You know when you walk in the woods during deer season without your bow or gun , then a buck shows up. Well I went squirrel hunting with my 35 pound self bow. A doe came in at 15 yards. I came home with groceries. Pass through, with a small flint bird point. A light bow at short range ,can be deadlier than a heavier bow at 40 yards. Especially with primitive or traditional bows. Shot placement is usually easier at 10 to 20 yards, and shot placement is key in archery.
As someone who grew up playing with my dad's spare pvc pipes, I had no problem believing that a pvc bow could perform very well. Pvc is a wonder material. Just don't let it sit in the sun.
I make my own pvc bows and love them. Fun to make and shoot. The process teaches you how bows work. My favorites are 4 years old and haven’t lost any poundage.
I live in Alberta Canada and I left a 45lb one strung and outside all winter tor a test. shot it at all different temp ranges down to -30 and never broke or collapsed and preformed same. I am really impressed as is most people I show my bows to how well they will perform. Note the white PVC I have found to be better than the grey in speed
'Doctrine of competing harms' also called by other names is pretty much common law ... Basically in any situation in which following a law will lead to more harm than not, that law can be considered null and void. Furthermore the 2nd amendment of the constitution trumps any state/local "laws" that directly contradict it. This is what is called the supremacy clause.
There is, however, viable for killing game and not viable... 35lbs is worthless for hunting anything other than small game. If one hits anything other than soft tissue, the arrow will not penetrate. Especially with a traditional style (read "Especially slow-shooting") bow. There is good reason behind minimum draw weight laws.
these things are actually really amazing. last season my buddy managed to take down a deer with one that he made. and that got me in the garage experimenting with making my own.
You can build then in a day and at varying weights, I have one that shoots 75lbs and is amazing to shoot ,I got mine from backyard Bowyer, well worth the cost
I did too a few weeks ago. I've broken some wooden bow and while waiting my staves to cure to make more, I thought to give pvc a try. I made it too strong and hurt my arm using it. All done according to the backyardbowyer guide. Best if you get his book on pvc bows for better understanding.
Pvc bows. Yes. They'll last reasonably long in a survival situation but they shouldn't replace learning to build your own from raw materials because eventually your pvc bow is gonna break.
I have been an archer since I was 7 yo and been on a fixed income almost as long I made my first pvc long bow last week and I love it and what y'all say is completely true mine draws at least 45 and is highly accurate
I have made dozens of pvc bows. The easiest to make and most powerful is made of 3/4" schedule 40 pvc, not heat-formed. It is 52" long with three 48" survey rods and a string I made of dacron and stren fishing line. It is 60 lb at 29" draw. It is probably hunt legal, but I kill cans rather than critters. I find it accurate at 25 yards (length of my backyard), however I have a commercial fiberglass compound bow at 45 lb draw which is much faster. PVC with fiberglass rods is cheap and good but not like the pricey high tech stuff.
While there are more simplistic bows, that one looks amazing. A lot of work went into that. Props to the person who made it. Amazing craftsmanship no doubt
Just made a $5 recurve bow from 3/4” PVC. It draws right around 45lbs @27”. Nice, smooth, and gets the job done up to 80yards so far. Can’t believe how durable a small piece of PVC is
Um usuário qualquer your never too young if you are interested go get a weaker bow and find a group for your age there plenty of them or make your dad train with you in the backyard
Interesting concept. I have a 43 foot fiberglass sectional ham radio antenna. Super whippy at the topmost, smallest diameter tubing. I needed to install a 1/2 inch diameter, 6 foot solid fiberglass rod inside the tubing firming it up. The same fiberglass rod (shellacked, even by itself ...) could be put into the smallest of a 1/2 inch diameter PVC (or these fiberglass) tubes, and you would definitely have a 40+ (!) pound pull (probably 80+!). You could make a medium (4 foot, very hard pull) or a long PVC bow (6 foot easier hard pull) out of these, and have some dynamic kick ass hunting!
+John Lord John, I've been working with PVC bows for several years now, using Nick Tomihama's methods for making the bows. One thing that I've learned is that "heavy" is not the same as "fast" when it comes to making bow. Yes, I can make a PVC bow that pulls 50 pounds or more. I could add fiberglass to the inside and beef that up to 70 or 80 pounds of draw. But, and this is the important part, the arrows would actually fly more slowly out of the heavier bows than they would out of my lightest bow. Why? Because the point of the bow is to be an efficient spring, not a heavy spring. So, what I've decided to do is maximize the efficiency of 3/4" Schedule 40 pipe, and abandon the use of 1" pipe completely, and never, ever put any extra weight in or on the bow anywhere near the midpoint of the limb or farther out. All this will do is make it harder to pull, and actually worsen the efficiency of the bow. A properly made, 45# 3/4" schedule 40 PVC bow will throw a 10 grain per pound arrow at over 150 feet per second. I have one of those sitting next to me right this second. No fiberglass or foam filler, no special backing, no reinforced pipe. Just properly bent and shaped PVC tubing. I've heard that some people have gotten their PVC bows up to almost 200 feet per second, by using lightweight wooden siyahs, as wood is lighter than PVC when properly used. I'm happy with what I have, and have been able to hit a 4" target consistently with field points from 15 to 30 yards away, which is all anyone needs to be able to do to hunt in the area where I live. With the amount of kinetic energy these things have, a broadhead would be able to go right through pretty much any prey animal that I'm likely to shoot at, including a deer. Most certainly anything smaller than a deer.
