New PSE Stinger 3G Compound Bow

[Mack The Knife]

Indeed I will not answer this as I do not intend to demean somebody's faith.

Eh? Lighten up, will you!

It is a fact that a compound bow is easiest to shoot and instinctive archery is a skill that really requires tapasya. Interestingly when Indian tribals shoot they do not anchor at the chin or ear but the arrow only comes to about a little more than half draw. Perhaps this is the reason why draw weight is on higher side.

I doubt it. The tribal bows I have drawn don't have much draw weight. At best, it's a little more than what my kids used to use. A lot of them rely on poison, rather than penetration and the consequent haemorrhage, to kill.
Do start a new thread with as many details and pics of your Bhil and NE bows. I would also like to buy these (not yours), so if you can help me in that regard, I would be most grateful.
From what little I have read, the native North American bows were usually in the 30 to 35# range and they were still successful in downing game at that draw weight. As far as I know, this was without the use of poison.

As regards to your concern if I can shoot or not, well I will not choose to brag about it but it is a matter best settled in a friendly match. Let me know if you travel to Gujarat and I will do same when I travel to Bangalore.

Don't recall saying or implying anything about your shooting skills. I am always up for a challenge. Just don't expect it to be a friendly match. I sledge with the best of them.
So, will you be using a stickbow or that 'string gun' with it's sights, stabilisers, let-off's, release aid, etc.?

I will surely post something about the iconography and meanings of shastra puja but just a pointer actually vermillon is something that used as a substitute to the blood of the bearer of the arm.

That's cheating! Next Shastra Pooja make sure it's your own blood.
BTW, I think I have also seen yellow ochre tikkas (turmeric?). What's the significance of that colour?

even the Avesta and Gathas have good number of examples.

Like? Not much for rituals but my parents follow some of them and I haven't seen anything remotely resembling sacrifice.

[Mack The Knife]

Let this thread remain about "New PSE Stinger 3G Compound Bow" and not become a debate over the arms act or modern vs traditional archery.
BowMan

What about guns vs bows? Ummm....you did mention something along those lines if I recall.

[goodboy_mentor]

In fact during the entire year only 31 bills were tabled in the Parliament!!!??? This is also not listed as having been introduced by a private member.

If you download a copy of Arms Act 1959 from the MHA website, you will find that it says Act No. 54 of 1959 [23rd December, 1959.]

[BowMan]

12. The Indian Arms (Amendment) Bill (No. 49 of 1953) was introduced by the undersigned in the Lok Sabha on the 27th November, 1953

you will find that it says Act No. 54 of 1959 [23rd December, 1959.]

1953 or 1959, please confirm?

[BowMan]

Do start a new thread with as many details and pics of your Bhil and NE bows. I would also like to buy these (not yours), so if you can help me in that regard, I would be most grateful.

Let me do this. I also have pictures of weekly markets where tribals come to buy these. I am sure you will enjoy this.

I am always up for a challenge. Just don't expect it to be a friendly match. I sledge with the best of them.

Let it be so.

So, will you be using a stickbow or that 'string gun' with it's sights, stabilisers, let-off's, release aid, etc.?

The warriors code mate. So like competes against like.

BTW, I think I have also seen yellow ochre tikkas (turmeric?). What's the significance of that colour?

Turmeric or yellow is a invocation to prosperity and good luck.

Like? Not much for rituals but my parents follow some of them and I haven't seen anything remotely resembling sacrifice.

In the region that is the cradle of Zorashtrian faith sacrifices of different types were prevalent. However, Zarathustra discarded all sacrifices save for the sacrifice to Fire.

Yasna involves sacrifice of Hoama to the fire altar. There are numerous references and some are given below;

Yasna 2 - With this libation and Baresman I desire for this Yasna the Ashawan Ahura Mazdah, the master of Asha. I desire for this Yasna the well-ruling, judicious Amesha Spentas.

"We worship the Creator Ahura Mazda with our sacrifice, and the Bountiful Immortals who rule aright, and who dispose of all aright."

