Welcome to the April issue of Archers Review Magazine

This months magazine is a longbow special, we interviewed a true Hero of Archery when we went to see Ron Palmer. Steve spent the afternoon looking around Ron's studio which is an Aladdin's cave when it comes to archery. We also spent a day with the chaps from the Medieval Society shooting a roving marks shoot, a wonderful day of archery and conversation. Finally on the longbow front we have our regular 10 minutes with feature, Chris Boyton gives us his views on bow making, well worth reading as Chris makes some of the best English Longbows around.

We got details of this years South West Challenge and some of the history when we spoke to Sheron Vowden about the competition. We have a guest article this month from Tony Flemming, Tony is a passionate fan of American bows and we share a journey through his impressive collection. Finally we have our two regular features, shot of the month and all the details of our latest reviews. We hope you enjoy this months magazine as much as we did putting it together.

Heroes of Archery

Before I started writing this I thought I had better look up some definitions of the word Hero - we all have our own interpretation and in the context of archery it could mean many things. The best definition I found was " an everyday person who can make the world a better place". There is no doubting that this months Hero has done and continues to do this. I have known Ron Palmer for many years and he is anything but an everyday person ( whatever that might mean).

You will often hear it said of some expert or craftsman " he's forgotten more about archery than most folks ever know" and I can tell you in this case nothing could be further from the truth -Ron remembers EVERYTHING he has ever known or learned in his 72 years of bow making, that's right he has been making Traditional English Longbows for 72 years.

Tucked away in a quiet cove just yards from the sea in a corner of Kent Ron can be found in what he calls his studio. I was fortunate to have been put on to Ron soon after I first started shooting and over the years I may well have had a dozen Longbows off him. Now here is a funny thing, he has been making bows for over 7 decades and must have made thousands and you will rarely if ever see one for sale second hand, there is something Ron does to a bow to make it "special", to make it "your" bow. I actually still own almost every bow I have had from him, others have come and gone but I don't sell my palmer bows - apart from one, someone badgered me for a couple of years and foolishly in a moment of weakness I sold it - I still regret doing that.

This morning however I come to his studio not as an archer looking for a new bow but as someone who wants to find out a little more about this extraordinary man. I have a long list of questions but I don't have a great interview technique and once we got chatting the conversation meandered back and forth across almost 90 years of Rons life.

1938 was the year he made his first bow, an ash 30#'er which he would shoot from his bedroom window into a tree on the green outside. English Longbow archers owe a great debt to Ron, when steel bows first appeared in the 50's and everyone seemed to turn to the "new" technology he maintained a link with the past and the making of the English Longbow to the point where he solely kept the art of the English Longbow alive in England, all those who have come since will have been influenced by him whether they know it or not, as it is so often with real heroes they remain unsung and their contributions unknown, drowned out by those with loud voices and large ego's.

Ron points out that it seems every other English Longbow maker has given himself a title- Ron however is NOT "bowyer to the Mary Rose" ( despite the fact that he had a number of them brought to him when they were brought up, despite the fact that he made replicas, despite the fact that he worked with Robert Hardy on a number of them and also despite the fact that most of the folk involved in the Mary Rose Trust own Ron Palmer replicas of the bows ) he doesn't need the title you see, even though there are over 100 Mary Rose replicas out there made by him.... he is also NOT a "member of the Bowyers Guild", Ron is unique but I suspect if they asked, Ron might let them join his gang..... if they could pass the entrance exam.

When I ask Ron what title he should have he just laughs and says " you can call me Bowyer to the world" - a fitting title as he has sent bows to virtually every country on the planet.

Even he doesn't know how folks find him as he has never advertised which just goes to show that word of mouth is a Ron Palmer Strings an 80%23'er

powerful thing, when I ask what makes his Longbows different from the rest he replies as quick as a flash " because they are better" and his eyes are twinkling with mischief, "I do it because it's my hobby and not to make money", a fact patently obvious when you see he charges less than half the price of other bowyers. His wood too is from stocks laid down long ago, "see that?" he points to some staves in a rack on the ceiling " those are 20 years old, got those from an old mine - they're nearly ready to be made into bows"."All my bows are guaranteed for life" he tells me, the glint is in his eye again as he adds "my life, that is", at nearly 90 Ron has had the time to develop a sharp wit.

Ron is a rare talent even amongst a generation that could turn their hands to almost any task and as we move from the studio to the house I see some wonderful oil paintings of 18th century war galleys which it turns out Ron painted himself. Whilst serving on the Cumberland during World War 2 he displayed a talent with paint and was put in charge of all the painting of the ship, with it went the large store rooms at the front of the Cruiser, in typical Ron fashion he set about reorganising them until even the Captains quarters weren't as sumptuous - he also taught himself to Tailor by taking apart his uniform, cutting a pattern and making a new one, with of course the cut and fashion of an expensive custom made one.

