Howard Hill with FF

[meatCKR]

So wanted to update this thread.  I received my second Hill Bow this past Saturday - A Howard Hill Legend Stick.  It's awesome. A bit heavier than my Wesley Special and it has double tip wedges for extra strength in the tips.  It came with a 16 strand B50 string.  But with those beefy tips, I thought I would try 450+ just to see how it would do.  So I made a 10 strand 450+ string padded to 14 in the loops.  The 14 strands in the loops made a nice thick loop and it fills the string nocks on the tips nicely.  And guess what? That Legend Stick shoots amazing with the 450+ string!  Maybe is beefier tips? Maybe it's something else?  All I know is the Legend Stick handled the Fast Flight string without same feeling I got when I tried 450+ on the Wesley Special. I did add a couple of Limbsaver string leaches just to lower the higher pitched tone of the Fast Flight but I am sticking with Fast Flight on this Legend Stick and the performance is amazing.

Moral of the story, don't be afraid to tinker and find what works best on your Hill Bow.  You might be surprised at what works.

Steve

[Yewbender]

For me its B50 only.

[Nala]

Where can I get one of these "PADDED LOOP" Flemish twist FF strings for my Hill style?  Can you all link some names or makers?

I just got my replacement Dave Johnson longbow, which is a Hill style, and I asked him if a FF string would be OK to use and he specifically told me that it would be fine but recommended I pad the loops on it if I did use one.
He said that he ships all his bows with the strings he makes which are the standard B50.

I'd like to get a better string for my bow.

Larry

[meatCKR]

Hi Larry.  Allen Shafer, of Ten Ring Strings, can make you a wonderful string for your Hill Bow.  Check out his website at tenringstrings.com and contact him about your needs.  He makes great strings for Hill Style Bows.

Padding the loops of the string just means the string builder adds more strands of material to where they are twisting the loops at.  For example, on the string that I made for my Legend Stick, I used 10 strands for the main part of the string. But then to pad the loops, I cut 4 additional 11" sections of 450+ (2 of each color) and then lay those into the each bundle right where I am twisting the loops. That makes the strand count of the loops 14.  This makes the diameter of the twisted bundles in the loops thicker and fills the string nocks on the tips of the bow more fully.  The thicker loop distributes the pressure more evenly in the string nock making it less likely to dig in the tip - potentially causing it to delaminate.

Steve

[two4hooking]

B50 is an inferior string somehow?

[LBR]

Actually, amongst "modern" string materials, B-50 ranks at the bottom.  Kinda' like a Model T, it was the stuff during it's time.  Now it's more of a novelty.

Reason being is there are better materials available now.  B-50 has the most stretch, most creep, least durability, least consistency of any manufactured string material on the market.

Even if you have to shoot polyester strings because you are shooting a self bow or an old bow that wasn't built for HMPE/HMPE blends, there's B-55.  Not a huge improvement, but it is made with a higher grade of polyester for a little less stretch/creep and a little better durability.

No knocking anyone that likes it, just answering the question with verifiable facts.  If you prefer B-50 for whatever reason, use it.

[two4hooking]

Depends what factors you are ranking....

Quiet is up on top of my list and B50 gets the nod.

Forgiving...yes. Gentle on the bow and shooter.


Feel and larger diameter (yes I like a fat string)


Inferior is just an opinion.

Feel free to send me all the spools of "inferior" novelty B50 you guys don't want.

[LBR]

I can get my bows extremely quiet with BCY-X, Dynaflight '97, etc.  It's more a matter of tuning than string material.

If it were more "forgiving" on the shot, top target archers would be using B-50.  Brady Ellison is shooting BCY's 8125.  Pretty sure no top ranked archer is shooting polyester (Dacron).  If they are, they are the exception.

The size of the string depends on the number of strands used.  I don't like "skinny" strings either.

In the areas I mentioned - strength, durability, lack of stretch, lack of creep, consistency - B-50 is at the bottom of the list in all categories.  Not opinion but verifiable fact.  

You did ask...  

[LBR]

[nineworlds9]

you couldnt pay me to shoot a bow with B50.  only thing B50 is acceptable to me on are vintage bows, otherwise it's like shooting yourself in the foot.  strong opinion eh?  lol

[Nala]

I think I've bought a couple strings from 10 Ring.

I'll get hold of him and see what he can do for me.

Thanks

[two4hooking]

quote:Originally posted by LBR:
I can get my bows extremely quiet with BCY-X, Dynaflight '97, etc.  It's more a matter of tuning than string material.

If it were more "forgiving" on the shot, top target archers would be using B-50.  Brady Ellison is shooting BCY's 8125.  Pretty sure no top ranked archer is shooting polyester (Dacron).  If they are, they are the exception.

The size of the string depends on the number of strands used.  I don't like "skinny" strings either.

In the areas I mentioned - strength, durability, lack of stretch, lack of creep, consistency - B-50 is at the bottom of the list in all categories.  Not opinion but verifiable fact.      

You did ask...    

My bow is also considered "inferior" by some standards, yet for the endeavor I use it for it is vastly superior to me.    

[ron w]

I have tried all different string materials from B-50 to 8 strand skinny things. There is nothing more silent that B-50. The high tech stuff just has a different pitch to it. They do what they say as far as no stretch and no creep.......if you want silent at the shot......it's B-50 for me.

[LBR]

Varies with the bow, tuning, nock fit, your release, etc.  I've had lots of customers tell me their bows were quieter with Dynaflight '97, 8125, 450+, BCY-X, etc. vs. polyester (Dacron).

Your mileage may vary.  Critters I've killed couldn't be reached for comment.    

[ron w]

I have a clean release, been doing this for 40+ years and can tune a bow, I have used all the materials you mentioned........Dacron is lower pitch and more silent. I will admit right now I'm using D-97 or 452 with a few strands of B-50 thrown in the mix just to make my nocks fit nice.  

[LBR]

Not arguing what works for you Ron.  

It's not universal though.  Been studying strings and string materials on all sorts of bows and gathering info from all sorts of people from beginning shooters to professionals to bowyers to the world's top bowstring manufacturer for 20+ years.

The one thing that is for certain is there is no one right answer that fits everyone and/or every bow.

There's also the variable of how the string is made.  Not just strand count either.

[ron w]

[meatCKR]

Let's not lose the point of this thread.  The original poster specifically asked about using Fast Flight on a Howard Hill Bow. In the interest of being as much help as I could, I related my experience with my HH Wesley Special. For me, on that particular bow, a 12 strand B50 string worked better.  Now I define better as the bow shot the way I wanted it to with the B50.  Not so much with 450+.  Could I have tried other FF materials? Yeah, but once I find something that works, I stop and use it.

Now I just received another Hill Bow - A Legend Stick (which is awesome by the way) that has double tip wedges. So I thought I would try 450+ since I have the material and I make my own strings.  It shot lovely with the 450+.  So guess what? I stopped and am using 450+ on my Legend Stick.

The Original Poster is going to have to figure out what works best for him on HIS bow. That's the fun part.  All we can do to help is relate our experiences to give him some thoughts on what to try.

Best of Luck Pack!  I hope you enjoy your Hill Bow journey - I know I am enjoying mine.

Steve

[ron w]

Your right meatCKR........got caught up. My Hills have seen FF and Dacron......both with good results. Try them both to see what works best for you.