The Survival Bow
With so many people worrying about running out of bullets and saying that bows are the way to go, I thought that I would put up a little tutorial on how to make one from start to finish. Only, I didn’t make these videos, Dave Canterbury of Discovery’s “Dual Survival” did.
This is going to be a video tutorial from youtube. As I have never constructed one like this myself, I’ll let an expert explain it.
Collecting the Stave and Improvised Draw knife:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGz6Pxx31FE
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVrliQHIQKY
The rest you can watch by clicking the related videos for the following parts.
Enjoy!
If you really don’t want to go through all that mess, but still want to make your own bow, you can buy a tillered bow stave.
http://www.jcrossarchery.com/products/-Hickory-Bow-Stave.html
Comments (25)
wheelgunner on 09 Jun 2011 at 12:40 pm #
Sweet. He also has some good stuff on flintknapping and stuff like that.
QAZZY 1-9th on 09 Jun 2011 at 3:22 pm #
Finally, someone has thought of this!
HMPlatinum on 09 Jun 2011 at 3:33 pm #
May not be the best zombie killer, but it beats a handful of dirt. And it brings home the bacon!
I hope I’m not reduced to this, however, as a plethora of ready-made compound bows litter the landscape like kids who have parents teaching them how to live on welfare.
It is still good info to have.
survivor811 on 09 Jun 2011 at 5:07 pm #
a fun game I played as a kid is we would saw off a branch from a pine tree (which while still living is very springy and durable) and make bows out of them (simply drill a hole in either end and tie a string through it). the person who fires an arrow the furthest and hits the target wins. (they dont last more than a week until the wood warps but until then they are great) The furthest we fired the arrow and still hit a target was approximatly 100ft.
QAZZY 1-9th on 09 Jun 2011 at 9:46 pm #
I’m assuming all the gun stores will be looted, but most will overlook bows or crossbows. I already have a crossbow, but a backup won’t hurt, and neither will a Subaru full of bolts or arrows.
wheelgunner on 10 Jun 2011 at 2:30 am #
I’m man enough to admit I just plain like a bow better.
QAZZY 1-9th on 12 Jun 2011 at 7:15 pm #
With basic tools, this could easily be made into a crossbow. A crossbow is a huge improvement over a bow, for accuracy purposes.
wheelgunner on 12 Jun 2011 at 11:58 pm #
Idk about that. It is definitly not an improvement in rate of fire, bulk, and carrying weight. And it becomes way less manuverable. And it takes a lot of knowhow and equiptment to produce a strong enough trigger mechanism to have a crossbow worth carrying around for combat purposes.
QAZZY 1-9th on 13 Jun 2011 at 5:08 am #
Didn’t say it needed a trigger. Pull back, let go, repeat.
wheelgunner on 13 Jun 2011 at 11:49 am #
That is stupid.
Now the bow has ease of construction, accuracy, and ease of use on you as well as everything else it had going for it.
QAZZY 1-9th on 13 Jun 2011 at 4:26 pm #
I didn’t quite follow. I was merely mentioning you could mount it to a crude stock to improve accuracy. Attach the bowstring to some paracord as a ‘trigger’ and loop it around the stock loosely, and hold with your dominant hand. Let go to fire. It is significantly easier to fire a crossbow than a bow. I am proficient with bows, but in a high-stress situation, I would much rather have a crossbow.
wheelgunner on 13 Jun 2011 at 6:41 pm #
It is significantly easier to fire one WITH a trigger! All your idea is simply a bow you are holding at arms length by pulling down on a different string.
QAZZY 1-9th on 13 Jun 2011 at 9:46 pm #
Oh forget it, I’m unable to explain things through writing.
wheelgunner on 13 Jun 2011 at 10:15 pm #
Amen. Good article though.