It wasn't long until he was supplying the ship with handsome new custom tailored uniforms and with almost a thousand men on board he had plenty of opportunity to perfect his skills. Seeing as there was paint in abundance he also honed his talent with a brush and supplied the Captain and officers with oils of their wives and sweethearts copied from crumpled sepia photographs.

On the wall behind me I see a crossbow with what looks like a Ron Palmer

magazine as you would expect to see on a rifle, the bow part is detachable as you can put in a more or less powerful bow depending on who is using it - the part that looks like a magazine is in fact a magazine and it takes 10 bolts, the bow is rigged with an ingenious set of cables to be pump action operated.

He does describe himself as an innovator and whilst I am playing with the crossbow he tells me he made a compound bow from wood just for fun, soon I have him back out in the studio hunting down the compound bow, as we start moving things in the search other bows and interesting "stuff" comes to light " ah, yes, here is one of the Mary Rose replicas I made" and he hands me long tapering heavy looking bow, "want to draw it up ?", soon I am in the garden heaving on a mighty Warbow slaughtering French knights, he appears holding a very curvy longbow which has more in common with a Mongol bow but is all wood " I didn't put the curves in it" he says " that's the way the wood grew, so it became a horse bow . It's a lot of fun hunting through someone else's workshop, especially one which holds so many exciting finds. As I loose imaginary arrows out over the beach and in to the sea , as he squints out over the water he says" I made a ballista and shot bolts out there one summer, the tide was out and 400 yards away but we never did find the bolts".

We discuss various woods and he tells me his favourite to work in to a bow is a simple Dagame and hickory lamination which produces a sweet shooting and sturdy bow although when asked which wood makes the best Longbow he surprises me by responding instantly " Pequia" - turns out his wood doesn't have a "proper" Latin name and appears nowhere in the wood books but he swears it makes a better bow than even Yew - there, you learn something new everyday and if Ron says it makes a better bow then that's good enough for me.

In recent years there has been a fashion for Longbows made with bamboo backing, I hadn't seen any Palmer bows with Bamboo and mentioned it, he laughs again ( Ron does a lot of laughing and if ever proof was needed that laughter keeps you young then Ron is living proof) "well, you see Bamboo continues to grow once cut, put it in a bow and measure it a year or two later and you will find it has grown, at the least the bow will be some #'s lighter and possibly even spoilt, it's also the cheapest thing you can make a bow from, if I wanted to make money I'd promote Bamboo."

I'm glancing through my list of questions and one of the stock questions I like to ask is "what is the most indipensible tool in your workshop?" , this question sets Ron rummaging again, " here it is" and he holds up a hand plane " 1s'9d - this I bought in 1938 and I use it every day" - that's one shilling and 9 pence to those unfamiliar with "old" money, round about 9p or 13 cents today.

We talk about his first bow that wasn't wood, a Steel bow bought in the early 50's an Apollo Falcon " they come apart in the handle, but being steel they could rust from the inside and when drawn the top limb would break and hit you on the head, we used to call them unicorn bows" he says with a smile.

The compound bow is found and he draws it up whilst I marvel at the pulleys, Ron-Palmer5

wheels and strings which operate it, all hand made, "Oh, I haven't shown you my favourite bow yet" and he starts hunting in the racks above, what he pulls out looks suspiciously like a branch of a tree, in fact it is a holly branch, the top half is just as it was cut from the tree, bark included. All the side branches have been cut off and left bare, just below the handle ( or where the handle would be if it had one ) the branch has been worked and is quite clearly a bow, I am sceptical, as you are never quite sure if Ron is pulling your leg.

"Draw it up" he suggests, as I do I am astounded to find as sweet a bow to draw as ever I drew, it's possibly 40# and the tiller is perfect -"I took it to a shoot straight after I made it, at the time it still had some leaves and twiglets at the top and look super." He says and I can just imagine the fun he had with it.

"There is another bow I could show you but it's not here, it's the one I made for Kevin Costner in Prince of Thieves", it seems he can't show it to me because it's hanging on the wall of the Hard Rock cafe in New York, as the conversation wanders this way and that Ron has a story or anecdote about almost everyone he has ever met and the hours slip by and I am enthralled. I imagine it's that bit of himself that goes in to the bows which makes them such a delight to own and shoot and why folks never want to part with a Palmer bow. The day has slipped by and Ron is still finding goodies around the workshop, sadly for me it's time to leave but I have just one more question to ask - people have told me that Ron is a little eccentric, but I won't need to ask that question, having spent a day with him I can tell you that Ron is like your favourite Uncle, kindly, amusing and just that little bit cleverer than you - and yes, of course he is eccentric - God help NASA if he ever decide to build a rocket in his "studio".

Here is a raised Glass to you Ron, a true archery Hero................Hip Hip.....HUZZAH !!

