English Longbow

With an apparent early Spring and some unseasonal warm weather of late I had the opportunity to test my latest bow acquisition - a hickory longbow purchased from EBay vendor KP Archery this past winter. With an eye for reenactment I wanted a ELB that looked medieval traditional but was also functional. This simple but well made bow fit the bill perfectly. A self bow of American hickory it is 72 inches in length pulling #45@28 and came unfinished with a simp!e Flemish twist string.

I was familiar with KP Archery's products as my first bow was a flatbow purchased several years ago which I still possess and continue to use. It has been bomb proof so I had no doubt the ELB would not disappoint but I was anxious to loose some arrows as soon as the weather permitted.

A sanding and several coats of marine urethane later the bow was ready to shoot. I added a simple jute twine grip to complete the look and then waited for Spring.

This is a very nice basic D bow that complies to the specifications of the ELB society, albeit more of a Victorian style longbow due to its low poundage. It is certainly not a war bow but does look the part quite nicely when matched with medieval style arrows. Not just looks though....the bow shoots nicely with very little hand shock. It draws well with no stacking at 28 inches and it only began to get difficult at about 31 inches of draw. Sends the arrows down range at a decent velocity. This is a fun bow to shoot, perfect in it's simplicity, and affordable at $68 USD. If you are looking to get into traditional "off the knuckle" instinctive archery or want to participate in historical reenactment or larping this is a great economical option.