While I may by no means be a card-carrying Archery expert, it is something I am fairly proficient in, so with your indulgence, I'd like to try to get an archery page going here. Someone might find this useful.

Archery is a skill most people tend to look down on in this day and age of modern firearms, but in a world where guns and ammo might become far more scarce, archery would be a great skill to be able to fall back on.

Archery has several valid selling points. First off, bows are very quiet. If you're looking to do a little hunting without drawing the attention of the entire world, an arrow makes very little noise. The snapping of a bow being fired isn't completely soundless mind you, but it is far quieter than a gun. String silencers can also be added to help reduce the noise further.

Another pro to archery is that unlike the projectiles that come out of guns, arrows can be reused, to a degree. If an arrow becomes bent, even a little, it can throw the aerodynamics off and spoil your shot. So good judgment needs to be used when deciding whether or not to reuse your arrows, but the option is there.

Then there are the esoteric uses. Who here hasn't wanted to set something on fire with a flaming arrow? One could also use them for signaling. Whenever I go bow hunting, I always carry a glow stick or two with a bit of electricians tape pre-wrapped around the ends. In a pinch, they could be taped to the arrow to make a "signal flare" visible at night.

Most modern bows generally tend to come in 3 styles: Compound Bow, Cross Bow, and Long Bow.

Compound bows come in all shapes and sizes.




Yes, this is a compound bow, called the Liberty1.

The wheels at the ends of the bow are called cams, and as the string is drawn, it causes the cams to roll into a "let off position". Once in this position, the bow tends to store most of the energy of the pulled string, rather than forcing the archer to hold the weight of the drawn bow. This energy storage allows a compound bow to be drawn, held on target for longer periods of time, and shot with a greater draw weight than a long bow of equal weight. A typical draw weight can be anywhere from 55 lbs. to 70 lbs or more.

Compound bows can be fitted with a variety of adjustable sights, and generally have a useful accuracy of anywhere from 50-100 yards, depending on a variety of factors: the archer's skill, the draw weight of the bow, wind, arrow weight, arrowhead weight, etc. On average, most hunters make their shots at 40 yards or less (the longest kill shot I've heard of personally was 65 yards, and I've never bagged game over 30 yards away). Compound bows are easier to draw and fire than a crossbow, around 3 to 5 accurate shots in a minute. They generally don't have quite the power or ease of accuracy of a crossbow, however.

Crossbows also come in a variety of shapes and sizes.




Don't laugh, I stuck a sharpened pencil through a 1 1/2in. phone book at 15 feet with this one!

Most modern crossbows have the cams and weight relief of compound bows, allowing for much more power to be pulled and stored in the drawn bow. Bow weights can run anywhere from 100lbs. to 200 lbs. Most crossbows also feature a stirrup at the front of the bow; the archer places his foot into the stirrup and uses both hands to draw and cock the bow. Many crossbows have open sights or optical scopes like any other firearm, and with enough practice, they can be sighted in to bull's eye accuracy at ranges of 60 yards up to, and possibly over, 100 yards. The major drawback (pun) to crossbows being the difficulty to cock and load, and slow rate of fire.

Longbows are among the oldest and most proven weapons in man's arsenal. Pictured left is a traditional long bow, pictured right is a recurve bow. Both have roughly the same strengths and weaknesses. Note the large black bolts at the top and bottom of the handle on the recurve bow. Those can be removed, allowing the limbs of the bow to come away for convenient storage. A bow with this feature is considered a "Take-down" bow.




Unlike the compound bow, the long bow does not get easier to pull and hold the further back it is drawn. And much practice is need to become proficient with this type of bow, but it is by no means inferior to other bow types. Its simple design and lack of multiple moving parts mean less chance of mechanical failure. And with proper instruction, a person can be taught to construct his or her own long bow from the materials at hand. A valuable asset in a world without guns.

Arrows fired from a long or compound bow are called arrows, arrows fired from crossbows are generally called bolts or quarrels. Both modern arrows and bolts can be made from many materials such as wood, aluminum, or graphite, and can be fitted with a wide assortment of arrowheads.

Broadheads are the heads most commonly used for hunting. They are essentially flying razorblades and can inflict massive damage on contact.



Some broadheads are designed to keep the razors retracted for a slimmer aerodynamic profile, then extend the heads on impact. Others used for turkey hunting are designed to simply lop the head off. Others still, have been designed to penetrate past the bone, protecting the razors until the head has entered your target, and then expanding the blades.



Once a broadhead has been fired into game, it is rarely as effective as it once was, especially if it has hit bone and been damaged. However, if it hasn't been too badly damaged it may be withdrawn and reused. Again, good judgment should be used in deciding whether or not to reuse broadheads.

Field points are tips used for practice shooting. They are designed to be the same weight as the broadhead you intend to shoot, allowing you to get the feel for the effect the head will have on your trajectory. They are not designed for hunting, and based on your local hunting laws it might actually be illegal to hunt with them. But rest assured, they do indeed cause plenty of damage when fired and are far more durable than broadheads.




This is by no means all you need to know about archery, far from it. This page was simply meant to be a good launching point for someone with little or know knowledge in regards to archery. As I said, if guns are not an option, you might want to consider archery. It's been around for millenia for a reason!

Recurve bows



A recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung. By one technical definition, the difference between recurve and other bows is that the string touches sections of the limbs of recurve bows when the bow is strung. A recurve bow stores more energy than an equivalent straight-limbed bow, potentially giving a greater amount of cast to the arrow. The modern recurve is the only form of bow permitted in the Olympics. Compared to the compound bow, recurve bows are easier to maintain and can be disassembled.

Types of arrow shafts

Type of Arrow	Pros	Cons	Uses
Wood	Cheap	-Each arrow has flaws, no matter how perfect it is created -For serious archers, have to be custom made to match his/her draw length and weight	Longbow Men/ Beginners
Fiber Glass	-Can be fitted to draw length and weight -Easier to have more consistency among arrows	-Brittle and break easily	Hunting Informal
Aluminum	-Can be manufactured precisely -Wide range of sizes in the market -Durable -Interchangeable arrowheads	Expensive	Tournaments
Carbon and Aluminum Carbon	-Fast -Can maintain shape pretty easily	-Very Expensive -Carbon layer breaks down is hit	Serious Tournaments

Types of arrow heads:

Bodkin points : They are short, rigid points with a small cross-section. They were made of unhardened iron and may have been used for better or longer flight,
or for cheaper production.

Blunts : They are unsharpened arrowheads occasionally used for types of target shooting, for shooting at stumps or other targets of opportunity, or hunting
small game when the goal is to stun the target without penetration.

Judo : They have points have spring wires extending sideways from the tip. These catch on grass and debris to prevent the arrow from being lost in the
vegetation. Used for practice and for small game.

Broadheads :They were used for war and are still used for hunting. Mediaeval broadheads were made from steel, sometimes with hardened edges. They
usually have two to four sharp blades that cause massive bleeding in the victim.

Field tips are similar to target points and have a distinct shoulder, so that missed outdoor shots do not become as stuck in obstacles such as tree stumps.

Target points are bullet-shaped with a sharp point, designed to penetrate target butts easily without causing excessive damage to them.

Safety arrows are designed to be used in various forms of reenactment combat, to reduce the risk when shot at people. These arrows may have heads that
are very wide or padded. In combination with bows of restricted draw weight and draw length, these heads may reduce to acceptable levels the risks of
shooting arrows at suitably armoured people.