Oh man, I've been a subscriber for quite awhile now and I have really wanted someone to answer this exact question. I too had my doubts. I have quite a few videos on how to make a PVC Bow, but have never gotten around to actually making one to test it out. I am totally stoked that you took the time to check them out and do a review...totally awesome. And by the way...that PVC Bow that you have...OMG...I so WANT one!!! That looks sooo sweet!!! Thanks again, bro.
I have an idea for you. Old Laminate or fiberglass Cross-country skis is great for making bows. :-) The center is already beautifully marked by their tip, which helps simetric marking second tip - (Arms of bow), then just grind it to the desired shape and perform the tileration. You could make a video about it...?! Greetings from the Czech Republic and good luck...
My understanding is these aren't good for cold. You need another type of pipe. The guy that made these talked about it here in the comments section. I might see about him making me a "cold weather" bow.
I've shot my schedule 40 bow in 30 deg weather hunting rabbits (wearing a safety shield and a welding coat) it didn't break but it wasn't as smooth shooting tho. Jmo
greyghost1101 you got lucky. I shot multiple bows made of pvcin that weather and all broke or failed. I tested multiple designs. only thing I couldn't test was with pipe that tolerates cold, as it's not available to me.
Will is not getting the grasp of instinctive archery if he thinks that you just bring the bow up and release without aiming. And then he goes "oh yeah now it shoots better" when he takes a second to aim and come to an anchor point. What a coincidence. On another note, great video as always, I enjoy seeing all these cool things you try out in the woods. It's all about having fun anyways. I'm not really trying to bash Will too bad, just making a point for anyone else who could be reading this
Just the way they used the biceps to string the bow and the grip of the bow hand shows that they are no experts on the subject of archery. If your form and technique aren't perfect, how can you tell if it´s the bow, or you as an archer, who is shooting badly?
This, like all PVC bow reviews I have seen, does't give me useful information. I can make a 60lb draw bow out of a green stick, but it will shoot like a dog. The 35 and 40 lb hunting rules are based on arrow speed/penetration with efficient design fiberglass flatbows-- the predominant commercial hunting bows at the time of the legislation. What I need to know from these PVC things is chono arrow speed plus arrow weight for a bow of a given draw weight. Acceptable chono speed (which I have seen on videos) doesn't mean squat if the arrow is a light aluminum target arrow. You have to know both speed and weight. Heck, even a side by side penetration test with a known 40lb draw weight fiberglass laminate recurve vs a pvc bow would be useful info.
Check out the BackyardBowyer - I know h did chrono tests with some of his PVC bows. He's the main PVC bow guy, if there's anything to know about PVC bows or even just archery - he probably has a video on it. He is also pretty cool and will often reply to questions from the comments. Good luck.
@squatchdad52 Nothing wrong with having knowledge about the properties of a bow, even the most simple of old world designs have trackable arrow speed characteristics. I get that there is a nostalgia in using simple and and intuitive technology without all the technical calculations used with modern weaponry, but having a few figures beforehand doesn't hurt.
I had a pvc bow a while back and we did have fiber glass arrows at the time and found that for our particular bow the arrows seemed just too heavy so we ended up making lighter arrows out of bamboo of course our bows were nothing fancy as we made them ourselves everything was hand made from the bow to the arrows and fletchings. But the bamboo arrows did absolutely amazing. Don't know if that helps?
Posting at beggining maybe not a good survival bow but definitely fun as hell. But some people can make some beastly ass shit. Thanks for the video. Good stuff.
You forgot to mention the standard pvc pipes you get in America are very different to the ones we get in the UK. I found only one company that imports them and they're the equivalent of $30 per meter.
I made quite a few a couple years ago and they worked great, lasted 1-2 yrs as long as you didn't leave strung up and don't leave in sun it degrades pvc (1/2 +-18 lbs ,3/4+-40 lbs 1"+- 50+ lbs)
The only problems I uave found with them is to not leave one in your car.. Check out the books by the backyard bower.. He goes into great detail on everything from building the pvc bows to making arrows from dowel rods and even how to make fletching jigs.
I've made several pvc bows but the fact is that for under $50 you can buy ready-made either recurve or compound (I like the Barnett Banshee a lot) bow kits and save the time for growing food.
I've made PVC bows and have videos about that. I'm now using a Barnett Banshee and Samick Sage. Both are 30 lb. A Banshee kit can often be had for less than $50. It shoots fast. I think the Samick Sage (takedown) is the best in it's price class.
@@chrismackay8314 The Sage is much better. I would be fine with 25lb limbs for what I do. I live in San Francisco, so I think it's a good home defense weapon for this location. No regulation, built-in silencer :)
Got a PVC bow that pulls 65lbs. Reinforced core and limbs. PVC bows have come a LONG way in the years between this video and today. Highly recommend BackyardBowyer here on UA-cam, one if the PVC bow pioneers.
Pretty neat, pretty neat. I used to make bows out of lumber (maple, birch) and osage orange. This is the first time I seen these demonstrated. I like a lot of your reviews also.
That's really awesome! I gotta make some now. I'm a custom knife maker and blacksmith so this will be something new to add to my ability. Thanks for the video I really enjoyed watching it.
backyardbower made a 50lb bow. some people even reinforce the bow with the fiberglass rods used for driveways to make them stronger. im currently getting all my materials and tools together to make my own
forgot to add that I really like your bow design. It looks like Backyard Boyer's design with wood seyahs. I may make one with fiberglass rods, which should add speed. Thanks for your vid.
You have to think too: You're not going to hunt with field tips on your arrows. So I believe the power of these bows would be plenty for small game at short distances. so the fact they bounce off that target bag isn't much of an issue for me. I'm definitely interested in making/buying one of these.
