Hill style bow wood arrow spine

[macster]

I have a Wallace Mountain longbow 50@26. I have been told by many that it should shoot anywhere from 55-65 pound spine, but I have found that it shoots 40-45 the best. Anybody else find that their bows shoot lesser spined arrows better? 125 grain tips by the way.

[Looper]

40-45 sounds right to me. I've found that a 50@28 Hill style with a 125 grain point and a b50 string needs a 50# spine. For each inch over/under 28 add/subtract 5#. Add 5# for a FF string, and add 5# for each 20 grain point increase.

You can usually fine tune from there with brace height and side plate adjustments.

Here's a couple of examples:

Bow #1:  Hill Halfbreed, 42#@28",drawn to 30.75", FF string, 145 grain point

Baseline  : 42
Added draw: 15
FF string :  5
Point wt  :  5
Total     : 67#

Bow #2: Hill Cheetah, 50#@28", drawn to 30.75, b50 string, 160 grain point

Baseline  : 50
Added draw: 15
Point wt  : 10
Total     : 75#


Out of bow #1, I shoot a full length 65-70# Surewood with a 145 grain point. Out of bow #2, I shoot a full length POC 74# with a 160 grain point.

Let's try your bow.
Baseline: 56
Draw    :-10
FF      :  0
Point   :  0
Total   : 46

The 40-45 are pretty close to what you need. If they are a little weak, you can lower your brace height a touch, or thicken you side plate. It doesn't take much, though.

[The Whittler]

Sounds about right if the bow is not cut to center. I have 2 LBs in the high 60s# at my 29" draw  that are not cut to center and they like 55/60.

[Stone Knife]

My Big Five 66" 48@ 28"
52# spine arrows with a 125 gr point
55/60 spine with 160 gr points
If your going to hunt with it my advice would be to go with a stiffer arrow and a heavy point, to get a heavier arrow or you will have penetration problems that will lead to lost game.

[David Mitchell]

macster, I love my Wallace Mountain bows.  I shoot arrows spined to match the weight of the bow on all my "Hill style" longbows or even a tad lighter as you have found wroks very well for you.  That's why they are spined that way.    50# spine works great for me in a 50# bow. I'm sure you realize that woodies are spined for 28" arrows.  If you shorten them they become stiffer in spine.  Longer and they have an effective spine that is less.  The key to your question is that your experience is that 40/45 shoot the best--that's all that counts.  There are only guidelines in this sport--you gotta do what works best for you even if it didn't work for somebody else.

Isn't Dave Wallace's workmanship absolutely the best you ever saw?

The 40-45s are correct. I have found that with cedar one can fudge at times on the stiff side of things for us guys that draw under 27" when heavier points are used. However, that fudging on the stiff side of things can go very wrong if it is done with aluminum or carbon arrows. As an example, my 53@26" yew lam bow is shightly more center shot than a Hill, it shoots 45 pound spine perfectly with any point I want, if I cut them to net, front of point 26&1/4" for me, they need to be 40 spine arrows. At the same time I can get 55s to fly cut to 27" with 160 grain broadheads. According to the old days I thought 2016s would work, I was wrong. 1918s are just that little tiny bit softer in spine, but oh what a difference in how they fly compared to the 2016s.  For me when I get just a little stiff in the aluminum shaft it acts way too stiff, but when I get just a little light as in a 1818 shaft with 160 up front they are still fine. A lighter perfect flying arrow is deadlier than a sloppy flying heavier arrow that is too stiff.

[far rider]

Thanks looper, I'm going to try that myself. Good thread!

[Benny Nganabbarru]

My latest Hill, a 50# @ 28" Wapiti, with 30", 11/32", 75/80# Douglas firs, seems to prefer 200 grain points rather than the 160 grain points I calculated for - but that's the fine-tuning part of the adjustment.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

That's with a TS1+ string, too.

[macster]

Thanks for the input guys, and yes, Daves workmanship is some of the best I have ever seen.