Does anybody know how far a killing shot can be made with a spear.For the sake of argument we can pretend I can throw a spear average well.

I think you'll find on dangerous animals it is thrust not thrown.

Like any weapon, one's own range of acuratcy should be their limit.

There are no dangerous animals in my area. Even the black bears won't attack unless injured and cornered. I am thinking of a spear for deer hunting. Most likly from a low tree stand.

Hunting spears today are usually thrusting tools often used with dogs. That's why the longish handle. A throwing spear is usually accompanied by a throwing tool to utilize leverage to get enough velocity for acceptable penetration. They are much lighter so the weight is down and they'll fly fast/far. What's the point of throwing a spear 10 feet? Primitive hunters were looking for a mortal wound on wary game. If they had to track a day or two it was part of survival.

We are more bound by the sportsmanship of the hunt and need a quicker kill which is dependent on the accuracy and power of the thrust of a heavy spear.

This is for hunting; war spears follow different design criteria.

I believe only Mississippi has a legal spear hunting season.

They are prohibited for deer in Texas. More of a hog sport.

I was a competitive javelin thrower in high school, placed third in the province my senior year.Max. distance I ever acheived was about 55 yards, and would have been lucky to hit an elephant at that distance. I would guess with a lot of practice, you could build up to an effective hunting range of maybe 20 yards,

That famous video of an official hit in the arm by a javelin during a meet proves the point about poor penetration on a spear light enough to throw any distance.

quote:

Originally posted by frank4570:
Does anybody know how far a killing shot can be made with a spear.For the sake of argument we can pretend I can throw a spear average well.

For whatever it's worth, I have witnessed, in an exhibition, a guy using an Atlatl (sort of a spear throwing extention of your arm) toss an atlatl dart (5' long) well over 100 yards. If the wind was behind him, it would still be going. He did not appear to be using much effort at all. That covers distance. Accuracy is another matter. In ancient times, the atlatl was used to increase penetration at short range, rather than throw for the hills.

An Atlatl throws very light weight darts that more resemble arrows than spears. We compared my recurves performance against some guys throwing with atlatls. My bow would shoot farther, had more penetration in the targets, and was much more accurate. If I had to live off of what I could kill with an atlatl, I'd probably starve!

"How long can a spear be thrown?"
Until your arm gets tired.
Cheers, couldn't pass up the header line.

Quarter Round, somebody had to say it. My wording was not the best.

THE SAMBURU SPEAR
The Samburu Spear is based on a design used by the Samburu tribe from Kenya's northern frontier. It is perhaps the most advanced spear of its type on the planet. With this extraordinary spear, warriors routinely dispatch marauding leopards, lions and even firearm toting bandits at unheard of distances.
http://www.coldsteel.com/spears-high-performance-spears.html

This is what I was thinking of.

That spear is a pile of crap! I bought one a couple of years ago, and it was the worst waste of money I have ever spent.Poorly made, and very flimsy, the steel shaft bent after about half a dozen throws into a hay bale from 30 feet.

Good to know. Thanks.