[OTHER] pyramid bows

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heartwood

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Can anyone please fill me in on the origin, history of the pyramid longbow please? I have shot one and was most impressed. Are they Norman or Saxon? What would be the max draw weight of these bows and who has a good reputation for making them?
 

TJ Mason

Soaring
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Fonz Awardee
American Shoot
Don't know for sure, but I've been told that they're a development of the American flat bow (a.k.a. American longbow) which was developed in the 1930s. If that's correct, then pyramid bows are of 20th century origin.
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
They are flatbows not longbows, I think a youtube vid needs to be done to explain the difference between longbows and flatbows and sent out.
 

DavidH

New member
I guess to be fair, what the English call a longbow may not be what others call it, and to be precise we should say ELB, or for the sake of other parts of the UK, the WLB (well done Wales you beat the hell out of us!)
 

Raven's_Eye

Active member
Ironman
I guess to be fair, what the English call a longbow may not be what others call it, and to be precise we should say ELB, or for the sake of other parts of the UK, the WLB (well done Wales you beat the hell out of us!)
Technically the WLB isn't the same as the ELB, as the ELB is what we now know as the warbow, while the Welsh were weights more akin to current as they were more used for hunting than war (at first). Though I do doubt the Welsh had them first as early Britains had bows when the romans invaded and romans had bows, and Saxons had bows, and Vikings, and Normans.
 

JohnK

Well-known member
I seem to remember reading that the pyramid bow design was North American in origin. Can't remember the source.

As for longbows, I talked to Hugh Soar about this once. As I recall, he said he and other archer historians reckoned the shape of the longbow was British (and very possibly Welsh - please note, one is a subset of the other [1]) in origin, and the idea of using yew was taken from the Vikings.

[1] I once fielded a phone inquiry from a Welsh chap who was very insistent that he wanted to learn to shoot the "Welsh longbow". I mentioned the British Longbow Society and he got very huffy. I tried to keep things light by reminding him that the Welsh were British before the English were and his tone became rather aggressive. Nothing like a Nationalist who doesn't know his own history...
 
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