"And we worship the Asnya with our sacrifice, and Hâvani, Sâvanghi and Vîsya, the holy lords of the ritual order, and Mithra of the wide pastures, of the thousand ears, and myriad eyes, the Yazad of the spoken name, and we worship Râman Hvâstra."

There is an analogy here. When the Hindus conduct a yagna they are also invoking the gods and requesting fire to act as a messenger and carry their oblutions to the gods. The fire god or Agni then forms a pillar of smoke to conduct the prayers towards heaven.

I can give more detailed explanations but it would be hijacking the thread. Perhaps more of this on a separate thread.

Is it not sad that we miss all this meaning and then conclude that these rituals are meaningless!!!??? Perhaps we should all try to appreciate the ancients a bit more.

[goodboy_mentor]

1953 or 1959, please confirm?

Please download a copy of Arms Act 1959 from the website of Ministry of Home Affairs and read it, it will confirm to you that it says 1959.

[Mack The Knife]

Looking forward to the pics and details regarding the tribal bows.

Which bow/s do you intend using? You are welcome to use mine (50, 60 and perhaps a 70# longbow this October/November) provided you do not draw beyond 28". They are glassed bows but I prefer not to have them drawn beyond 28".

Traditional rituals not being my cup of tea does not mean I consider them to be meaningless. I merely do not follow them. I do have my own set of common sense rituals/habits though.

[BowMan]

Thanks for the offer Mack The Knife. I would love to try my hands at some of your Bears but I draw well over 28".

However for competing I will rely on my own. It does get some time to get used to new equipment.

[Mack The Knife]

Just the one Bear. A Montana. It has an odd grip but if you can figure it out, it is a sweet shooting bow.

[BowMan]

Are you referring to what is commonly felt to be a "blocky" grip.

Well that is part of the design intended to make the archer hold it in a more neutral position. If you can and are tightly gripping the bow than you are also canting it and affecting arrow flight during follow through.

The best archers practice what is a very loose grip, the bow is held in place only by the backward pull of the draw and fingers are in open 'C' position. Once the arrow is released the bow should almost drop off the hands.

[Mack The Knife]

Blocky + locator.

I don't use a target grip. I don't squeeze the life out of my grips but I do grip them firmly. I also heel the grip and use a low wrist grip.

I also deliberately cant the bow and bend my bow arm at the elbow. Hence, a reduced draw length of 27".

Last but not least, I use a spread/swing draw and not a static draw.

I also intend turning the locator grips on my longbows into straight, wedge shaped grips.

Herewith the method I intend to master....eventually.
http://archeryduns.webs.com/apps/videos ... w/14895607

[BowMan]

Well I personally prefer the high wrist grip. I think I get best groupings with that.

However, what I have observed is that my stance and anchor affect accuracy far more than the grip. Initially I started with a stance which was slightly off the line of target. That had its advantages but even a slight shift in feet position affected my anchor and that meant the groupings shifted.

Now I practice standing as directly in the line of target as possible and that seems to have given more stability to my position.

I also have a slightly unorthodox anchor. I like to anchor at my ear closely stuffing the knuckle of my first finger in my ear. I have observed that most archers anchor under the chin but that shortens the draw a bit and also forces the drawing arm to be in a slightly unnatural position during the period of the draw. To me the traditional proverb of "bending and arrow to the ear" makes most sense. You can try it and observe how relaxed your arm stays when anchoring at the ear as opposed to chin.

I will check out those videos in detail this weekend. There is also a Gent called Byron Furgesson who does amazing things shooting barebow.

How long have you been practicing Archery Mack The Knife and how many hours every week do you put into your practice?

[Mack The Knife]

Our methods of shooting musn't be copied by either one of us because of the huge differences in our respective bows.

The grip I see in your avatar isn't a true high wrist grip. A high wrist grip will give very good accuracy but it also demands an extremely consistent form.

There is nothing surprising about your draw length as most compound shooters have long draw lengths due to their release aids. I prefer to have the arrow under my eye and bow arm elbow slightly bent and hence the shorter draw length.

