[RecycledTape]

How effective would your typical bow be for home defence? out of sheer curiosity lol.

[Dksimon]

Terrible.

It would be tough to get off follow up shots, you manuverability would be limited and if one arm was taken out of commision you would no longer be able to shoot.

I think you are better off with a sharp stick.

[Taptaps]

I second that negative response. I would feel better armed with a large knife, or maybe just use the arrow by itself... It'll work, but a gun is more effective. End of story.

[RecycledTape]

Yea, anyone that would use a bow for defending his household would have to be smoking something. Anyone here wanna admit they'd defend a house with a bow? :P

[Dksimon]

Id rather have a bow than nothing but a bow would never be my first choice.

[Cosmoline]

The bow is not a very great close combat weapon and I can't recall it ever being deployed in close quarters back in the day. Better than nothing if you're good with one I suppose. A short spear would probably be better.

[JohnKSa]

Yup, I would think you'd do better with a contact weapon if you're completely firearm restricted. What about black powder?

[RecycledTape]

Which leads me to another question... how many of you would defend your home with a black powder weapon?

[JohnKSa]

If it's what I had, I would. A decent sized round lead ball at the appropriate fps is pretty hard on a human.

[Dksimon]

if the ball doesnt do any damage the smoke and burning powder at close range would deter most criminals

[theken206]

a crossbow might make for an OK weapon

[Dksimon]

Even with a crossbow you still have the issue of reloading for a followup shot

[Dionysusigma]

They also lack the slim-ness of a rifle, and the shortness of a carbine. Moving around bedrooms and hallways with one is FAR from easy. (don't ask)

The best non-firearm weapon I can think of for home defense would be one of the following:

1) BP shotgun
2) BP revolving carbine
3) BP revolver

Not counting BP:

1) Short spear with long head capable of slashing
2) Baseball bat, axehandle, or shillelagh
3) Combat knife of some flavor (KA-BAR, bayonet, whatever)

[Timthinker]

Obviously, neither a bow nor a crossbow falls into the category of an ideal weapon for the reasons previously mentioned. But let me "put this ball into play". If for some unknown reason a person decided to depend upon a bow or crossbow, then their best option would be to use broadhead arrows, the type with razor edges. This would improve the effectiveness of the bow over standard field point tips. In addition, archers in the old days carried short swords for close quarters fighting. Anyone relying on some type of bow would do well to have a good backup weapon also.

I hope no one considers this response an endorsement for a bow as a home defense weapon. My purpose here is to answer the original question with information I consider relevant.


Timthinker

[ExSoldier]

How about a Samurai sword? As a HIGHLANDER fanatic, I have this image in my mind of coming across a burglar skulking around my home as I meet him with the sword at "high ready" and the phrase:

In the END, there can be only ONE!!

With a real samurai sword it would be simple to decapitate him with a single stroke (demonstrations in Japan have seen an ox decapitated in a single stroke).

The mess would cause my wife to leave me and I wonder if the cops would say I'd used "excessive force?"

[RLsnow]

rather use a fireaxe :S

but for some reason, the image in my mind of me standing at the end of my hallway with a giant longbow is just awesome..

[TAB]

i wouldn't want to get hit with an arrow out of any bow.

[Mp7]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3062/2440203973_f8e39eb933_o.jpg

...or maybe a slightly bigger riders-bow :)

If there´s nothing else handy - put the big kitchen knife in your belt
and grab a small mongolian or bushman bow plus
a quiver.

If well practiced you can deliver every 4-5 secs.

IMHO throwing knives or razorsharp shuriken
would be quite good for home defense.


Anything practiced well will work.
I keep a Khyber-sword and a Glock Field knife handy :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2198/2421039586_2fc0b577e6.jpg

cheers all.

[woodybrighton]

my home defence is a 5 foot stick from the woods not allowed anything else:cuss:
actually not allowed come to think of it and a dog
beats a blade gives me reach and less lethal though just as capable of incapaciting an attacker
got a bow but as its not kept strung and house is kinda small not a good option

[Cosmoline]

Which leads me to another question... how many of you would defend your home with a black powder weapon?

A sxs 12 ga muzzleloader can be packed with a custom load for whatever you're after. There's no reason you couldn't load it for home defense with a moderate size shot and charge. Percussion would be a good idea over flint, though.

A single shot musket could also work OK, though if you're going with a ML that second barrel is mighty nice.

