English Longbow Deluxe range by Bickerstaffe Bows.

Hickory Back with Purpleheart and Ipe core and Lemonwood Belly.

SPECIAL CUSTOM ORDER USUALLY DELIVERED IN 4-6 WEEKS

Typically Purpleheart and Greenheart. A very attractive longbow exploiting the appearance and performance of the exotic hardwoods used.

A faster bow than the Standard single laminate core but no less consistent and forgiving to shoot. These Deluxe longbows have horn nocks and an arrow plate and are available either Left or Right handed and are made in weights up to around 60lbs @ 29in draw.

For all longbows with ah additional inch over 29" draw or 10lb over 60lb bow weight an additional charge of £50 will apply.

All Bickerstaffe bows are supplied with a double looped laid in fast flight string, a hand stitched leather grip, stringer and Bickerstaffe Bows booklet giving advice and guidance to the bows new owner.

MAXIMUM BOW WEIGHT 70lb@30"

PLEASE ONLY STRING YOUR BOW USING A DOUBLE LOOP STRINGER OR YOU WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY

Bow & draw length suitability

• If a bow is marked for example 40#@28", max draw 29" this bow would be suitable for someone with a draw length up to 28" NOT over 28"
• If you had a draw length over the stated 28", then the bow is NOT suitable for you
• Even though the bow may state the max draw 29", this means that a safety margin has been built into the bow for the odd occasion when you may unknowingly draw slightly more
• It is not designed for you to continually draw over 28"
• If it is found that this is the case you will invalidate the warranty and no repair or replacement will be offered

Advice on fitting new Longbow strings

Laid-in strings have been made since the stone age. Therefore, traditional and appropriate to use with an English Longbow. The principle of a laid-in bow string is good and works well. Over the years, we have made well over 50,000 laid-in bowstrings. A new one needs to be worked in before use.

They are typically shorter than the old string when new, but once fitted and bedded in, they will settle to the correct length or a little shorter. Initially, a new bow string will appear to be too short. It is handmade and needs to be fitted to the bow. Brace the bow and rub the new string to soften the wax used in it's manufacture.
Leave the bow braced for a little while and the bracing height will drop.

Shoot a few arrows from part draw, and the string will appear to have stretched a bit as the wax softens and the fibres tighten. The string will likely have dropped below the standard bracing height, so add twists by twisting anti-clockwise – which is how the string is laid in. This will shorten the string to raise the bracing height.

Do not untwist the string to make it longer. This has caused strings to become 'unlaid', which is not repairable. 

About Bickerstaffe Bows

Bickerstaffe Bows are one of the leading manufacturers of English Longbows in the UK. Run by a small group of dedicated bowyers with a love for the Traditional side of the sport and headed by Pip Bickerstaffe, they have a deep understanding and appreciation of what goes into making a truly wonderful English Longbow. Their Workshop is situated in Kegworth, not 40 miles from the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest. Bickerstaffe English longbows are finding favour in all forms of Traditional archery. Bickerstaffe also supply English Longbow Making Kits so you can make your own - these are also available through The Longbow Shop as is a custom Bickerstaffe bow of your dreams should we not have what you want in stock.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT use stringers which have a pocket that fits over the top nock as these exert pressure on the nock beyond the wood which can lead to broken nocks, which will not be replaced under warranty!