Safe archery

[boatman]

So as not to carry on a diversion from the UK bowhunting laws topic I thought to post here.

Trawling the net I have seen pictures of hands impaled by "shattered" fibreglass and by carbon fibre arrows but not by wooden arrows. If they were such a danger wouldn't the pics be posted as awful warnings?

What is dangerous with any arrow is to overdraw it so that the end of the arrow falls inside the bow and will break against the bow when loosed. Commonest cause of this is using an arrow that is too short, less common is a strong, over-enthusiastic beginner who draws back too far. One reason I like to use over length arrows for the public.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

My main archery is shooting people...

...Using blunt arrows in a reenactment context. Because we are exchanging arrows, I also like to use arrows that are over length, the arrow I shoot out may be the one that was shot at me by the 6'6" gorilla with long arms. So to reduce the chance of over drawing, I use long arrows...

I also use Port Orford Cedar shafts. These have the useful property that when they break, they don't shatter, they just snap, leaving a cleanish end. This reduces the number of splintered bits of wood littering the battle field.

This is entirely not your typical bushcraft bow use. But I thought it might be worth putting into the mix.

Julia

 

[Cromm]

I have stood next to people who have had arrows break on release, the arrow bits going mostly sideways. Never come across it going into the bow hand yet.

 

[dwardo]

Are we talking general archery safety here?
The most dangerous is part I can see is for the unlucky so and so on the other end of the arrow. I have seen arrows ricochet and do all sorts miraculous things. I have found arrows 50+ yards away from where I expected them to be and buried nock end into a tree. I have seen them go from horizontal trajectory to vertical when they hit a tree strump and fly up the trunk and stick into a branch 30 feet up!

Like any projectile back stop is key. The bow should have properly spined arrows at the correct length (an extra inch for safety always helps). You should know your draw length and if not you should preferably take a beginners course of atleast take advice from a competent archer.
Wooden bows need extra care compared to glass bows. Humidity, storage, not over-drawing, perfectly matched arrows, stringing methods and not keeping the bow strung when not needed, keeping the bow sealed to slow moisture transfer.

Rambling.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Never had an arrow shatter when being loosed, but I was standing next to a guy who's 90lb draw bow snapped when he drew it. Almost knocked me out, and scared the hell out of me. Very loud bang.

Julia

 

[mrcharly]

When supervising absolute beginners, watch out for the ones who pinch the nock. The arrow nearly always falls off the rest and can end up going sideways.
The other one is the numpty who doesn't realise the arrow has come off the string. They loose, the arrow falls forward - it's only 4 feet away - without thinking they step forward to pick it up.

By far the most common way for someone to be hurt is at the target. One person walks up and starts pulling out arrows - a difficult one comes free suddenly and they jab the nock end into the person who is behind them. As this is nearly always at face height, eyes are at risk.

 

[boatman]

Good advice, also I try to have only the experienced picking up arrows as it is so easy to tread on them and break them which is only minor problem or to run nock or pile or broken end into an unwary foot or ankle which is not.

Then there is the "do not point the bow, with or without an arrow at anything other than the target". I once had to deliver a great telling off to a boy who threatened his sister with his loaded bow. He claimed to take part in County championships which made me wonder.

 

[santaman2000]

....Trawling the net I have seen pictures of hands impaled by "shattered" fibreglass and by carbon fibre arrows but not by wooden arrows. If they were such a danger wouldn't the pics be posted as awful warnings?.....

Exactly......

 

[Tengu]

Whats the big deal with carbon arrows anyway?

 

[boatman]

Whats the big deal with carbon arrows anyway?

A desire to get technically advanced equipment even though its potential exceeds the actual skill of the archer who buys it perhaps? They are newish and obviously better? And expensive so must be good.

 

[mrcharly]

Kind of a digression, but I suspect it is easier to make shafts with absolutely consistent behaviour when you use something like carbon fibre.

I'm not at all sure what the advantages would be over Easton aluminium though. Someone here might know.