[MASTEROFMALICE]

I like the blackpowder idea. Something about shooting a criminal and setting him on fire at the same time makes me smile.

Guess he shouldn't have broken into my house, huh?

[goon]

If you had room it would work for one shot.
Obviously, after that you'd be well advised to drop it and grab something else.

If forced to use something like that for defense, I think I'd want a shield and a spear backing it up.
In a tight space I'd probaby try to use the spear with overhand or underhand thrusts with shield out in front. If you set up like this in a hallway and your attacker wasn't armed as well as you were, it would be just about impossible for him to approach without getting injured.
I'd back the spear up with the large knife of your choice.
Another option is to teach your wife/girlfriend/roommate to use the bow. Then your provide cover with the shield and spear while he/she uses the bow.

IIRC, there was a guy from England who asked this awhile back since firearms aren't an option there.


If BP is doable, I'd probably choose a double barrel percussion shotgun backed up by 1858 Remington replica with a spare loaded cylinder.

Any of the above are antiquated technology but that doesn't make them ineffective.

[Robert Hairless]

I suppose a bow is okay but we are adamantly opposed to the use of violins against human beings.

Our credo: "No Violins."

[Chortdraw]

I build and shoot longbows, and as for a protection weapon in the house I would probably use my 9mm. But if I had my bow ( which is only 56" long) and was in the bed room looking down the hall at the intruder, he better move fast or he would be sporting a broadhead out of his head. I can hold as good a group with my bow as I can my gun at a given range of 15yds. Still not my first choice of household protection. Quiet and effective all though there is not much shock involved. Better follow up with my gun..LOL. Really makes for a tough ccw!!!!

[ghostsix]

I go with handguns. I have a folding stock, extended magazine 870.
But it is hard to beat a 1911 that you have fired 10.000 rds. through.

[CWL]

Historically, archers carried heavy mauls to pound 6' stakes into the ground in front of them to keep the enemy away. These stakes were sharpened with really big knives.

I'd suggest that you put away the bow and use the really big knife, or possibly the maul.

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

One good shot is all you get and better hope they bleed out fast.

Maybe one of those boar spears would be good???

[CWL]

With a real samurai sword it would be simple to decapitate him with a single stroke (demonstrations in Japan have seen an ox decapitated in a single stroke).

ExSoldier, please give me a reliable reference to this. The Japanese would never dishonor themselves or the sword (especially a quality sword) in this way. They have established centuries-old regulations to test the sharpness & cutting ability of their weapons, none of which include oxen.

Perhaps you have confused Japanese swords with a scene from "Apocalypse Now"?

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

If Diablo and Everquest have taught me anything, it's that you can shoot roughly 3 arrows per second, continuously, of lightning and fireball enhanced arrows, from your enchanted bow, even if face to face and toe to toe with your adversary, with them swinging a large ax or sword at you.




Seriously, it wouldn't be pretty.

[rcmodel]

Bad idea!

Ever shoot a deer with a razor-sharp broadhead arrow? Thought not!

All they do is flinch, maybe kick at the wound once, or jump from hearing the bow sting twang.

Then they run off 30 - 75 yards and pile up deader then Jimmy Hoffa.

A BG shot with a hunting arrow would have at least a while to finish killing you before your killing shot became even a minor inconvenience.

rcmodel

[Acheron]

This is the reason that archers typically carried short swords.

[MASTEROFMALICE]

If you're gonna use a bow and arrow, you'd better work on your indian war cry first.

Practice slapping your hand over your mouth while making a steady "Aaaaahhhhhhhhh" sound and it should come out about right.

[hso]

Home defense? With a bow? Not for most folks and I'd expect the experts to choose other options if given the chance.

Throwing knives? No, it's hard enough to hit a stationary target and get a sound stick. Add in a moving target and you've squared the difficulty.

Shruiken? More "No" than throwing knives or a bow. They're not even designed to kill. Their primary role is distraction.

BP? I'd happily take a SA BP revolver if no more modern weapons were available, as long as I had a handy sharp stick at hand as backup.

[RyanM]

A bow is just going to be too impractical as you need to keep it drawn. No mean feat if you're trying to move around.

A decent crossbow with a broadhead quarrel wouldn't be too horrible though, backed up with some kind of contact weapon. I'd take a crossbow over a single-shot .22, anyway, if those were all I had.

Why close distance if you don't have to?

[sadlsor]

Bow and arrow(-s)?!

Review your American history, and recall the fate of the Native Americans.

