I don't hunt, but I think it's a neat idea. I don't see why you couldn't use it to hunt small game. It may even work for larger game with a 50 pound draw weight.
hmm.. i thought this sounded like the guy from the past season's of dual survival (dave canterbaury). Further research, and it is.. anyway. I think it is a great concept the way it folds all into one "piece" but i think if i were packing anything for a survival situation then why not pack a take down recurve? You're not saving much space with this concept yet youre giving speed/accuracy (i would think).
I have been a die hard traditional bowhunter. Not trying to be a smart a$$ but*** a true survival bow is a self bow carved with an axe or heavy duty knife from a piece of wood that tolerates tension on the back of the bow and compression on the belly.
A self bow is just that. No laminations, metal or fiberglass. You can use hide glue with sinew to help an inferior wood be better at tension or to increase the draw weight. Arrows can be made of almost any straight grain growth of wood about 5/16ths to 3/8's diameter and fletched with feathers tied on with the aforementioned pieces of sinew and hide glue.
If the poop ever hits the fan it is best to be prepared not to rely on man made materials and live off the land.
My take down recurve, Martin Jaguar, needs an allen key to assemble. When you take it apart the piece that retains the screw falls out of the bow, it's a round furniture nut stuck in a hole. I wouldn't want to loose those pieces and then be screwed. I like the concept of this bow, but it does look goofy to shoot. That riser looks really long too, maybe just because it's flat and blocky?
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zyV8tZGJtE[/ame] I saw this awhile ago and have been wanting to try it. Thought it would be a neat weekend project with my sons. With the price of ammo currently, it may be the only thing we could take to the range. lol
I tried to make the PVC bow just to see if I could. It didn't work. The smaller pipe is stuck in the larger one. I think it can be made with some modifications.
If you truly want a survival bow. In addition to making the bow and arrows, don't forget about making a string! A friends uncle prefers cat intestines for the string and arrows...
Being able to make a self bow is a nice skill to have but someone new to the game(mabey even a skilled bowyer) would prolly starve to death
before they get a usable bow, arrows and string made.
what materials are around you?
find a usable and workable stave
need to back it?will it blow up?
have the tools to make it?
find wood and fletching for arrows
are they close to the same weight?
have string material?
what type of arrow heads?
also to consider...
is the wood dry enough,
you gonna worry about tillering it?
arrows straight enough to hit anything?
how are you gonna kill something to get sinew,hide glue,gut
flint knapping tools?
need practice time to learn how to shoot it?
If you truly want a survival bow. In addition to making the bow and arrows, don't forget about making a string! A friends uncle prefers cat intestines for the string and arrows...
The bow looks cool but I agree with others that say learn to make a reliable bow from whats around you...besides it a great feeling when you make something from nothing and it works.
Amazing how many non archers like the idea of a cheap clunky "trad" bow.
Or how they'll grab a bunch of raw materials and assemble something of repeatable accuracy.
Really, if the SHTF I'm screwing a can on a .22 rf.
You won't have the energy to do all sorts of silly things. Like BSH said, traps would be a great idea. They work all day/night.
If one needed a bow (why I have no idea, as the .22rf and can would be more accurate)..........why would one want to make one? Would all the manufactured compounds, recurves,longbows and arrows just evaporate?
It's challenging enough to shoot good gear, let alone crap.
Hell as kids my bud had a Shakespear fiberglass bow, no string. We used a nut and two guitar strings. Worked. Now I might have preferred cat gut .........but I went with what was already on hand. And that material was rather quick to fashion into something usable. It came apart every other day or so, with a cool sound. We just retied it and got back to flipping arrows. That was his bow, his guitar strings. Me? I had a Bear Mini Magnum
Want to make a toy bow? Go for it (might be a fun project)
Want to regularly kill stuff and eat? Use a better setup.
But hey, I'm not in a silo bunker waiting for the atomic dust to settle, don't need a long project to burn time.
Toy bows? Not hardly. As with shooding and any skill it is a matter of proficiency. I have seen people make a very useable selfbow in less than 2 hours. I have also seen arrows made from the right sticks that would rival any store bought wood arrow for straightness.
Primitive archery a.k.a. "selfbows" are currently used every hunting season to take everything from squirrels to bear. Perform a search for those two subjects. It is all a matter of how hard core one wishes to become.
(edit) But then I guess once in awhile I'm hardcore. I've taken someone camping with the rule that everything will be cooked over an open fire and no matches or lighters allowed. Flint and steel only. When the first cooking fire was made they said "that didn't take any longer than matches or a lighter". I'm not currently that proficient though. Practicing these things at home is more enjoyable to me than sitting in front of an idiot box (t.v.).