ASL's: Back Set or String Follow?

[evgb127]

If given the choice between a traditional back set bow and a string follow bow, which would you choose and why?

[Orion]

Back set.  It's faster. That's what i shoot.

[ron w]

I have one Hill that is string follow and it's ok, but I prefer straight or back set. Just so much better performance in my opinion. Several string follow bows that I have had seemed to kind of hit a wall on full draw.......not liking that.

[Deno]

Hill Straight and back set here. Both shoot well but I favor the back set more.
Deno

[David Mitchell]

Straight or back set for me as well.

[McDave]

I think your question is incomplete.  A more complete question would be: assuming the same performance, would you rather shoot a string follow or a backset bow?  For the performance to be the same, the string follow bow would have to be higher poundage.  How much higher would depend on the bow, but at least 5 pounds more.  So the real question is, is it worth pulling at least 5 pounds more to have a string follow bow?

[4dogs]

I do like the feel of a well made string follow bow. Of the bows I have of both string follow and back set, I really can not tell the difference in performance and they are the same poundage. I have Northern Mist in a string follow and a backset N.M.  I also have a JD Berry North Star and a Morning Starr. All great bows, string follows just have a smoother feel to me.

Years ago, '78 or '79, we made some belly set longbows with the Gordon glass with the quilt pattern and the peel strip, so they could be glued with Urac.  I achieved the belly set by using a flat riser, on a flat form with tapered bamboo lams.   All of the bows were over 80 pounds.  They had no shock, I felt no stacking, they were very accurate and dead quite.  They required a 5 pound spine drop from the same weight Schulz built Hill that I had for comparison.   Now if you weigh that against a osage cored glass backed longbow made by another prominent bowyer of the day, those bows were magic.   The same cast as the osage cored bow, with the added advantage that the eyeballs stayed in the same eye sockets that they started in when shooting arrows that  were only about 7 grains per pound.   I am not one to bitch too quick about hand shock, but that osage bow made change fly out of my pockets.

Some times a cedar shaft can come in pretty light, GPP wise, with heavier longbows.  Right now I have a set of 65 acme cedars that weigh 503 to 507 grains, complete with 145 grain broadhead.  I gave the bow away that those arrow were used with, I went to 190 grain Ribtecs on them so i can use them with a lighter bow.  In certain cases with a B 50 string, a string follow bow can be more enjoyable to shoot with a heavier draw and a lighter GPP.

[forestdweller]

String follow.

I shoot both a set back and string follow longbow and a bow with string follow is vastly more pleasant to shoot for many many reasons.

If you want more arrow speed just increase the draw weight.

I haven't ever tested it but I'm pretty confident that if we took a bow with set back and compared it to a bow with string follow that was 5# heavier that the arrow speed would be identical using the same weight arrow between the 5# heavier string follow bow and the 5# bow with set back.

The bow with string follow will be quieter, have less handshock, and will be easier to draw back so you can most definitely go up in weight using a bow with some string follow.

String follow also places much less stress on the bow since there's significantly less preload with a bow with string follow putting less energy back into the bow during the shot process and while at brace.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Originally posted by forestdweller:
String follow.

I shoot both a set back and string follow longbow and a bow with string follow is vastly more pleasant to shoot for many many reasons.

If you want more arrow speed just increase the draw weight.

I haven't ever tested it but I'm pretty confident that if we took a bow with set back and compared it to a bow with string follow that was 5# heavier that the arrow speed would be identical using the same weight arrow between the 5# heavier string follow bow and the 5# bow with set back.

The bow with string follow will be quieter, have less handshock, and will be easier to draw back so you can most definitely go up in weight using a bow with some string follow.

String follow also places much less stress on the bow since there's significantly less preload with a bow with string follow putting less energy back into the bow during the shot process and while at brace.

I agree!!! It's the way I build my bows to come out with string follow for a reason.

Tracy

I am waiting on a bamboo riser, Hill money bow 2&1/8" grip to fit my tiny hands, with green glass back and white belly string follow.  I had another used string follow that was made for a longer draw than mine, that was also a little light at my draw for the arrows that I have.  After being out on loan for over two years to a person that the bow fit perfectly, the loany insisted on giving me money for it.  He tried other bows, but in his head, that is what a bow is suppose to shoot and feel like.  String follow or back set, a longbow still has to fit the shooter.

[monterey]

I haven't ever tested it but I'm pretty confident that if we took a bow with set back and compared it to a bow with string follow that was 5# heavier that the arrow speed would be identical using the same weight arrow between the 5# heavier string follow bow and the 5# bow with set back.

Testing that was not the intent but chronographing two ASLs, one slightly reflexed at 41# and one slightly string follow at 44#, had them shooting the same arrow of 675 grains at 137 fps with the difference between them about 2/10 of a foot per second.

mont, not disagreeing with your findings, not all bows back set or string follow are created equal.  Not sure any bow is ever created equal, but close enough counts.   The one thing I was wondering, what are you hunting that says you need to shoot 675 grains out of a low forties bow?

[RC]

String follow for me as well. Just feels better to me. speed does not concern me. I shoot 12 grains per pound and shoot through everything I kill. They seem smoother on the draw and softer at the shot. RC

[MnFn]

I have had both. I kind of like the draw of a string follow for quicker shots; it seems smoother to me.

I have a Morning Star that has less hand shock than the string follow I had. The performance seems good, but I have not shot anything with it.

But I think I might have another string follow bow in my rack some day.

[evgb127]

Thanks for the responses everyone.  Part of the reason why I asked is because at a shoot recently someone mentioned that Howard Hill preferred to shoot bows with a little string follow. I'm not sure if that is true but it got me thinking.

[Learner]

Thank you all for sharing.

When I can afford another Hill ASL I was considering getting one with backset (how Craig normally builds them), but after reading these I may instead go for a string follow.

Craig told me that he doesn't build straight ones, just backset or string follow.  He glues up his string follows as straight, but after working them down they have string follow.

On my takedown, I did not know this ahead of time.  So I requested straight, but what I got was sort of a deflex/reflex with some string follow.  This was due to him mounting the two pieces in the handle ferrules with slight angles towards the belly, to try to make it straighter (as it must have started out with a slight backset).  But after shooting it for a while and having it settle in more, it definitely has some string follow.

For those of you with string follow bows, how much follow do they generally have?

More specifically, if you have a string follow built by Craig, how much follow does that bow have?

Best wishes,
Frank

[David Mitchell]

I recently have come into possession of two longbows that have just a wee bit of string follow--almost not enough to call it that.  They are a Two Tracks echo and a Jim Belcher American.  They are among the most pleasant longbows I have shot.  Nearly straight but with just a hint of SF. Best of both worlds?

[monterey]

Originally posted by pavan:
mont, not disagreeing with your findings, not all bows back set or string follow are created equal.  Not sure any bow is ever created equal, but close enough counts.   The one thing I was wondering, what are you hunting that says you need to shoot 675 grains out of a low forties bow?

Let me emphasize slight reflex (not true back set) and slight string follow derived as described above by building straight which allows the limbs too take on a bit of string follow.  So they don't really compare to other bows unless they were to come off the same forms but they approximate and somewhat support the differences cited above.

Well, I don't hunt exclusively with 675 grain arrows.  Sometimes I drop down to 650.  

I'm set up for the largest game I typically hunt which is elk and possibly hogs.  I'm not sure the heavy arrow is needed but I find comfort in it.