[JMcDonald]

Quote:       Originally Posted by big shrek

LIMITED AMMO?? You guys MUST be city boys.

On the run, I don't see anyone stopping to whittle out some Xbow bolts. Remember, we are talking about when the "SHTF," not just being out in the wilderness with the only challenges being those of sustenance and shelter. If the latter were the case, then sure a crude bow would be great because you aren't having to defend yourself from unknown enemies. However, if it is truely a "fight for your life" scenario, then the limited ammo capacity (what, 25-30 arrows in your average quiver, while a good defense weapon might have that much in just one magazine?), and especially long reload time, are going to be large tactical disadvantages.

That is why I said a small crossbow would be a good tertiary weapon.

[Deersniper]

I've seen some medieval movies where they used a small cross bow with short arrows. That's what I want. I has got to be light and small. The horse bows are made from ash, and I'm fixing to cut down a 18" ash tree in my yard. Oh, I just found an old wooden cross bow on Craig's List for 5.00. going to pick it up tomorrow

[Deersniper]

I've found a PSE Spider for 110.00. A 26 inch long, compound with 50 pounds pull. Perfect.

[Beans]

An arrow/bolt will penetrate body armor that will/would stop a bullet

[andrew cochran]

A bow is defently a viable option.

[thrillbilly]

A good compound bow is defintly a good SHTF idea. Stealth is key in surviving in a hostile enviroment and a bow is quiet. I can hit a paper plate every time at 75 yards with my set-up.

[Metronome]

Reminds me of a book called 'Earth Abides'. Humankind is eradicated overnight by disease... etc.. etc. The main character teaches his band to make a bow (shortbow, stickbow, selfbow, etc.) from a sapling fruit tree, and teaching the children to hunt game.

Really an excellent tool in a survival type situation. Elaborate mechanical items have this habit of breaking at the most inappropriate times. I would certainly have a better chance of bagging a bunny or two with a strung stick and a crooked arrow than my bare hands.

Having some stone age skill sets are useful on many occasions. Heck Ishi did just fine on his own - well at least until the ranchers showed up. His people made it all the way to the 20th century with stone tipped arrows.

[sunwheel29]

Quote:       Originally Posted by sunwheel29

For a compound, Cabella's used to sell a sort of holster to put your bow in to be strapped to a horse. A good shoulder strap could convert this thing to a holster to wear your bow on your back the way the Mongols did. In the long run,a good bow might be better than any firearm. Eventually you will run out of ammo, powder or lead.... You can always REUSE or make arrows from scratch.... A good bow should be a basic part of any long term survival scenario...

Hey, if it worked for Green Arrow and Hawkeye....
But seriously, a good archer is a LOT more dangerous than a half-@$$ mall ninja or Chairborn Ranger with their tactical tupperware, extended magazines and spray and pray stupidity.
Anybody ever watch Byron Ferguson at a live display?
On television they focus on his accuracy. But in his live show he used to do some amazing speed shooting and snap shooting with his longbow too.
Lots of tac and tec obsessed Mall Ninjas still have not figured out that if a weapon maims, kills, or destroys the enemy it is not really obsolete as it still works.
Cabellas has the horse holster, I thought about getting one and modifying it myself...
As for where to find a deal on recurves, I would recommend Cabellas as well as Three Rivers Archery.
PSE has a lot of choices for recurve shooters on a budget. Cabellas, Three Rivers and other mail order archery dealers carry thier line.
And yes, an arrow will shoot right through a bullet proof vest and other forms of body armour.
That topic came up a few years ago in my town when a local whack job threatened his mother with a machete and holed up in an outbuilding.
The deputies were concerned that he may have had a compound bow in there and could drill them through their Kevlar vests.

[thrillbilly]

Primos (The game call company) makes a product called the primos bow sling. It's secure and works well. Pretty fast to remove also. Only works for compund bows.

[trustnoone.45]

Ok I have thought of this but not to much. What kind of arrow shaft/head and minimum draw lbs for let say a 2 legged varmit.

[JMcDonald]

I don't know a whole lot about them, but I think a forty-pound draw weight is the accepted minimum for whitetail deer, so perhaps that or even less would be enough for a human at close range (of course, though, with more weight one could use a more devastating arrow head). Still, I think the biggest issue by far wouldn't be power, but accuracy.

*edit*

And on that last note, I'd recommend that if someone were looking to get a bow or crossbow, I'd lean toward the lower draw weights especially for a beginner. I haven't shot a bow but a few times, but a strong pull will wear you out pretty quick for just practicing (what's the bow equivalent of "plinking?" hah). If I were going to have to rely on a bow for defense or even sustenance, I'd rather have a 40lb bow that I've shot 100 times per outing than a 100lb bow that I've shot 10 times per outing.

[thrillbilly]

I don't want to sound like a professor, but I've been bowhunting for years. I would suggest a compound for beginners. They have a easier learning curve. A compound is adjustable for draw weight, usually about 15 pds, ie a 40-55, 50-65, 60-75. 40-45 pds is the legal requirement for deer in most states, I would say 45pds at min. I shoot a 75pd bow, but I'm large, my brother and nephew both shoot a 50-55pds and cleanly kill deer. If I haven't shot for awhile I turn my poundage down until I work back up to it. Get a good METAL site pin bracket w/fiber optic pins, I recommend Whisker-Biscuit arrow rests, they're quiet and the arrow can't fall off. A mechanical string release with string loop is the easiest way to get accuracy. A bow shop pro can help set ya up and I would shoot several brands of bows before buying. The pro will also set ya up with the correct arrows for your specific bow, I prefer carbon to aluminium. Stay away from mechanical/expandable arrowheads, A good Muzzy, Thunderhead or other fixed broadhead will be more dependable. By the way, I shot a old arrow without ANY head into a walnut tree from 15yards and it penetrated about 7", a broadhead at 40yards will shoot through both shoulderbones of a whitetail at higher poundages! Hope this has been helpful. As far as plinking goes, I usually shoot about 500-700 arrows a week, practice makes perfect, especially with bows!

[apneic]

Great information there thrill!

I'm highly interested in learning archery, so I'll have to look around and find a bow shop in the area. I appreciate the quick lesson!

[rockman7]

ditto thrillbilly......but i would include a bow string press( mine is a series of ropes, very small and packable), and a couple of extra strings , silencers, string wax,ect.i've found the solid /fixed blades like montec can be reshot several times.....muzzy's you usually shoot once and change blades.for 2 years in a row i never got to gun hunt because i killed my limit at the time a week or 2 earlier( that was 2 bucks and 3 does here).and imho as a hunter i 've found you can kill more deer in a given area than you can a gun because it is so silent. first crack of a gun around here and they change thier patterns.....hence in a shtf i feel i can refrain from to much movement and stay closer to base for longer periods of time. lets face it.....no matter how much you have in stores , at some point in time after bein holed up.......you will have to venture out for more resources.the fiber optic siights i use are encased in metal all around to avoid breaking( i nearly tossed out fiber optics altogether after that because it violated my KISS rule)

[thrillbilly]

Too bad Rockman, where I live, you can buy as many antlerless tags ya want! The season doesn't end until the freezer gets full!

Good Luck apneic, archery (or as we hillbillies say "bowNarras") is very fun and highly addictive!

[JMcDonald]

Quote:       Originally Posted by thrillbilly

Good Luck apneic, archery (or as we hillbillies say "bowNarras") is very fun and highly addictive!

I'm sick and miserable right now and that cracked me up!

[rockman7]

thrill....the limit is now 10 does and 3 bucks.....but i dont have time to kill'em all. my freeezer stays full tho.