I made one at 58 inches and is a 64 pound paracord string and flys at 338 feet per second with a force of over 150 foot pounds at 50 yards. That could kill an elephant. Made it for 15 dollars total with paint and string the handle.
I used a cheap no-knock recurve when I was a teen, made homemade arrows out of wat we called water weeds. They’re straight weeds that are hollow and look like tiny bamboo. Anyways my point is my left thump knuckle is all scarred up from the lil bumps ripping into my natural thumb knock. So clean ur arrows good if your planning on do this.
I got the Wrascal 55 from Battlebox. Just got started with instinctive shooting. I love it. It isn't easy. I'm not nailing bullseyes every other shot or anything. (It's been roughly 3 weeks since I started shooting. Lol.) But anything worth a damn in this world takes work.
I have a PVC long bow that pulls 80lbs at 31" I told some friends/archers about it and they laughed at the idea, next time I saw them I brought it and none of them could draw it back more than 8".
40lbs is all you need for most hunting needs. You dont need to be able to take down an elk from 100 yards but kore realistically a grouse or rabbit from about 50 feet
The BackyardBowyer on his Chanel has made some good pvc bows from 30lb - 80lb as well as pvc crossbows. Been watching his channel for 6-7 years now. He does blacksmithing and all sorts of things. Pvc makes great working bows
I like the PVC bows and will be trying to make a few myself just to use for teaching the kids.. I am especially interested in the horse bow, possibly using some fiberglass rods in it for a bit more power. Looks good. Overall I liked your video, and I will be checking out some of your other vids as well. As a Level 1 Archery Instructor, I do have one comment about something that was mentioned about the arrows hitting the target straight. Arrows flex in flight as soon as they leave the bow. The flex continues downrange alternating back and forth to a degree. The reason an arrow would keyhole, or or land skewed is that it is at a range that the arrow is in a state of flex one direction or another. Having heavier than needed arrows would negate some of the flex, but the laws of physics will apply anyway. Watch one of the episodes on Mythbusters, when they do a slow motion of an arrow leaving a bow and you will see what I am describing.
A pipe, tape, fiberglass marker rods and cord is all you need. Fiberglass core. Long bow. Less cool but better longevity and no heat required. And quick to put together.
These are good IF you use it only in warm weather. When it gets cold the PVC does not return nearly as fast. Something to consider when deciding to make one of these. Make sure you know it's not a winter capable bow.
this should be taken into consideration when making anything out of PVC for survival, like knife sheaths. if you can expect it to be dropped, or take any kind of sharp impact it might not be viable in cold weather.
There is a youtuber that makes them with fibreglass inserts to give it extra Oomph! Now that type really seems worth your while making I also think it's easier as no heating (i.e no molding) it up is required.
PVC bows are great if they are well made, have only one defect in winter with pvc often break ... I have my experience with it. But it can be solved by some flexible reinforcement - (core). Nice video.
Nic Tomihama's "Simple PVC Pipe Bows" (and ALL his other books) = best (cheap!) money you can spend to get excellent info on how to build top-notch PVC bows. His vids are great too -- shows you how to mold the hot PVC, various tools and methods... I've built several PVC recurves that I hunt big game with and hit with great accuracy out to 50 yards, all day long. Learn the art! Make sure you use brand new PVC, as it breaks down and gets brittle over time -- especially if exposed to sunlight / weather. Whack it with a hammer first at one end, if you're not sure -- if it shatters, don't use it. It's so cheap, you can make ten bows for the cost of one mainstream manufactured bow. Once you've made your bow, PAINT it -- a couple coats -- will protect the PVC from UV damage when you take it outside. Also -- for those who don't know, like I didn't -- this is 'traditional' archery, so use fletched arrows -- 'feather' fletchings (either natural or artificial) that compress as they pass the handle of the bow, so they fly true. Hard (plastic or other) fletchings will bounce off the handle and make the arrow wobble in flight -- meant for compound bows.
I might get me a bow later on, but it will be a fiberglass bow and nice arrows. I would love to get a Bean Pearson bow since I know how they are made and I worked for their company in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for a week and learned so much before being called back to my regular job at the time.
I make PVC bows but instead of using chute cord, I core the chute cord and make a Flemish twist using the inner threads, it works a lot better than the cord as a whole
You can up the draw by simply putting a smaller diameter pipe inside the other, this does make it a little harder to manufacture, due to you having to hear both pipes, but it can make a bow with some serious draw.
good or bad these bows will help get you into archery, if you settle for the pvc bow u probly wont survive but will have a blast trying it! afterall its how i started!
if you never get cold temps, then make these til your fingers bleed lol. they are a fast down and dirty bow that works easy to make, and PVC is easy enough to find. but don't expect more than one or two shots off it if the temp drops.
After thinking about this, I'm thinking that there are a lot of advantages. Moisture is not a problem. In fact you could bury or stow this bow at the bottom of a lake, come back in 10 years and it's be good to go. This is very interesting.
So you make your own arrows from dowels? Hard to find straight ones but to make pictures arrowheads and fleshing to personalize your shafts is a great hobby too
Ok look if I’m surviving on an island for 5 years Oliver queen style with a pvc bow with different settings than allowed does it look like I give a damn about the law?
I'm not an archer yet but want to make one of these. I think the comments about being surprised the bow is so light compared to commercial bows is interesting because I wouldn't expect commercial bows to be heavy.
As a beginner i'll be looking for something half that price, say 100 bucks. I need to know I can do this and do it well before I buy anything more expensive. I'm right handed, but only sighted in my left eye. I do shoot a mean game of billiards and darts having been on leagues for both sports for years so I don't have a depth perception problem. I don't know yet if I will need a left or right handed bow but I shoot a rifle with my right hand sighting through the scope with my left eye. If you can make sense of that perhaps you can give me a recommendation. Thanks.
