A previous thread posed the question as to whether a bow of some kind and the related accessories were necessary for rural SHTF. Since I was a traditional archer for almost 20 years- with some experience with compound bows running concurrently- I thought I was reasonably equipped to explain the pros and cons.
I feel I should elaborate more here. To be blunt, I do not think that a bow is a necessity. At the same time, I think that it is a good idea for many.
A traditional bow is a reliable and low-maintenance weapon, and, with the appropriate draw weight (40 pounds or greater), it is a powerful weapon as well, and can take every manner of game, from squirrels to elephants.
At the same time, it is an expensive weapon, requiring expensive ammunition, and is hard to learn (and even harder to master). Thinking about making your own arrows? Fletching your own is not hard to do, but it still doesn't make it cheap. Literally MAKING your own requires an entirely new set of skills and materials that you might not have access to in a SHTF situation.
I write this for all non-archers who are asking this question. Unless you want to learn archery as a hobby, do not bother with it for SHTF. If you are looking into archery with survival in mind, save your money or put it toward something else, like more ammo or other equipment. Don't **** away hundreds on a bow, another hundred on a quiver, and another hundred (or more) on arrows. It's not worth it. If you want to get into traditional archery as a hobby and out of genuine interest, feel free to PM me for tips.
NOW. With that out of the way, I want to say this. If you are an accomplished archer and you want to use your bow for SHTF (presumably in addition to other weapons), go right ahead. You already have the equipment, and, more importantly, the experience behind it. If/when you run out of arrows and don't have the materials to make more, you will have other options to use. How your bow fits into your plan is up to you, and I am sure you can engineer a way for it to give you an advantage.
I think that slingbows are a good replacement. You can take bigger game with them, in the same fashion as a bow, using arrows, without many of the downsides of bows. For instance, slingbows are cheaper, and slingshot bands are not as intricate and fine-tuned as bowstrings are, and are also cheaper, allowing you to stock up easier. I think the biggest advantage over a bow is their size: a slingbow is not a 5-foot tall (and $500...) piece of wood or fiberglass.
Right now, I'm looking at A+ Slingshots (I believe the owner is/was a member here). Their X-factor model allows you to have both a slingshot and a slingbow in one, for 1/4 or 1/5 the price of a bow.
Long story short- it is not unreasonable for a traditional archer to want to use their hard-earned skills in a SHTF situation.
Everybody else- don't do it.
I feel I should elaborate more here. To be blunt, I do not think that a bow is a necessity. At the same time, I think that it is a good idea for many.
A traditional bow is a reliable and low-maintenance weapon, and, with the appropriate draw weight (40 pounds or greater), it is a powerful weapon as well, and can take every manner of game, from squirrels to elephants.
At the same time, it is an expensive weapon, requiring expensive ammunition, and is hard to learn (and even harder to master). Thinking about making your own arrows? Fletching your own is not hard to do, but it still doesn't make it cheap. Literally MAKING your own requires an entirely new set of skills and materials that you might not have access to in a SHTF situation.
I write this for all non-archers who are asking this question. Unless you want to learn archery as a hobby, do not bother with it for SHTF. If you are looking into archery with survival in mind, save your money or put it toward something else, like more ammo or other equipment. Don't **** away hundreds on a bow, another hundred on a quiver, and another hundred (or more) on arrows. It's not worth it. If you want to get into traditional archery as a hobby and out of genuine interest, feel free to PM me for tips.
NOW. With that out of the way, I want to say this. If you are an accomplished archer and you want to use your bow for SHTF (presumably in addition to other weapons), go right ahead. You already have the equipment, and, more importantly, the experience behind it. If/when you run out of arrows and don't have the materials to make more, you will have other options to use. How your bow fits into your plan is up to you, and I am sure you can engineer a way for it to give you an advantage.
I think that slingbows are a good replacement. You can take bigger game with them, in the same fashion as a bow, using arrows, without many of the downsides of bows. For instance, slingbows are cheaper, and slingshot bands are not as intricate and fine-tuned as bowstrings are, and are also cheaper, allowing you to stock up easier. I think the biggest advantage over a bow is their size: a slingbow is not a 5-foot tall (and $500...) piece of wood or fiberglass.
Right now, I'm looking at A+ Slingshots (I believe the owner is/was a member here). Their X-factor model allows you to have both a slingshot and a slingbow in one, for 1/4 or 1/5 the price of a bow.
Long story short- it is not unreasonable for a traditional archer to want to use their hard-earned skills in a SHTF situation.
Everybody else- don't do it.
