Defining Barebow

*The video from Samo's YouTube channel

The blurred line...

There are many people shooting barebow in Malaysia long before I discovered archery. Most of the pioneers would lay low and hardly took part in competitions.

What is interesting, is the fact that barebow archery has gained keen interest from the traditional archery community here in Malaysia. 

Even so, if you lug a modern takedown recurve target bow to a paid range, people would generally frown at you. You'd probably fall under the category of people who howl at the moon and practise some gong-banging ritual.

Again, there are many interpretations on barebow archery. Most of the folks here would lump a guy with an Asiatic bow and a guy who shoots a minimalist modern target recurve together. 

But they missed out on one point: trad archers either shoot off the shelf or with their hand as a rest.

Trad vs Barebow

Two years into archery and countless of local tournaments including two international gig, I saw the shortcomings of being a trad archer. 

You shoot off the shelf, you better be good to maintain consistency and narrow down the variable.

With an arrow rest and a plunger, you reduce the margin of error. But, that said, it's the credo: "Its the archer, not the bow" that determines your advancement in a tournament. Having seen the numbers, trad archers tend to drop out as the tournament reaches a climax. At a trad/barebow meet, the barebow archer would be triumphant.

Going full barebow...

The odd are building. How to reduce it? Well, inevitably, it will be going down the path of setting up a full barebow rig and shooting three-under. You get the picture...

Beman centreshot

Something new from Beman

Some would know that Beman archery manufactures carbon arrows. They are well-known for the ICS Hunter and Carbon Hunter shafts that are considered as robust and hardy.
I have been using the Beman hunting shafts with decent results.
Back in 2016, Beman announced the introduction of the Centreshot, a carbon shaft meant for traditional archers.
It features a cedar wood grain finish and is available in four sizes (340, 400, 500 and 600 grains).

The third-world dilemma...

Back here in Malaysia, most archery pro shops would either sell you aluminium or carbon shafts meant for target archery.
Although Bemans are available here, dealers who sell the Centreshot is virtually non-existent.
I asked around a couple of pro-shops and was turned away. There was no hope.
So, to overcome the issue of availability, I sought help from my wife Michelle, who took a trip to Texas sometime in January.
We ordered two dozens of the Beman centreshot (size 500) from 3Rivers Archery, a well-known retailer of traditional and hunting bows and arrows.

The Centreshot shafts, direct from Indiana, the USA

Picking up the arrows in KLIA's Postal facility

Michelle actually missed the delivery of the arrows. We waited at least another month before the arrows arrived in Malaysia via Express Mail Service from Texas, USA.
But, nothing will go down easy on us as we tracked the package to the KLIA Customs clearing centre for postal packages.
As soon as the USPS tracking service had indicated that the package was "Held at Customs", we made a beeline to KLIA to claim it.
I wasted no time to make the trip to the facility to proceed with the Customs clearance. Once the tracking number was submitted, I took it over to the Customs officer for declaration.
I was rather delighted to find out that there was no duty for carbon arrows. Only a 6% GST and handling payment were needed to clear the Beman Centreshot out of the holding facility.

Feather vanes for the centreshot

Fletching process

 Quality, fit and finish...

I must say that I am pretty impressed with the overall built of the Beman Centreshot. Out of the box, its straightness was rated at -+.003", which is very decent. Since I had the size 500 shafts, it was meant for my #35lb Hoyt Tiburon takedown recurve bow. I have also set aside a set for Michelle's Samick Sage takedown recurve bow. Her bow's draw weight was rated at #35lbs.
Since my draw length is 29", I built the Centreshot as uncut arrows. The shafts were complemented by feather vanes and to get things going, I built about nine arrows.

Testing the Beman Centreshot

Getting some good results from the new shafts

Summary...

I am pretty pleased with the overall quality of the Beman arrows. It's quite affordable compared to the Gold Tip Traditional and Eastin Axis Traditional shafts. These are arrows that I can use for my practise rounds at the range. Just as I am done with testing the new arrows, I found that a dealer in Malacca is selling the Centreshot. So, there's no more depending on overseas online shop and pay extra for frieght and GST to the Customs. You can call Mike or Raymond at Excella Archery (019-624 9433) or visit their Facebook page for inquiries on the Beman shafts. The pro-shop in Alor Gajah is full-stocked with Beman products...

