ASL's: Back Set or String Follow?

[GregD]

Tracy, Is the first bow bamboo backed osage? Are they lams or a single stave? Thanks

[toddster]

I have shot many different bows by different bowyers, and yes the statement "depends on the bowyer", is so true.  I prefer a quality string follow bow, as for me much more accurate.

[ron w]

I just got a Two Tracks Echo with string follow. Was never a big fan of string follow but I test drove this one at Compton on Saturday and it came home with me. It's a 70"er 44# @ 28 and it shoots real nice. Dark brown glass and Osage riser. So now I guess I'm a fan of both.

[joe vt]

Congrats on your order.


I have no experience with a backset longbow; however I recently received a string follow longbow and love it!  The longbow is a 2pc and was made by Mike Mecredy at Maddog.

Originally posted by 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

Yep...

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Originally posted by GregD:
Tracy, Is the first bow bamboo backed osage? Are they lams or a single stave? Thanks

Yes, BBO with lams and I make them out of staves also. Side view of that bow.

   

   

Tracy

[Ray Lyon]

       

[MIBIGHNTR]

Sorry, but could someone explain the difference between a "sting follow" and an "ASL"??

THANK YOU

[evgb127]

Hi Mark,

I'm sure someone can explain this better than me, but since I started this thread...

ASL's or "American Semi-Longbows" are D-style bows, which people often call Hill-style bows.  The limbs can either be backset, straight-end, or string-follow.  

When unstrung, a straight-end bow will have limbs that are, well, straight.  A backset bow will have limb tips that are forward (i.e., ahead of the riser), and a string-follow will have tips that are backward (i.e., set behind the riser).  

I hope that makes sense.

So if 68" is semi long, an ACL would be crazy long?  It gets confusing then because ASL could also be 'a short longbow', which you don't want. Most of the time from what I read it could just as well mean ASL- a slow longbow.  There are exceptions of course to all rules, some times an ASL can be faster than an ASR, a slow recurve. It's all subjective, I have an ASBMW,1976 750/7, that is still way faster than I need it to be.

[Orion]

When Hill offered the term semi-longbow, he did it in comparison to the English longbow, which, in fact, was quite a bit longer.  Not uncommon for them to be 72 or more inches long.  

BTW, the D-shape referred to the cross section of an English longbow limb, not the strung profile of the bow, which also happened to be D shaped.  The American Semi-longbow limb has a flatter, rectangular cross section, but does string up into a D shape profile.

[Flingblade]

Another interesting note from Hill on bow length;

From "Hunting The Hard Way" by Howard Hill

"Use a 6-foot bow and a 28-inch arrow as the standard.  For every inch or portion of an inch taken away from the length of the arrow, take twice that amount from the length of the bow."

Hill also recommended not shooting more than a 28-inch arrow due to the difficulty finding shafts with enough spine for the heavy draw weights.  When I bought my first Hill bow I was shooting a 29" arrow and with the shafts available wasn't concerned with finding the correct spine so I was looking for a 74" bow.  The longest available from HHA was 70" so that is what I bought.  I haven't tried a string follow yet but a Northern Mist Shelton is on my list.

[Caboo]

If I could shoot 70+ #'s like I use to in my younger days it would be string follow but now I want to maintain a flatter trajectory so it's setback bows. What a lot of us forget is Howard didn't lose anything with a string follow longbow when he was shooting 80 to 100# plus.

[MIBIGHNTR]

Originally posted by evgb127:
Hi Mark,

I'm sure someone can explain this better than me, but since I started this thread...

ASL's or "American Semi-Longbows" are D-style bows, which people often call Hill-style bows.  The limbs can either be backset, straight-end, or string-follow.  

When unstrung, a straight-end bow will have limbs that are, well, straight.  A backset bow will have limb tips that are forward (i.e., ahead of the riser), and a string-follow will have tips that are backward (i.e., set behind the riser).  

I hope that makes sense.

MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Mark

[JRY309]

I like straight or backset but I have shot and had all three stlyes and would not pass on any of them.

[Ari_Bonn]

Originally posted by Flingblade:
Another interesting note from Hill on bow length;

From "Hunting The Hard Way" by Howard Hill

"Use a 6-foot bow and a 28-inch arrow as the standard.  For every inch or portion of an inch taken away from the length of the arrow, take twice that amount from the length of the bow."

Hill also recommended not shooting more than a 28-inch arrow due to the difficulty finding shafts with enough spine for the heavy draw weights.  When I bought my first Hill bow I was shooting a 29" arrow and with the shafts available wasn't concerned with finding the correct spine so I was looking for a 74" bow.  The longest available from HHA was 70" so that is what I bought.  I haven't tried a string follow yet but a Northern Mist Shelton is on my list.

Hold on if I remember correctly those measurements are for his selfbows. There is another for glass ones.

I think that HHA clarified length measured between the string groves, versus tip to tip length.  68=28, 66=26.  Things like reverse handles and string follows change the equation some as well. I am not sure how much change in performance it really makes.  I expect every situation may be different.

[strigif0rm3s]

Let's reignite this debate because why not.
 
I'm more partial to backset but do love a GOOD stringfollow bow.

[58WINTERS]

TTT

[Wudstix]

As close as I come to a REAL longbow is a Kota Badlands mild D/R - D shaped bow.  All the rest are "hybrid" or D/R bows.