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Longbow care

Care and maintenance of the bow is very important. A bow handled improperly can cause injuries so before you start shooting please read these instructions carefully.

Before you start shooting your bow you have to string it. The best and the safest method is to use a bowstringer.

When you receive your brand new BamaBow in the mail it will come with a Flemish twist B-50 Dacron string. The first thing you will need to do is stretch your string. You can do this by simply stringing the bow and letting it sit for a few hours you can also shoot is 75 to 100 times which is usually a lot more fun!! After that you can begin tunning your bow.

Brace height

The first step is to set your brace height, which is the distance between the string and the grip. A good starting distance between the string and the grip is called Fistmele. Place the bottom of your fist on the highest part of the grip and extend your thumb, the string should touch the tip of your thumb. Shoot the bow 4 to 5 times and check how it feels. It should feel smooth and quiet. If it doesn't you can adjust this distance by simply twisting your Flemish twist string. Give your string 5 twists and shoot it again. The brace height should not exceed 7.5" inches to avoid damaging the bow. There will be a "sweet spot" that can be found by shooting and adjusting. This "sweet spot" will give the best accuracy and velocity while eliminating hand shock and vibration. If you go beyond the "sweet spot" the bow will begin to get louder and you will notice more vibration. After you have found your brace height measure it and write it down.

Why brace height is important and how does it effect your bow?
Following text taken from "The traditional bowyer's bible. Volume 2" explains it very well:
"The brace height of your bow determines how long the string stays with the arrow, pushing it forward. And it determines how much the limbs are being flexed, and how far back to their natural shape they are allowed to go when bow is shot.
The brace height is where the string stops when the bow is shot. So it is also the place at which the arrow leaves the string and becomes a free flying object. If the brace height is too low...too close to the belly of the bow... then the string and the nock are still together when the arrow begins to bend around the bow. This causes all kinds of interference and is usually obvious because the arrow will "whack" loudly off the side of the bow, and typically wigwag and flop around in flight. There will also be usually a lot more hand shock present in the bow. This is because the tips of the limbs are allowed to travel too forward. The lower brace height gives you more speed from your bow, (...) but if you go too low, then it doesn't work well."

Nock point

After the string is stretched and your brace height set then you are ready to install a nock point. The nock point is a permament location placed on a string giving the archer a point to place the arrow nock. The arrow nock should go just below the string nock. The nock point is very important, without it you will not have any consistency in shot placement. A nocking point can be made by simply tying on a piece of string or you can use a typical brass style nock point. Most people locate their nock points somewhere between a 1/4" and 3/4" above 90 degrees across from string to top of arrow shelf. You can move your nock up and down the string to adjust how the arrow impacts the target vertically.

Arrow nocks
Arrow nocks are often overlooked when searching for better accuracy or better speed when in fact both can be affected by this simple part of your tackle. The arrow nock should fit just tight enough to hold the arrow on the string. If the nock is too tight there is two ways to fix it - you can file out your nock or you can go with the smaller string. I prefer the latter because just a smaller string will increase performance. If the nock is too loose you will have to go with the bigger string or add serving.

String silencers

All bows makes some degree of noise, although straight limb longbows are as quiet as they come, it always helps to throw a couple of silencers on. I prefer fur simply because it looks more traditional and they work great. Placement of the silencers on the string is also pretty important. I always just fold the string in four pieces, equal lengths and in the outer two bends is where the silencers will go.

Saving money

When shooting at a target alone I would recommend shooting a maximum of six arrows and going and getting them because if you don't and you get too many in the target sooner or later you're going to robin hood one!

How to clean and store the bow?

When you clean your bow you should wipe it with soft damp cloth. You should always unstring your bow after 8 hours of shooting or sitting to allow the limbs to rest. You should always unstring the bow during storage. You should never fire the bow without an arrow on the string, this could severely damage your bow. If possible store your bow in room temperature.

String care

You should frequently check your string for fray or damaged areas. You should also apply string wax often.You can rub the wax into the string with the small piece of leather causing heat for better penetration of the wax into the string. Never allow your string to come in contact or near any high heat source, it will damage the string and cause it to break.