Today's Flatbow Report...

[Dick in Seattle]

Had a pretty good day at it today... finished the shaping of the bow and actually shot it quite a bit.... Thanks for the advice on limb shortening...   Still not sure what I'll do, it's looking good and shoots comfortably...   I just need to work on arrow match and maybe riser shape in the hand a bit.    Here's some pix from today... I'm liking the bow, even if needs a bit more work... and I think the shooting potential is there...

This one and the next are the riser and shelf...






And these are to prove that I'm having fun...




12 yards... I had a heck of a problem getting my line... wants to bear left..




and this is at 20...    Still fighting that left thing...  this bow demands perfect form...


Ain't gonna show you what happened at 30, though...

[John Scifres]

Light weight bows are very difficult to tune and shoot if you are used to heavier bows.  I use 1/4" dowels out of my light kids' bows.  Really weak 5/16" dowels will work.  If it were me, I'd shoot it.  Forget the shortening.  The best you can gain is maybe 10# and you might screw it up.  Then again, this is for fun and it's all fun!  Light weight bows will demand your crispest release and will make shooting heavier bows much easier.

[KILLER B]

Bear left lol...  get it....

[Greg Szalewski]

My first bow was very similar to yours. I bought the Binghams kit and wanted at least 50#. It came out 45#. I did not have any experience with longbows at all so had no idea what the grip should be like. It shot absolutely lousy with my 2117s but I was too stubborn to change. I worked at it and got my first 2 trad kills with it in spite of all that. On top of that the first was from the ground (another first). You are doing great Dick. It's all about learning. You will forever look at bows differently.
GS

[Chuck Hoopes]

This is probably not your prob. w/arrows hitting left, but just for the sake of throwing it out there, I had the same prob. recently w/ a self bow I made.  Man, they were going way left, as much as a ft. at 12yds.  I found that when I changed my grip, to low wrist, w/grip pressure placed on the meaty back part of the hand--it shot dead on. Prob. solved.