The Survival Bow Defined

 

What are we talking about when we say “survival bow”? A survival bow is, as the name suggests, a bow that is designed and used in survival situations. Whether this is being far from civilization deep in the wilderness, or perhaps you are in a city somewhere but unfortunately, civilization has collapsed and it’s the end of the world. Having the means to hunt and or protect oneself in certain situations could mean the difference between life and death. But why a bow? Guns exist. Yes, however, the simplicity and reliability of a bow are what make it truly desirable in survival situations, even compared to firearms. In this article, we’ll take a look at survival bows of various sorts, and present the reader with some resources for learning to construct a simple survival bow. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

 

 

Why a Survival Bow?

 

Archery has been used as a means of survival since the very early days of humanity. The exact time period when archery first immerged has been lost to us through time. Although many archeological finds show us it may have well developed in the late middle stone ages approximately 70,000 years ago. Read our article on the history of archery for more on archery’s past. When you use a bow and arrow you are continuing a tradition that goes way back. It has worked very well for tens of thousands of years, and still shows no signs of letting up.

There are several reasons that firearms are superior to the good old fashion bow and arrow, yet there are some aspects of a bow and some situations where archery could be more reliable than firearms. First, let us look at some of the reasons why firearms may be superior, and why they have replaced bows to some extent. Then let us examine some reasons as to why a survival bow would be preferred.

 

 

Pros of Firearms (as compared to bows):

 

We know that the introduction of firearms was a game-changer. Being invented and first used in China in the mid-1200s, firearms would go through a steady evolution before they were reliable and effective enough to truly replace archery. It was during the 19th and 20th centuries that development really accelerated and guns would leave the bow and arrow far behind in future hunts and battles. However, even in the late 1500s, the effectiveness of firearms was noticeable, as many successful battles had seen firearms as their essential component.

The samurai and feudal lord Asano Yoshinaga (浅野 幸長, 1576 – October 9, 1613) in a letter to his father about battle preparations remarked:

“Have them bring as many guns as possible, for no other equipment is needed. Give strict orders that all men, even the samurai, carry guns.”

 

 

Some of the main advantages of modern firearms as compared to archery:

 

• Longer effective range

  While the English longbow has a range of 200 yards, a reliable musket can exceed 600 yards. Modern sniper rifles can exceed 1000 meters in effective range!

 

• Energy delivery

  Both firearms and bows are essentially energy delivery systems. The bow transfers the energy stored in it’s limbs to the arrow. A firearm transfers chemical (burning of gunpowder) energy into the kinetic energy of the bullet. A standard longbow of about 100 pounds could impart approximately 100 joules to a standard arrow. An average 16th-century musket, on the other hand, releases projectiles at over 1000 joules! This was one of the reasons why the medieval knight in his shining armor, would no longer dominate the field of battle in the future.

 

• Rate of fire

  It would take several centuries before firearms were able to match then far exceed the rate of fire of bows. The French physician and traveler François Bernier remarked that at the Mughal battle of Battle of Samugarh in 1658, mounted archers were “shooting six times before a musketeer can fire twice”. The Hungarian mounted archer Lajos Kassai can deliver accurate shots at a rate of about 12 arrows in 17 seconds. However, with the advent of fully automatic weapons, even expert archers seem slow. The famed Kalashnikov (AK-47) delivers its rounds at a rate of 600 per minute, or 10 every second.

 

• Ease of training

  It is reasonable to say that the time required to be a decent shot with a bow, especially a traditional one, can be much greater than the time required to become a good shot with most modern firearms. In ancient and medieval times, archers were trained from early childhood. This was in order to give the archer time to develop their skills and muscles.

 

 

Pros of Archery (compared to firearms)

 

Now, some of the reasons mentioned above for why firearms are superior to bows may seem fairly obvious. The reasons for archery’s superiority may be more nuanced. Remember however that we are talking about survival situations. The poo poo has hit the fan fan. You are on your own. Things are going to get messy. In these situations, archery could be more reliable than firearms. Let’s take a look at some reasons why.

 

• Ease of production 

  That’s right. You can make your own bows and arrows. Modern firearms require expensive and precise machine tools to make. Not the case with bows and arrows. A huge pro of archery over firearms is the ability for the average person to make them with easy-to-find materials and tools. This, in the author’s opinion, is a massive benefit over firearms in dire situations. What if your gun has a serious malfunctions or breaks? You likely won’t be able to build a new one. This is not the case with bows and arrows.

 

• Production of ammunition

  This ties into the first point but more specifically on the arrow side of things. Assume you had a magical gun that would never malfunction or break. It still needs ammo. But the world has gone to shit so where are you going to get it? Even if you have a huge stockpile, the gunpowder does not stay good forever. So there you are, a survivalist with the best gun in the world, and nothing to shoot out of it. Sad. The skill of making arrows on the other hand can be acquired, and the raw materials for their construction are abundant in most regions of the world.

 

• Ease of maintenance

  . This ties into reliability overall. If something is easy to maintain in good working order then it is potentially more reliable than something requiring special materials, skills, and time to maintain. This is indeed the case with bows and arrows over firearms. The knowledgeable and responsible firearm owners must disassemble and clean their firearms, especially after frequent use. Specialized tools and oils are required for proper firearm maintenance.