[TimboKhan]

I am going to agree with everyone else. I suppose I can see an extremely narrow set of circumstances in which it might be OK, but those circumstance are so narrow as to be nearly without basis in reality. Besides, if you factor in the cost of the average bow, you can certainly find a used firearm that would be a couple of orders of magnitude more suitable.

Now, this isn't to say that bows suck. People obviously hunt with them regularly, and there is no doubt that they can be a deadly weapon. Plus, archery in general is pretty fun. It's simply to say that in this particular circumstance, they just aren't a good idea, kind of like trying to compete in a NASCAR race on a moped.

[Skofnung]

A bow would be fine for defense as long as the three following criteria are met:

1)You know the badguy is coming
2) You have an unobstructed shot from some distance away
3) You can hit a moving target

Bows are better offensive weapons as a general rule.

If I lived in a country that did not trust me with a personal firearm, I would certainly have a bow and learn how to use it. Before I spent time on a bow though, I would learn hand-to-hand weapons first.

[mole]

At least copy the vikings and go with a Nydam style bow. Bow and lance in one!

[James T Thomas]

I read here a post about a deer struck with an arrow. And a post about whooping like an Indian! And the post about razor tipped broadheads.

Putting aside all the times in my life when I had sustained painful injuries and yes, gunshot wounds; should I ever have a blade tipped shaft sunk into my vitals, I'm going to admit to most likely I too will whoop like an Indian!
The prospect of haveing some wooden shaft sticking out of my gut would give me second thoughts on persuing the man who placed it there in the first place.

I'm not a deer, but a real Ranger, and I tell you, I would not run off when struck with an arrow, but I would strongly consider laying down, licking my wound, and desisting any further action until the medic arrives.

I know Bruce Willis would be ashamed of me for that, but if you are not defending youself against some home invasion bezerker, a pack of drug addicted fiends, one arrow might work better for you than most would think.

Please refer to the studies of Marshall & Sandow on one shot stops to the section where an unsharpened arrow is fired at low velocity and sticks dead in some ones sensitive parts. It must be the sticking barbed data where this perp has this shaft sticking out of his body and everywhere he moves that thing bumps into the walls, rolling along the ground, etc. -reminding him sharply that some where in his innards is a metal blade pressing his organs.
You may find that entry somewhere in the 90% category.

As to an accomplice perp who witnesses this harpooning of his friend first hand; he hears the squeal of the pig. He may, just may have second thoughts about continuing with the plan. Especially if the archer seeks cover behind a wall and quickly nocks another arrow. That accomplice may even fire off a few aggravation rounds at you archer, but stay covered, and knowing that you may have an arrow prepared for him, just as you sent into his friend may cause him to be somewhat more timid. I would think that looking down a broadhead shaft will effect the steadyness of his aim even. Keep you fighting mind set sir, and take the battle to the enemy.
And then too, there will be no close quarter muzzle blast from your firearm to contend with.
It may be that given such resolute resistance, those involved will decide the pickens in your castle are too difficult, and turn tail.

Returning from conjecture and fantasy; your will to fight will make a greater difference than most weapons you bear.

[conwict]

I know Bruce Willis would be ashamed of me for that, but if you are not defending youself against some home invasion bezerker, a pack of drug addicted fiends, one arrow might work better for you than most would think.

Isn't this what most of us are worried about? If not that, what should we prepare for?

I submit that anyone who tried to use a bow against a moving target that was armed would have a gross disadvantage...let alone more than one moving target, or--God forbid--more than one moving armed target.

Then there's the whole problem of having to position the body just so to fire a bow, and the very slow aim and follow-up speed...for all the hassle of bow logistics, just go get a good used revolver or shotgun for HD.

[James T Thomas]

Yes sir, Conwickt, I'm concerned about those most grim of happenings.

It would be somewhat of a disadvantage with the bow to be sure.
Remember that with the semi auto that haveing your ejection port too close to a wall or object may cause malfunction to eject.
Hitting a moving target with a handgun can also approach "gross disadvantage." Even with the capacity of repeated shots.

This man would be at less of a disadvantage with most firearms -yes.

But he would have a "fight'n chance" even with a bow.

Have you ever had a large wooden splinter in your finger sir?

What we are talking about is a subject of many variations with multitudes of solutions.

[rcmodel]

You can forget about the BG standing there contemplating the arrow sticking out of his mid-section.

