Onieda Eagle

[Chase N. Nocks]

I know, not a trad bow. Compound/recurve at best.

But does anyone on this forum have one? Has had one? Shot one? Have an informed opinion of them?

I have always been intrigued by them. (and since I also love, own and shoot compounds I don't actually find the Oniedas ugly)

Cheers
Troy

[bigbob]

Never owned nor shot one but for some perverse reason also like the 'cut of their jib' too. Sorta like a recurve/ compound. Apparently a bit hard to quieten down if hunting , at least the older models are.Remember when i first saw one must be about 25 year ago, created a bit of a stir then. Mate of mine owns one along with about 25 - 30 compounds all vintage including delta V. bear whitetail. Better stop this right now before I get a wood in the ribs, mentioning all these icky things with wheels!

[Hilly]

yep i got one i dont shoot it offen but i like it . it is smooth to shoot i use it as a spare bow on the last trip up nth i got a good Boar with it
so i guess im a bit like you Troy there some thing about them that i like

[Bill]

They look interesting, heavy, but when you get use to it, nice to shoot. It is also very hard to keep in TUNE unless your sure of what your doing. You must keep the dirt and dust out, don't over lubricate. These are just a few of the things and problems a friend of mine had with his, forever coming around to tune it again and again, but now its gone, thanks heaven..........Bill. Finally he saw the light and now has a longbow and recurve.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

I think Adam has one, and likes it. Although I think he's shooting heavy Hills these days.

[longbowinfected]

Mate has a couple. Loves them but always tuning/repairing them. Sort of like owning an old second hand two stroke Yammie 125 dirt bike and working it too hard.....half the time riding the other fixing it.
Another mate had one and infected the other mate. First bloke was a genius and could make his sing, but got out of archery, the one left holding the baby is a mere mortal.

They intrigue me until I compare the weight with a boo longbow.

Quit while you are ahead and still have hair on your head.
Think about it, fantasize about it but do not do it.

Kev

[alaninoz]

I've got two Oneida's, both X80 Aeroforce's. Don't shoot them much now that I've taken up a longbow.

Yes, they're heavy - at least compared to more modern compounds. They are, however, very smooth to draw and spit out an arrow quickly. I've never had a problem keeping mine in tune, though I keep mine in the middle of the weight range and shoot reasonably heavy arrows - around 8 grains/pound.

I find them easier to work on than most compounds, in part because you don't need a bow press. It does help to know what you're doing though. The only parts that wear seem to be the power cables and they're easy to replace, though I don't know where you'd get spares these days.

[aroadik]

I have an Intensity by Discovery bows (originally by the inventer of Onieda) it looks the same but has NO cams, shoots extremely well, fast (300fps in 1999) and loves a heavy arrow. Sadly no longer in production and although mine is servicable, I am reluctant to shoot it due to lack of spares and yes, easy to tune and work on. Cheers Pete. p.s not interested in "monsterising" it.

[perry]

Drawing a Longbow I know folks but I have long held the opinion that the Greek / Roman Ballista is the inspiration for the Onieda line of Compound devices. Substitute the Cord Bundles of the Ballista for an aggresive cam and cables of the Onieda and they basically work the same way

cutaway view Ballista.jpg (21.72 KiB) Viewed 2276 times

Hawk done.jpg (15.37 KiB) Viewed 2276 times

Never owned one myself but I was quite impressed with how they shot years and years ago. Best way to quite them down was to fit a heavy Dacron string and some string silences, they could be trad bow quite.

So is it a reasonable question to ask if the Compound device is an ancient invention not one of the last 60 years.

And yes I have seen a hand held ballista, modern era construction for a bit of fun, it did shoot arrows and no I'm not suggesting they hand held versions where shot millenium ago, just that I've seen an article about an enterprising fellow that made a hand held ballista for a giggle..


regards Jacko

[perry]

I had a quick look and could not find the afore mentioned article or even a reference but here's a fella with too much time on his hands and a Ballista slingshot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbNdk4_aIok

regards Jacko

[greybeard]

Hi Perry,

This is A Ballista!!!!

Balister 1.jpg (92.45 KiB) Viewed 2275 times

Balister 2.jpg (87.21 KiB) Viewed 2275 times

Balister.jpg (85.54 KiB) Viewed 2275 times

Daryl.

[GrahameA]

Hi Perry.

So is it a reasonable question to ask if the Compound device is an ancient invention not one of the last 60 years.

No. No cams (or eccentrics) which is a requirement of the compound bow.

Refer Allen's Patent which is for an "ARCHERY BOW WITH DRAW FORCE MULTIPLYING ATTACHMENTS", ie cams.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3486495.html

[perry]

Fair enough Grahame !

Is it a fair question to ask that the Ballista's cord bundles could have been the inspiration for the Onieda ? I look for answers to modern problems in the past, saves me time, so perhaps this is why I see the similarity! As I eluded too earlier I have seen a handheld ballista shot in the manner in which you shoot a bow - I might make one and ask some Trad shoot organisers to classify it certainly is something capable of being made BC

regards Jacko

[aroadik]

FWIW, The Intensity, no cams, was hunting quiet and used 450+ for string and cables. Cheers Pete.

[GrahameA]

Hi Perry

Is it a fair question to ask that the Ballista's cord bundles could have been the inspiration for the Onieda ?

It is a fair question. I would say No and instead suggest that a Penobscoot would be a better choice.

I might make one and ask some Trad shoot organisers to classify it certainly is something capable of being made BC

Go for it - although the capablity to make something and it actually being made is two different things.

I have seen photos of homemade Oneida look alike - all timber and interesting project, will see if I can find it again.

Why not make yourself one of these.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01bmSvkC4qE

Or one of these. http://www.archers-review.com/bow-revie ... und-24028- Interesting date for that article.

[GrahameA]

Found it:

Medieval Compound Bow - well not really but it will give Perry something to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNgm7kG_tSg

[Chase N. Nocks]

Thanks for all the replies to this post guys. Most people's opinions have been largely positive it seems and of course if I were to purchase one I would hope that I don't end up with the lemon of the batch.

There are some excellent owners forums apparently which I will try to find. I'll post them here for others that may be interested.

Cheers
Troy

[Chase N. Nocks]

Troy,
I might be the only one with a contrary opinion. The bows don't appeal to me, they just look odd and aren't really one or the other. I have known guys that have done very well with them but now for this cowboy. Good luck to you though!
Tony

Mate I am sure you are not alone in finding them ugly. Beauty is subjective for sure. And honestly sometimes I find even the most ugly things beautiful especially when I look past their surface and look at then functionally. I certainly don't think of this type of bow as a better choice than any other type as they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

Not everyone had glowing reports but it seems the feedback here and other places are more positive than not.

But yes I do like the look of them.