(Here's a full review of the Beman Centreshot on Samo's Range Day channel on YouTube)

Range Day Episode 14: Shooting the Primal Gear Unlimited Compact Folding Survival Bow

I've had the Primal Gear Unlimited Compact Folding Survival Bow and it's a real fun bow to shoot. 
Check out my take on the survival tool on episode 14 of Range Day. Thank you for watching! 

Preparing for the Thailand Princess Cup...

Preparing for the "Big One" in June...

Cikgu Lau, my archery buddy told me about the Thailand Princess Cup Archery tournament in Bangkok.
Curious, I went on to the organizer's website to do some research. 
I found that it was a professionally organized event hosted by the Thailand Outdoor Archery Club (TOAC).
Seems that they have been very popular to archers from around the region and Malaysia was represented in a few categories.

The new job and having weekends off...

I must say that life has been really good since August last year. I left my old workplace to take on new challenges and ended up in a multimedia department.
I left behind a group of conflicted bigots and some pretty insecure people to pursue a career in content development. So, the reward was having my weekends to myself.
That said, I used the time to stay in shape, build up my physical strength and live a clean life.
Now, I have some time to train and I picked Saturdays and Sundays to put some arrows downrange. 
Gone were the days when we had to drive half way across the Klang Valley to shoot at a club and a paid range.

Weekends are totally awsome at the range 

Working on my grouping

A happy camper!

Trying the traditional/barebow category in Thailand

The Princess Cup tournament is basically an indoor event. It's held at a shopping mall North of Bangkok.
Archers are given the choices to shoot either Recurve or Compound bows and my choice was the barebow category.
It is set at a distance of 18-meters and each archer has to shoot 10 ends with 3 arrows per end.
Points will be aggregated based on the best 5 sets.
I don't have any experience at all when it comes to indoor archery. But I do have a set of indoor arrows that were spined for my Martin Panther #45lb takedown recurve bow.
Basically, it's a hunting bow with enough power to put some arrows downrange at that distance.
So, that said, I have to work on my grouping.

My grouping

The Martin Panther Bow

The grouping with a set of Beman ICS Bowhunter arrows

The rules

I read the latest update on The Princess Cup Archery Facebook page which states that barebow archers would have to shoot 10 ends with 3 arrows on a 40cm single target face. Sound pretty fair at distance of 18 meters without any bow sights.
My bow of choice for this tournament is the Martin Panther #45 takedown recurve bow. I am very used to shooting this bow and most of my arrows are spined to its heavy poundage. In the months to come, my focus is also to build my upper body strength.This includes 50 push-ups daily and free weights training.

The Martin Panther is smooth and accurate

Sending arrows downrange

The video above is how we work on our groupings at the little range near our house. I take the opportunity to train every weekend unless if I have to work.
Apart from that, I would also have to get used to my Easton Platinum Plus 2315 arrows that were meant for indoor shoots...

Monster Chill Archery Tournament - Round 2

Samo's first archery tournament..

At the tournament site in Tanjung Keling, Malacca

My buddy cikgu Lau asked if I am interested to join him at a traditional archery tournament in Malacca.
It was posted in Facebook sometime back by a company called "Monster Chill Archery" which is based in Malacca.
Ironically, this retail outlet is also said to be one of the best archery pro shops in the country.
The only thing that caught my attention: is the Samick Sage bow that they are selling. I was told that it's available off the shelves.
The tournament was in it's second-stage of a 12-round grand-slam.
At the end of it, there is a RM15,000 cash prize waiting for the winner with the highest points accumulated from the tournament.

A first time for everything...

I have never competed before and going to the Monster Chill tournament is a good experience for me.
Prior to departure, Lau said he will drive and my plan was to split the cost with him.
The tournament organizers catered food and there was no entrance fees charged for competitors.
At the venue ground in Tanjung Keling, I was told by Zahir Yousuff, the organizer, that some 1,000 people had signed-up.
"We had to cut off at 400 and many couldn't make it today (Aug 1) because they were turned back at Putrajaya."
Despite that, the turnout was really good.
Archers representing teams, schools as well as individuals came from all over the country.
Noticeable, were men in traditional costumes and their Korean horse bows. Some even made their own bows from PVC pipes.
At the Men's traditional bow category, there were more than 290 contestants.
The morning began with a briefing from the official and an elimination round.
Lau was competitor number 285, while I was given 290 as my official number.
We waited till mid-noon till our number was called to the respective lanes.

