Whistling arrow for fun….

[bobnewboy]

Last week, our club (Windwhistle Company of Archers) had a roving marks shoot, and one or two of the members used whistling arrows for a bit of fun. I’ve never made a whistling arrow (well, not on purpose…) before, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Here is the result - a test shot into our safety net.

https://flic.kr/p/2pzfxkL

It sounds like the whistling pile made by Bearpaw is working, along with some nice fletching noise from the large feathers. Here’s a slo-mo video of me shooting it into our javelina 2D boss:

https://flic.kr/p/2pzfxi6

The heavy whistling pile (250 grains) makes for a slower shot but it certainly delivers the energy at the target. Even with my modest 44lb @28” primitive bow, it punched right through a 5” thick target:

https://flic.kr/p/2pzfXgs

In all, good fun if you have the bits and somewhere to shoot it. I’ll definitely be taking it to our next roving marks shoot

 

[Broch]

I'm planning a roving session in our wood this summer with primitive (Mesolithic) flat bows and hazel simple arrows. It would be great fun to have whistling arrows

So I take it the pile has holes in it of some sort to make it whistle?

 

[bobnewboy]

I'm planning a roving session in our wood this summer with primitive (Mesolithic) flat bows and hazel simple arrows. It would be great fun to have whistling arrows

So I take it the pile has holes in it of some sort to make it whistle?

Yep. It’s actually a brass two-part pile where the front part unscrews from the socket so that you can clean out any soil/dirt that will get in there on a ground landing. They aren’t that cheap, but built very solid so should last for ever(ish). I got mine here:

Bearpaw whistling pile

Also available from Quicks Here.

If you’re feeling very crafty, and would like a cheaper solution, I have seen whistling points made from table tennis balls, see Here. I couldn’t say how long lasting they’d be, but I’ve seen other references to the same.

 

[Broch]

Yep. It’s actually a brass two-part pile where the front part unscrews from the socket so that you can clean out any soil/dirt that will get in there on a ground landing. They aren’t that cheap, but built very solid so should last for ever(ish). I got mine here:

Bearpaw whistling pile

Also available from Quicks Here.
If you’re feeling very crafty, and would like a cheaper solution, I have seen whistling points made from table tennis balls, see Here. I couldn’t say how long lasting they’d be, but I’ve seen other references to the same.

Ouch, on the grounds we'll probably loose half the arrows in the bramble scrub in the wood, at over £5 each I think I'll have to either be inventive or forgo the idea

 

[demented dale]

Last week, our club (Windwhistle Company of Archers) had a roving marks shoot, and one or two of the members used whistling arrows for a bit of fun. I’ve never made a whistling arrow (well, not on purpose…) before, so I thought I’d give it a go.

Here is the result - a test shot into our safety net.

https://flic.kr/p/2pzfxkL

It sounds like the whistling pile made by Bearpaw is working, along with some nice fletching noise from the large feathers. Here’s a slo-mo video of me shooting it into our javelina 2D boss:

https://flic.kr/p/2pzfxi6

The heavy whistling pile (250 grains) makes for a slower shot but it certainly delivers the energy at the target. Even with my modest 44lb @28” primitive bow, it punched right through a 5” thick target:

https://flic.kr/p/2pzfXgs

In all, good fun if you have the bits and somewhere to shoot it. I’ll definitely be taking it to our next roving marks shoot

I like them so I just ordered some on ebay. Only 10er for 5 arrow tips x

 

[bobnewboy]

I like them so I just ordered some on ebay. Only 10er for 5 arrow tips x

Could you post the link for @Broch ?

 

[demented dale]

Could you post the link for @Broch ?

whistling arrow heads for sale | eBay

Find great deals on eBay for whistling arrow heads. Shop with confidence.

www.ebay.co.uk

I made a best offer on mine from a guy in the U. K. there doesnt seem to be any except in China. If you cant be arsed with that then I bought six so you can share them with me x

 

[demented dale]

Ouch, on the grounds we'll probably loose half the arrows in the bramble scrub in the wood, at over £5 each I think I'll have to either be inventive or forgo the idea

whistling arrow heads for sale | eBay​

Find great deals on eBay for whistling arrow heads. Shop with confidence.
www.ebay.co.uk
Broch I made a best offer on mine from a guy in the U. K. there doesnt seem to be any except in China. If you cant be arsed with that then I bought six so you can share them with me x

 

[demented dale]

Ouch, on the grounds we'll probably loose half the arrows in the bramble scrub in the wood, at over £5 each I think I'll have to either be inventive or forgo the idea

check this out for a cheap option. Very noisy.