Fredthethird on 24 Jun 2011 at 2:55 pm #
Qazzy I wonder if you have ever actually shot a crossbow, let alone a proper bow? Sure a modern high tech crossbow made out of composite materials and with a laser site might be more accurate, its just a plain fact that a normal bow will have better accuracy and a far greater range than a well made cross-bow, let alone some crude thing that you have thrown together with para cord. with a cross bow the bolt is sitting loosely in the groove with the string behind it. You release the mechanism, which is necessarily because the drag from the para cord would just slow down the bow string and throw off the aim even more. Anyways you release the mechanism, and the string snaps forward slapping the back of the bolt propelling it forwards with great force. The great force here is key, that means that it requires an even greater force to draw the string back, which is another reason that a cross bow does not use para cord but instead uses a goats leg or a winch to pull its string back. The crossbow was designed to be used by any unskilled person, as much like the gun, it is basically point and shoot. However unlike a gun, it cant even be aimed properly. I mean, hell, just look at history, In the 100 year war or in robin hood even, the british used longbow men, many of whom had been training since childhood and could pull a william tell any day. The french used cross bows, which had a reduced accuracy range, but could be thrown in to the hands of any fool. they made up for lack of skill with sheer numbers. Not much of an option against zombies though.
in summary, the only thing a cross bow would have going for it is greater force, which would do more damage, If you want to let the zombie get closer, and run a higher risk of missing. and I suppose it is also advantages that a crossbow can be fitted to fire other projectiles such as large BBs or small stones. However we are still talking about a well made crossbow, one that is not relying on para cord.
Fredthethird on 24 Jun 2011 at 2:57 pm #
oh and I second wheelgunner, Ive always been a fan of the bow idea. Or maybe an atalat as those are even easier to make, plus just fun to use. Hard to learn how to aim though.
wheelgunner on 27 Jun 2011 at 12:26 am #
Hard to learn to aim indeed. I ended up using my atlatl for a club and throwing the darts. The main thing that a crossbow has had over a bow is the you can use mechanical spanners to have a heavier draw weight than a man can pull, or at least that a man can pull without constantly training with. One of the Edwards actually outlawed all sports except archery in England so that he could have a ready supply of longbowmen at hand whenever he needed them. Hrdcore that. I know it will probably become my groups sport as well, if we live that long.
Fredthethird on 27 Jun 2011 at 6:51 am #
Could you aim better throwing by hand? And, if i may ask, what type of atlatl do you use? I have grown fond of the Australian aboriginal style, the woomera, but use a thinner more american indian style when I am hunting. (rabbits, largely unsuccessfully) also, sorry for my miss spelling in my earlier post.
wheelgunner on 27 Jun 2011 at 12:19 pm #
It’s fine. I type with a Southern Drawl. I had a Poverty Point stone headed atlatl, which is an old american indian design, pre-bow culture. I couldn’t figure out how to get within twenty yards of my intended target.
C on 02 Jul 2011 at 10:59 pm #
Simplicity first. Attaching a stock and drawstring to a bow to make a crude crossbow is a a step down from the bow proper. Added weight, added size, added steps to fire an arrow (shouldering the weapon, securing the drawstring). And the accuracy does not increase simply because it is in a rifle stock. Simplicity and size; ease of use and mastery through practice; speed and accuracy; survival.
Reaver on 06 Jul 2011 at 9:47 pm #
this survival bow thing strikes me as a bad idea. either spring for a proper recurve now or loot one after Z day, but don’t rely on an untested and crude piece of wood that hasn’t been seasoned and treated. I don’t know why so many survival sites make it seem like shooting a regular bow is all that difficult anyway. the first time I picked one up I was hitting the bullseye regularly at 30 yards in about an hour.
it’s silent, accurate, powerful, has a high rate of fire and its projectiles can be used multiple times. what’s not to love?
wheelgunner on 07 Jul 2011 at 5:21 pm #
Breakage, mostly. Some idiot dry fired mine, ONCE, and broke the riser clean in two. Besides thats, different style and weight bows belong in certain areas, and learning how to make them could very well give you a leg up in the long run.
Reaver on 07 Jul 2011 at 8:19 pm #
ouch. yeah, that’s why I never let anyone touch any of my weapons except knives, and even then I watch them like a hawk. people who have no clue what they’re doing can cause a lot of damage.
wheelgunner on 07 Jul 2011 at 9:54 pm #
He was trying to learn about them, and like most people, thought he knew something and didn’t want to listen. I didn’t know until it was too late. Giving me a golden oppurtunity to try this article out though, when I get around to it.
Survival bow | Shaadiu on 29 Mar 2012 at 6:42 pm #
[...] Zombies Are Coming » The Survival BowJun 9, 2011 … The Survival Bow. With so many people worrying about running out of bullets and saying that bows are the way to go, I thought that I would put … [...]