FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Before you buy a bow, it is important that you try to get familiarized with basic archery terminology. There are many sources available in the internet. Here are some of them:
http://salukibow.com/doc/archeryref.pdf
http://salukibow.com/doc/easton.tune.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archery
Basic Recurve Bow Terminology:
FAQS:
If you have any doubts about our bows, please, take a look at the topics below, before contacting me... If you still have questions, please don't be afraid to ask me directly, and I will try to find some time to answer...
1. I ALWAYS ASSOCIATED SHORT BOWS WITH FINGER PINCH. WHY SHOULD YOUR BOWS BE DIFFERENT?
The reason you experience almost none or minor finger pinch with these bows is because of the limb design and the way the string travels in relation to bow limbs bending during the draw.
2. WHAT IS THE RECOMMENDED MINIMUM BRACE HEIGHT?
The proper way to measure the brace height is from the throat of the bow, just below the shelf where the web of your skin between the thumb and index finger rests, but not from the actual overlay, rather from the belly fiberglass strip to the string as seen in the picture below.
Scythian 52 : 6.5- 7
Scythian 58 : 6.5- 7
Scythian 60 : 6.5 - 7
Genghis 58: 6.5 - 7
Genghis 60: 6.5-7
Genghis 64: 7
Turk 48: 6.5- 7
Turk 52: 7
Turk 54: 7
Ibex 58: 6.5-7
Ibex 60: 7
Little Giant 50": 6.5
3. WHERE DO I INSTALL THE NOCKING POINT?
Some of our shorter bows, should be nocked a little higher than usual. For example the 52 Scythian, and the 52 and 54 Turk bows.
4. WHAT KIND OF ARROW SHOULD I SHOOT WITH MY SALUKI?
You can shoot any kind : wood, aluminum or carbon arrows.
For instruction on how to choose arrows for your bow see the "Easton Arrow Tuning and Maintenance Guide" in the link below:
http://salukibow.com/doc/easton.tune.pdf
5. HOW DO I SILENCE MY SALUKI FOR HUNTING?
The best way to silence a bow is to move the silencer up and down the string, until you find the proper position. Usually
higher on the string, in the case of our bows.
6. CAN I USE MY HORSE BOW FOR TARGET ARCHERY, OR HUNTING?
Yes, of course. Just because it doesnt have a shelf, some people call it "horse bow". But that does not mean that it cannot be used for these other purposes.
7. CAN I SHOOT MY SALUKI THREE FINGERS (MEDITERRANEAN STYLE) OR ONLY WITH A THUMB RING?
Each bow is built according to customers specifications. You can have a shelf put on the left side of the bow for right handed 3 finger shooting. Or you can have a shelf put on the right side of the bow for right handed thumb release. Another option is dual shelf or no shelf at all. In this case you will be able to shoot in whichever way you desire: left handed, right handed, 3-finger or thumb release.
For the proper use of the Thumb Ring see the pictures below:
8. WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT SO LONG TO GET MY SALUKI BOW?
Yes, I agree that there is no instant gratification when it comes to ordering custom made bows. Generally you will have to wait around 8 months or even a whole year to get your bow delivered, specially in the case of a Horn Bow. Since all Saluki Bows are made according to customers specifications, it takes a lot of time to carefully handcrafted each one of them myself.
9. HOW CAN I MAINTAIN MY SALUKI?
Your bow does require some care from time to time. Here are a few tips:
1. Regardless of what anybody tells you, your bow is not meant to be strung indefinitely. It will perhaps not hurt the fiberglass, but the wood in the middle of the limb is undergoing stresses as well and because it is a material that will tire, it will also need some rest from time to time to keep your bow vibrant. If you want to leave the bow strung for several days that is perfectly all right, but give it some rest from time to time.
2. Keep the bow in a dry, well ventilated area resting on a bow rack or shelve. Never store a bow upright leaning up against the wall in the corner. You can hang the bow by its string, that is OK. Never forget your bow inside the car, attic or in a damp place like basement, porch or garage. The extreme humidity or heat could cause damage to the bow.
3. Never dry fire your bow. Shooting without an arrow can damage your bow limbs and string.
4. In order to prevent accidents, always inspect your bow, string and arrows before a shooting session.
5. Take-Downs are not meant to be disassembled after each shooting session. Disassemble your take down only if strictly necessary for transport, shipping, etc
6. Clean the bow from time to time and treat with respect in the field. Do not use it for a walking stick .
7. Never string a recurve Bow with the push and pull technique.
8. Remember that your bow is not a toy, but a deadly weapon! Children should be supervised by an adult when shooting.
10. HOW SHOULD I STRING MY SALUKI BOW ?
There are a few ways of stringing a bow. I will give some insight into three of them. As you have noticed Saluki bows have more reflex in their limbs then your average bow, therefore you have to take more caution during stringing. Never use push and pull method for our recurve bows.