Making new friends: Lau talking to a fellow archer from Kuala Lumpur

Registration for the Men's traditional category

Special preference..

Lau told me that since there weren't enough non-Malay contestants, we were given two spots to take part. 
Initially, I wasn't keen at all. 
And in a crowd consisting Malay and Islamic warriors, we stuck out like sore thumbs. The organizer also allowed takedown recurve bows to be used in the traditional tournament. As lot as there's no target sight. I am fine with that. So, my choice bow for this tournament was my Martin Panther #45 takedown recurve bow.
But seeing as it is, I decided to keep Lau company at the event.
I must say that I was very nervous when our turn was up.
Participants were given 1 minute 30 seconds to shoot 9 arrows onto the target bud.
I watched from a distance as the participants shot away during the practice rounds and eventually lined up in a row to determine if they have what it takes to move forward to the second round.
The format was very simple: at 30 yards, the archer must put his arrows into a target paper and at the end of the 1 and a-half minute shootout, get the highest points earned.
There were judges to take score and entertain protests. And the way it was organized, I must say that Zahir's team had done an excellent job.

Traditional archers in action

The compound bow category

Judges taking points at the elimination round

Stay calm, shoot tight..

When you stand in a row of 10 archers, there's a lot of tension and nervousness.
Letting go 9 arrows in 1 minute 30 seconds can make a man fumble.
Arrows were flying everywhere, some bounced off the hard ground and made it's way to the brush while some hits it's intended target.
In such a short time with more than 20 ends back-to-back, the crowd of 290 men were reduced to 64 archers during the elimination round.
My turn was up and I was at the last lane (10 lanes per end).
I was trying very hard to calm my nerves and my first arrow landed low.
There was enough time to compensate as I slowly zeroed-in on the target paper.
By the end of the shootout, I had two arrows in the outer yellow ring (18 points) and one in the blue (6 points).
All-in, I scored 24 points. That was enough to qualify for the second-round. Lau managed to put one - dead center and earned 10 points. But, that was not enough to carry him forward to the second-round.

Lau and I during practice round

The excellent lunch break

Official results - elimination..

We moved to the main area where lunch was served. 
The organizers provided meals for the competitors and one of the main highlights was roast lamb.
I must say that the simple food was excellent and there was enough time for us to mingle with the rest of the archers.
It turned out that despite the "warrior" looks and mentality, those guys are really friendly.
During lunch, I spoke to Wan Rohafizan, a fellow traditional recurve archer. He was shooting a Hoyt Buffalo with Quattro carbon-fibre limbs. The bow poundage was reduced to 32lbs and this guy shoots very well.
When you carry a 64" takedown recurve, you tend to stick out like a sore thumb. It also attracts attention from archers who have never seen a hunting bow. 
I must say that I have little expectation at this event and all that was in my mind -- was to learn and have fun.
After the meals, we moved back into the main tent. 
An announcement was made and the entry number of the archers were called up. In a chart, there was knock-out round to determine who goes to round 3 and the finals.

Wan Rohafizan in action, he finished first in the Men's traditional archery category

Squaring-off with a fellow archer from Kelantan during the quarter-finals

A photo-ops at the tournament

The quarter-finals

But mid-day, the best archers in the house were called-in to square-off. 
Each man was given 2 minutes to hit a target paper, 45 yards away and as a bonus, a 3D bunny was place. 
This will earn the archer another 15 points if he managed to put two arrows on it.
At such a distance, things got really technical.
There's elevation and windage and to be frank, I have never shot beyond 30 yards.
It's all up to pure skills and a little bit of luck to land the arrow on the paper.
Everyone was nervous and when my turn was up, I tried to put all my 9 arrows onto the target bud.
From a distance (ranged at 45 yards by a dude with a range-finder), my arrows seemed to land low on the target bud.
None of it had hit the inner or outer ring.
My opponent, a young man from Kelantan on lane 10, did very well. 
After collecting the arrows (I didn't lose any), I walked to my opponent and shook his hands. He's a better archer.
To me, this became a valuable experience and motivation to shoot 30 yards for a better grouping.
Lau, his son Joshua and I left Tanjung Keling and headed straight to Subang Jaya after I had dropped out from the tournament.
He is determined to train for round 3 of the Monster Chill tournament which will be held in Kuala Lumpur..