What about a compound bow for shtf?

[manakiah]

What about a compound bow for shtf? It's quite, arrows are retrievable. Any thoughts on this idea. I have guns but if ammo is short, a bow could be very useful. Any ideas? Thanks Jason

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[Riot]

Letter Re: Recurve Bows for Survival - SurvivalBlog.com

 

[manakiah]

Good info. I think a compound could give you more options with distance.

 

[huntpotter]

I'm pretty sure Rambo would say, Yes, that's a good shtf weapon.

 

[soberups]

Compound bow=very poor SHTF weapon.

Contrary to popular belief, bows (particularly compounds) are not silent. They arent quite as loud as a .22 rifle but they do make noise. Compound bows of adequate draw weight for hunting require the use of aluminum or carbon-fiber arrows. Setting up such an arrow (shaft, nock, fletching and broadhead) costs about $10 apiece and your chances of recovering that arrow in the woods once you have fired it are very low. I have yet to ever recover a usable arrow from a deer (if it sticks in the deer and the deer runs the shaft will get broken) and if the arrow misses and sticks in a tree you cannot remove it without breaking it. For SHTF purposes...one arrow=one meal.

The maximum useful range for a compound bow in expert hands is about 65 or 70 yards and that is really pushing it. For the average hunter, 50 yards is really the longest ethical hunting shot that can be made, and then only under optimum conditions.

Arrows with broadheads cannot be used on small game; arrows with "judo tips" for small game cannot be used on deer or elk.

Modern compound bows are also very complicated and difficult for the untrained person to maintain or repair. They require special tools and spare parts such as cables and strings. They are also not interchangeable between persons with differing draw lengths, so unless your buddy has the exact same height and arm length as you do, you cant loan your bows to one another.

To properly set up a compound bow from scratch, (including sights, a release, a quiver, a reusable target block and a few dozen arrows with practice tips and broadheads) you will spend a minimum of $500 and probably more. For that amount of money you could buy a pair of scoped Ruger 10/22's and several thousand rounds of ammo for them, which would be a far better choice for food and survival in a SHTF scenario.

 

[Benny503]

Soberups.... Thank you for taking your time. I was thinking exactly like theop... Now i am clear as crystal

 

[doghouse]

I have 150 pound crossbow and aBout 100 bolts for it .I have a scope mounted on it that makes it good for about 200 feet at max range . One shot one kill asome

 

[rdb241]

FYI everybody.....A broad head tip on an arrow or a bolt for a crossbow will go through a kevlar vest like butter. The vest will stop a bullet but not a broad head tipped arrow with razor edges.

 

[Gunner3456]

A kevlar vest will stop a rifle bullet?

 

[rdb241]

A kevlar vest will stop a rifle bullet?

I am by far not even close to have any knowledge about body armor. So I am the wrong person to ask that question. The only reason I made the statement I did, is because I have seen a Demo of a hanging kevlar vest. I have no idea what threat level. A .45 acp was shot at the vest and it was stopped. Then with a crossbow and a broadhead tip, the vest was shot and the arrow/bolt went through both sides of the vest and stuck into the plywood backstop several inches behind the vest. The razor tip of the broadhead penatrates and seperates the kevlar fibers allowing the arrow/bolt to pass through. A .45 acp is a blunt object and the vest stops that.

 

[Father of four]

Bow and arrow for SHTFT. Yes!

Fire your .22, .38, shotgun, rifle..How far will the sound travel?

Fire a compound bow , a recurve bow, a crossbow...How far will the sound travel?

Making more arrows out of hardwood, rocks and feathers or making blackpowder or lead/copper for your bullets...which would be easier.

Just to throw a bow and arrows out in a SHTF event to me would be a bad choice.

I wonder how them Indians ever survived before White Mans POW! POW!

 

[Platt05]

If it were just for hunting small game in a SHTF might as well go with a blow gun. That would be quieter although might be tough finding some poison dart frogs around here.

 

[Lloyd Braun]

Compound bow=very poor SHTF weapon.

Contrary to popular belief, bows (particularly compounds) are not silent. They arent quite as loud as a .22 rifle but they do make noise. Compound bows of adequate draw weight for hunting require the use of aluminum or carbon-fiber arrows. Setting up such an arrow (shaft, nock, fletching and broadhead) costs about $10 apiece and your chances of recovering that arrow in the woods once you have fired it are very low. I have yet to ever recover a usable arrow from a deer (if it sticks in the deer and the deer runs the shaft will get broken) and if the arrow misses and sticks in a tree you cannot remove it without breaking it. For SHTF purposes...one arrow=one meal.