A modern compound hunting bow will put a broadhead arrow completely through a deer from an oblique angle, and stick it several inches in the ground on the other side.

rcmodel

[JShirley]

IMHO throwing knives or razorsharp shuriken
would be quite good for home defense.

Not really. Byron and I have lots of experience throwing bo and senban shuriken and throwing knives. Byron, in fact, is the only person I know aside from high-ranking Bujinkan dan holder Bud Malstrom who is fairly reliably dangerous with a thrown knife.

Byron uses a Remington 870, AR-15, or registered FA Uzi for home defense. If those somehow aren't within reach, he'll be holding a 1911. Personally, I wouldn't feel totally helpless with a baseball, ball bearing, or billiard ball inside my apartment, but I wouldn't choose those things if I could get my hands on any firearm other than a single-shot .22 rifle.

Mr. Thomas, I understand and appreciate your point about will to fight, but the short version is "use a firearm if you have access to one".

Regards,

John

[Timthinker]

Shortly after this thread began, I researched the longbow as a military weapon. Much to my surprise, I read an unusual account of a longbow used by a British officer, who was an archery enthusiast, during the Battle of France in 1940. This offficer killed a German soldier with his bow. Now, all bows are not the equal of longbows. Neither would I prefer a bow or crossbow to a 12 gauge shotgun. Still, James Thomas makes a good point that a powerful bow or crossbow might not prove as absurd as some might think. At least, this is something to think about.


Timthinker

[Geronimo45]

A bow is a ranged weapon that's not much count as a CQ tool - usually tall (wide with crossbows), kinda slow to deploy. It could do the job, but it's cumbersome.
Get a boarding pike. :cool:

[James T Thomas]

Mr. Shirley -thanks for your courteous reply. As usual, I find it difficult in my posts to be fully clear on what I am stating.
I suppose I should have come right out and declared the use a firearm first concept, but I thought that was a given.

Rcmodel -I tried in my posts to qualify that the bow could be one that was say in the fourty pound force draw weight for example, (my own hunting bow is rated at 41. I find it adequate for deer), thought the more powerful ones will propel an arrow completely through a deer or human, as you said.
Rcm; I was thinking that this poster might not have one of the more modern powerful bows; he doesn't state.
And so my post about an arrow sticking out from the body.

Sir, it was my thought that perhaps one impaled in the body would be more of a "stopper" by way of the mental aspect of the shaft interfering with the free movement of this perp, than one that had passed clean through and now he must deal with a nasty but unfettered puncture wound.
Sort of like when you get a fish hook snagged in your thumb. It grabs your attention more so than say a similar size knife laceration does.
Like Moby Dick with a harpoon in him.

[JShirley]

I'm just "John", if you please. :)

I absolutely believe attitude is the single most important thing, so I agree with you, there. I also believe there are a few (if rare) cases where a bow might be more effective than more conventional weapons.

John

[RaspberrySurprise]

A longbow would be rather unwieldy in all but the largest of houses but I imagine you could probably get a reasonably compact compound bow. A cross bow would be a maybe but it has the advantage of staying cocked once readied unlike a regular bow which must be held so. Broad heads would be a must with either as field points really are not made for causing injury but easy removal from a target. The only advantage I can see a bow having over a pistol is against a target wearing soft body armor, in which case you probably have bigger problems to deal with.

Personally I would go with a heavy tower shield and short sword or spear, but that maybe due to playing too much D&D lately.

[VMIRat1995]

Personally, worse comes to worse and I had access to no other weapon? I'd rather grab a standard, old, police nightstick! Rodney King style.

Or an asp or a blackjack. You can't go wrong unless your attacker is armed.

[Mp7]

can we agree on:

Instead of having just bare hands,
It´s good to have a bow for a first ranged response
to the intruder and then grab the good old nail-club
for whacking the guy?


basically it´s about shocking/distracting the attacker
with anything, arrow, shuriken, thrown bottle, pepperspray
before you hit him over the head with the mace.....

shock. Then go in for the kill.

(..that´s the martial arts practice i know)

[Baba Louie]

I suppose if I lived in a longhouse, tipi or wickiup, a bow would be one way to deal with an errant intruder... but I might reach for my lance, warclub or coup stick first.

I'm certain that should I ever do so, there would be an immediate hue and cry to restrict those evil assault weapons. "No one really NEEDS a stick with a string or a stick with a sharpened rock tied to one end! That's why we're passing this new law. To keep the tipi and campfires of this great Nation safe." ;)

I'm thinking blowgun here for some reason... maybe with some special tipped darts... works on monkeys in the jungle (I've read). Naaaah. Probably more trouble than it's worth.