Trying them at Cabela's is a great tip.. I hope I can find one in my area. If I cannot, perhaps I'll still need to make the PVC bow just to find out if i'm right handed or left. Just found out my calculated draw length is 60 inches and therefore I should use a 62 inch bow. I'm following the steps here for info: www.learn-archery.com/proper-bow-size.html - These guys claim the charts the stores use and often wrong so it's best to determine these values manually. Hope I'm following the correct advice. LOL Thanks.
Across the pond, it’s illegal to hunt with any bow, that said I’d definitely want to make one, practice on some small game targets and refine my archery a bit because I haven’t done it in a while and I’m a fair bit rusty
Paracord is only slightly better than a shoe string for a bow. If you can't get an actual Flemish string I would recommend something like Amsteel blue or Dynaglide. It is an ultra low stretch hollow braided line that can be spliced into itself for knot-less loops. Knots are the weakest point in any line, and almost certainly the primary point of failure.
A good target is a paper bag stuffed with plastic. Or dog food bags, tarps stuck w duct tape. I've collected shopping bags and stuffed a lot of things for shooting at. Cereal n cracker boxes are good for small game sized targets. 3 pizza boxes will stop a 45# recurve with 1 filled with cereal boxes!
When arrows impact the target at varying angles, it usually means that the spine weight is too light. Spine weight is basically the stiffness of the shaft, and best results are achieved when it matches or nearly matches the bow's draw weight. I routinely shoot arrows with a spine weight 10# heavier than my bow's draw. Safety is one reason. More choices for tips and tip weight is another. Heavier spine arrows aren't bad. They just fly a bit slower than a matched arrow. Too light can be a problem. Accuracy is one. Broken arrows is another. Too light a shaft can shatter on impact, or on release before leaving the bow (not good), or as mentioned affect accuracy. Naturally, this isn't the only reason for angled impact, but it's the most common reason.
In getting someone back into archery u should first instruct in proper shooting techniques. Stance, pull, anchor point, 2 name a few. All of which lead 2 a much more pleasant experience 4 the beginner
$7 per bow means I can form my own bowman's militia. We will fight in the shade...because our arrows will block out the sun!
lol .. I like your thinking ...
let's conquer Asia ?
then we will fight in the shade
ATACK RUSSIA!
+superteum superteum no attack mexico or Canada they are closer
You know when you walk in the woods during deer season without your bow or gun , then a buck shows up. Well I went squirrel hunting with my 35 pound self bow. A doe came in at 15 yards. I came home with groceries. Pass through, with a small flint bird point. A light bow at short range ,can be deadlier than a heavier bow at 40 yards. Especially with primitive or traditional bows. Shot placement is usually easier at 10 to 20 yards, and shot placement is key in archery.
As someone who grew up playing with my dad's spare pvc pipes, I had no problem believing that a pvc bow could perform very well. Pvc is a wonder material. Just don't let it sit in the sun.
Or the extreme cold
Don't let your laminated recurve bow sit in the sun either.
🌹
I make my own pvc bows and love them. Fun to make and shoot. The process teaches you how bows work. My favorites are 4 years old and haven’t lost any poundage.
I live in Alberta Canada and I left a 45lb one strung and outside all winter tor a test. shot it at all different temp ranges down to -30 and never broke or collapsed and preformed same. I am really impressed as is most people I show my bows to how well they will perform. Note the white PVC I have found to be better than the grey in speed
That's amazing. I would have thought it would get brittle and break in those low temps.
Backyard bowyer has a great channel! good vid
Canadian Prepper
Cool boow
That kid is brilliant!!!
kikal videos
Fvvbh
You can't do a "Are PVC bows any good?" video on UA-cam without mentioning Backyard Bowyer.
Bro, yes! He made a war bow with furniture pvc! Amazing!
when you have to survive there is no legal or not legal .
questionable logic, but ok
'Doctrine of competing harms' also called by other names is pretty much common law ... Basically in any situation in which following a law will lead to more harm than not, that law can be considered null and void. Furthermore the 2nd amendment of the constitution trumps any state/local "laws" that directly contradict it. This is what is called the supremacy clause.
There is, however, viable for killing game and not viable...
35lbs is worthless for hunting anything other than small game. If one hits anything other than soft tissue, the arrow will not penetrate. Especially with a traditional style (read "Especially slow-shooting") bow. There is good reason behind minimum draw weight laws.
What's the point of surviving if you lose your humanity ? When will you people understand that ?
There is no humanity if we don't survive.
easy-to-use, easy to make, light weight, disposable, cheap, deadly, perfect.
I became a bow nerd overnight
Lmao same
Hhahaha..
Same..
these things are actually really amazing. last season my buddy managed to take down a deer with one that he made. and that got me in the garage experimenting with making my own.
15:10 The AC fanboy inside me just screamed in joy. I need one of these things lol. If nothing else, just for fun.
You can build then in a day and at varying weights, I have one that shoots 75lbs and is amazing to shoot ,I got mine from backyard Bowyer, well worth the cost
Just built my first pvc longbow. Came out great! Definitely going to build another one.
Fer way can you pls list out each nd Everything you did?
I did too a few weeks ago. I've broken some wooden bow and while waiting my staves to cure to make more, I thought to give pvc a try. I made it too strong and hurt my arm using it. All done according to the backyardbowyer guide. Best if you get his book on pvc bows for better understanding.
Fer way i made mine 2 months ago ,it works so good !!
Make a video.
@@syedarishahmed4321 I want the bow also . How can buy .
