15 March 2012, 08:41
Thebear_78Boredom + broken longbow = atlatl
I was bored this afternoon so I decided to make an atlatl. I had a broken longbow that I had saved with the intention of making an atlatl out of it and used one of the limbs. I still ned to do some finishing work but I have a very serviceable atlalt in no time.
I used two carbon arrow shafts with a piece of all thread to make a dart. It actually throws pretty decent. I would probably need to make a heavier dart if I was planning on hunting with it but it was sinking in 8-9" into the ice berm left by the snowplows. I'll have to test its penetration against a bow this summer.
15 March 2012, 23:40
calgarychef1That's a very cool re-use for the bow! Did you just use the regular arrow inserts with the allthread? I'd bet that with a bunch of added weight you could get some decent penetration. Maybe you should test one on a moose, that must be the ideal animal to hunt with an atlatl and dart. Big target and easy to get within range.