Henneth Annûn Story Archive

I need a quick answer to a very important question: How great a range would an arrow fired from a short bow by a boy of 6 1/2 years approximately reach? The boy is of standard weight, but extraordinarily tall for his age. Sorry to be hasty, but I need the answer rather quickly because I want to have the chapter finished by Friday TIA!! Makamu

 

Hi, I'm not particularly knowledgable about archery, but here's an answer to tide you over until an expert can answer the question. The child in question would probably have a bow with a draw weight of 15-25 lbs. and would be able to hit a target 15-20 meters away. However, his arrows will be smaller and lighter weight than standard adult hunting arrow and the force of the arrow will not be great, so...I suppose what I am saying is the distance that the child could shoot and hit a paper target and the distance that the child could shoot at a threat and hit with enough force to do damage are very different. Karri

 

Hello Makamu ~ I would venture to say that a child of only 6 would have a bow with a pretty weak draw, and thus probably very short range. How tall is 'extraordinarily tall'? Most 6 year olds are gonna be between 3-1/2 and 4 feet tall, I'd think, so just over hobbit-sized. ;) Anywho, even if he's tall, he's not going to be overly-muscled as he's still growing. I've read that beginning women archers are given bows of 25 pounds, so I'd think a child so young could not manage that much pull. I could of course be wrong. Also, the bow would have to be physically smaller in size than an adult bow, given the child's lesser height and reach, which would reduce the tensile strength of the bow, as well as the length and weight of the arrow he shot. I think I've read of Native American children using wee bows to fell rabbits or small birds at close range, but that was all. They simply could not draw a bow capable of the propulsion needed to fell larger game. And as Karri said, the range to which an arrow can fly is not the same as its actual effective range. At the end of its flight, an arrow may wound but lack the power to penetrate mortally. Sorry I can't give greater specifics, but I hope this helps. Cheers ~ Erin

 

Hello Erin and Karri! Thank you for the help you have given me so far. Maybe I have to specify a few things to make answering easier: 1)The arrow is not meant to wound, it is merely shot into a pile of hay, so the child can practise stance, breathing and holding the bow correctly. I merely wanted to know how far away from the pile he had to stand to have a chance of reaching it. 2) "Extraordinarily tall" means, the boy is almost as tall as a boy of 7 to 7 1/2 years. TIA for the information Tessy

 

Hi Tessy, The information I gave you is from the Boy Scouts instruction guide for beginning archers, so it should work. The Boy Scouts start the kids around age 7. The kids use bows of 15-25 draw weight (depending on the strength of the kid) and aim for a target 15 meters away. Karri

 

Oops, well, I guess the boy sprouts would know! Thanks for that, Karri. Cheers ~ Erin

 

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