Gotta ask

[sticshooter]

I got nerve damage in both elbows thus lower weight bows for me. But i always loved selfbows and other all wood only bows. Also the Hill style bows . but all the ones I have shot have alot of handshock. So I gotta ask do all these style bows have handshock? I know it might a DUMB question but I had to ask.thanks<><

[TroyH]

I don't think so.  I've made a few osage self bows and some have more than others.  The one I now hunt with is a little high on the poundage but low on hand shock.  I made one for a friend recently, and it is a smooth shooter with little shock.
So I don't think a well made self bow has to have hand shock or much.

[jsweka]

I was a recurve guy until I tried my hand at building a straight limbed longbow.  Up until that point, I had never even shot a "Hill Style" longbow.  Even with my crude craftsmanship on that first one I never noticed any handshock.  I have built several since then, each one getting better and better, and still don't notice any handshock.  So either I stumbled onto a good design from the start or I'm just too dumb to notice.

Some guys really curse handshock in Hill style bows, others like the thump, and then there's folks like me who don't notice it.

[John Scifres]

Handshock is relative and a personal thing.  I have made some really low handshock selfbows.  But, on average, I'd say they have more shock than a glass recurve.  Hill style bows seem worse to me.  A short, light limbed osage bow, made well is the best I have found and are comparable to glass bows.  Heavy arrows, a light grip and higher brace height will also help.  Well balanced limbs are also imperative.

[Mike Most]

My bow hand used to rattle, until my brother explained grains per pound in arrows. Now that I shoot heavier arrows 10-11gpp, hand shock has been thusly minimized.

[No-sage]

What I've found is that it's another one of those tradeoffs.

I can make a selfbow without handshock, but it usually lacks some level of performance that I like, and seem to need to shoot my best.

I find that the fastest bows I make all have a little bit of handshock.  While not ideal, I'd rather have it and a high performance bow because I shoot them better.  They don't have near the handshock of any Hill I've shot though.