Bow

The Bow is the first weapon and only ranged weapon to be included in survival and indev mode in Minecraft. It has a limited quantity of arrows that can be replenished by killing skeletons or crafting.

Use
The Bow deals damage by firing arrows using the Tab key (in Survival Mode) and Right-click (in Minecraft Indev). The arrows do slightly more damage than hitting the mobs with the melee attack, and can be fired from a distance and in rapid succession. The arrows fly in a gentle arc and have a range of about 11 blocks when fired straight forward, and a maximum range of around 25 blocks on a plane. Arrows stick into objects they come in contact with and remain for a short while before disappearing, the distance from the object and the angle determine how far up the arrow will be stuck. Arrows bounce off entities like mine carts and will damage you if they hit you.

Note
It's possible to kill yourself with arrows if you shoot upwards and don't step away.