Archery for home defence?

[ScottNT]

I just bought my first bow, a recurve 35# sage. Know nothing about archery, but it seems like it´s quite challenging. I´m surprised at how powerful the "starter bow" is.

Would it not be a good tool to use for defence in general....I´m thinking about the pro´s and con´s.

Pro is no storage regs, or maybe stopping power? have only target arrows.

Con´s might be slow follow up shot.......lack of tri-rail for "tacticool" accessories.

[lone-wolf]

out gunned, by a gun.
i'd imagine it'd be hard to keep at ready? ready to shoot. not sure of proper bow terms.
not maneuverable as a handgun
short range
no flashlight mount?
arrows don't fit in your pocket like a spare magazine does.

pro:
internet hero if you shoot a robber in the knee

[Strewth]

Home defense?
Errrr...if someone shot me with a target point anywhere but the eye or heart, I'd be pretty ticked. Even with a crazy-wicked hunting head, arrows are not a one-shot stop. You NEED two hands to be a credible threat, and the second shot would be impossible to nock and fire in any sort of time. Better off with a bat, or golf club.
Archers were replaced with musketeers for a reason....

[Waterloomike]

If that's what you have, use it. You can't miss from 20'.

[Stevebot-7]

Depends on many factors.

Not least of all is the size of the bow. They come in many different sizes, mine when strung is something like 5'4" not a small bow by any means. There are shortbows, and most compounds are quite a bit more compact as well.

Traditional bows can be damaged if left strung for too long, which gives a point in compound's favour as they are designed to be strung for the duration of their service life.

As mentioned, much like a single shot rifle, a single shot bow is generally quite slow to reload and make ready. With practice it can be cut down quite a bit, and there are a few techniques such as holding a few arrows in your off hand, allowing you to pivot them into position on the riser and be ready to go. Fat risers make it difficult, and the extra vibrations can bugger with long range accuracy which is not much of a consideration for close range "defense".

Tip/head choice would be a huge consideration. Something like a bunny buster would suck majorly to be hit by but it would be a pain compliance tool essentially a ranged punch, a razor sharp broadhead could do some serious tissue damage but much as like anything else unless you get a central nervous system hit it will take time. Think of how many deer/moose or whatever can run for kilometers before dying. In a defensive situation that very well could mean the predator has more than enough time to kill you before it bleeds out. Field tip/target point would pretty much be a slow bullet with a non-expanding head, would not be fun to get hit with, but effect varies based on the draw weight of the bow and the exact impact location.

I'm a traditional guy myself, and I love me my takedown bow. Packs up nice and small so I can just slide it into my backpack. Compound bow would be better for general "defensive" use though, smaller and more maneuverable and able to be left strung and ready to go.

On the issue of bows vs. muskets though, there is a lot of research indicating they were replaced for shock and awe purposes. A troop of musketeers all firing in a volley was like the thundergod given form, even though the muskets were very slow to load, inaccurate, and produced a lot of smoke. They were however easier to learn to use. Being a professional archer takes a whole lot of time and is a very physically intensive activity. However at the time archers generally had a faster rate of fire, making them more functionally viable in terms of warfare.

Nowadays modern firearms kick the crap out of bows in pretty much every category.

[Edward Teach]

If you don't want to use a firearm, melee is your best bet. Preferably with something that has a benign 'other' purpose.

[Petamocto]

If a gun isn't an option, in my opinion a bow is a very bad choice for defence against humans. If your first shot isn't absolutely perfect, he's going to close the distance on you well within the time it takes you to reload.

You'd be much better off with something like a bat or hatchet.

[Forbes/Hutton]

Home defense?
Errrr...if someone shot me with a target point anywhere but the eye or heart, I'd be pretty ticked. Even with a crazy-wicked hunting head, arrows are not a one-shot stop. You NEED two hands to be a credible threat, and the second shot would be impossible to nock and fire in any sort of time. Better off with a bat, or golf club.
Archers were replaced with musketeers for a reason....

[kennymo]

How very Katniss. As far as trying to wield a longbow in your upstairs hallway, I can't even imagine trying to fire my much shorter compound bow in that sort of space. And yes, an arrow will penetrate like the biggest magnum rifle cartridge you've ever seen, but even with a razor sharp 1-1/4" cutting diameter broad head it's more of a shoot then sit around and wait for them to bleed out a few minutes kind of weapon. You might be better off just trying to stab them with a shaft, or switching to another breed of sporting good....putter? Five iron?

[Foxer]

but even with a razor sharp 1-1/4" cutting diameter broad head it's more of a shoot then sit around and wait for them to bleed out a few minutes kind of weapon.

I dunno. Deer are pretty hard to drop, and i've seen them go down HARD from a bow hit. Admittedly it was more than a 35 lb bow but i have to think having a good broadhead arrow sticking out of your chest would pretty much discourage someone from further action and i wouldn't expect it to take 'minutes' for them to bleed out. Arrow damage from the right arrow tends to be underrated. I know, because I underrated them till I saw the damage they could do.

You're still stuck with the 'one shot' issue. Some homes would likely be better suited to a bow than others. Certainly there are historic accounts of bows being used inside, so it's hardly impossible. But - I have to say a bow would be better than going one on one with an intruder of unknown strength if you can make it work in your circumstances. It's easy to keep a bow ready to use and no storage laws to worry about so there's that.

With practice and in the right circumstances i'd have to say it actually does sound viable. A gun is better, obviously, but I bet with a little practice a bow could do a huge pile of damage. Especially if the invader was french. (Oh come ON - someone was going to say it )