1911Forum banner

Archery in SHTF...?

6K views 56 replies 23 participants last post by  PatientWolf 
#1 ·
When I lived in the PNW, it wasn't a consideration. You got 1x buck tag a season, and had to declare your method- archery, muzzle loader, or modern firearm. Choose archery, when muzzle loading starts, youre archery tag is void- and you can't switch over. Doe tags were a lotteried luxury, 1 in 4 years...

When I came to NC, in addition to learning to hunt again ( whitetails are a completely different critter than Colombia blacktail), the idea of 4x does and 2x bucks on a basic licence- and all the additional doe tags one wants, for a nominal fee- was a foreign concept( as was the idea of climbing a tree to hunt...), as was "any legal method" hunting; the same tags are good from SEP thru DEC, with any method in season...

So I started bowhunting to get an early start on the season. Recently, crossbow hunting was legalized . Given the environment, short range is the norm in the Sandhills, rather than long (200m+). Archery is an effective method ...

So, to return to topic, is bow (upright or X) sustenance hunting a component of your SHTF/bugout plan? The pros are its quiet and ammunition is reusable. The cons... compound bows are high maintenance, and require specialized skills and tools...

Thoughts or considerations...?
 
See less See more
#49 ·
Crossbow bolts are shorter and lighter. They have a relatively short power stroke which means they have less time to accelerate the projectile. Compound bows however can launch very heavy arrows that pack more momentum than the lighter "bolt" counterparts. KE formulas square velocity skewing the data but fall short when it comes to penetration. Velocity is not always a good thing. I'll take a heavy arrow 15-18 gpi versus a light weight one any day of the week.

Crossbows are easier to shoot for beginners. They do not requiring as much of a learning curve but they are very prone to mechanical failures especially the latest ultra velocity ones. They are extremely noisy sounding like a .22 LR. Follow up shots are often impossible given reload times. Letting down a crossbow is also a big pita and storing a loaded one is only asking for trouble. Make sure you have extra cables you will need them after about 100 shots...
 
#50 ·
While my crossbow bolts are shorter, they aren't lighter, to the contrary, they're 2 grams (about 30 grains) heavier. They're far thicker in diameter than the arrows fro my upright.
 
#51 ·
Not sure why you keep listing grams. The manufacturers use gpi as the industry standard. Grains per inch. A 30" arrow can vary up to a grain per inch from lot to lot especially the cheap ones. You would never see a differece in 30 grains shot from the same bow down range. Stick with 500-600 grains total weight including broad head weight for big game less than 350 is foolish, 400 marginal. What you want is a pass through every shot.
 
#52 ·
Because my powder scale is out in the shop, and I spot weighed samples of both using a digital kitchen scale where grams was the smallest unit of mesure available.

I know that arrows/bolts are weighed in grains- hence including a conversion of the differnce between the 2.... I wasn't suggesting a 30 grain difference between arrows/ bolts fired from the same bow.
 
#56 ·
I have bow hunted in the past with compound bows, I don't get the zen Buddhist effect many do. I as however just thinking that a recurve and some skill with it is a viable tool. Maybe not a constant source of food, but just another tool in the box. I do think its a good tool for taking game birds and have even thought about hunting geese (truth be told, I have over a million snow geese fly right over my farm every year). I may be in the market for a recurve or long bow if anyone has any suggestions.
 
#57 ·
I may be in the market for a recurve or long bow if anyone has any suggestions.
Depending on your budget and what you want in a bow...

I like to stick with a company that will warranty their bow.

I would recommend the following take-downs
Hoyt Satori
Hoyt Buffalo
Hoyt Dorado
Samick Sage (low budget option)
The advantage of take-downs is you can get multiple limbs as anther bad-ups or to have different draw weights.


For 1-piece models, I like the offerings at 3riversarchery.com. One of the participants in a league I used to shoot in had a beautiful bow from them.

If money is no object there are some custom bowmKers that make gorgeous bows.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top