Pvc bows. Yes. They'll last reasonably long in a survival situation but they shouldn't replace learning to build your own from raw materials because eventually your pvc bow is gonna break.
I have been an archer since I was 7 yo and been on a fixed income almost as long I made my first pvc long bow last week and I love it and what y'all say is completely true mine draws at least 45 and is highly accurate
I have made dozens of pvc bows. The easiest to make and most powerful is made of 3/4" schedule 40 pvc, not heat-formed. It is 52" long with three 48" survey rods and a string I made of dacron and stren fishing line. It is 60 lb at 29" draw. It is probably hunt legal, but I kill cans rather than critters. I find it accurate at 25 yards (length of my backyard), however I have a commercial fiberglass compound bow at 45 lb draw which is much faster. PVC with fiberglass rods is cheap and good but not like the pricey high tech stuff.
While there are more simplistic bows, that one looks amazing. A lot of work went into that. Props to the person who made it. Amazing craftsmanship no doubt
The great thing about the take-down bow is, Kids would really enjoy learning on it. Plus, it is easy for them to carry through the woods!
Just made a $5 recurve bow from 3/4” PVC. It draws right around 45lbs @27”. Nice, smooth, and gets the job done up to 80yards so far. Can’t believe how durable a small piece of PVC is
Might be good for a 65 yr old beginner like myself..
CHILEDOUG KIZERIAN you are never to old to begin
I think i'm too young
Um usuário qualquer your never too young if you are interested go get a weaker bow and find a group for your age there plenty of them or make your dad train with you in the backyard
cookiesw thank you man, i'll try
Good
Interesting concept. I have a 43 foot fiberglass sectional ham radio antenna. Super whippy at the topmost, smallest diameter tubing. I needed to install a 1/2 inch diameter, 6 foot solid fiberglass rod inside the tubing firming it up. The same fiberglass rod (shellacked, even by itself ...) could be put into the smallest of a 1/2 inch diameter PVC (or these fiberglass) tubes, and you would definitely have a 40+ (!) pound pull (probably 80+!).
You could make a medium (4 foot, very hard pull) or a long PVC bow (6 foot easier hard pull) out of these, and have some dynamic kick ass hunting!
+John Lord
John, I've been working with PVC bows for several years now, using Nick Tomihama's methods for making the bows. One thing that I've learned is that "heavy" is not the same as "fast" when it comes to making bow. Yes, I can make a PVC bow that pulls 50 pounds or more. I could add fiberglass to the inside and beef that up to 70 or 80 pounds of draw. But, and this is the important part, the arrows would actually fly more slowly out of the heavier bows than they would out of my lightest bow. Why? Because the point of the bow is to be an efficient spring, not a heavy spring.
So, what I've decided to do is maximize the efficiency of 3/4" Schedule 40 pipe, and abandon the use of 1" pipe completely, and never, ever put any extra weight in or on the bow anywhere near the midpoint of the limb or farther out. All this will do is make it harder to pull, and actually worsen the efficiency of the bow.
A properly made, 45# 3/4" schedule 40 PVC bow will throw a 10 grain per pound arrow at over 150 feet per second. I have one of those sitting next to me right this second. No fiberglass or foam filler, no special backing, no reinforced pipe. Just properly bent and shaped PVC tubing.
I've heard that some people have gotten their PVC bows up to almost 200 feet per second, by using lightweight wooden siyahs, as wood is lighter than PVC when properly used. I'm happy with what I have, and have been able to hit a 4" target consistently with field points from 15 to 30 yards away, which is all anyone needs to be able to do to hunt in the area where I live. With the amount of kinetic energy these things have, a broadhead would be able to go right through pretty much any prey animal that I'm likely to shoot at, including a deer. Most certainly anything smaller than a deer.
John Lord + And belt sand them to limb shape, making them more efficient and to adjust the tiller and draw weight.
I'd love to see how you painted this "wooden" bow. It looks great.
Oh man, I've been a subscriber for quite awhile now and I have really wanted someone to answer this exact question. I too had my doubts. I have quite a few videos on how to make a PVC Bow, but have never gotten around to actually making one to test it out. I am totally stoked that you took the time to check them out and do a review...totally awesome. And by the way...that PVC Bow that you have...OMG...I so WANT one!!! That looks sooo sweet!!! Thanks again, bro.
I have an idea for you. Old Laminate or fiberglass Cross-country skis is great for making bows. :-) The center is already beautifully marked by their tip, which helps simetric marking second tip - (Arms of bow), then just grind it to the desired shape and perform the tileration. You could make a video about it...?! Greetings from the Czech Republic and good luck...
You should try shooting it when it's cold outside
My understanding is these aren't good for cold. You need another type of pipe. The guy that made these talked about it here in the comments section. I might see about him making me a "cold weather" bow.
+PREPAREDMIND101 REVIEW THE SAS BOW $199
I've shot my schedule 40 bow in 30 deg weather hunting rabbits (wearing a safety shield and a welding coat) it didn't break but it wasn't as smooth shooting tho. Jmo
Ookami Kage finally someone that knows what I'm talking about lol
greyghost1101 you got lucky. I shot multiple bows made of pvcin that weather and all broke or failed. I tested multiple designs. only thing I couldn't test was with pipe that tolerates cold, as it's not available to me.
Will is not getting the grasp of instinctive archery if he thinks that you just bring the bow up and release without aiming. And then he goes "oh yeah now it shoots better" when he takes a second to aim and come to an anchor point. What a coincidence.
