ASL's: Back Set or String Follow?

[Hatrick]

For me it's a reverse riser with a touch of back set.

Mont, I kinda figured that.  I could imagine that an elk rib could make a difference.

[Sam McMichael]

I have straight and string follow bows and find the string follow to be a tad more comfortable. The straight seems to be a tiny bit faster but not significantly so. I haven't owned one with back set, but I don't believe there is enough variance to make much real difference, so I would simply go with whichever individual bow feels best in my hand.

[NBK]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
I have straight and string follow bows and find the string follow to be a tad more comfortable. The straight seems to be a tiny bit faster but not significantly so. I haven't owned one with back set, but I don't believe there is enough variance to make much real difference, so I would simply go with whichever individual bow feels best in my hand.

Same here. Like them both.

[Learner]

Originally posted by Sam McMichael:
I have straight and string follow bows and find the string follow to be a tad more comfortable. The straight seems to be a tiny bit faster but not significantly so. I haven't owned one with back set, but I don't believe there is enough variance to make much real difference, so I would simply go with whichever individual bow feels best in my hand.

The challenge is if you are custom ordering one.  You'd have to know someone with a similar bow, from the same bowyer, which you could try.

Best wishes,
Frank

[evgb127]

Who makes a good string follow? I'd like to try one out.

[NBK]

Originally posted by evgb127:
Who makes a good string follow? I'd like to try one out. [/QUOTE

 Northern Mist, JD Berry. Or Newwood makes a stringfollow that's a real nice bow that most guys don't know about.

[Yewbender]

Hey Evan, all my Hill style longbows are backset and i love shooting them. I don't own a string follow but have shot a few. If you come to the Pennsylvania Longbow Assoc traditional shoot April 1&2 at West Caln i can give you some more info and you can shoot any of my Hill style bows...Gary

[forestdweller]

Originally posted by evgb127:
Who makes a good string follow? I'd like to try one out.

If you have the tools for it I'd head over to your local lumber store and get a 1X2 or 1X3 piece of red oak or maple board and make a simple flat bow with tapered limbs.

Might cost you a mere $8 or less.

It's not as difficult as it may seem (only took me three try's to get a bow that will group within 10 yards and cast a 450 grain arrow about 100 paces.....it's a slug but shootable at very close distances.)

It has 2" of string follow on either limb and it's hard to believe that an $8 piece of red oak is the smoothest drawing and quietest bow that I have shot to date.

If you have a decent farriers rasp (all you really need with a lumber board) you can find out how a string follow bow feels within 1 week if you take your time with it.

I always encourage other archers to make their own bows now because there's nothing more satisfying than shooting a bow you made with your own hands from all natural materials.

Selfbow's will take a natural string follow unless overbuilt or if the wood you are working on has a lot of reverse set before you even begin working on it.

Best of luck and have fun.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

You can also build a much better bamboo backed bow easily for very little cost. I build mine so they come out with string follow, there a pleasure to shoot and hunt with.

   

   

   

Tracy

[forestdweller]

Originally posted by K.S.TRAPPER:
You can also build a much better bamboo backed bow easily for very little cost. I build mine so they come out with an inch of SF, there a pleasure to shoot and hunt with.

   

   

   

Tracy

Not trying to start an argument with you Tracy but a bamboo backed bow is going to be a whole nother beast to make compared to using a single "stave" of wood since it's a laminated bow and since bamboo is very finicky.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Single stave of hickory backed with bamboo! I have no problems building them out of staves and have not found bamboo to be finicky like you say. It's very easy to work with easy to get and cheap to bye.

     

Another!

     

Another!

     

Ipe board bow backed with boo!

     

     

I'm sure I could dig up plenty more picks. Don't worry I know what your saying I've built plenty of selfbows, just got tired of there performance exspeacially oak. Oak is as slow of wood and weak as you can make a board bow. It's just easy to bye, hickory will make you a better bow almost evertime. IMHO

Tracy

Years back I built one pig nut hickory out of a very straight grained piece.  This bow has been through a lot, my last change to it was to shorten and and retiller it.  I am curious what would be different or better if it had bamboo backing.  I am thinking about reducing  the poundage some.  My snow blower starter died and I lit up both shoulders rope pulling the beast.  That upward jerk is not a good direction for the shoulders.   The 'pignut' has been a very good bow, that is why it is the only one I have.

[evgb127]

Wow Tracy, you make a great looking bow.  Sadly, I lack the tools, time, and competence to ever build my own bow.  I've only shot glass bows, but sometime I will try a boo bow.

[Ray Lyon]

I've got a 55# Northern Mist Shelton string follow and a 57# Howard Hill Tembo with backset. Really don't see a difference in performance to the naked eye, however a huge difference in shooting pleasure. I'm a string follow fan. Have also owned a JD Berry Northstar and John Schultz 'Natural' laminated all bamboo.  Both of which were string follow.  Both well behaved in the hand. The 66" Shelton is just a beautiful shooting bow in a manageable longbow length.

[jwhitetail]

I have turned from preferring the back-set ASL bows to string follows.  I am a huge fan of JD Berry Archery bows and while both the string follow and back-set models are quiet and smooth, I have just come to love the feel of the string follow.  I have been shooting the JD Berry Heritage which is a string follow and it is just amazingly smooth.  In terms of performance I actually feel that you lose very little with the string follow.  Mine all have a great deal of power and deliver a very fast arrow out to distances far beyond what are considered normal hunting distances.

[evgb127]

Thanks for all of the responses.  I just ordered a string-follow Howard Hill Tembo.  I can't wait to try it out.

[Flingblade]

Originally posted by 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.

true
pg. 86 "Hunting The Hard Way" by Howard Hill
"A straight-end longbow that follows the string slightly, with good cast, carries a heavy string, is pleasing to draw, and is comfortable in the hand, can be shot much more accurately under hunting conditions than a sensitive bow.

[Ulysseys]

Congrats on your purchase and I'll vote string follow as well.  For me they're just nicer to shoot.

[Sam McMichael]

I have both straight and string follow. I find the string follow to be very smooth and I shoot them just a bit more accurately.