The theory and practice of archery

by Horace A. Ford; W. Butt

Fig. 40.	Fig. 41.		Fig. 42.	Fig. 43.
A B, the two eyes. B, the aiming eye. C, the arrow. D, the object directly looked at. A D and B D, the axes of the eyes. E, false point of aim.			A B, the two eyes. A, the aiming eye. C, the arrow. D, the object directly looked at. A D and B D, the axes of the eyes. E, false point of aim.

For instance: suppose the archer to be shooting at such a distance that his point of aim is included in the gold; he of course will bring the point of his arrow to bear upon it, just as a rifleman would his sights; that is, the point will touch the axis of the aiming eye. But if the arrow itself be inclined, say to the right of the axis (as in the pull to the ear it would be), it will fly away some distance to the left of the object looked at. And the converse of this will be true also; for if it incline to the left of the axis it will then fly off to the right; the archer in these cases being in the position of a marksman who instead of keeping his foresight in a line with his backsight has deliberately adjusted the aperture of his backsight to the right or left of the bead at the muzzle of his weapon with reference to the object aimed at.

An example that came within Mr. Ford's personal knowledge will afford a perfect illustration, and will be useful for the possible solution of similar cases. An archer had shot for many years, but invariably found that if ever his arrow pointed (as it seemed to him) in a straight line with the centre of the target it persistently flew off to the left of it five or six yards, even at the short distances (see fig. 43, where the arrow BC, though pointing in the direction BE, appeared to the shooter to be aimed at D). He was therefore obliged to make an allowance and to point his arrow that much to the right (see fig. 42, where the arrow BC, though pointed straight to D, appeared to the archer to be pointing in the direction AE). In vain he sought a solution of this anomaly. All could tell him that there was something faulty; but, as everything in his style and mode of action appeared correct, that something remained a mystery, until it was ultimately discovered that, though the arrow was held directly beneath the axis of the right eye (this being also open), this archer actually used his left eye to aim with. It will be readily seen why the discrepancy existed between his aim and the flight of his arrow, the fact being that the arrow did not appear to the shooter to be pointing towards the object at D until it touched the axis of his left eye, and consequently not until its direction pointed far away to the left of the mark (see fig. 43). On closing the left eye the direction of the arrow's flight and the aim coincided, because the eye beneath whose axis the arrow lay became the eye with which the aim was taken.

As to whether the direct vision should be applied to the mark to be hit or to the point of aim, the argument is all in favour of the latter. For the point of aim must of necessity be in relation to the mark—either in the same vertical line with it or outside that line. If outside, then the direct vision must certainly be upon the point of aim; otherwise the arrow cannot lie directly beneath the axis of the aiming eye, which has already been shown to be necessary. Therefore the only question remaining to be decided is, When the mark falls in the same vertical line with the point of aim, which of the two should be directly looked at? Here again an argument can be adduced to determine the choice in favour of the latter; for when the point of aim is above the mark the latter will be hidden from the right or aiming eye by the necessary raising of the left or bow hand, as may be easily proved by the closing of the left eye; therefore the direct vision cannot be applied to the mark, though it may be applied to the point of aim. There now remains but one case, namely, when the point of aim falls below the mark, but in the same vertical line with it; and here (though either of them may in this case be regarded with the direct vision) as no reasoning or argument can be adduced for violating or departing from the rule shown to be necessary in the other cases; and as it is easier to view the point of aim directly and the mark indirectly than the contrary, because the point of aim will necessarily lie between the mark and the arrow's axis; and as uniformity of practice is highly desirable, the application of direct vision to the point of aim in every case is most strongly recommended. This teaching was quite contrary to that taught by all the old-fashioned writers, who maintained that the eye, or eyes, should be kept always intently fixed upon the mark to be hit. It is probable that even those archers who imagine that they regard directly the mark only, do so only in the case when the mark and the point of aim coincide (which with each archer may be called his point-blank[5] range); and this is analogous to all rifle practice, where from any cause allowance must be made.

It must be borne in mind that all these remarks apply only to target lengths. As regards aiming at very long distances, when the mark and the point of aim are too far apart to be sufficiently seen in conjunction, no scientific principle can be laid down for the guidance of an archer. Practice alone will give him a knowledge of the power of his bow, and the angle of elevation required to throw up the arrow as far as the mark. If the distance to be shot be a known and a fixed one-for instance, two hundred yards—the necessary calculations are more or less attainable; but the great distance renders the result so uncertain as to prevent anything approaching to the accuracy of aim attainable at the customary target distances. If the mark be a varying and uncertain one, as in Roving, the archer is entirely dependent upon his judgment of distances. This sort of shooting, though very interesting, must be attended with a great amount of uncertainty; but, as in every other case, the more judicious practice be applied the greater will be the success.

No hard-and-fast rules can be laid down for deciding where the point of aim ought to be at any particular distance, as this is dependent upon a great variety of circumstances—as strength of bows, and the sharpness and dulness of their cast, heavy or light arrows, a quick or sluggish loose, and the varying force of different winds. One archer will find his point-blank range at 120 yards, whilst another can get a point-blank aim on the target, at 60 yards even, by raising his loosing hand so high that the angle between the axis of his aiming eye and the axis of the arrow is very small. It is now many years ago since two toxophilites, using bows of about fifty pounds in weight, with five-shilling arrows of the old-fashioned manner of feathering, and employing the same position (about three inches below the chin) of the right hand for the loose at each of the three usual distances of 100, 80, and 60 yards, found that the point of aim at 100 yards was about the target's diameter (4 feet) above the target, whilst the point of aim at 80 yards was about the same measure below the target, and the point of aim at 60 yards was at a spot about fifteen paces from the shooter.

It would have been highly interesting if Mr. H. A. Ford, who was always most faithful to his own dogma that the loosing hand must be brought to the same position at the loose, had published some account of his own points of aim, which must have had a very wide range of variation from those of his best period, when he was using 56 lb. bows, and arrows 29 inches in length, up to the time of his last appearance as Champion, in 1867 at Brighton, when, with weak bows and light arrows, his score was 1,037, with 215 hits.

The late ingenious Mr. James Spedding, who always touched some button on his coat-collar with his loosing hand, contrived a 'sight' upon his bow, which obviated the necessity of a point of aim. This was a bright metal bead such as is at the muzzle of a gun. This at the upper end of a slight metal rod (in fact, a bright-headed pin), and fitted into a groove added to the back of the bow (in which it could at will be lowered or raised), gave him a point of aim on the centre of the target at distances where his natural (may it be called?) point of aim would have been beneath the target. With this contrivance, the slightest variation in the slope of the bow distorted the aim.

The American contrivance of the peep-sight is a very minute instrument, with a still smaller aperture. This is shifted up and down the bowstring, and, when correctly adjusted, the aiming eye should just catch sight of the centre of the target through the aperture. This instrument is confessedly useless except for very weak bows, and the smallest trembling even would put it off the aim, and blind, as it were, the aiming eye.

An Irish shot, the late Captain Whitla, succeeded in getting his aim on the target at all the three distances by varying the strength and cast of his bows, using his best and strongest at 100 yards, then one that was slower and weaker at 80 yards, and trusting himself to a slug like a broomstick at 60 yards.