 

 

Summary of Firearms Vs Archery

 

As we have hopefully clearly demonstrated by the above comparisons, archery does indeed have some advantages in a survival SHTF situation. You can make the bows and arrows on your own with simple tools and the bows and arrows require little to no maintenance. Now that we have sold you on the potential benefits of archery over firearms in certain disastrous circumstances, let us take a closer look as some options available for the diligent survivalist when it comes to a survival bow.

 

 

What to Look for in a Survival Bow

 

As we have eluded to in the above sections, a survival bow should have some characteristics that make it ideal for survival and end-of-the-world situations. We will summarize those characteristics here, then the fun part. We’ll take a look at what is available on the market.

 

• Simplicity. Your survival bow should be a simple device (as most bows are). Compound bows are good, yet they are made with modern machine tools and have more moving specialized parts than a simple self-bow (a bow made from a single stave of wood). Ideally, it would be recommended that the survivalist take the time to learn the skills required to build simple self-bows and arrows entirely on their own.

 

• Reliability/Ease of Maintenance. Your survival bow should be durable, reliable, and easy to maintain. In a world gone to poop, this is extremely important. Remember, you will be on your own more or less, and having a reliable long-range weapon that does not jam, malfunction, break down and/or become inoperable could save your life.

 

• Compact and Portable. You may be required to travel and/or relocate at a moment’s notice if things get dicey enough. Ensuring your survival bow is relatively short and compact, or perhaps designed in a way that it can be quickly and easily disassembled for transport is also something you, the survivalist should take into consideration.

 

With the above-mentioned considerations let us remark on a glorious quest to find some hardware that meets some, if not all of these qualities.

1. Simplicity
2. Reliability/Ease of Maintenance
3. Compact and Portable

 

Survival Takedown Bow

 

What does takedown mean in archery? A survival takedown bow is as the name implies, a bow that can be “taken down” or disassembled. This disassembly typically occurs where the limbs of the bow meet the riser, or the center, handle/grip section of the bow. This results in three separate pieces, the two limbs, and the handle or grip. Many modern recurves and all Olympic-style recurves are designed this way to enable the archer to interchange various limbs to alter the draw weight of the bow.

Some designs have a feature whereby the bow is only two pieces, the limbs and half of the handle/grip. They are joined at the handle and you are in business.

The takedown bow design definitely ensures compactness and portability when disassembled.

However, because of the assembly of multiple components and in some cases the tools required to assemble/disassemble them they are not as simple as self bows.

In terms of maintenance, they are relatively hassle-free, yet once again, not as hassle-free as a good old-fashioned simple self bow.

There are some decent options available on amazon.com such as this decent 60-inch takedown bow by Deerseeker. Click on the image for the link!

 

 

Bear archery also makes some well-built takedowns and hunting bows. Check out their traditional bow section here: https://www.beararchery.com/collections/traditional-bows

 

Jackal archery makes a lovely Turkish-style bow that is taken down at the handle, without any tools or hardware. Contact info@archeryhistorian.com for these as they are a special, made-to-order product. It is great for simplicity, and compactness as well as low maintenance and reliability. In fact, the takedown Turkish by Jackal checks all of the boxes.

 

 

 

Folding Survival Bow

 

Back in 2014, the SAS or Survival Archery Systems came out with a unique folding limb design for a survival bow. The bow weighs in at only 2.2lbs (1kg) and measuring just 21″ (537mm) when the limbs are folded.

Check out their website here: https://www.survivalarcherysystems.com/

 

 

 

Best Survival Bow

 

When trying to find the best survival bow for your needs and budget, remember to look for something that is:

1. Simple
2. Reliable/Easy to maintain
3. Compact and Portable

 

For the fantastic build quality and exception price point of around 200 dollars USD, the SAS survival bow is a great option.

 

SAS Tactical Survival Bow

 

Check out some videos and see the SAS Tactical Survival Bow in action below!

 

 

Atmos Survival Bow

 

The new addition to the SAS line of survival bows is the Atmos takedown longbow. Durable and made in the USA. Check out some of the specs and video reviews below!

 

 

 

 

Bow Making Course

 

A true survivalist values one thing above all else, and that is SKILLS. Skills and competency in the ability to do certain things that ensure survival are what make a true survivalist and set them apart from the dabbler. While being prepared with the correct utensils is very much encouraged, having the skills to manufacture the utensils of survival will give the survivalist that much more of an edge in hard times.

 

 

That is why we encourage the survivalist to consider learning the art and science of bow and/or arrow making. These are important skills in survival situations and they are a great skill to have in general. You may even enjoy the process and do it for fun! It is said there is nothing quite like shooting a bow that you yourself have made from scratch.

We would suggest you check out some of the courses below!

 

The Push Archery Center of Knowledge or P.A.C.K. offers an expanding line-up of courses all related to archery. In particular the Master Bowyer course:

https://thepusharchery.teachable.com/p/master-bowyer-course

All of the courses are online so you can do them from the comfort of your home on your own time at your own pace.

 

MeadLongbows also offers online courses in bowmaking for a very affordable price. Check it out you might learn something! https://www.meadlongbows.com

 

If you are more of the hands-on, in-person type there are plenty of courses offered in various locations throughout the world.

If you are in the Nebraska area check out the extensive course offered by organicarchery.com:

https://www.organicarchery.com/workshops