The maximum useful range for a compound bow in expert hands is about 65 or 70 yards and that is really pushing it. For the average hunter, 50 yards is really the longest ethical hunting shot that can be made, and then only under optimum conditions.

Arrows with broadheads cannot be used on small game; arrows with "judo tips" for small game cannot be used on deer or elk.

Modern compound bows are also very complicated and difficult for the untrained person to maintain or repair. They require special tools and spare parts such as cables and strings. They are also not interchangeable between persons with differing draw lengths, so unless your buddy has the exact same height and arm length as you do, you cant loan your bows to one another.

To properly set up a compound bow from scratch, (including sights, a release, a quiver, a reusable target block and a few dozen arrows with practice tips and broadheads) you will spend a minimum of $500 and probably more. For that amount of money you could buy a pair of scoped Ruger 10/22's and several thousand rounds of ammo for them, which would be a far better choice for food and survival in a SHTF scenario.

I agree...any 22lr w/ a scope and a couple bricks of ammo would be much better

 

[manakiah]

Yeah, I guess you can't go wrong with a 22 Lr!!

 

[BigCat]

I wonder how them Indians ever survived before White Mans POW! POW!

The natives had much more practice and knowledge about the bow and arrow than we do. As soon as they were born one was stuck in their hand. Plus, they had the element of surprise, and could blend into the forest without a sound. Also, their enemies had the bow and arrow also, no guns .

 

[Benny503]

The white man... have gunss.... the indians have bow... the white man won!!!

Just like... dont carry the knife to the gun fight

 

[soberups]

Bow and arrow for SHTFT. Yes!

Fire your .22, .38, shotgun, rifle..How far will the sound travel?

Fire a compound bow , a recurve bow, a crossbow...How far will the sound travel?

Making more arrows out of hardwood, rocks and feathers or making blackpowder or lead/copper for your bullets...which would be easier.

Just to throw a bow and arrows out in a SHTF event to me would be a bad choice.
I wonder how them Indians ever survived before White Mans POW! POW!

The original post was questioning the merits of a compound bow for SHTF.

You cannot make arrows for a compound bow out of hardwood, rocks and feathers. The torque generated by the cams on these bows would shatter a wooden arrow. Compound bows require the use of aluminum or carbon-fiber shafts.

Would I "throw out" a compound bow in a SHTF scenario if I already owned one? No, of course not. But if I didnt already own a bow, I sure as heck wouldnt go out and drop $500 to set one up when that same amount of money could be spent on far more useful items.

 

[Father of four]

I have firearms, a compound bow, fishing rods, animal traps, knifes and a few more things I can use to take down different size game and or use to defend myself and my loved ones. Each has its place.

The OP asked about a compound bow for SHTF. It diffidently could be very useful to me in a SHTF situation. As could a spear, a slingshot and many other things.

A person can learn to use a compound bow or just a handmade bow and arrow to harvest game and for defense purposes.

I love my guns! I love my bow and arrows! I love my fishing rods! They all can be very beneficial to me if the SHTF.

 

[Father of four]

The white man... have gunss.... the indians have bow... the white man won!!!

Just like... dont carry the knife to the gun fight

I have a gun, I have a bow and I am a white man! Weird I guess...

I wish we were always prepared. Sometimes a man doesn't know how or what to fight until its time. We cant always rely on just our guns.

 

[soberups]

I can certainly see the merit of being able to build your own bow and arrows from scratch, as the natives did hundreds of years ago.

But the bows and arrows they used have absolutely nothing in common with modern archery equipment. Its like comparing a smoothbore matchlock musket from the 1500's to a modern AR-15 rifle. Both are "guns" but the similarities end there.

For that matter, if I wanted or needed to go "primitive" in a SHTF scenario, it would be easier and more effective to try and make my own black powder and melt my own bullets than it would be to try and manufacture a bow and arrows from locally available materials. The recipe for homemade black powder can be found on the Internet, and bullets can be molded from lead wheel weights or used batteries. Percussion caps are a bit more difficult, although substitutes can be made from match heads. Or you could go with a flintlock mechanism instead.

Archery is a rewarding hobby and a challenging way to hunt, but when the SHTF its a poor substitute for any firearm.