Shortbow
Shortbow is a tier 5 free-to-play two-handed weapon for Ranged, with a high alchemy value of 30 coins. The simplest way for an Ironman to get Shortbow is to buy it: Brian's Archery Supplies in Rimmington sells it for 50 coins, and 5 other shops stock it too.
“Short but effective.”
Free-to-playTradeable (not for Ironmen)High alch 30 gp
Updated . Sources from the RuneScape Wiki's drop, shop and recipe data (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0), checked 2026-10-09. Item sprite © Jagex.
Ironman verdict
At least 6 monsters drop it. The easiest is Corpse spider (level 4, 5/162); the best rate is Skeleton (Tarn's Lair) (level 77), at 6/128, about one every 21 kills. You can also make it yourself: it takes 1 Fletching and gives 5 Fletching XP, using Shortbow (unstrung) and Bowstring. There are 2 other recipes below. Other sources include New Varrock guard captain and Zombie (New Varrock). Making ten takes 10 × Shortbow (unstrung) and 10 × Bowstring and gives 50 Fletching XP. It is worn in the two-handed weapon slot at tier 5 as ranged gear; compare it with every other piece on the Two-handed weapons list. Shortbow is available on free-to-play worlds too. It is tradeable on normal accounts, but an Ironman cannot use the Grand Exchange or trade for it, so the sources on this page are the whole list. High Alchemy turns one into 30 coins, which is 20 less than the shop price, so buying it to alch does not pay.
At a glance
- Members
- No (free-to-play)
- Tradeable
- Yes, but not for Ironmen
- High alch
- 30 coins
- Monster drops
- 6
- Shops
- 6
- Recipes
- 3
- Used in
- Nothing
- Slot
- Two-handed weapons, tier 5
Monster drops
| Dropped by | Level | Quantity | Rarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skeleton (Tarn's Lair) | 77 | 1 | 6/128 |
| Warped cockroach | - | 1 | 5/140 |
| Corpse spiderEasiest | 4 | 1 | 5/162 |
| Warped fly | 7 | 1 | 5/198 |
| Crawling corpse torso | 9 | 1 | 5/208 |
| Giant skeleton (Tarn's Lair) | 84 | 1 | 3/128 |
Best rates first, plus the lowest-level monsters that drop it. Every monster links to its full drop table in the bestiary.
Make it yourself
Needs 1 Fletching · 5 Fletching XP
Needs 1 Fletching · 5 Fletching XP
Needs 1 Fletching · 5 Fletching XP
Getting the materials as an Ironman
- Shortbow (unstrung): made with 1 Fletching
- Bowstring: sold by Uglug's Stuffsies for 100 coins
Shops
- Brian's Archery Supplies50 coins · stock 1
- Dargaud's Bows and Arrows50 coins · stock 10
- Beefy Bill's Supplies50 coins · stock 10
- Gulluck and Sons50 coins · stock 10
- King Lathas's Armoury50 coins · stock 10
- Corporal Boothe's Armoury50 coins · stock 1
Other sources
Minigames, reward chests, clues, skilling and other non-combat sources.
Where it fits for an Ironman
Equipment
- Two-handed weapons, tier 5 · ranged
Minigames and places
- Rimmington · Brian's Archery Supplies
- Ranging Guild · Dargaud's Bows and Arrows
- Lumbridge · Beefy Bill's Supplies
- Grand Tree · Gulluck and Sons
- Kandarin · King Lathas's Armoury
- Burthorpe · Corporal Boothe's Armoury
Related items
Browse more items starting with S, or search every item.