Problem with shooting a ELB....i need some help!

[huntsmanlance]

Hi all, i am having a problem with shooting an ELB....i should say shooting it consistantly. I have been shooting traditional bows for around 10 years now and the best that worked for me was a recurve.

It is important to me to be able to shoot a ELB because i have been doing medieval recreation since i was 15...now 42...and i just love the look and feel of the ELB's.

Just to let you know what i am shooting....is is an osage bow with bamboo backing with horn nocks that is 71" ntn. It is 53# @ 28" and i draw 29 1/2". The bow was made by J.D. Jones here in Oklahoma and is just beautiful. I shoot 50-55# spine laminated birch shafts with horn nocks and when i am doing everything correctly they fly great.

I just cant stay consistant with them....i think it is with my grip. I have been told allot of things...shooting a ELB is harder because they are light in over all weight so it is harder to hold still...it is easy to tourque the bow because the grip isnt shaped like a modern bow....and on and on. I have even heard it said that the ELB is actually a poor design and was made for war and not target archery.

I havent seen any other ELB shooters localy that are really good with them. I of course have heard of groups across the pond who are susposed to be very good with these bows.

Let me ask for an honest opinion here...do people who shoot a ELB really have a chance competing against modern long bows and recurves? Is it matter of that you simply have to practice more to master these bows?

So...i figured i would ask here and hopefully hear from other members who shoot ELB and find out what their shooting styles are...how they grip the bow, how their drawing process is and so on....before i just give up in frustration.

Thank You for any help!
Lance

[freefeet]

If you want to see the standard of ELB shooting across the pond look at the NFAS shoot reports...

 http://www.nfas.net/shootreports.asp

The long bow seems to be consistently behind recurves and flat bows in scoring.

[D. Devall]

hey man. i shot an elb up untill yesterday when i got a glass recurve. there is really no trick to it other than the propper brace hight, arrow spine, feather fletchings, a good cant, leaning forward, a constant anchor point, a smooth reliece, and ALOT of practice. i can usually hit a coke can at 15-20 yards. an elb is slow compared to most modern recurves and longs, but in my oppinion far more accurate at close range because of the predictable flight path.

[zetabow]

Huntsmanlance

The ELB is one of the most challenging bows to shoot and I admire your dedication to shoot such a historical bow.

The ELB is very popular and make one up one of the biggest divisions in the UK and the top shooters in the NFAS are very respected for their skill, I know a few of the top shooters and they have never beaten AFB and Recurves in National competitions but do it quite often in regional tourneys, Holst Spalding won the NFAS National champs only 6 points behind the Recurves in 2003. Only about 10 really exceptional ELB shooters in the UK.

A good friend of mine Nigel Downs just picked up 3 IFAA world records at NAFAC08 in Miami shooting an Osage one peice ELB he made himself. If youre interested I can give you his e-mail, he would be glad to help you.
just pm me

[huntsmanlance]

Thanks guys, yes it is harder to shoot this consistantly compared to a modern recure...my post was just out of pure frustration!!! lol

Zeta i can use all of the advice i can get so yes please send me his contact info!

Thanks again,
Lance

[tecum-tha]

Yes,the grips may be a problem on those kind of bows. The same as with a round gripped korean recurve I shoot. Consistency is utmost important grpping a bow. Now to my personal grip cure: I strip the leather grip from my bows, then I use some double sided tape to put a piece of leather cut to resemble the end of my middle and index finger on(you may use different fingers). I now shoot at 15 yards to test. Every round gripped bow has a sweet spot where to grip it for !your !hand. It takes a little time to find that sweet spot and mark it with the leather indexer for your hand. Now if you find this spot, and you wanna stay period correct,drill small holes on the edge of the indexer and use hide glue to put it in place and secure it with thread through the holes to your grip. Now just use a real thin piece of leather as the grip cover and mold it to your indexer.
Even if you`re excited or under stress, you will hit the sweet spot of your grip every time and will hit your mark. The korean guys use a method without the indexer, but they test their grip before every shot. Too cumbersome for me :-))

Your arrow setup seems a little stiff, try to use different point weights. Another thing: ELB may be picky on spine within 1-2 pounds and you maybe right on the edge of a conventional spine group. Spine every single arrow you have and mark them. Laminated shafts do behave different than cedar.
Just my 2 cents....