Whilst the sighted compound bow is superior in terms of accuracy and speed, it is by far an inferior bow, especially when compared to a non-sighted stickbow. The primary reason being that the compound bow is held vertically. The non-sighted stickbow on the other hand can be shot from vertical to horizontal and all angles inbetween. It can also be shot with the arrow parallel to the ground with no arrow rest between the arrow and the ground. The non-sighted stickbow also allows itself to be shot from various positions....right down to prone.

Other than the above, the compound bow has little to offer the archer who seeks a challenge and this is precisely why I never took it up. It is also one of the reasons I have sold most of my firearms and airguns.

Byron, via his book (Become The Arrow), was one of my first teachers. The first being Anthony Camera - Shooting The Stickbow. Byron basically uses the Howard Hill style of shooting as demonstrated by John Schulz in the video link I posted earlier.

Other than toy bows as a child, I got my first real bow (from Assam) when I was ten. Unfortunately, that bow was left behind when my father was transfered from Delhi to Bombay a couple of years later. Also, I had an air-rifle by then and the bow and catty got little play time. Fast forward three odd decades (2009) and I decided to get myself a bow. It was a Martin Jaguar TD recurve. Unfortunately, life bowled me one of its googlies in the coming year and I lost all interest in shooting, archery and fishing. Sold the bow.

One day, during those days of doom and gloom, I happened to string up one of the Samicks I had got for my sons. That's all it took to get the fire started again. Immediately ordered a Samick Sage. However, my heart was set on a longbow (American semi-long, really), so when a friend offered to buy it, I got myself the Bear Montana. It has a mild deflex-reflex but strings to a D shape. When I decided to up the poundage from 50 to 60, I decided to go for a custom American semi-long and got it last August. I have been shooting that off and on.

They say archery is a good stress buster but somehow I cannot bring myself to string a bow when I am stressed out. So there are times when I don't shoot a single arrow for a few weeks. Whilst this is a problem when shooting stickbows, my biggest problem is range. At most, I can get 15 yards at my place.

[BowMan]

The grip that you see in the avatar is a very old picture. I have the PSE for nearly 4 years now and this pic was taken when I had just got the Bow. Since then the grip has been refined a bit. You can also see that I am torquing my head into the Bow and I have tried to correct that as well.

As regards to a a Stick Bow being superior in some aspects and a Bare Bow in others, well all I would like to say is they are so different that its like comparing apples with oranges. However let me inform that a compound bow can be fired at a clockwise cant and even an anti clockwise cant which probably a stick bow cannot manage since the arrow will drop in case of latter. All you need to do is install a whisker biscuit arrow rest to get that job done.

I have always had an interest in catapults and bows from an early age. Sometimes I travel with my father on tours to remote villages where I have had a chance to meet some very good archers and slingshots. I remember one I came across at least 10 years ago at a local Archery event in Rajpipla. He was best amongst at least 50 or so archers assembled there and his drawing fingers had almost deformed because of muscle growth from repeated drawing.

I do practice with my bow for at least 1 hour every week. Perhaps you can fire 2-3 arrows very comfortable in a minute so that comes to about 120-180 shots every week. I would like to put in more hours but finding time is not always so easy. I always practice at 60 yards, there are some wooded areas close to my home at 5 minutes drive and I always use 10 M air rifle targets or 50 M small bore rifle targets to practice. This is because not only are archery targets difficult and a bit more expensive that paper targets but practicing on the smallest target possible has its advantages.

This is similar to bare Bow archery where the archer concentrates on the smallest possible feature/dot he can see on the target and aim for it. He may miss the dot on which he is concentrating but he will probably hit the target.

[Shankar]

Hi Bowman,

I like the way Mack The Knife is on you.!

Compond Bows are marvels of technology which only a few like you and me appreciate !

for the rest who don't have them , can play around with whatever ??

Contact Brijesh (coach) at the Stadium on a sunday morning at around 9am. Take complete

equipment with you. If you have not tuned the bow, request him to.

You can discuss your membership with Mr Ananthraju ( Sec retary) and Brijesh if you want to practice.

You can mention my name. Regards and the very best.......... Shankar