Middle Earth Ranger Forum

Hello all, I’m looking into getting my first “traditional” style bow. I’m trying not to spend more than $125 as this will be my first, and I don’t have the money to invest more in this facet of the hobby. I’m looking at recurve or horse style bows, and found the following. My question is, is fiberglass or rattan better, I know rattan looks more appropriate but is there a marked difference in performance between the two.

https://www.nomadwarriors.com/store/p3/ ... sebow.html#

https://bowsoftherisensonlc.com/shop/ol ... -BOW-45-55

Fibreglass doesn't need cosseting in the way that natural materials do, also its less likely to 'follow the string' (the bow looses power as it takes on more and more curve). I wouldn't keep a wood or cane bow strung unless I was using it, glass and carbon fibre bows can put up with more neglect.

The Horsebow style is my preferred choice, my favorite bow at the moment is the Oak-Ridge Bamboo Sada and so far it has served me well and been beautiful to shoot, I think it's above your budget tho

Fiberglass has one big advantage, it's less likely to be damaged by getting wet, but most modern well lacquered bows can survive water quite well

The best advice is, if you can, go to archery stores and try bows, you will find something that you just like the feel of and that's what you should choose

The spouse and I picked up a couple of PSE Snake bows. They're 25lb basic target bows. They run pretty inexpensive at around $70 USD and are ambidextrous. Good for training technique without breaking the bank. Got some Wilson grip tape and some cheapo arrows and thwipped away!

My Istvan Toth horsebow is hands down the smoothest shooting bow I have ever held. The fibreglass is well hidden under the leather so it doesn't look modern but something about it just doesn't say middle earth to me (at least not the places I haunt)
By comparison I have a small Waterford bow that is far less fun to shoot but is intrinsically more rangerish.

So the question is, how much shooting do you plan to do? Or is the bow mainly part of your costume?

Eofor wrote: ↑Tue Jun 07, 2022 1:16 pm My Istvan Toth horsebow is hands down the smoothest shooting bow I have ever held. The fibreglass is well hidden under the leather so it doesn't look modern but something about it just doesn't say middle earth to me (at least not the places I haunt)
By comparison I have a small Waterford bow that is far less fun to shoot but is intrinsically more rangerish.

So the question is, how much shooting do you plan to do? Or is the bow mainly part of your costume?

I want to attempt to use this as a starter for more traditional bow hunting, so having it at a hunting weight of around 50# is needed. But like I said I’m not used to traditional bows, especially a horse style bow, so I wanted an intro style that still had a good weight so I could test the waters.
Since I’m in the south and have contact with the haradrim I could see some cross over of weapon styles and gear, plus the close quarters of swamps and the ability to store it easier than a longbow leads me to go towards a horse or recurve bow

I can second the Toth Istvan line from 7 Meadows Archery. However, I think they may be over your price range. Mine was at least $300 but I've had it for over 15 years. It shoots just as well now and has held up beautifully.
That being said, Kramer Ammons (Youtube) has done several videos on entry bows in your range. Most will get you started and with minor modification will look the part.
Another option to consider is to make your own. Sounds intimidating but is really just an exercise in patience. And if price is a big concern I would recommend Nick Tomihama's channel, the Backyard Bowyer. I've made dozens of PVC bows that without knowledge of the subject, most people can't tell what material I'm using. It takes wood grain well and they are very tough. Just don't shoot them if it's too cold. Nick has a few books out as well.
I'll try to get some pics of some of mine so you can see how well they turn out.

Backyard bowyers diy PVC bows are definitely worth looking in to. We used to build bows using his videos when I was in highschool and remember the experiences fondly.

I've noticed a high number of folks in this hobby gravitating towards 'horsebows' of late, and I would Strongly suggest against these for anyone who's not portraying a Rider of Rohan, Easterling, or possibly someone from northeast Rhovanion. I know it's tempting to think, 'well I live somewhere that's kind of like Ithilien, which is next to Harad, this horsebow is cheap, I'll just say I got it off a Haradrim,' but your impression will work best if you stick with what's simple and common. (I'd doubly strongly suggest against these types of bows for those portraying northern Dunedain!)

The good news is, if you want to get into Ranger-style bow hunting on a budget, you're already on the right site!
Risen Son makes a hunting-weight (up to 55lbs) rattan flat bow for $94. They also have a lighter weight (25-39lbs) rattan flat bow for $69. Just be sure to replace the paracord string with something appropriate (might be a good excuse to practice cordage skills!).
Greg trekked with the former for several years while he was making his yew bow (RIP), and unless I was holding it in my hands, I could not tell it was rattan instead of wood. Either would be an excellent choice for a starter bow. At 51" they plenty look the part and can take a bit of abuse (and at the price you'll feel less guilty if you accidentally leave it out in the weather next to an Arnorian ruin for a few weeks) ; )

I mentioned it before but making your own selfbow is not really difficult. I've made several longbows from red oak boards I've gotten at hardware stores. I'm working on one now that I'm backing with rawhide. If you start while watching FotR you could have it done before Theoden rides out of the Hornburg. Couldn't resist...

Udwin wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:31 pm I would Strongly suggest against these for anyone who's not portraying a Rider of Rohan,

Even then I am not a fan of them. I'm aware that they are probably the best for the task but we know who and where the Rohirrrim are drawn from and those sort of bows simply were not around. Plenty of shortbow options without straying that far off message.

Eofor wrote: ↑Sat Jul 30, 2022 12:08 pm

Udwin wrote: ↑Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:31 pm I would Strongly suggest against these for anyone who's not portraying a Rider of Rohan,

Even then I am not a fan of them. I'm aware that they are probably the best for the task but we know who and where the Rohirrrim are drawn from and those sort of bows simply were not around. Plenty of shortbow options without straying that far off message.

THIS.