On another note, great video as always, I enjoy seeing all these cool things you try out in the woods. It's all about having fun anyways. I'm not really trying to bash Will too bad, just making a point for anyone else who could be reading this
Just the way they used the biceps to string the bow and the grip of the bow hand shows that they are no experts on the subject of archery. If your form and technique aren't perfect, how can you tell if it´s the bow, or you as an archer, who is shooting badly?
@@kimolsson9386 ALSO MENTIONING THE WAY THEY GRAB AND NOCK THE ARROW...
Im new to archery can you explain what they did wrong please?@@lordgangrelagarwaen6982
This, like all PVC bow reviews I have seen, does't give me useful information. I can make a 60lb draw bow out of a green stick, but it will shoot like a dog. The 35 and 40 lb hunting rules are based on arrow speed/penetration with efficient design fiberglass flatbows-- the predominant commercial hunting bows at the time of the legislation. What I need to know from these PVC things is chono arrow speed plus arrow weight for a bow of a given draw weight. Acceptable chono speed (which I have seen on videos) doesn't mean squat if the arrow is a light aluminum target arrow. You have to know both speed and weight. Heck, even a side by side penetration test with a known 40lb draw weight fiberglass laminate recurve vs a pvc bow would be useful info.
Check out the BackyardBowyer - I know h did chrono tests with some of his PVC bows. He's the main PVC bow guy, if there's anything to know about PVC bows or even just archery - he probably has a video on it. He is also pretty cool and will often reply to questions from the comments. Good luck.
getting all big brained about a piece of plastic and a string is missing the point.
@squatchdad52 Nothing wrong with having knowledge about the properties of a bow, even the most simple of old world designs have trackable arrow speed characteristics. I get that there is a nostalgia in using simple and and intuitive technology without all the technical calculations used with modern weaponry, but having a few figures beforehand doesn't hurt.
I had a pvc bow a while back and we did have fiber glass arrows at the time and found that for our particular bow the arrows seemed just too heavy so we ended up making lighter arrows out of bamboo of course our bows were nothing fancy as we made them ourselves everything was hand made from the bow to the arrows and fletchings. But the bamboo arrows did absolutely amazing. Don't know if that helps?
Posting at beggining maybe not a good survival bow but definitely fun as hell. But some people can make some beastly ass shit. Thanks for the video. Good stuff.
You forgot to mention the standard pvc pipes you get in America are very different to the ones we get in the UK. I found only one company that imports them and they're the equivalent of $30 per meter.
Caleb Able maybe he didn't know
I made quite a few a couple years ago and they worked great, lasted 1-2 yrs as long as you didn't leave strung up and don't leave in sun it degrades pvc (1/2 +-18 lbs ,3/4+-40 lbs 1"+- 50+ lbs)
The only problems I uave found with them is to not leave one in your car.. Check out the books by the backyard bower.. He goes into great detail on everything from building the pvc bows to making arrows from dowel rods and even how to make fletching jigs.
It's surprising how powerful the PVC bows are. I've always wanted to make one. Thanks for the tests!
I thought that this was going to be an instructional video on making a bow. I kept waiting for the build portion of the video that never happened.
I've made several pvc bows but the fact is that for under $50 you can buy ready-made either recurve or compound (I like the Barnett Banshee a lot) bow kits and save the time for growing food.
You mean to tell me
That when you fully draw a bow and focus on your shot
*You get better results??*
Chris Hanline who’d have thought it right? Wow.
@@joeltbasham It's a complicated world out there.
Hahaha
Thats the problem with "instinct" technique is sometimes your instinct is crap
I've made PVC bows and have videos about that. I'm now using a Barnett Banshee and Samick Sage. Both are 30 lb. A Banshee kit can often be had for less than $50. It shoots fast. I think the Samick Sage (takedown) is the best in it's price class.
You like the safe bow more than the pvc?
@@chrismackay8314 The Sage is much better. I would be fine with 25lb limbs for what I do. I live in San Francisco, so I think it's a good home defense weapon for this location. No regulation, built-in silencer :)
@@tangobayus curious what is your backup if you miss :)
@@chrismackay8314 At belly gun range, I won't miss :) Or use the bow like a club. Or a big knife.
Got a PVC bow that pulls 65lbs. Reinforced core and limbs. PVC bows have come a LONG way in the years between this video and today.
Highly recommend BackyardBowyer here on UA-cam, one if the PVC bow pioneers.
Pretty neat, pretty neat. I used to make bows out of lumber (maple, birch) and osage orange. This is the first time I seen these demonstrated. I like a lot of your reviews also.
That's really awesome! I gotta make some now. I'm a custom knife maker and blacksmith so this will be something new to add to my ability. Thanks for the video I really enjoyed watching it.
backyardbower made a 50lb bow. some people even reinforce the bow with the fiberglass rods used for driveways to make them stronger. im currently getting all my materials and tools together to make my own
forgot to add that I really like your bow design. It looks like Backyard Boyer's design with wood seyahs. I may make one with fiberglass rods, which should add speed. Thanks for your vid.
Anchor points always helped me be more consistent,I used to snap shoot a lot because of running game,but it was never consistent.nice video.
You have to think too: You're not going to hunt with field tips on your arrows. So I believe the power of these bows would be plenty for small game at short distances. so the fact they bounce off that target bag isn't much of an issue for me. I'm definitely interested in making/buying one of these.
I made one at 58 inches and is a 64 pound paracord string and flys at 338 feet per second with a force of over 150 foot pounds at 50 yards. That could kill an elephant. Made it for 15 dollars total with paint and string the handle.
Dude in the camo shorts listens to rush and probably loves dark horse comics.