10.1 Using a stringer :
First of all you have to select a proper stringer. I would recommend one that is made for stringing recurves, either with the rubber button for the upper limb or the one with a more substantial pocket for keeping the tip of the lower limb from twisting. Either one will do. Refer to Picture 1. Normally you would use just one hand as you pull up on the bow, but in our case we will employ both hands. First grip the bow with your right hand by the handle and use the left hand to grip the bow below the static tip, as seen in picture 1. Now, make sure your upper string loop is at the ready over the upper bow limb above your thumb and index finger while youre holding that limb below the static tip as seen in picture 1 and 2 as well. Now, pull up on the bow by the handle with your right hand, having a good grip on the bow, and at the same time hold the upper limb with your left hand below the tip just as steady and tight. As you go up , hold firmly with both hands. Once you are past the brace height of the bow, you can safely let go of the upper limb with you left hand and slide the loop into a nock of the bow, as seen in the picture sequence 3, 4, 5 and 6. Before you let go of the bow, check the lower limb making sure the string is correctly seated in the lower limb. For unstringing, just reverse the process.
10.2 Step-through method:
This method seems to be controversial and it is not recommended by many bowyers, often I wonder why. If done correctly it is a quick and superb technique and everybody should be familiar with it. Yes, it is a little bit tricky and sometimes scary for those who are not used to it, but with a little practice and patience anybody can learn. Some of my bows actually require this method more then using the stringer because it is actually safer. This method is also used for stringing the horn composites.
First, study the pictures very carefully, because they are worth a thousand words. Now, step through the bow and seat the part of the lower limb just where it reflexes into the static tip over your shin bone and above the ankle, far enough, so that when you flex the bow, the tip will not dig in to the ground damaging it, refer to picture no.1 and 2. Also, make sure the loop of the string is seated in the nock. To make sure that it is, you can put bow tip protector over it or simply wrap a rubber band around the tip and the string to prevent it from coming out of a nock. Hold the upper part of the string in your right hand by the loop outside of the bow maintaining a little bit of tension on it as seen in the picture no.3. The handle of the bow should be resting on the back of your thigh about half way up between the knee and your buttock. You should have a medium wide stance. Study the picture no.4. Now the tough part comes, you have to flex the bow to be able to string it. Use your whole upper body and not just your arm in fact you should lock your arm with the elbow against the side of your body. Now twist forward and at the same time bring the string you have been holding in your right hand toward the tip of the bow, trying to meet both ends, the tip of the bow and the string loop. Make sure you keep the string slightly taught while you do that. Once the two ends meet just slip the loop of the string over the tip of the bow and in to the nock. Study pictures 5 and 6. Before you let entirely go look down at the lower limb making sure the string is firmly seated in the nock and on the limb, not off to the side. Only then release the tension and step out of the bow. Make sure you do not trip yourself for I have seen many to loose balance and fall down with the bow. The only thing you have to do now is to check for any twists in the limb. Look over the back of the bow and make sure the tip is at the right angle to the flat plane of the limb. If it is not twist it back slightly over correcting it if necessary. You would use this technique to get any twists out of the limb, sometimes you have to be more forceful and hold the bow in overcorrected position, perhaps repeating the process a few times to get the desired results.
10.3 Two man technique for stringing :
This method is by far the safest method of all, but it does require an assistance of another person. Follow the illustrations very carefully, so that it becomes clear to you through study. Sit on a chair, sofa or anything else that will give you a comfortable position. Put the bow across you knees. Make sure the parts of the limbs, just past the fade outs on the riser, are resting on your knees. Look at the picture no. 1. With your hands hold the limbs just below the tips to have enough comfortable leverage. Study picture no.2. If you noticed, the lower part of the string is in the nock already, safely held by your hand in position, so that it does not come out of nock during stringing. The rest of the string is laying across your upper legs and held on the other side by your helper as illustrated in the picture no.1 and 2 as well. Now bend the limbs towards your body as you see in the picture no.3 and 4, make sure the helper does not try to help you by trying to pull on the string as you bend the bow. Simply have him wait until you bring the upper limb to him when you bend the bow across your knees. Then, he can safely bring the loop of the string over the tip and seat it in to the nock, for this, study picture no.5 and 6. To unstring, simply reverse the process. This method is suitable for stringing horn bows as well. In the case of these you will have to correct the tiller as seen in the picture 7 and the alignment of the static tips as well. The direction of the correction will be indicated by the arrow below each tip in the bridge area. For this, you can follow the additional pictures no. 8,9,10. Keep in mind that each horn bow is different and the instruction for the correction will vary for each bow, specifically which limb to correct tiller on and which direction the tips have to be twisted to align them correctly. However you do not have to do this with fiber glass composites.
10.4 Aligning the limbs after stringing:
Checking for proper alignment : look over the back of the bow at the tip. Make sure the tip is at a right angle to the flat plane of the limb. This applies to fiber glass bows only and is usually done after stringing with the step through method described above. Follow the pictures to see how it is done, if you have a twist in the limb. Correct by twisting in the opposite direction and hold for a little bit. You may have to repeat this several times to achieve proper results. Make sure that during twisting, to correct the tip, you do not go too far and move the string of the limb, accidentally unstringing the bow. If the twist is severe, you may have to exaggerate the correction or even use heat. Such twists usually come from neglect or abuse of the equipment. However, it is better, in this case, to contact the bowyer.
