Battle of Bows- Traditional vs Modern.mp

Traditional vs modern. Which recurve bow is better? What are the differences and similarities? Watch this video to find out. In this video I'm going to compare these two bows from a few different angles. We'll focus on the characteristics that matter most to an archer. Performance, speed, weight, materials, durability and so on. I'll shoot both bows through a chronograph to see how they perform side by side. And we'll also look at their draw force curves to understand what they can tell us about these weapons. First, let me introduce the bows I'm working with today. What's important is that both have similar specifications including the same draw weight of 45 pounds at 28 inches. I am aware that the term traditional when used to describe a bow can have different meanings and cover a variety of features. To be clear, when I say traditional here, I mean a wooden self-bow. Representing that category today is a recurve bow made from a single piece of sweet cherry wood. I crafted this bow a few years ago and named it Wolf. It was built using a sapwood-heartwood combination. The bow is 68 inches long and has a stiff handle with an arrow shelf on the left. It's well designed with reduced mass toward the outer limb thanks to the thin tips and has an overall low set. This was one of the first recurve bows I ever built and it became one of my most popular designs. I made several similar bows and this design has never let me down. The second bow representing modern archery is a 62-inch Ragim Impala. This was actually my second bow which I got about 10 years ago. I haven't shot it in years, but online it's generally considered a good beginner bow. It's certainly an affordable one. It has two attachments, a sight and a stabilizer. I'm not entirely sure whether they make much sense combined with this bow, but I remember enjoying shooting it with the sight back then. The draw weight was a bit too high for me at this time, but I always appreciated this bow and had a lot of fun shooting it. Just like the self-bow, the Impala has an arrow shelf on the left. There it was made from cow horn, here it is made from some kind of plastic. The riser is massive and made from wood, while the limbs like those on most modern recurve bows are laminated from wood and fiberglass. Let's start with the weight of the bows. Just by looking at them you can already tell which one is heavier. The Impala is about twice as heavy as the self-bow, weighing over one kilogram with attachments included. The Wolf weighs a bit over a half kilogram. This difference makes the bow suitable for slightly different purposes. The Impala performs better in controlled target shooting conditions, where the heavier riser provides more stability. The low weight of the Wolf makes it more versatile and better suited for field or hunting conditions. The higher weight of the Impala also makes long shooting sessions and carrying it around noticeable more tiring compared to the Wolf. Moving on to durability, we need to take a closer look at materials these bows are made from. As mentioned earlier, the Wolf is made from a single piece of wood. The Impala, on the other hand, is made mainly from fiberglass with a wooden core. The completely different construction techniques are obvious here and the use of modern materials undoubtedly gives the Impala a certain advantage. Wooden self-bows can serve well for many years, but they do have some limitations and require more attention and care. Compared to the modern bows, they can't be held at full draw for too long. They are more sensitive to weather conditions, they can follow the string and lose power over time, and hidden material flaws may reveal themselves during use. However, with proper care, most of these risks can be minimized or avoided. Still, when it comes to durability, the point clearly goes to the Impala. Another important factor when choosing a bow is the price. Price ranges vary for both traditional and modern bows, but in most cases a laminated fiberglass bow will be cheaper than a wooden self-bow. Why is that? Self-bows are the result of long and demanding bow building process, much of which has to be done by hand. Completing a traditional wooden bow requires a lot of skill and patience. From harvesting the woods to turning it into a finished bow, the process can sometimes take several years, including seasoning time. Modern bows, on the other hand, are usually the result of more organized and structured production. Every bow is made the same way and looks identical. You can't make the self-bows like that, because every piece of wood, every staple, every board is a bit different. That explains the difference in costs. So if you want a good bow but don't have much money to spend, a modern bow is often the better choice. Before we move on to the chronograph testing, let's take a look at the rest of the archery gear. Bowstrings and arrows. To keep the test consistent, I'm using appropriate arrows and strings for each bow. For the Impala, I'm using a modern B50 bowstring. For the Wolf, I'm using a flax twine Flemish twist string that I made myself. As you can see, it's no surprise that the modern bowstring is a bit lighter. The difference is 2 grams. A similar situation applies to the arrows. The carbon arrow, shot from the Impala, is about 6 grams lighter than the wooden arrow dedicated to the Wolf. This may seem like minor details, but they all matter and have a significant impact on the final bow performance. So let's get to the testing. You can see the results in the background as I discuss them now. I should mention that I'm not using the full potential of either bow, as my draw length is approximately 26-27 inches. With a full 28 inch draw, you could probably get a few more feet per second. The results are close to what I expected. The wooden recurve averaged about 145-150 feet per second, while the laminated bow averaged around 165-170 feet per second. Considering the heavier arrow and bowstring used with the Wolf, I find these results quite close. Remember that heavier arrows generally offer better penetration. To be honest, I was a bit nervous shooting these bows, since they had been used for quite a long time. Fortunately, they are both still in decent condition and definitely still got it. When discussing the shooting results, I can't skip the feeling of the bow during the shot. Here, I have to give credit to the wooden bow. It feels smoother to draw and release, and it's definitely quieter. I think this comes down to the natural materials used for the whole gear. While shooting it, it doesn't feel like a dangerous weapon, yet the arrow speed tells a different story. It's a fully functional and well-performing bow. And yes, I am aware that my shooting technique isn't great. I hope to find more time to work on that. I also prepared draw for curves for both bows and they appear to be extremely similar. A small disclaimer here, I used an old and not very precise fishing scale to measure the draw weights, so these results shouldn't be taken too seriously. One difference can be seen with the Impala at the first and last few inches of the draw, where it seems to get harder to pull and starts to stack near the end. This might be related to the relatively high brace height. To clarify it, I haven't made this bowstring by myself, I have purchased it and it was made specifically for this bow by the seller. The Wolf by contrast seems to have a very consistent draw throughout the entire draw length. The last thing I should mention about is the look of these bows. It's obviously a personal matter and it absolutely depends on individual preferences. For me both of these bows are beautiful at its own way. Wolf is more simplistic, while the Impala impresses with details. What's also awesome about the modern one are the customization possibilities. You can install sights, quivers, stabilizers, etc. So after completing all the tests, to be honest, I can't say which one is better. It's not that simple, it really depends on what you are looking for in archery. Personally, it has to be a traditional bow, but I really love that one too. I really appreciate what this bow has to offer. Thank you for watching and check out my ebooks on www.imcraftbows.com