About how much weight do real snake skins add to a glassed back longbow?  The bow is a 62" 50@ 28" yellowstone longbow.  Bow is slightly R/D and d shaped when strung.  I am trying to match up the right arrows for this bow and am not sure of the weight increase.  It is also fast flight ok.  Thanks for any input

No draw weight.

It's more for looks, camoing the back side of the bow.

Next question I have in mind is does the skin weight on the limbs decrease the cast of the bow?

It looks really cool on the bow, but yes you do lose speed and cast because it adds physical weight to limb.  It depends on what you are looking to accomplish.  Are you looking for a really cool looking bow, or are you concerned with a loss of arrow speed?  

Another thing to consider, this happend to me,  if you already have arrows tuned for the bow, after you put the skins on the limbs, those arrows will shoot stiff because you are slowing down your bow.

Good luck.

You must be talking about glass bows that can't handle the little extra weight. When I build a selfbow, I will adjust on what little arrow pass I have to get good arrow flight. If skins caused poor arrow flight after application, there would be a whole lot more live snakes out there. The few grams of extra weight ain't a problem IMO.

The only way you would ever loose speed and cast by applying snake skins to a all wood bow is if it were white wood and you didn't allow enough time for the moisture you added to the wood to dry before you brace and shoot it.

You can back a hickory bow with snake and it will pick up enough moisture to cause a loss of reflex and poundage if you don't allow it to dry back out. But the snake skins had nothing to do with it just the moisture from the wet skins.

Dano is right, the actual weight of the snakes wont make any difference.

QuoteOriginally posted by northland archer:
About how much weight do real snake skins add to a glassed back longbow?

"Another thing to consider, this happend to me, if you already have arrows tuned for the bow, after you put the skins on the limbs, those arrows will shoot stiff because you are slowing down your bow."


Ed, your the only one I have ever heard of this happening to.

i'm not trying to argue or contradict anyone.  I'm just giving my 2 cents.  I put skins on 2 Fedora's and a Chek Mate of mine.  I started hitting low and my arrows were all of a sudden stiff.  I put skins on a friend's Chek Mate's and Quinn's.  Same thing.  Now if I'm going to put skins on a bow, I do it before I try tuning any arrows for it.  

These were all glass recurves.  That may be the difference.

I've never backed a longbow or a selfbow.  They could act different.  I don't know.  I think my longbows are too pretty to cover them with skins.

Take it or leave it, just my observation on my bows and those of my friends that i've put skins on for.

No hard feelings, I hope.

(yes i have 2 identities on trad gang. this one at work, the other at home.)

No hard feelings. Just never heard of that happening.