Archery Targets

[Jonno]

Could anyone please tell me how to make targets that I can use for longbows and crossbows.
Cheers

[Patch]

[Stuart]

Traditional archery targets are made of rolled straw, unfortunately these are expensive and beyond the reach of most re-enactors.
A large stack of old phone directories ( side on ) work as targets, but the size and weight makes them impracticle for transportable displays.
The UK longbowman champion Roy King, showed me a useful alternative: Go to a furniture store and ask the storeman for some 1 to 1.5 meter square cardboard. The lids from big boxes are particually useful.
Next, ask the same storeman for closed cell foam packaging, or any foam polysterine . Take your cardboard and stick the foam into place using PVA glue. The foam layer should between 100mm-125 thick . Take a larger piece of cardboard and fold that over the foam layer. You are making a sandwich of cardboard, foam and cardboard. Tape it all together and finally, cover with a layer of canvas. Paint it white and then draw or or stencil whatever type of target figure want to shoot at.
Using 50 x 30mm wood, make up a three-legged target stand ( like a school blackboard stand ) and include pegs or a shelf to support your new target. This sort of target should stop most arrows from boardheads to field piles shot from longbows of between 25 to 70 poundage.
Good luck.

[Inigo]

Do they need to be mobile? If not a stack of hay bales works well.

[NigelT]

Stuarts idea is ideal. Foam and polystyrene work well and are easier to retrieve arrows from than layers of cardboard. If you use layers of corrugated cardboard you will want at least 10 layers and probably more to make it effective, otherwise you'll have to pull your arrows all the way through instead of out the same way because the feathers will be the only thing sticking out.

Another alternative I've heard of from modern archers is a small wool bale stuffed with plastic supermarket bags (hundreds of them obviously). The bale winds up being this cube of tighly stuffed bags about 700-1000mm along each side. Apparently this is the best target for easy arrow retrieval although I've not tried it personally.

Almost anything will work as a target as long as it's not hard. You have to allow the arrow to slow down over a distance of at least 50mm otherwise you run the risk of breaking the arrow. Do not ever shoot at tree stumps, shields or other solid objects.

Nigel

[Stuart]

I should mention that I made the majority of the Taupo targets this way.
I used foam cardboard construction, and went dumpster diving for the materials.

I agree that trees ( being rigid and surfaced with bark) should not be shot at, unless you really like bent & buggered arrows... Shields on tbe other hand are smooth and can be effective targets with flu-flus. Keep your bow strength below 40 pounds. In the shield shoot tests I did in England, arrow fracture only starts if you use in excess of a 70 pound longbow at 7 meters range . I linseed oil my arrows and that that makes a considerable difference in flexability and arrow life-span. Some of my flus are twenty years old. I must put the videos from the 1984 & 1990 Battle of Hastings up on U-Tube sometime. The 1990 arrow storm was quite impressive..

Slightly off topic, but I wonder how many New Zealand archers could be assembed for a volley fire display ? I am thinking 10th century, but the only gear required would be a longbow and Saxon/Norman tunic ?

[Kotek]

I'd suggest a fairly sturdy closed-cell foam over normal polystyrene because it won't flake apart like polystyrene does. Here we use roughly 4cm thick rubbery foam.

We've also used five or so layers of cardboard which works well too: http://sg.sca.org.nz/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1400