Hi All, and thanks so much for a generous response - very kind.  Having gone through some of the comments let's talk....

1. Armour, no he should not of been wearing it and yes I should absolutely have highlighted that this would effect distance and that is my mistake.  The reason he should not be wearing it is that wearing an (almost inevitably) badly fitting set of something and the lack of familiarity and chance of injury means that I would be crazy to ask him to and he would be crazy to say 'yes'.  But this is a hole in this test for sure.  I hope he will be back and then he may be willing to wear mail as that would be the gentlest type, but for those thinking segmentata- no way.  I could however find an experienced reenactor and if he can throw XXm in armour and XXm out, then these figures could be extrapolated to Michael's throws.

2. Distance.  Michael threw long and can certainly get longer, these were genuinely his first few throws  and so you have to assume there is plenty of room for improvement, which may partially offset his lack of wearing armour.  So Michael threw mid 20's m and then 28m on his first two, then went up to mid - 30's, and then with a running throw, his first two were in the low 40's.  Was this typical?  Who knows?, but it does prove that it can be done.  Was it done at these distances?  everything happens in war, so sometimes yes, was it the norm?  If you thrown vigorously and relatively unskilled (me) then it does start to tumble out at about 15m, so maybe for the panicked and pressed this was more realistic.

3. Trajectory and speed.  Let's set some targets up and find out.  the machine was set to throw at 36 degrees, which is about what Michael was throwing at and the distance was about the same, so the speeds will be about the same.  Is there a speed difference and so energy/momentum difference at 15m compared to 30m?  My feeling is little, but if there is ever a motto for this channel it is "let's find out".

4. Patreon. I have an idea.....I don't currently have Patreon, and these films are all self funded and so I was thinking of making a simple offering.  I make a film like this one for instance, then the Patreon offer would be a follow up film with me talking through some of the comments and ideas that have come up (for instance the evident spin on the throws - unexpected) and effectively respond to my own films and of course the odd Tods Workshop and Tod Cutler dagger draw.  Not asking for commitment, but would this be of interest?

Michael's getting 40+ and talking about pressing the range out to 50m or above. That's very impressive and certainly not what I expected! Excellent practical research here!

Todd, you are too hard on yourself! That was a fantastic watch! And chappeau to Michael for helping out.

My understanding was that the volley of light pila happened at about thirty yards, and that of heavy pila at six yards, just before contact, and this seems to confirm that.

Michael's accuracy with the 2,200 year old throwing weapon is simply amazing.

Very impressive to see Michael pick up a pilum for the first time and take about one throw to get the hang of it. That's a man who knows what he's doing.

I'd love to see an interview with Michael on his feelings about throwing a pilum.  He throws javelin as a sport, but in essence, this is the real thing.  He's getting a feeling of what it would be like to throw a real javelin, something made for war, not sport.  And if I heard it properly, you're bringing him back to be kitted out with mail and a shield, which could certainly affect how far he could throw, or possibly that was a shield and mail on a mannequin.  Do both!.  Get him hooked and you might have an addition to your crew of experts who work at really confirming history or busting myths.  I know that I'd be looking for every opportunity to be involved if I were him.

Apparently, a soldier of Caesar's 10th legion managed to kill Titus Labienus horse under him with his pilum when he rode up to and taunted them during a lull at the battle of Ruspina. I imagine Labienus would have kept a sizable distance between himself and the enemy force,  and just remained in shouting distance. This would confirm the fact that individual legionaries were indeed capable of throwing their pila pretty accurately over long distances - even after hours of fighting.

Every Legion would be proud to count Michael as one of theirs

Don't be too hard on yourself. Your explanation welded it all together! As a Roman history nerd, I appreciate the lengths you go to in replicating history and bringing us along.
Thank you!!!

I've never seen a javelin thrower up close. The stance, eyes on target, up on the toes, a magnificent physical muscular form, the whoosh sound. It's a bit of a thrill. Thank you.

Being transparent about the process is part of what I love about this channel, thanks for all your work Tod!

How do the Romans defeat enemy fruit? They pilum....

Wow, seeing his throws with the pilum was awesome! Crazy accurate, I would not want to be  across the battlefield from those!

I like:
- genuine enthusiasm in the topic
- humble manner of communicating with the guest and the viewer
- having a clear, thought-out manner of speaking
- not trying to be funny, use catchphrases, imitate some other channels

The best part - humility, making the video/channel not about you personally (which as a result makes you more likable)

Love the rabbit ears at 0:11

The underlying story arc of Tod's hoodies slowly deteriorating has been just as entertaining to watch unfold as the actual videos!  Love the content Todd and magnificent throws Michael!

The honesty is refreshing.

Wow! Awesome video. Loved seeing a real pro use one! The second throw I got chills from how perfectly that arced and landed. Nicely, nicely done Tod and Michael.

This is simply marvelous content.  To watch a well trained and highly proficient sportsman applying his work to the real deal - working in tandem with a passionate and driven maker - is inexorably exciting.  Well done!  It seems he was having a great time too and that really rounded the whole thing out for me.  Thanks for continuing to push in your own work, apply it in a very real way, and share it all with us.  Please share our gratitude with Michael as well!  I hope he hasn't had enough just yet; as I sure haven't seen enough from this duo!!!!