HH bug got me ... Part One!

[sticksnstones]

Thanks for the quick feedback John! With all the fading and what seems to be staining from the leather, I'm thinking I should redo the whole riser.

I'm not sure if I'm going to put a leather wrap back on this one or not. I'm going to shoot it without one for a while and see what I like better. I haven't ruled out the idea of having it checkered.

How I like the bow??? I REALLY like it! It's taken a little time to settle in with it but now it's shooting really good for me. I liked it before I took the grip off, and I still like it now. It may not be a striking bow or made of exotic woods, but I would like to treat it well and fix it up.
Thom

[jsweka]

Well, if you're going to leave the wrap off, then you will need to refinish at least the whole riser (maybe the whole bow if you can't get the finishes to match up).  That really isn't fading under the old wrap.  It's the exposed wood darkening from exposure to UV light.  It happens to most all woods and will take a little bit of elbow grease to get it sanded down to where all of the riser is same tone.  Checkering would be cool.

Good luck with it and I'm sure it will be a looker when you're done.

[Cochise]

BTT

[58WINTERS]

Sticks,
If the riser is an oily wood like Cocobola you will need to seal it with super glue as sometimes poly will not set up. My experience. If you decide to do the complete riser this maybe something you may want to consider before you get happy with the sand paper.

[sticksnstones]

That's a really good thought. I'll check with a bow maker in the next town over,  he finishes a lot of his longbows with super glue so I'll ask his opinion on it. Planned to talk to him about some tip overlays for this bow anyways. Thanks!
Thom

[Basil_K]

random question gents!

the wife and i did a archery class together over the weekend and she really enjoyed it and wants to go again.

I was thinking of surprising her with a longbow as a present.


She is about 4 '11 so should i just get her a youth longbow at around 56 or would a full size 66 be fine?

[Jomohr84]

What is her draw length? I would assume its below 28", in which case I would say 56" should be fine, in general seems that a good longbow length is about the shooters own height to 6" less, but that's just my preference. 66" may be fine though, it'd be nice if she could try some differing lengths to see what's most comfortable for her.

[Basil_K]

the class we took she was using a recurve that was taller than her and she did pretty awesome


her 5th set of arrows were a group of 15 inches which is pretty awesome for her first time shooting.

But ill have to see what she feels most comfortable with

Basil_K,
My wife is about 3/4" taller than yours and struggles a bit to comfortably control a 66"er.

I'm guessing that your wife draws significantly less than 25" and would probably do much better with a 62".

I am going through that process now...what to do?  

JMO-FWIW

[Gil Verwey]

I would talk to Craig Ekin and have him make a recommendation. I am going to do the same thing for my wife with a Hill longbow.

[Trad Longbow Joe]

We need to keep this Thread on Page 1.

[Owlmagnet]

'Nuther random question. Does anyone know if the Hill-style longbow that John Schultz uses in the video, "Hitting'em Like Howard Hill" was backset, straight, or string follow? It seems like the more I study that video, the more interested I am getting in the specifics of that bow....

Thanks,
Bob

[Nate Steen .]

I believe it was reflexed...he made the video in '87 and started strringfollows glass bows in '88 or '89 with the "Favorite"

Look at the length of the bow in relation to his height...Schulz was  not tall...that bow was only 64" long built in accordance with his short draw of 26" front of blunt.  Tom's bow is also built to match his short draw....short.

Si why do 68" - 70" bows sell to guys with 26-27" actual shooting draw lenghts?

[WESTBROOK]

Si why do 68" - 70" bows sell to guys with 26-27" actual shooting draw lenghts?

Nate, I wonder the same thing....they hardly even bending the limbs.    

Eric

[two4hooking]

I have always heard Hill's advice of the "last digit of draw length becomes the last digit of bow length" as "Optimal".  Was this advice outdated with newer materials and designs?

[khardrunner]

I pull a true 30 now (i have pics that prove it   ) and shoot a 69" trophy hunter. Perfect match.

[Nate Steen .]

A 66"r has lighter limbs, bent more for faster recovery which means speed...but lighter wandish limbs are also stable.  Long does not always mean stable.

[Overspined]

Nate,

I used to shoot 66" Hill style bows and have a 26 -26.5" draw.  When I started shooting 68", I loved the way the string felt, and they smoothed out considerably on the draw too.  Steve at Northern Mist just adjusts the tapers to your draw length. I have a couple 66" bows, but different designs like Miller SF or reverse handle.  I think I am sensitive to finger pinch and any stacking.  I don't shoot heavy bows, 40-50#. It's not that I don't like the 66" backset Hill style, but just prefer and shoot the longer ones more comfortably.

Make sense?

[Nate Steen .]

Hill shortened his bows when glass became the standard.  But he had big hands..big handles and that factors into the length of the bow too...not just draw

[Overspined]

I've done some chrono testing, and I can't figure out what all the fuss is about. Basically messing with draw lengths of +/- and inch and playing with bow length does nothing more than add or subtract a few fps.  Its kind of negligible in my opinion.  I would rather hit the spot than beat myself up over the small stuff.  I could just shoot a recurve or a R/D bow if I wanted to squeeze every last bit of velocity out of an arrow.

From a bowyer point of view, or a true expert shooter, these things may be of more importance I would guess and maybe worth pursuing.  I have noticed some Hill style bows of various builders outperform others, but all the good ones are pretty darn close.  I haven't shot them all by any means.  Part of the beauty of longbows is that the limbs aren't moving like a curve, and so small changes in draw length don't mean much for arrow flight variability.   That said, if I could shoot a 5# lighter bow with the same arrow energy because the design was excellent and fit was good, I'd go for it!