Made a Mongol bow replica

[Doods70]

Hi Boyers,

Hope you can check this out. Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/aimrightarcheryrange/photos/a.788592427850289.1073741836.685140121528854/788592707850261/?type=1¬if_t=like

Doods

[KenH]

Well, for a variety of reasons I would not call it a "Mongol" bow.  However you do seem to have successfully added siyahs to a contemporary bow.  Congratulations.

[snapper1d]

Doods I think you made a nice looking bow out of it!

[Doods70]

Thank you both. Just curious...KenH...what would be the right description of the Mongol bow? Is it the way it's made, materials? etc.

I always thought that the Mongol bow had that particular look regardless of material?

Also looking at backing this with bamboo to increase the draw weight. Thank you again...

[bornofmud]

Mongol bows usually had double curves I believe, the bow you have there looks like a longbow, maybe a hybrid with that steady recurved sweep. Definitely not a traditional mongol shape though, and the most distinctive feature of the mongol bow is probably the siyahs, which would be hard to retro fit i'd imagine.

[KenH]

Doods -- it's the whole profile thing.  The only real bit of "Mongol" you got right is the fact that it has siyahs.

Go google "mongol bow" and look at the images, both strung and unstrung, and compare them to the profile of your bow.  Part of the difference is the angle of the siyahs to the string and limbs.  Part is the curvature of the limbs.  Part is the shape and setback of the handle, and the fact that none o the horsebows had arrow shelves-- we all shot off the hand.  Another bit is that real Mongol bows almost invariably had String Bridges, something modern bowyers seem to cringe at.

[bornofmud]

Oh, I only saw the first picture haha.  Yeah, nice job with the siyahs, looks good.  Usually they have a set in handle as well, but cool conversion.

[Doods70]

Thank you for all the info. Yes this was just a conversion in an attempt to get a "mongol bow" of my own. Apart from actually making one (which I don't have the skills for) or ordering one (which I don't have the budget for) hehe. Will have to play around with this one for now.

Last question...is it more authentic to shoot one with a thumb ring or is it up to the preference of the archer?

Thank you

[KenH]

There is apparently no historical evidence of the Mongols people using thumbrings.  There is some reference to them using a "thumb draw", not the same things at all.  

If you're really interested in emulating the Mongols (a rather braod term, BTW), you should spend some significant time data-mining at  www.atarn.net  The Asian Traditional Archery Network -- THE source for legitimate historically accurate archery information about all of those "Eastern" cultures.

[Doods70]

Thanks again,

[KenH]

Doods -- if you've got the skills to make the bow you did, you've got the skills to make a much more reasonable Mongol style bow.  Most Mongol bows that I've seen don't have sinew or horn. just composite woods.

[Trad Whitetail]

Not "historically accurate" but that is ingenious! How does it shoot?

[Pat B]

Building a bow doesn't mean adding siyahs to a already built/tillered bow. Building a bow is all in the tillering, whether it be by engineering and recipe with a glass lam bow or removing wood so both limbs bend evenly and together with a wood bow.
 Adding siyahs to a glass bow is a special feat in itself but it is not building a Mongolian bow which takes a year or two to complete. A replica is a copy of an original.