Having said that, this thread did make me look up compact compound bows... several worthy of pondering... perhaps not with home defense in mind however.

[JShirley]

The problem is, we don't want to leave reality-land for fantasyville. If you don't have a firearm, distracting the attacker is a good idea. IF we head out for D&D territory, this thread gets locked. So...bring it back, guys.

John

[jcord]

Join Date: 09-15-05
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 690 One Spartan against the Odds

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I read here a post about a deer struck with an arrow. And a post about whooping like an Indian! And the post about razor tipped broadheads.

Putting aside all the times in my life when I had sustained painful injuries and yes, gunshot wounds; should I ever have a blade tipped shaft sunk into my vitals, I'm going to admit to most likely I too will whoop like an Indian!
The prospect of haveing some wooden shaft sticking out of my gut would give me second thoughts on persuing the man who placed it there in the first place.

You would not be standing there with an arrow stuck in your chest. Any good hunting bow will send that arrow completely through you so fast you may not know what happened. Soft body armor is also no protection from a razor broadhead. My arrows fly at 300fps from my compound and 195fps from my 60# recurve. Neither have ever left an arrow in an animal.

[ZeSpectre]

I pondered this one for a while and I have to say that if I didn't have firearms for home defense my automatic go-to backup item is still a PR-24 (http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=BA032)or a MagCharger (http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=general_catalog&style=FL070).

(I guess old habits are hard to break).

[cowssurf]

I'd much rather have a baseball bat than a bow. I would feel great, though, if I had a black powder revolver in my hand, though I might feel silly showing it to friends and saying, "I keep this loaded in my drawer."

[tinygnat219]

Bow for home defense?

That's a silly thing to even think of.

[mr.trooper]

If you have to defend your home without a firearm, I would use a hand held weapon before black powder. a single shot in a hallway could completely cloud your view. what if the BG shoots back?

A short spear, 36" inches max, would be ideal. 2.5 ' handle and a 6" point.

after that, a light mace, or a cut down baseball bat that can be used with one hand.

[Rachen]

If you have to defend your home without a firearm, I would use a hand held weapon before black powder. a single shot in a hallway could completely cloud your view. what if the BG shoots back?

Methinks somebody asked who uses blackpowder as home defense?

I do. All the time. Since I was 10 years old.

I have worked with percussion revolvers for so long as to almost completely understand their workings and mechanisms, as well as their potential misfires if handled improperly.

Black powder weapons are perfectly suitable for home or self defense. A properly loaded weapon will always serve you faithfully when you need it.
True, BP can cloud up your field of view, but there are substitutes out there that produce less or no smoke at all. Like 777 powder.

Usually, the round ball from the revolver is pretty much a decisive factor in any self defense situation. Quoting Elmer Keith, he said that the roundball is the most effective weapon on large game, and it is true too. It is basically a round with terminal performance capabilities. It would put down an assailant and effectively put him/her out of the fight quickly.

[craftsman]

Baba Louie -

I just got one (Boar Hog) - see blowgunsnw website - $30 with darts. I used a 12 in. x 1/4 in. diameter bamboo skewer for a dart - from 33 ft. - put it through a 1/4 in. thick plywood backstop (2 in. of ethelyne foam in front of that for target shooting practice with the 0.50 cal. wire target darts - I'm a competitive shooter) - by three inches - photo posted on their MSN forum.

Although I don't keep it by my bedside.

[Everman]

I guess it could work if you have a good defensible position.

[Timthinker]

Let me add a caveat here that has not been addressed. Some self-defense websites offer crossbows and pistol crossbows as home defense weapons. SHAME! While crossbows and bows can injure or kill, they are far from ideal weapons for the reasons discussed so far. Furthermore, these weapons would prove difficult for untrained individuals to use under the stress of a home invasion. This last point is something that applies to many weapons and not just bows. I believe this posting keeps our topic grounded in reality.


Timthinker

[Baba Louie]

I believe this posting keeps our topic grounded in reality.My reality is simply this... if that's all you've got to defend house and home, get real good with it.

I was obviously doing the tongue in cheek thing in my earlier post, altho', as craftsman points out, even blowguns can be mastered and while they 'could' be utilized, I think most everyone here would far prefer something a bit more substantial and technologically advanced for home defense.

The weapon being the trained mind, the tool... can be one or more of any number of things.