The Great Out Doors - The South West Challenge

While talking and writing about archery is fun and doing product reviews gives us an opportunity to try new stuff and tell you all about it, the real joy of course is getting out there and actually shooting. In what we hope will become a feature that everybody can be involved in, The Great Out Doors is a chance for us to showcase the best archery events from around the world, many that we have been too but also, hopefully, ones that you have enjoyed. Steve and I shoot a lot, for example I will be shooting every weekend between now and the end of June, but of course this is centered on the weekends, given half a chance I'd be doing it every day. However there is one week per year which is totally dedicated to archery, the South West Challenge. We caught up with this years organiser Sheron Vowden to get an idea on what it was all about.

Can you give us some background history on the event?

South West Challenge in the woods

The Devon Challenge was first held in 1996. It was set up Dave Howell (East Dartmoor Archers), Colin Smithers (Elmtree Archers), Martin Hawker (Kenwith Archers) and Bob Ambridge (Ashcombe Valley Archers) after the N.F.A.S. Champs held at Ashcombe in 1995. It was originally for Devon based clubs, but later opened up to other clubs in the South West i.e. Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset when there were not enough Devon clubs willing to host it each year.

How many clubs get involved in hosting a shoot during the week?

Clubs which have hosted it in the past are:-East Dartmoor, Kenwith Archers, Elmtree Archers, Ashcombe Valley Archers, Tarka Bowmen, South Hams Archers, Brixham Archers, Tavistock Archers, Muscovy Archers, Lacetown Archers, Lamberts Castle Archers, Riviera Archers, Bicton Field Archers, Dunkery Field Bowmen, Westcombe Archers, Ballands Bowmen, Labyrinth Archers and Pendragon Bowmen.

That's a lot of clubs, how is the week formatted?

The basic format is an eight day challenge, held at four different venues, each club hosting two days at the end of July/ beginning of August, depending on calendar. Wednesday is a day off, for shopping, washing, kit repairs and of course recouperation. There are club trophies and medals for each two days. Scores are added up for the whole week and a Victor Ludorum trophy is awarded for each class. All archers completing the eight days will receive a certificate of achievement.

When we attended we noticed there were some special awards?

There are two perpetual trophies, donated by Colin Smithers and Tony Vowden awarded to the best overall archer of the eight days, one adult, one junior. This is worked out on a handicap system. The John Lincoln Memorial Trophy is awarded to the Gent Longbow with the highest aggregate score of the eight days. A variety of rounds is shot, with Big Game on the second day of each venue, to ensure presentations are done in a reasonable time.

I assume like other events there is a limit on the number of archers that can attend?

South West Challenge out in the open

Entries are strictly limited to 162 archers, five archers on every other target, four on the rest. If there are spaces left after the closing date of 1st July then people wishing to shoot odd days can enter. Patches are available, designed by Nick Hawken of Muscovy Archers.

It sounds like a nightmare to organise, have there been problems in the past?

In 2001 the Challenge was cancelled due to the Foot and Mouth crisis, as Devon was one of the worst hit areas.

Yes I remember 2001 was a dififcult time for field archery in the UK, but as a true festival of archery I assume there have been some hightlights over the years.

On 7th August 2002 Mark Buckfield and Marie Barr were married at Haldon Belvedere. Avid archers, they timed the wedding to coincide with the Challenge's day off, so all their archery friends could join them. The wedding was of a mediaeval theme, and most people came in costume. After the ceremony they exited the castle under an archway of longbows.

A whole week of archery sounds excellent and terrifying at the same time.

It is what it says in the title - a challenge! Not only the devious course setting, but the terrain. Devon is not known for it's flatness! It is a great way to improve your archery and make new friends. Some people have been coming down to Devon regularly each year, either camping or bed and breakfasting, and there are always new people ready to give it a go.

Is it just UK based archers or do people come from further afield?

We have a group of Dutch people who have been travelling over to compete for some years now.

Ah yes, Ronald and Jasper, we shot with them last year, some people may know it as the Devon Challenge, why the name change?

South West Challenge target

In 2007 it was re-named the South West Challenge, as clubs from further afield joined in hosting. Now in it's 14th year, it is going from strength to strength.

How can people get more information?

There is a facebook group, "South West Challenge" or you can find details on the NFAS website at http://www.nfas.net

Thanks to Sheron for taking the time to tell us a little more about the challenge. We can totally recommend the South West Challenge, we went for the first time last year and it certainly lives up to it's name and reputation. The South West is a wonderfull part of the UK and the terrain makes for a challenging environment for archery both shot wise and physically, all the clubs involved did an excellent job both in organisation and course laying. A week is a big commitment but believe us you will not be disappointed.

Have you been to a fantastic shoot or archery event laterly? If so we would love to hear from you and include your review of the event in future editions of the magazine, or perhaps you are an event oganiser and want to let people know about it. Drop us an email at contact@archers-review.com.