 

[Broch]

Thanks for the links. I'm going to experiment a bit

 

[Grebby]

Broch, do you have access to a 3d printer?
off printables
or thingiverse

I just searched for "whistle arrowhead"

 

[crosslandkelly]

Funnily enough, I watched this the other day.
Damn. Youtube

Whistling arrow of the Khanty - exposition and reconstruction​

 

[Broch]

Broch, do you have access to a 3d printer?
off printables
or thingiverse

I just searched for "whistle arrowhead"

Yes, I do, thanks for the links - also, I need to get a new spaniel to retrieve them

 

[bobnewboy]

Ouch, on the grounds we'll probably loose half the arrows in the bramble scrub in the wood, at over £5 each I think I'll have to either be inventive or forgo the idea

If the whistler’s cost will be prohibitive for fun roving, then I’d suggest making a few flu-flus with 3x pieces of full feather fletchings on each shaft. They work well for stumping etc if you put an ordinary field point in the arrow.

 

[Broch]

If the whistler’s cost will be prohibitive for fun roving, then I’d suggest making a few flu-flus with 3x pieces of full feather fletchings on each shaft. They work well for stumping etc if you put an ordinary field point in the arrow.

Yep, thanks, we actually use wool fletchings - remarkably effective for short ranges. The arrows are made from my seasoned hazel arrow stock that I make primitive arrows from - I just drill and screw a round-headed screw in as a tip - sometimes with a bit of binding to try and prevent splitting when it hits a hard object. It's crude stuff but great fun.

I've got a variety of staves seasoning at the moment that will all be turned into Holmegaard style bows to test the effectiveness of various woods available to Mesolithic man - the roving will just be a fun session, with some of the club members, getting them away from their recurves with sights and counterbalances etc. The use of primitive bare flat bows and very basic arrows will level the playing field

 

[bobnewboy]

Yep, thanks, we actually use wool fletchings - remarkably effective for short ranges. The arrows are made from my seasoned hazel arrow stock that I make primitive arrows from - I just drill and screw a round-headed screw in as a tip - sometimes with a bit of binding to try and prevent splitting when it hits a hard object. It's crude stuff but great fun.

I've got a variety of staves seasoning at the moment that will all be turned into Holmegaard style bows to test the effectiveness of various woods available to Mesolithic man - the roving will just be a fun session, with some of the club members, getting them away from their recurves with sights and counterbalances etc. The use of primitive bare flat bows and very basic arrows will level the playing field

If I’m not using paid-for fletchings, I’ll just hang around lakes which hold stocks of geese or swans and keep an eye out….Alternatively, while I was still in Surrey, I made friends with some smallholders who raised turkeys…..a goldmine of great feathers for “a drink” . See :

https://flic.kr/p/97zxF7

 

[British Red]

If I’m not using paid-for fletchings, I’ll just hang around lakes which hold stocks of geese or swans and keep an eye out….Alternatively, while I was still in Surrey, I made friends with some smallholders who raised turkeys…..a goldmine of great feathers for “a drink” . See :

https://flic.kr/p/97zxF7

How big do you need the fletching feathers to be Bob? Don't raise Turkeys but do raise very large chickens

 

[bobnewboy]

Hi Hugh. Well, for feathers it isn’t really the size so much as the oil line in the feather, and how tough and resilient the barbs of the feather are. I tend to follow advice from an old friend of mine, Hilary Greenland, and especially from her book “The Traditional Archer’s Handbook, A Practical Guide”. The following photo is a section that I have copied and inserted here without her permission, but I hope she would see the upside….

https://flic.kr/p/2pzwGeJ

[…especially if I say that her book is still available from her website, search for Sylvan Archery online. Highly recommended if readers have an interest in such things!]

I can’t say that I have ever handled chicken feathers, but most bird species apart from turkeys, geese and swans seem to have quite soft primary flight feathers (pinions) which tend to collapse somewhat when shot as arrow fletchings, and this can lead to inaccurate shots. If the chicken primaries are stiff enough, and have a visible oil line, then they could be useable as fletchings. I have used mallard and pheasant primaries on primitive class arrows, and they were OK, but they have to be trimmed to quite a low profile to get enough stiffness, see Korean traditional arrows for examples.

Having said all that, any feather can work as a fletching - even the soft fluffy feathers can be used for a flu-flu type arrow, but they wont last long.

Cheers, Bob