HH bug got me ... Part One!

[Basil_K]

Ron and Nate those bows are beautiful.

Lol any of you interested in a trade for an ice cream bar and fan? It's all I got right now lol!

[GRS]

Hello All. Haven't been posting much lately, but I have been keeping up with the thread and shooting my bows. Bows.....funny how the one Hill bow I started with a little over a year ago has turned into a group of 3!!!! Oh well, as said before, it's a highly contagious bug! Anyways,several have mentioned removing the strike plate to improve the shooting. Other than making the bow more centershot, possibly allowing an arrow spined slightly heavier, what other differences could it make? Also, wouldn't it open the possibility of making unwanted noise while hunting? What's your opinion?

Gerald

[WESTBROOK]

Ron has a nice lefty Shrew Hill that I keep checking on, hoping it will grow another couple inches.

Eric

[Rossco7002]

Those are gorgeous bows guys!

[Overspined]

Gerald, the arrows will probably not make any additional noise if they are spined right and your release is consistent with those arrows. I keep the strike plate, but have shot a few without.  I really can't see a reason to remove it unless you are looking to discover flaws in your release while practicing if you think you are not consistent.  Any other reasons??

[Rik]

Do you notice any noise when you draw your bows without leather on the strikeplate?

I imagine a compound-like noise ( ssssSSSSSTTTTT ) when drawing without nice, quiet leather, but I have never tried it, so I have no experience to draw from.

[Aussie Stickbow Hunter]

Gerald,

I can't see that there are any benefits with shooting without a strike plate.

Jeff

[Nate Steen .]

The main reason for removing a leather sideplate is to make the bow more centershot and hence more arrow spine tolerant.  All the old timers shot with the arrow against the wood...some put inserts of bone or hardwood or mother of pearl where the arrow passed.  Lots of game shot that way and lots of tourneys won also.    I have done it for a year and can honestly say it's not noisy to draw an arrow.  Some arrow finishes are raspier than others but steel wool makes the arrow smooth, slick and quiet.  The arrow flies away from  the bow upon release so any noise you hear is a very stiff arrow or bad release.

I challenge anyone to take off their sideplate for one year and if they spook any game while drawing an arrow which causes them to miss a shot I will buy them a new sideplate.  It really works.  It only takes one shooting sesssion for you to get used to it.

[Shinken]

That sounds like a *great* challenge Nate!

Wishin' I had me a nice LH Sunset Hill to test out your theory....

     

Keep the wind in your face!

Shoot straight, Shinken

   

[cahaba]

I put clear scotch tape where my side plate was.

[Ron LaClair]

No sideplate on your Hill bow is "traditional"    

[Pat B.]

So why not just cut the sight window to center to begin with ??  Makes the bow much more spine tolerant it seems.  I realize that with heavy bows some strength issues may arise but 90% of bows made and sold may be under 60 lbs..

Me, I like bows cut to center or JUST before. I see no purpose in bows that are 1/4" before center except to conform to some rule.. As a hunter that rule doesn't apply to me.

[khardrunner]

I think Nate at Bama bows does cut his much closer to center than other "hill style" bows. Maybe that's why some consider his not "hill style".

[Nate Steen .]

Hill trimmed his sight window down until the arrow went where he was looking and then stopped.  He didn't add leather because he would have had to take out more wood.

[Pat B.]

I like that Nate.. In fact, I've done that with a couple of bows just to make them more user friendly..  Didn't realize that HH cut his to work with his arrow's spine..

[eminart]

Originally posted by khardrunner:
I think Nate at Bama bows does cut his much closer to center than other "hill style" bows. Maybe that's why some consider his not "hill style".

My new hunter model is cut 3/16" from center WITH the leather on.

[GRS]

Matt, Rik, Jeff, Nate, David, and Ron; thanks for all the replies and info. Although I have spine pretty well worked out, I may give it a try just to see what happens ( and maybe to get a free Sunset Hill strike plate haha!) Guys, I do appreciate all the info.
Thanks
Gerald

[C.Cannon]

Originally posted by pavan:
I have heard that Hill style shooters have been accused of being arrogant. Nothing could be as arrogant as the wheelie shooter, (hunts on a $4000 per year lease all by himself)m that gave me crap last night. I was out sitting in my Huntmore chair with my yew/myrtle job with about 18 arrows in my quiver,about 18 yards from my white 6'by 4' target. Earlier I got bit by a hornet, they love sitting on my target. I was spraying arrows all over the target, you guessed it, I was huntin', hornets.
   The rich wheelie dude walks by every evening and never says a word. Last night,"If that's the best you can do, cut it in half and burn it, you have have no business trying to hunt with that junk." I said pointing at the target "Wait for it."  A wasp landed on the target, I shot fast and I missed it by a hair, once again.  His eyes bugged out and he walked away without saying another word to me.  That is arrogant.
  I don't really have a problem with longbows that have variants in shapes, Hill style to me is more of a style of shooting and hunting than the actual bow, but I do like like them to be about an inch wide, deep cored and narrow  enough at the tip to pick your nose with..

 There aren’t any other serious Hill style shooters at the ranges I go to but I can't tell you how many times the static, target recurve style guys sneer at/look down on me and my swing-draw, fast release "Hillish style" at the range (probably doesn't help that my warm up involves me shooting the arrows out of my quiver as fast as I can    ). In my mind longbow shooters "get" that there is more than one basic archery style.

[Ron LaClair]

I just got off the phone with John Lee. John has an extensive collection of Howards bows that he made for himself and bows that he made for others. Before the Hill production bows came out Howards bows were no glass. He made the risers narrow with no shelf and no arrow plate, just a small leather wedge under the handle wrap for the arrow to ride on. John said using calipers the risers were about 28/32.....  

[MikeNova]

Ron did I understand you have a new hill with the concave/convex lams?