Medieval Society Roving Marks

Imagine if you will a park football field containing Pele, Sir Stanley Matthews, Brian Clough and a whole host of other famous faces from the footballing world, all getting together for a quick jumpers for goal posts style kick about. No doubt it would get world wide media coverage with numerous TV crews print, press and no doubt a huge crowd of spectators. Imagine further still if they invited you to play and at half time and full time were willing to share the various stories and anecdotes from their footballing lives over an orange or two. Well on Sunday I found myself in what can only be described as the archery equivalent, a field somewhere in Berkshire filled with some of the biggest names in English Longbow archery, Ron Palmer, Chris Boyton, Bill Terry, Roger Collis, Alan Ridge, Gary Bourne, the list goes on and on. It's an often used cliché but what these people don't know about Traditional English archery really isn't worth knowing, but and here comes the sad part, mention any of these names to your average man in the street and they will have never heard of them, even more disappointing is many in the wider archery community would also look at you blankly.

We had been given two invites for the Medieval Societies roving marks shoot, a very exclusive shoot indeed, limited to 60 archers and strictly invite only. Getting yourself a place requires you to know somebody of influence at the society and as luck would have it we knew just the man and he invited us along to meet some of the great and the good in the archery arena. Even so getting more than two places was definitely out so it was just Steve and I who set off early on Sunday morning to this most exclusive of shoots. We arrived early to be met by Alan Ridge who invited us in to the hospitality tent for a cup of tea where he began to regale us with stories of the societies work on TV and film, this was of course a theme for the day, everybody has a fascinating story to tell and Alan was possibly the pick of the bunch with his tales of Strong Bow adverts and Richard Burton. As time went on car after car arrived each time depositing yet more and bigger names from the world of Medieval and Longbow archery.

But all these great names, faces and personalities were here for just one thing, to shoot. Roving marks is a style steeped in history, the stories tell of it as being used as a means of practice on the way to and from church as part of the regular practice of every man and boy in medieval England, regardless of whether that is true or not it is certainly true that it was a way in which people used to sharpen their long range shots. A number of marks, stone pillars with a cross and coat of arms attached, are spread across a large open field at various distances, archers then shoot at the marks from a longer distance for those with heavy bows and a slightly shorter one for archers using lighter bows. However this is archery medieval style and when we say heavy we really mean it, Steve and I took a small arsenal with us but settled on two of Ron Palmer's finest, a 65# with tapered laminations and a 90# monster. Once everybody had arrived we gathered to begin the day, as this is the Medieval Society there was a customary nod to the past, a trumpet solo from David Edwards " Ich hatt' einen Kameraden", played on one of his own creations, a trumpet the exact replica of one used by Oliver Cromwell's herald, this was followed by a volley of black whistling arrows shot by each member of the society in memory of past members of the Society.

With formalities and a fitting tribute finished we began the shoot, a notable guest was asked to pick the first mark, with a number to choose from it seemed an easy start was in order as we looked north to the first mark. The marks are a maximum of 10 score yards, in layman's terms that's a full 200 yards and while this first one wasn't that far it was no easy task to get the arrows the full distance. This first mark required 3 arrows to be launched in to orbit, I was using the 65# bow and some rather heavy arrows but I gave it a good go, trying to get back to and then a little past my normal anchor point. Part of the fun of this style of shooting is launching the arrow high in to the air, these big bows spit the arrows out at some considerable speed and once it's off keeping track of it especially as it drops back to earth and into the horizon is tricky especially with 60 or more archers sending arrows high in to the sky at the same time. Once all three arrows had been sent on their way it was time to move forward to let those with smaller bows have a go, the term smaller however does them a disservice as we only moved forward 40 or 50 yards and these bows were more than capable of reaching the mark.

Gary with one of the marks A short walk followed to see how we had done, on approaching the mark the floor was literally covered in arrows, thankfully mine were rather distinctive and easy to find so didn't take too long to collect up, on the other hand none were close enough to score. 12 points are awarded for being closest to the mark, 5 points are awarded to any arrows which are within one bow length from the mark and then 3 for any which are within two bow lengths. Now we were close to one of the marks we could see them in more detail, each one has the crest of one of the society members, this looked fantastic and served to remind us of the rich history of the society and it's members. Once the arrows had been scored it was time to find the next mark, this honour is given to the archer who was the nearest to the last mark shot, a quick scan of the area and we were off again this time heading West, this time a longer one.

