what makes a bow, a hill style bow?

[don s]

i always see "hill style" bows. i know it's  straight limbed and has a short riser. other than that, what makes a bow a hill style bow? how short are those risers?
                           don

[Deadsmple]

I would describe a "hill style" bow as one with long, straight, narrow deep cored limbs and a straight riser short enough to give me the leverage to handle heavier arrows.

[don s]

the limbs are narrower and deeper than other long bows? i know the riser is short. i imagine this is where the handshock that is described with these type bows comes from.
                                 don

[don s]

so thats it? limbs are narrow and deep, the riser is short and straight? when you shoot it theres handshock? thats what a hill bow is? i thought with the way people went nuts for them there was something really unique about them.
                                          don

Schulz bows, my current Hill style bows from Hill company blanks and my Robertsons have no more hand shock than a good recurve.  Sounds to me like you are looking for an argument.

[Stumpkiller]

They've got that grip that makes no concessions to the shape of the human hand and wrist.  (They kill me, I've got "girly wrists" and bony hands).

Shoot them like a recurve they will fight with you, shoot them like Hill and they will become part of you.

[don s]

Originally posted by pavan:
Schulz bows, my current Hill style bows from Hill company blanks and my Robertsons have no more hand shock than a good recurve.  Sounds to me like you are looking for an argument.

no, i'm just trying to get people to answer. i knew as soon as i did that people would speak up. i actually like them, i just don't know what makes a hill a hill. it worked didn't it.lol sorry if i ruffled you fletchings

Okay, if you were to shoot a longbow with a straight arm and a deep recurve grip it will not work as well for the shooting style.  The Hill style bows that meld with the way Hill shot have a straighter grip that allows for the bent bow arm, the shallow sight window can make tuning stiffer carbon arrows in the lighter weights a bit of a challenge, but woods seem to go where you are looking with no problem, via the tilted head and canted bow.  The exact shape of the limb, I do not believe is something to get hung up on.  A string follow will have less shock with a dacron string than some reflex models, but with my yew/bamboo with a string added from Frankbullit (Steve Mcqueen) it has almost no perceivable hand shock and is as fast as my Super Kodiak of the same draw weight.  Looking at old pictures I notice that even though they had a thicker core than today's recurves, there are some photos as well old Hill models from the 50s that I have limbs that were flatter than I would have expected, compared to my Schulz glass/bamboo bows. There is a remarkable forgiveness in the good Hill models that allows a very smooth and accurate fast shooting sequence.  I was really impressed by a Tom Miller bow a while back. There was a smooth magic in that bow that made it seem like it shot itself. I will say that not all longbows are created equal and knowing what specs to order is as important as which bowyer to order from.

[don s]

are all hill bows built with a boo core? i know what you mean about the grip. i notice that some are slightly dished for consistant hand placement. you also state that the site window is shallow. see! this is what i'm trying to find out. i watched the video that cody put up. of himself shooting his hill bow. his limbs appear to be slightly whip ended. am i correct. i do like the looks of the hill bows. i don't know why. thanks for the info.
                        don

[rnharris]

several for sale right now on the classifieds buy used and try one you will usually not lose any money if it fits keep it if it don't sell it some good posts above can't really add anything i like them but hunt with r/d longbows they're all good good luck with the search!

i love the thump of a Hill bow no handshock just the nature of the bow!

[GingivitisKahn]

Originally posted by don s:
the limbs are narrower and deeper than other long bows? i know the riser is short. i imagine this is where the handshock that is described with these type bows comes from.
                                 don

Nah - it comes from gripping the bow incorrectly.  To the original question, I think you're mostly just talking about an American flatbow.  Maybe it's a bow that looks like the ones Hill made and shot.  No - they don't all have bamboo cores.

No they come in a variety of cores, bamboo is simply the most common. On my own I make the sight window just a little deeper 1/8" from center plus the leather.  My bows are tillered to be more whip ended than the standard bow from Hill archery, but I have seen exceptions to this.  Dished or low wrist locator grips like Robertson does work fine. I try to suggest that an individual follow the bowyers advise for bow lengths. the old rule for reflex models was 66 for 26, 68 for 28, I made an exception with mine because the additional whip action allows the limb to bend a little more for my shorter draw. You may loose some draw with the hill shooting style compared to a deeper recurve grip, this is a good thing as it allows the bow to work with you better.  A consistent anchor does need to be consciously maintained with shooting this style, if things get too fluid the anchor sufferes, and it is easy to get too fluid with bows that point this easy.

[JRY309]

For me a Hill style bow is long narrow limbs,deep core,straight or string follow proflie,small riser and D-shape when strung.

[David Mitchell]

One that looks like these.....
 

 

 

[highnoonhunter]

Not being rude or nothing.... but good luck finding a definitive answer to your question! LOL!

I asked the same question and another question or three, to a dedicated list of Hill fans recently and got very little feedback......

Honestly........ I think it's secretive stuff!

[don s]

thanks everyone. i did get the info i was looking for.
            don