New Hill Wesley Speacial

[Mudd]

I'm in the waiting business also. But for whatever reason I'm cool with it this time. Maybe it's because I know that there may be a few ahead of me but with each one built my number gets closer.

My "Robin Hood" will be number 21, 68" 48@28 with a straight wedge shaped handle.(How cool is that?)

I loved everything you had to say about your fine state except the volcano thing..lol

God bless,Mudd

[longbowben]

Dick make sure we see it when your done.Im just a little excited i have never shot a hill before.

[straitera]

I'm excited for you LBBen & Lan. I'm a Hill (style) freak w/5 Hills incl a beautiful Wesley. Soon as Ben K. ain't looking I'm gonna snatch his. Majestic 70" & 75# bow w/light glass front & back. Mine is dark glass. That's Dick's website guess you know (HHLBmen). This ain't his first rodeo either.

[Lonala]

Mudd its not that bad just make sure you own a canoe...Im excited to longbowben never shot one either.I know im going to have a hard time peeling the grin off my face,lying in bed at full draw glove on and whole nine yards.Aloha guys Ron

[Lonala]

Forgot to congats on all the new Hills being built for everyone...Robin Hoods are awesome beautiful....Are you guys going to hunt the Robin Hoods or just Hang um.And thanks to Mr.Craig Ekin for blessing us with his talent,hard work,and wisdow given to him by our Lord and savior.  Turning these bows out for everyone, we are all definitely Blessed.Not to mention one heck of a nice guy.Aloha Everyone,Ron

[Lonala]

Dick in SEattle,LIke your plans,I love my string Follow Bow dead Quiet,smooth dead in the hand.I was looking at the straight Limb Hills but cant get away from those String Follow Bows may be a bit slower but if its quiet dont need the speed.He will know its there when the 600 plus grain arrow goes crashing through is shoulder blades.My brother Rick built my boo osage Follow Bow now Im hooked on those things.Aloha Dick.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Any rough figures on performance difference between comparible Hill bows if one is string-follow?

[Mudd]

Ben, I ask Craig(HH Archery) that very question and his answer was "It's minimal".

I figure he should know and took him at his word.

God bless,Mudd

[Lonala]

Ben Craig told me Bamboo is the best performing for Lams and 5 lams would be the smoothest and best performing.So I ordered the Wesley,like Mudd said he should know so I left it at that,On Craigs website he says 115 ft per second PLus Poundage of Bow so Im hoping for 170ft per second .Depending on arrow wieght and length of draw.Aloha Ron

[Dick in Seattle]

String Follow and Reflex in Hill Styles

Current production Hllls have very minimal string follow or reflex, just enough to know it's there... unless you specify otherwise.  As Craig says, it's not really that distinctive feeling in the shooting.  I think the Robin Hood will have quite a noticeable amount more string follow.  

Years back, Hills came with much more pronounced reflex or string follow.  The old form I'm working on is in that style.
 
 

Here is a shot of an old, pretty severely reflexed Hill bow (very much like Howard's bow that I plan to build a form for and the form I'm working on right now) and my own first bow, which is a pretty strongly string follow.   Now on these bows, you would definitely appreciate the differences in feel between reflexed, straight and string follow. The reflexed is going to be faster by about 5 fps, maybe a bit more, but will have a clearly stiffer pull vs. another bow of the same rated draw weight, because more stress is front loaded into the draw.  It is probably also going to be felt more in the hand.    The string follow will be slower but will be much smoother and easier drawing, more dead in the hand and less reactive to every break in form.  

When I started building my own bows, I made a very conscious decision to build flat, on the theory that if both reflexed and string follow had avid fans and good points, going right in between couldn't be all bad!  :^)   That's worked out well for me.  I'm pleased with my straight bows, but it's time to experiment more, so I've done a light weight reflexed ("Raven"... kind of awesome, really) and the Forward Scouts, which are still straight but shoot like string follows because of the severe forward riser, which moves the hand center forward of the limb tips just like string follow does.   Two bows out I plan a reflexed Scout and I'm really looking forward to that, seeing if combining the string follow effect of the forward riser with some reflex can leave you with the best of both styles.

[Lonala]

nice dick id love to shoot one of those very nice thanks for showing,ron

[Dick in Seattle]

Lonala....   thought of something else to share.  you mentioned that if the bow was quiet, speed wasn't so important.   I approach it from a slightly different basis.  If you can't get close enough that speed isn't that important, you shouldn't shoot!  Good game distance is 8 to 15 yards.  

I have a friend who is an old archer and an old bear hunting guide.  This guy's gotten bear just about every year since Lewis and Clark came out here.  We were talking about today's emphasis on speed a few weeks ago and he was saying that they all shot slow bows back in the day, throwing really heavy arrows..."Hell, we'd run alongside and push the branches out of the way so they wouldn't be deflected!"   He also said that the bows weren't so much for performance but the arrows still went through the bears.  :^)  He's a hoot, but his point is good.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Good stuff, Dick and Mudd. Thanks!

[Ben Maher]

Ben , I don't notice any real difference in speed between my string folows and my reflexed Hill style bows ... i do notice that they are 'gentler ' in the hand and a tad more forgiving .
I'd drop two inches in length but you'll find its will be a sweet shooting bow...
Bring on the No 13# Robin Hood left hand to Oz !

[Lonala]

Dick thats my theory to buddy,I shoot pigs from 3 to 15 yards I like to get in there close.Thats my zone still hunt ambush at close ranges Stealth mode buddy,So close they may hear my heart thumpin..Camo with leafy wear,cant believe how close those animals come in on ya its worth the money.Thats why I gave up the Wheels and half the speed for the excitement,Challenge and satisfaction of doin it the hard way the only way God bless you all talk to you Soon Ron