During the course of the morning as we shot from mark to mark I started to understand what the great joy of this style of shooting was. Mark Twain once wrote that golf is a good walk spoilt, but for me shooting roving marks is a good walk enhanced, one thing that I love about archery is the social aspect, few sports allow you to compete on an even footing with everybody from all ages and abilities. You can stand side by side with somebody of a totally different ability which when you consider it is a rare thing indeed when it comes to sport, especially competitive sport. With roving marks this is all the more fun as there is plenty of time for that social aspect as you walk from mark to mark and then spend time looking for arrows. All of us had that common enjoyment and so conversations were never forced as we swapped stories of archery but also drifted off in to other aspects of our lives. This was all the more enjoyable as we had access to some of the great minds in the archery world and I went from conversation to conversation learning more and meeting people who I had heard about for years. One particular highlight was when it was announced that one of the marks, the archers rest, hid a secret stash of sherry and sloe gin, the later having been made by Gary, and we proceeded with plastic cups in hand to have a very civilised and traditional break. It was getting close to lunch and a shoot which involves heavy bows requires a break somewhere in the middle, so a couple of marks which would take us back to the hospitality tent were picked and we shot our way back.

Once we got back to the tent I looked back at where we had been, we had shot 10 marks which at an average of 180 yards each was just over a miles worth of shooting and walking. There are in fact not that many places capable of hosting a roving marks shoot for this reason as you need a fair amount of space, but we had plenty here and had not yet shot a quarter of the marks on offer. Bill Yeo had sacrificed a days shooting to help out in the kitchen and he and the team of ladies had provided a fantastic lunch for us to enjoy, I managed to grab Bill for a chat and we swapped stories of our time shooting in France.

After lunch we were off again, this time to the south west, a mark set in front of some woods. Steve and I had swapped bows at lunch time so I was now shooting a 90# bow, a little harder but I was now able to get the full distance. You may have noticed that as yet I haven't mentioned my score, that's because I didn't have one. Points on a roving mark are hard to come by, it is a literal case of hit or miss and the 65# bow wasn't man enough for the job. Not that you need that much power but I tend to use a heavy arrow for field shooting which was sapping energy the bow was producing. But I wasn't a long way off and came very close a couple of times just a few inches short. However that's not really the joy of roving marks, at a target or field competition not scoring gets you down, but here we were having too much fun shooting and chatting with people to be too concerned on how we were doing. We continued shooting in to the afternoon completing another 10 marks before heading back to base for a cup of tea, some cake and yet more fantasic stories. It had been a wonderful days worth of shooting, catching up with old friends and making more, the weather had also been kind and held off until the last mark had been shot and we were safely back in the tent with a tea in hand. I didn't score a single point all day, but that was of little consequence as the day had been such excellent fun.

If you ever get the chance to try a roving marks shoot I would suggest you jump at the chance, I had a great day which was enhanced by the wonderful characters in attendance, thanks to all the member of the Medieval Society, in particular Bill and Gary for the initial invitation and also to Alan for taking the time to make us feel so very welcome.

Steve's Addendum

It is not normal for both of us to write the same article and whilst Andy has covered the shoot there were a few points I wanted to make. The Medieval Society should not be confused with any other re enactment group, they do perform for audiences and for cameras but everything they do, although a tribute to the past is in fact real. The Society was formed in 1963, there have been new comers and sadly some of the originals have passed away, however one member has been at the helm as chancellor from day 1 and that's John Asmus, even after all this time the rascal hasn't lost his touch and waltzed away with 1st place.

These guys have studied the English martial arts of bow, sword and quarterstaff and are as adept at them as the original exponents of 600 years ago. Weather it be a lance on horse back at the quintain or a warbow at 240 yards these guys don't just look the part they deliver the goods. The founder John Waller was in fact the head of interpretation at the Royal Armouries and anyone who watches the history channel will have seen several series of programmes presented by the military historian and weapons expert Mike Loads. Mike got his start here with the Medieval Society and despite now living in America is still a member of the group. Robert Hardy is renown for his books on the English Longbow and is a member of the society. Chris Boyton, Bowyer, is also a keen horseman and is honing his skills with the aim of shooting as well on horseback as he aspires to on "dry land", he performs demonstrations with a lance both at home and abroad. Gary Bourne is skilled with not only a bow but a quarterstaff too........ I could go on but by now I am sure you get the picture of the extraordinary qualities each of the members posses.

The Roving Mark is just one facet of this groups quiver full of skills and whilst shooting from one mark to the next I was chatting with old friends and meeting new ones, unlike most of the shoots I go to I didn't feel I was competing even though we were scoring the day, the overall flavour was one of fun. There is little doubt in my mind that giving full vent to a bows power whilst laughing and joking with ones companions and stopping at the occasional mark for a quick snifter has to be one of the best ways to invest a day of archery.

If you find yourself in need of information regarding medieval military weapons, techniques or tactics then these are the guys you need to be talking to. Of all the Roves I have been to this is perhaps the most authentic in terms of how shoots like this would have been done "back in the day" - a great day out and a chance to watch some truly fantastic Longbow archers strut their stuff.

I have to say that archers are some of the most generous people you will find, there isn't a week goes by that I don't hear of some club or group that are raising money for a charity or worthy cause, The Medieval Society are no different in this respect and not content with just one charity on this shoot they were supporting two !

