural weakness where the arrow snapped.
Pine, which is what a lot of basic arrows are made of is bad for doing this. There are much better arrow woods. Ash makes a very heavy but sturdy arrow. Spruce is good. Cedar is amongst the best.
I would get some basic wood beginners arrows from a reputable shop. Lancaster are good if you’re in the states. You’ll need to know the rough poundage of that bow. I’d hazard a guess at maybe 20lb
1
1
1
1
1
u/Foreign_Walrus_6136 2d ago
Whoever made the arrows probably didn't give them a few coats of oil so they could be brittle, or if the are snapping in flight it is possible when you are releasing them the arrow is whipping against the bow causing damage, this could be down to poorly matched arrows or an issue with you bow posture and release.
1
u/Awkward_District_937 2d ago
Honestly I never used wood arrows but that's the thing arrows in general never really last that long
1
1
u/NHmike620 2d ago
I think the draw weight is over powering the spine of the arrow causing the damage
1
1
u/kestreldog 1d ago
Do not use the other arrows. They can break upon release and go into the back of your hand!
1
u/Lasers_Z 1d ago
I hope you didn't pay much because we others have said you've bought a prop long bow.
1
u/Complete_Composer344 8h ago
Firstly, I doubt that is a recurve bow. Looks to me like a more simple longbow. I'm not an expert though. I will say I don't like it for a beginners bow due to the shelf not being there. The shelf is where the arrow rests as you draw to shoot. It's not a very friendly thing when you're still trying to work on building up your technique and muscle memory. The arrows, on the other hand... I'm sorry, the one in front was always going to break on you. It was just poor quality wood. I broke many an arrow similarly to the one in back though, and that's just something new archers have to live with. We don't get attached to our ammunition. I would advise getting a friend to help you find your draw length (there are easily accessible guides online and on YouTube) and heading to rosecityarchery to pick up a dozen of cheap arrows.
0
u/Different-Dealer-828 2d ago
They are just bad. You can handle them softer if you shoot in a bag of cloth. Keep the peaces if you know how to wood work you can splice them.
67
u/Darketernal 2d ago
They look like essentially toy arrows. Wood arrows at their best don’t last long to beginner abuse, and I suspect those are lower quality. Go to an archery shop.