Whats the cause of Handshock?

[bigcountry]

About a month ago I got a cool Osage 66" longbow.  It has a nice backset like most osages do unstrung. Only thing I don't like is the extreme handshock.  I have had alot of bows, but never one with this much.  Is that just part of the deal with selfbows like this?

What causes this handshock?

I have been shooting with a handmade sling, basically tied to my hand to make sure it doesn't fly 3ft when shot.  Because i sure don't like gripping it.

[FerretWYO]

Handshock is a result of the bow flexing in the handle. The closer the limb flexes to the handle the more severe you fell the hand shock. Self bows are more prone to severe hand shock do to the full working limb design that many of them use.

[TimZeigler]

Its wasted energy.  Whatever energy is not transfered to the arrow upon release travels down the limbs to the grip. Quick down and dirty explanation.  Tim

[Bjorn]

Handshock is not present because it is a self bow!
I have self bows with zero handshock.
Handshock is the result of poor design and/or improper tillering.
You can try to reduce the effect by playing with brace height, string type or arrow weight.

[FerretWYO]

Sorry I did not mean that it is because it is a self bow. many self bow designs are prone to it though. Improper tiller is a good point too.

[bigcountry]

I always wonder why most self bows are not tapered more from the riser to the tip. Like a commerical martin savanah or BW PLV.  Mine looks like like it was cut on a growth ring even all teh way down without much taper

[George Tsoukalas]

There are quite a few causes. Tiller is off. Limbs don't draw and release in unison. Arrows too light.  Nocks are too meaty and heavy. The aesiest thing to do is shoot a heavier arrow. Check this out. Jawge
 http://mysite.verizon.net/georgeandjoni/selfbowcare.html

[bigcountry]

I heard some say to put a 97 string on 16 strands and that will help.  I shot a 600gr arrow and that seemed to help.  A 460gr made it much worse.

[hickstick]

bjorn and jawge have it...

I agree on the arrow weight being easiest thing to try.  

since I've been shooting glass backed bows over the last couple years I've come to prefer takedowns cause the extra mass in the riser helps to absorb  a little shock too.

[laddy]

With Hill style bows, I prefer to tiller my own to get the bend away from the handle. In a more parabolic tiller I find I can build a sweet spot at my draw length.

[Longbow Tom]

The limbs are slamming forward at release (as they should) and the arrow cannot absorb all the energy.  Heavy/long limbs slamming forward make the problem worse.  

Design can help a little, proper tiller can help even more.  A heavy riser can absorb even more energy.  Now try the heaviest arrow you can find spined for your bow.

[James Wrenn]

Heavy limb tips but timing more than anything.On any bow, not just a selfbow however.

Bigcountry the design in wood bows are more limited by the materials.Wood will not take the stress that glass will so the bow has to be built to work within those limitations.It takes more materials to keep things together and that makes things heavier.Heavy arrows for heavy limbed bows is the best course of action for shooting pleasure.  

[George Tsoukalas]

If tillered well, a bow that bendis in the handle will not have hand shock. Jawge

[Ron LaClair]

The physical weight of the limb has a lot to do with  "hand shock". A trim limb made from a light weight wood and a light weight string  will greatly reduce the effects of hand shock. A heavy riser helps absorb some of it.  I like to use heavy wood in the riser and light weight wood in the limb. Some designs are more prone to HS. Years ago when I shot very heavy bows, I had two Hill style bows that were both 90#. One had bamboo limbs, the other was all osage in the limb. The osage being heavier caused me to get tennis elbow, so bad that I couldn't bend my arm to scratch my nose. I had to get rid of the osage bow. Ever try to sell a 90# left hand bow?     :D

Another bow that I had to stop shooting was a English style D section osage bow. I had a Yew wood in the same style that didn't bother me a bit.

A longer limb has more weight (heavier) than a shorter limb     ....  

[mjc]

I agree with Mr. Wrenn, I have found stiff tips that dont do there share of the work will cause alot of  hand shock.

[J.F. Miller]

like already stated, handshock is not "a fact of life" when shooting wooden bows. like already stated, potential causes are poor tillering and/or unbalanced limbs that don't recover in unison, mass placement and over all design and too light of an arrow(wooden bows love heavy arrows).

another factor to consider is the amount of reflex in the relaxed bow. the more reflex, the more likely it is to deliver handshock. bows that stand straight or follow the string slightly are more pleasant to shoot and more forgiving as well.

griping the bow properly is important with wooden bows, as with any bow, but it is simply easier to mis-handle a selfbow, imo.

I noticed a huge difference in vibration(not to be confused with hand shock) when I started using D-97 strings(15 strand) instead of B-50. been using D-97 for nearly 10 years now. I wouldn't put anything on a wooden bow besides D-97 strings these days

I'd suggest you shoot arrows that are 10-12 grains per pound of draw weight, get a low-stretch string and play with your grip a little bit and see what you get.  nothing you can do about poor tiller or poor design now anyway.