The Mary Rose 500 is a fund raising part of the Mary Rose Trust, they are building a world leading museum to house Henry VIII’s Flagship The Mary Rose and her 19000 Tudor treasures. Due to open in 2012 this will be a truly sensational museum, the only one of its kind anywhere in the world.

The Mary Rose Trust has raised £30million towards the total project cost of £35 million and are now in the final funding push. They are encouraging people to join the new crew of the Mary Rose and to raise £1million to help them achieve their final goal. 500 crew members each raise £500 - The Medieval Society has signed on as one of those crew members.

More information about this can be found here www.maryrose500.org

The other charity is Ufton court. Ufton Court is an educational centre for children and young people. It is run by the Ufton Court Educational Trust, a registered charity established in 2006, which aims to provide an inspirational historical home offering innovative and challenging experiences to young people.

Over 6000 young people visit Ufton Court each year and take part in a wide range of activities. Those studying history have a unique opportunity to live in an Elizabethan House as if it were their own, to explore and discover the house’s secrets and to experience first hand sixteenth century life.

Further information about Ufton court can be found here www.uftoncourt.co.uk

Finally, I would like to add my own thanks to John and all the Lads at The Medieval Society. I hope that this short article can help to shed some light on an organisation which doesn't seek publicity but richly deserves it.

10 Minutes With...

Chris Boyton of Boyton Archery took some time out to talk to us and if you own one of Chris' Ipe Longbows you will know why he is such a revered authority on Longbows and their history, not just bows though, Chris produces superb pine shafting too..

1. How long have you been involved in Archery and how did you get started?

I've been fascinated all my life with projectile throwing weapons, but archery started properly for me in 1974 I met the the late Tony Harris of the Medieval society, who supplied me with a fine Ullrich yew stave, with which I then made my first self yew English longbow.
Having now made this bow, I then had to learn how to shoot it, as at that point, I had never shot a real bow, only stick bows as a kid.

2. When did you make your first bow and what was the result?

As I said in question 1, my first bow was made in 1974, and it came out 45 lbs @ 28". When the bow was finished, it had stiff tips, and a stiff middle, giving short working limbs, which followed the string, giving the new bow a tired and worn out look. I endeavored to improve on this, and bent the bow on the floor until at 90 degrees the lower limb broke. It says something about the quality of those old ullrich staves, being able to withstand such torture before failing.

3. What's the one tool in your workshop which you couldn't do without?

I need all the tools in my shop, but for bow making, the tool I need the most is my eyes, and given a second choice of Chris Boyton

tool, it would be closely followed by my hands.

4. What do you think the next big innovation in bow building will be ?

Being a traditional bow maker, I'm not much bothered about innovation within the craft, as I am still struggling to master the traditional aspects of bowyery, but if I was a composite bow maker, I would find it interesting trying a biocomposite material like Curran as a bow facing.

5. What materials do you enjoy using the most ?

I love working with most woods, but where bowyery is concerned defect free timber is my favourite.

6. What is it about your bows or the way you make bows that sets you apart from other bowyers ?

I would say that it's up to my customers to answer this question, as their opinions are what keep me in or out of business.
I like my longbows to be furnished with traditional horn nocks, properly proportioned, like the Victorian bows were. Only a hand full of the bowmakers out there today bother with this detail, but when done right, it makes the bow stand out from others.

7. Do you still have time to shoot ?

Now and then.

Chris Boyton

8. What’s the best shot you ever made ?

The best shot I ever made was a flight shot of 292 yards with my 34 year old Galloway target Longbow. I have shot much further distances, but with such an old bow this is good shooting.

9. How many bows do you make a year ?

I spend most of my year making arrow shafts, and only make a hand full of bows, but I like them to be made well, so I spend more time on them than is profitable, so the numbers are kept low.

10. What’s the spec on your personal bow of the moment ALSO…….What’s the spec on the arrows you shoot ?. Wood- (POC, Sitka, Pine, other ?)/Carbon/Ally, total weight, fletch size, point weight… etc the full spec.

If I am shooting in a longbow competition, I use my 1976 Galloway bow, which he made for me. It is mostly made of tapered hickory laminations, with a lamination of English yew on the belly. The draw weight is around 72lbs at 28". It has a stiff centre section, and tips, with lots of string follow, and crysals on the belly, which have been there since it was made.
The grip is covered in ray fish skin, which over the years has softened slightly, but still gives an excellent grip in all weathers.
My current roving arrows are 11/32" Boyton pine, which have a 9" taper back to 5/16th midnocks.
The fletchings are British racing green, hand cut to 6 1/2" in length, and to a height of about 3/8th of an inch. The shaftment is green marbled, with a matching cresting, and the whole arrow is laquered in a few coats of plastic coat varnish.
These arrows are tipped with 125 grain brass bullet piles.
The spine of these shafts are 55/60, and they were matched by eye for similar grain characteristics, but not weighed, as I am not that good an archer that it will matter to me.

