A medium-weight wooden bow with a very light cane arrow does not exceed forty metres per second and only works at close range

The summary today

There is a single measurement, from 2016, born of a study of the Apache bow. The test used a replica yew bow, 105.5 centimetres strung with a hemp string, 18 kilos at full draw but drawn to about 16, and a three-piece cane arrow with a flint point, 70.7 centimetres long and weighing just 9.7 grams. The bullet chronograph could not read it, so the speed was worked out from range and flight time: over six shots at various angles, between 33.5 and 39.2 metres per second, with ranges between 35.5 and 51.5 metres, and even leaving at 60 metres per second at 2,000 metres of altitude the range would not exceed 83 metres. The energy tells the rest: about 10 joules at 45 metres per second, already 6.2 at 10 metres and 5 at 15, so the author concludes that the useful range was well under 20 metres, where, however, the trajectory is almost flat and aiming is easy. The 1988 measurements on wooden self bows, 30 and 35 metres per second with 30- and 40-gram arrows, are consistent. It remains one replica bow with one arrow, and the speed is calculated, not measured.

Also phrased as: "cane arrow"; "the bow of the Apache"; "arrow speed from a wooden bow"; "range of a primitive bow"; "light hunting arrows"

Evidence

• 1988
  Context Equipment tests Published later

  Replicas of historical bows shot by the same archer, speed measured with two screens: the 24.9-kilo Sioux hickory bow launches a 30-gram arrow at about 30 metres per second, the 24-kilo African bow a 40-gram one at 35. These are heavier wooden self bows and heavier arrows than those of the claim; sinew backing, in the 17.2-kilo Apache bow, takes a 28-gram reed arrow to 43.

  Experimental archery: projectile velocities and comparison of bow performances · C.A. Bergman, E. McEwen, R. Miller

• 2016
  For Equipment tests Published later

  A replica yew bow, 105.5 centimetres strung with a hemp string, 18 kilos at a full draw of 70 centimetres but drawn to about 16, and a three-piece Apache-type cane arrow with a flint point, 70.7 centimetres and 9.70 grams. The chronograph could not read the arrow, and the launch speeds derived from range and flight time lie between 33.5 and 39.2 metres per second over 6 shots at various angles, with ranges between 35.5 and 51.5 metres and flight times between 2.8 and 4.9 seconds, at 300 metres of altitude and 20 degrees. Even with a launch speed of 60 metres per second and at 2,000 metres of altitude the maximum range would not exceed 83 metres.

  Archery by the Apaches – implications of using the bow and arrow in hunter-gatherer communities · Žiga Šmit

• 2016
  For Equipment tests Published later

  In the same test, the energy: at 45 metres per second the arrow carries about 10 joules, a fifth of a .22LR bullet, falling to about 6.2 at 10 metres and to 5 at 15, half the initial value, and the author concludes that the useful range of cane arrows was well under 20 metres. Up to 20 metres, though, the simulated trajectory is almost flat and aiming at close range is easy. The effective aerodynamic cross-section, derived from the shots, is 3.61 ± 0.5 square centimetres, almost the same as the 3.5 of a 30-gram flint-tipped arrow.

  Archery by the Apaches – implications of using the bow and arrow in hunter-gatherer communities · Žiga Šmit

Status history

1. 1988 Not studied The first measurements on replica wooden self bows come from a ballistics station: a 24.9-kilo Sioux hickory bow launches a 30-gram arrow at about 30 metres per second, a 24-kilo African bow a 40-gram one at 35. These are heavier bows and arrows three or four times heavier than those of the claim, and nobody has yet shot a very light cane arrow: for the question as it is put there is no measurement: not studied.
2. 2016 Reported The first test with a light cane arrow arrives: six shots with a replica yew bow, 105.5 centimetres strung, 18 kilos at full draw but used at 16, and a three-piece cane arrow of 9.7 grams over 70.7 centimetres. Derived speeds between 33.5 and 39.2 metres per second, ranges between 35.5 and 51.5 metres, a maximum range that even in the most favourable conditions would not exceed 83 metres, and a useful range well under 20. A single series of tests on one replica: reported.

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Research lines

• 22 studiesTraditional and historical bows, from models to archers
• 22 studiesHow much energy passes from bow to arrow: models and measurements since 1937

Other claims in this domain

• CorroboratedAlong its flight the arrow loses an appreciable part of its launch speed12 studiesStatus since 2011
• CorroboratedAs it leaves the bow, the arrow flexes and snakes around the riser instead of leaving straight19 studies · 47 archers measuredStatus since 2012
• ReportedA camera-based scoring system misreads some arrows: the ones barely sticking out and the ones that shift the target face7 studies · 2 archers measuredStatus since 2017
• ReportedA chest band with fibre optic sensors measures breathing and mean heart rate with small errors, and an archer can wear it while shooting2 studiesStatus since 2019
• ReportedA compound bow stores between 70 and 100 joules and sheds about two thirds of the force at full draw4 studiesStatus since 2015

See all claims on equipment and tuning