Definitely
Nothing wrong with either of those
I used a cheap no-knock recurve when I was a teen, made homemade arrows out of wat we called water weeds. They’re straight weeds that are hollow and look like tiny bamboo. Anyways my point is my left thump knuckle is all scarred up from the lil bumps ripping into my natural thumb knock. So clean ur arrows good if your planning on do this.
I got the Wrascal 55 from Battlebox. Just got started with instinctive shooting. I love it. It isn't easy. I'm not nailing bullseyes every other shot or anything. (It's been roughly 3 weeks since I started shooting. Lol.) But anything worth a damn in this world takes work.
Fantastic video ! Everyone should own one or more of these great economy bows for bugout / food etc
The 550 cord reduces the harmonic wear from the return because it flexes. A static line will rock the PVC.
I have a PVC long bow that pulls 80lbs at 31" I told some friends/archers about it and they laughed at the idea, next time I saw them I brought it and none of them could draw it back more than 8".
@Hunt And Fish Norfolk it's full of fibreglass too
Well if you’re using the 35 lb. draw bow for legitimate survival in Ohio during a SHTF event I wouldn’t worry about the legality of it.
All the American Indians
(First Nation) had was bows about 35 - 40
pound pull bows according to bow makers. Worked for them.
@@psalmsoftheheartministries7103 im sure if they could have had better bows they would have...but ya they got bye no doubt
40lbs is all you need for most hunting needs. You dont need to be able to take down an elk from 100 yards but kore realistically a grouse or rabbit from about 50 feet
I made a recurve bow out of 1 inch schedule 40 PVC pipe it shoots just over 60 pounds and I'd be willing to hunt anything in Texas with it
The BackyardBowyer on his Chanel has made some good pvc bows from 30lb - 80lb as well as pvc crossbows. Been watching his channel for 6-7 years now. He does blacksmithing and all sorts of things. Pvc makes great working bows
I like the PVC bows and will be trying to make a few myself just to use for teaching the kids.. I am especially interested in the horse bow, possibly using some fiberglass rods in it for a bit more power. Looks good.
Overall I liked your video, and I will be checking out some of your other vids as well.
As a Level 1 Archery Instructor, I do have one comment about something that was mentioned about the arrows hitting the target straight. Arrows flex in flight as soon as they leave the bow. The flex continues downrange alternating back and forth to a degree. The reason an arrow would keyhole, or or land skewed is that it is at a range that the arrow is in a state of flex one direction or another. Having heavier than needed arrows would negate some of the flex, but the laws of physics will apply anyway. Watch one of the episodes on Mythbusters, when they do a slow motion of an arrow leaving a bow and you will see what I am describing.
A pipe, tape, fiberglass marker rods and cord is all you need. Fiberglass core. Long bow. Less cool but better longevity and no heat required. And quick to put together.
These are really fun, and inexpensive to make. As to the look... that horse bow looks really slick...
Use the pinch technique & hold the bow in the middle of the hand grip.
These are good IF you use it only in warm weather. When it gets cold the PVC does not return nearly as fast. Something to consider when deciding to make one of these. Make sure you know it's not a winter capable bow.
this should be taken into consideration when making anything out of PVC for survival, like knife sheaths. if you can expect it to be dropped, or take any kind of sharp impact it might not be viable in cold weather.
There is a youtuber that makes them with fibreglass inserts to give it extra Oomph! Now that type really seems worth your while making I also think it's easier as no heating (i.e no molding) it up is required.
Joe's shooting really sells it! I'm in the same place as him, practice wise.
PVC bows are great if they are well made, have only one defect in winter with pvc often break ... I have my experience with it. But it can be solved by some flexible reinforcement - (core). Nice video.
Also one more experience with pvc bows, losing flexibility in high temperatures ... Just nothing for extreme weather.
These bows are visibly made great.
How reliable are they in freezing and scorching temperatures? Would you consider a followup video covering winter and summer (extreme) temperatures?
Nic Tomihama's "Simple PVC Pipe Bows" (and ALL his other books) = best (cheap!) money you can spend to get excellent info on how to build top-notch PVC bows. His vids are great too -- shows you how to mold the hot PVC, various tools and methods... I've built several PVC recurves that I hunt big game with and hit with great accuracy out to 50 yards, all day long. Learn the art! Make sure you use brand new PVC, as it breaks down and gets brittle over time -- especially if exposed to sunlight / weather. Whack it with a hammer first at one end, if you're not sure -- if it shatters, don't use it. It's so cheap, you can make ten bows for the cost of one mainstream manufactured bow. Once you've made your bow, PAINT it -- a couple coats -- will protect the PVC from UV damage when you take it outside. Also -- for those who don't know, like I didn't -- this is 'traditional' archery, so use fletched arrows -- 'feather' fletchings (either natural or artificial) that compress as they pass the handle of the bow, so they fly true. Hard (plastic or other) fletchings will bounce off the handle and make the arrow wobble in flight -- meant for compound bows.
I might get me a bow later on, but it will be a fiberglass bow and nice arrows. I would love to get a Bean Pearson bow since I know how they are made and I worked for their company in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for a week and learned so much before being called back to my regular job at the time.
great info overall
......6;50- i felt like those arrows are approaching towards me!!
Very interesting! I didn't know about these, but now they are on my radar. Which of the two was your favorite?
That's tough. I like shooting them both. But the takedown is VERY packable.
I make PVC bows but instead of using chute cord, I core the chute cord and make a Flemish twist using the inner threads, it works a lot better than the cord as a whole
You can up the draw by simply putting a smaller diameter pipe inside the other, this does make it a little harder to manufacture, due to you having to hear both pipes, but it can make a bow with some serious draw.