Shot of the Month

Andy Gilfrin

After the short dark days of the winter it was great to finally get some sun out on a 3D shoot a few weeks ago. We had a fantastic day at Perris archery which culminated in this editions shot of the month. After a poor start I had recovered to a strong finish, killing 18 of the last 20, the pick of the bunch was this 65 yard Antelope. It's actually rather difficult to pick out in the first picture but it is there in the middle.

There was a bit of a hold up on this target so I had an audience of about 12 people, stepped up drew back and off it went and I knew it was going in as soon as it left my fingers.

Just managed to get it in the kill zone but not too poor an effort for 65 yards. My one is the white and orange to the top left of the kill zone.

Archery , Bows and Me.

My name is Tony. At the time of writing this I'm 57. I came to archery late . In fact I was 50 when my wife bought me a red plastic Indian bow and plastic vaned arrows. We had some real fun in the garden with it. Little did she know the monster she had spawned. That summer we were at a county show in Cornwall and they had a target archery have-a-go stall. I did. I hit the target. I actually hit the target more than I missed ( and this was probably 15 - 20 yards away). This was my first encounter with a proper bow. Only a Quicks trainer bow. Never having shot one he'd asked if I was left or right handed. Right for most things but left for some others . I shot right handed and enjoyed it. I shot left handed and hit much the same . I enjoyed that. I wanted a proper bow. I wanted to do archery .Christmas came and my wife bought me a trainer bow. We went to Archery World in Preston. The guy asked which was my dominant eye. Err? Did the two hands test and found out I was left side dominant. You want a left handed bow. Duly purchased 28# LH 68" , arrows , arm guard , tab , target boss and faces. And that was it. No where to practice other than the garden. No idea what to do or how to really do it.

So the bow was brought out very occasionally. So move on the September (2003) and back to the Lanlivery show in Cornwall. Archery is on but its different. Not seen this before. Animal faces , 3d targets and such an array of bows. I went up and had a go. I must have been shooting well as one of the clubs members came over for a chat. He explained about the NFAS and what field archery was about . He was extremely helpfull and quite possibly the main reason I ever took archery further . Thanks Simon- thanks Muscovy. I tried his sons bow which was a W&W Trigger bow. They only did right handed but then that wasn't a problem for me . He let me try his Samick . I wanted the Samick but when I went to Quicks at Honiton the man wouldn't sell me the bow. I have "snapping scapula" which basically is your shoulder blade catching
your rib cage and making a noise. Quite a sickening one for those stood close.

Anyway I settled on a Trigger bow. 32# Right handed 68" Black handle. Shooting aluminium arrows. I found I preferred shooting right handed and that's how it stayed. The next bow I bought was the Samick Agulla.68" 34# RH . I had joined an NFAS club and shot indoors. I also had been on a waiting list for a GNAS club and went on their training day. As they shoot sights and the NFAS shot bare bow had the Samick set up with sights and used the Trigger for NFAS.

This was now the beginning of 2004. I'd seen the horse bows and bought one of those but never really shot it much. ( oh I don't mention selling them.... I have.... the most bows I ever had at one time is 22. Currently is 5 that I will shoot and another 5 that will be sold at some point). Around August of 2004 I started field shoots. Now that was archery. And a lot of fun.

The one thing I really wanted then was a Border Black Douglas. I wanted one in Ebony sandwiching Bloodwood. It couldn't be made I was informed , because the woods react ( or some other reason). I settled for Shedua and Bocote. I still have it. 64" Hex IV limbs Super Swift handle with finger grooves. 40# draw. It was the business. I have since bought 38# Hex V limbs for it and Andys bow has the 40#s ( if memory serves me). This is one of the bows I keep. I do occasionally shoot it.

I fancied trying AFB so looked around and found a couple of Andy Soars Blackbrook bows. One was the Swift , the other the Peregrin. Both were 69" long and 45# both RH. It was a very casual flirt and one that didnt prove
successful. All power to the guys who shoot AFB and do it well.I also found one of his hybrids , which I shot a couple of times.
I tried a longbow and am absolutely crap with it. I keep it as my wife bought it me. I'd heard about Black Widow Bows ( can you see a theme Black Douglas, Blackbrook, Black.... I found myself looking for bows with Black in their names ) and decided I wanted one. There was nothing over here so I started checking out Ebay.Com . Oh what had I done. Like letting an alcoholic have the keys to a brewery.

Now anyone who looks at American archery will know that they are beasts. Girls bows start at 45# . Most you find are low 50's and the fact that many are in the 60's and 70's lead me to believe that we are just wimps. That aside I wanted one. Surely there would come up one made for an arthritic old man ! There was. It looked odd but it was 64" 35# RH . It was all black and one piece. When I got it home I thought I'd been done. I mailed Roger Fulton at BW and gave him the serial number. It was and is a genuine BW. Apparently its a Black Diamond made 1993. The all black colour is from the factory. I have a love/hate relationship with this bow. I should and will do a review of it. This is another of the bows I will keep.