I've made a 5-1/2 ft pvc bow with 50lbs draw weight and I do hunt with it lol
Davon Corrie Does it still shoot the same in cold weather
@@tooterplumber1128 Lol, PVC bows will fucking explode in cold weather.
@@mr.techaky7655 that isn't true I shot mine in the winter before while it was cold and nothing happened it shot like it usually does
@@victoriatrevino1833 Hmmm.... Must've been made out of schedule 40 then.... Cause all the PVC I've seen is stupid brittle in winter.
@@mr.techaky7655 if you pay attention to the video, schedule 40 is exactly what they say to use...
I think the skill to make one is a very important skill to aquire, more than the bow itself.
use fibeglass rod driveway markers.stuff as many as you can fit inside before you heat and crimp the ends. it will give you way more pull poundage
good or bad these bows will help get you into archery, if you settle for the pvc bow u probly wont survive but will have a blast trying it! afterall its how i started!
if you never get cold temps, then make these til your fingers bleed lol. they are a fast down and dirty bow that works easy to make, and PVC is easy enough to find. but don't expect more than one or two shots off it if the temp drops.
After thinking about this, I'm thinking that there are a lot of advantages. Moisture is not a problem. In fact you could bury or stow this bow at the bottom of a lake, come back in 10 years and it's be good to go. This is very interesting.
9:00 hunting tip would have been a kill on that bag versus small game..nicely done video. Thumbs up
Damn I need to get the bow out! Haven't had it out once this year. Sucks being busy all the time.
Pretty cool. Impressed with the power.
So you make your own arrows from dowels? Hard to find straight ones but to make pictures arrowheads and fleshing to personalize your shafts is a great hobby too
Pvc not pictures
Ok look if I’m surviving on an island for 5 years Oliver queen style with a pvc bow with different settings than allowed does it look like I give a damn about the law?
I'm not an archer yet but want to make one of these. I think the comments about being surprised the bow is so light compared to commercial bows is interesting because I wouldn't expect commercial bows to be heavy.
As a beginner i'll be looking for something half that price, say 100 bucks. I need to know I can do this and do it well before I buy anything more expensive. I'm right handed, but only sighted in my left eye. I do shoot a mean game of billiards and darts having been on leagues for both sports for years so I don't have a depth perception problem. I don't know yet if I will need a left or right handed bow but I shoot a rifle with my right hand sighting through the scope with my left eye. If you can make sense of that perhaps you can give me a recommendation. Thanks.
Trying them at Cabela's is a great tip.. I hope I can find one in my area. If I cannot, perhaps I'll still need to make the PVC bow just to find out if i'm right handed or left. Just found out my calculated draw length is 60 inches and therefore I should use a 62 inch bow. I'm following the steps here for info: www.learn-archery.com/proper-bow-size.html - These guys claim the charts the stores use and often wrong so it's best to determine these values manually. Hope I'm following the correct advice. LOL Thanks.
I use a nerf football from the dump. Great lil rabbit target.
Man, that pvc bow is a Beaut. Thanks for sharing.
Your holding the bow upside down in the thumbnail
Across the pond, it’s illegal to hunt with any bow, that said I’d definitely want to make one, practice on some small game targets and refine my archery a bit because I haven’t done it in a while and I’m a fair bit rusty
Paracord is only slightly better than a shoe string for a bow. If you can't get an actual Flemish string I would recommend something like Amsteel blue or Dynaglide. It is an ultra low stretch hollow braided line that can be spliced into itself for knot-less loops. Knots are the weakest point in any line, and almost certainly the primary point of failure.
I've made a few PVC bows. They would just fine in a survival situation.
Horse bow is different than your Longbow. You do not sight down the bow but pull the arrow to the ear and sight at the target and release
A good target is a paper bag stuffed with plastic. Or dog food bags, tarps stuck w duct tape. I've collected shopping bags and stuffed a lot of things for shooting at. Cereal n cracker boxes are good for small game sized targets. 3 pizza boxes will stop a 45# recurve with 1 filled with cereal boxes!
When arrows impact the target at varying angles, it usually means that the spine weight is too light. Spine weight is basically the stiffness of the shaft, and best results are achieved when it matches or nearly matches the bow's draw weight. I routinely shoot arrows with a spine weight 10# heavier than my bow's draw. Safety is one reason. More choices for tips and tip weight is another. Heavier spine arrows aren't bad. They just fly a bit slower than a matched arrow.
Too light can be a problem. Accuracy is one. Broken arrows is another. Too light a shaft can shatter on impact, or on release before leaving the bow (not good), or as mentioned affect accuracy.
Naturally, this isn't the only reason for angled impact, but it's the most common reason.
Sometimes too heavy a spine kicks the back up.
look up this guy on UA-cam Backyardbowyer He's legit! Semper Fi!
and once the temp. goes bellow freezing... your PVC bow is done...
3 pc arrow??? amazon...
don´t deliver to some countries...
Good info I didn't know this
archers paradox gentlemen, archers paradox. I learned about this in boyscouts in the '80s shooting off knuckle...
One of the nice things about the pvc bows is that if you do need to you can stick a bear weather rest on them with no problem.
You can make a pvc bow and ajust the poundage by adding more fiberglass
In getting someone back into archery u should first instruct in proper shooting techniques. Stance, pull, anchor point, 2 name a few. All of which lead 2 a much more pleasant experience 4 the beginner
Impressive stuff! I do have a couple of factory made bows but this looks like a lot of fun :)
- Martin
Definitely paint the bow. I'd use acrylic. It's uv resistant.
You could try to use fiberglass road markers to increase the draw weight
I'm scared of having a Tom & Jerry's funny ending, a Tom's eye funny ending specially 🤣
no big brained snobbery, you earned a sub.