So now come the others. I have over the last 5 years bought so many bows and sold them on. I have had more than a dozen Black Widows. Certainly 5 or 6 Black Douglas . I bought two Zipper bows , a rivers edge and Wapiti from the same guy in the US. The Wapiti was LH . Probably the heaviest bow ( physical weight) that I have shot. Definitely one of the oddest looking but an excellent bow. The RER at 50# was one of the heaviest draw weights and a really nice looker. Much admired at RHE ( as have many of the bows as I usually bring an assortment to view). The zippers , one LH and one RH
too were excellent shooters and really nice looking bows. The RH zipper I think went to a friend in Cornwall( along with one or two others ) . The LH zipper now resides in the wilds of Scotland ( after a very short stop in
Lancashire) along with an Adcock one piece and an A&H ACS CX 3 piece , which form two of the many Adcock/A&H purchase/sales I have made. Several of the Adcocks/A&H reviewed on Archers Review owe their presence in the UK
to me.

The introduction to the wonders of O L Adcock and A&H archery was via Steve of RHE. As a man who knows bows and archery inside out his opinion counts a great deal. Consequently one to trust in the purchase of something that matters like a bow. For me I would say if you could only afford one bow then go all out and get an ACS.

Why not keep bows. I do. With the exception of the Border and BW above most I get are fair game. If I'm somewhere and someone is looking for a bow and one I have suits , I'll probably sell ( if the price is right).

Why sell Adcocks and A&H ACS when they are clearly so good. Buying bows can become a bug ( can't it Andy). You can end up with bows that look great but you will never shoot. I had three RH A&H and one LH. I fancied the RC version and got one . Having shot it I decided I wouldn't shoot the others and sold most. I then shot an ST ACS just recently and am re-thinking. The only bow I ever really settle on is the Black Diamond. Its like my security blanket. If I have a bad shoot and feel down the next time out I'll take the "black beauty". It just looks so scruffy and as I've have and have owned some magnificent bows I feel almost ashamed shooting it .

So what next. There's always something new coming up. Grizzly Stik are eventually going to bring out an Adcock limbed bow. That's on the list to try. I want a Greybark Black Widow, having had most of the exotic woods they do, at some point.
No doubt someone will show me a bow that I fancy and I'll trawl Tradgang or ebay til I get one. I love bows. I love exciting American bows because they have a character that most UK and Far Eastern bow don't. I am a bow-aholic but ..... no buts . That's it. Me and bows ...

New Reviews

Now that the archery season has kicked off we have been getting our teeth into some new juicy reviews, we have also been out and about meeting people and doing interviews for the magazine. There has been plenty going on and we have a ton of reviews backed up for you to enjoy, here are some of this months which you might have missed.

Legend Proline 3 Tube Quiver

We liked this quiver a lot. Well made and packed with features that fit the pro name perfectly. Once again Legend have come up with something which looks good, is well made and is exceptionally functional.

Click Here to Read the Review...

Legend Finger Sling

Possibly one of the smallest bits of kit, but something that many people may benefit from. Very much a personal preference and I certainly prefer them to a full blown bow sling, get the low down on the Legend finger sling.

Click Here to Read the Review...

Black Swan Hybrid

This bow was so good we had to review it twice. Finally found the time to get this one back in for a photo shoot and another going over, it was well worth it as it's not often we get to shoot such an exceptional bow.

Click Here to Read the Review...

Bob Lee Signature Elite

If you are looking for your first traditional bow this may well be the one, classic styling and a very recurve like feel make this the idea cross over choice.

Click Here to Read the Review...

Ron Palmer Longbow 90#@28"

Longbows over 60# don't grow on trees, the desire for a heavyweight bow or Warbow usually means a custom order, this "little" beauty will hurl huge arrows skywards at an incredible rate of knots, if you are thinking of going heavy then read this....

Click Here to Read the Review...

Archers Review is dedicated to carrying on the great tradition of sharing archery knowledge, in many ways we are still re-discovering the skills of our forefathers, unlike just about any other competitive sport, in archery the learning never stops, as we grow as archers the enjoyment increases, so we invite you to share with us all the skills, tips and hints that will help us all to be the best archer we can be.

If you have something to add feel free to mail in your articles, it can be on any aspect of archery from training to bow set up, a quick hunting tip or a specific archery question you would like to know the answer to, someone somewhere will have an answer for you.

MAGAZINE

April 2010

In this months Magazine

Heroes of Archery
The Great Out Doors - The South West Challenge
Medieval Society Roving Marks
10 Minutes With....
Shot of the Month
My Bows and Me
New Reviews

Click the links to jump to any part of the magazine