Howard Hill Bows Too Simple/Too Plain?

[KodiakBob]

After looking at the thread "What's in your bow Inventory" I noticed very few Hill or "Hill" style bows. Are they just too simple or too plain for most. Recently I starting shooting an old Martin Mountaineer with wooden arrows. I guess that I must be getting old as I seem to like the simplicity. Don't get me wrong there is a place for hi-tech as I own a GMII, Tsunami, Win/Win, also.

[links0311]

I think the right word is classic.

-Links

[killinstuff]

Hill style is a great style but might be a little harder for some guys to shoot consitently because of the straight grip and getting the same hand placement shot after shot. And there is nothing plain about my Jack Harrison HHC (Howard Hill Classic). Very fast, zero hand shock and smooth. It's a killer.

[TSP]

Hill Bows and the Hill shooting style are still alive but its definately an acquired taste, especially with all the new bow designs, anti-traditional rhetoric and the target style/metal riser fad thats hot right now.  Lets face it, the Hill style is harder to learn than shoot-by-number approaches.  Definately more fun and quite useful for hunting, but less popular for shooters wanting repeatable accuracy similar to what they had with their compounds and target recurves.  Thats understandable.

But Hills and other D-bows definately still have their following.  As a matter of fact, if anyone out there doesn't want their Hill bow anymore I'll be glad to pay shipping and give them a good home.  Just doing my part to make the world a better place.          

[Stone Knife]

I didn't even participate in that thread, i have two Howard Hill bows. My Big Five and my Redman are wonderful bows, they have a simple beauty all of their own. Both of them are fun to shoot, I shoot them almost exclusively, they both like 5/16 wood arrows. They have a feel that just draws me to them time after time.

[mike g]

The Beauty of Hill bow is it's simplicity....
I love shootin mine....

[David Mitchell]

I guess beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder (or could that be "bowholder").  I love the elegantly simple lines of my Hill bows.  My Redman with gorgeously grained yew and ebony riser are sure nice to look at and fun to shoot.  All the inlays, overlays, etc. going into bows now are eye candy and run up the price.  But if that's what floats a guys boat, more power to him.  I like 'em all!.....Dave

[HARL]

I have 8 Hills on my wall and none are too plain.All have silver inlays and extra or different lams that come with the standard bow.It's just whatever catches your eye.

[Ghost Dog]

There is absolutely nothing inherent about a Hill bow that will prevent anyone from shooting at their personal best, and there is no reason to believe that a r/d longbow with a sculpted grip with all sorts of placement details and palm swell will increase accuracy.

Archers are no different than the general public. We want something more, something just out of reach, and something more is delivered to us with commercial ads and endorsements and the imaginings of others. In traditional archery that may include more space age materials and radical limb profiles and arrow speed claims. A lot of us want more advantage in our equipment, when what we could benefit most from is becoming more skillful as archers.

One of the most interesting aspects of compound shooters is how much time they spend fiddling with their bows. Bolting on this thing, taking off that thing, adjusting this and that, buying a new thing, and on and on. They are under the belief that the "bow" is THE thing, and if the bow is "out of adjustment" or has other breakdowns their poor accuracy can be easily explained away. I see some of this mind set creeping into traditional circles. If we are not shooting well it is very rarely about the bow, or the next bow, it is almost always about us as archers.

A Howard Hill bow is as fine a traditional bow as can be had. It has evolved and been refined over many years, and thousands of archers shoot them with great accuracy. If you believe that you cannot shoot A Hill bow well, or any trad bow for that matter, you will not be able to shoot them well. If you believe that a straight grip will put you at a disadvantage, it will. If you believe that a highly sculpted grip on a r/d longbow will make you a better archer, it will. It is 90% about our expectations and 10% about the bow.  

And for all of you guys and gals out there who may have one of the "simpler" bows, be it a Hill or a fine selfbow or whatever you may shoot, take heart; if you love your bow and you practice consistently you will have in your hand the best bow on the planet, for you, and what other bow could you possibly want?

[tadpole]

well said Ghost Dog!

[George D. Stout]

Exactly what Ghost Dog said!  Exactly!

[SpikeMaster]

I couldn't have put it any better Ghost Dog! My Hill longbow has made me a better archer than any bow I've ever owned. If I don't shoot well I know its not the bow its me. It's the quietest, lightest, most accurate(when I'm doing everything right) bow that I've shot.

[VTer]

Well said Ghostdog  

[JC]

Only reason I don't shoot the Hill bows is I have yet to find one that didn't hurt my elbow from vibration. Never had any problems hitting with them, just didn't like the pain after a few shots.

As far as too plain, Squirrelbait (Mike Mitchum) had the most beautiful one I've ever seen with a sterling silver inlay of a moose in the riser, gorgeous woods and perfect lines. He still kicks himself, for selling that one.

[NorthShoreLB]

Bob, great post      

[longbowman]

My son has a HH Wesley Special 80#@27" and he can stay with anybody on a 3D course with it.  He's deadly and the bow shoots a heavy arrow better than any RD bow I've seen yet.  I've never had a problem hitting with them myself.  I agree. It's 90% what you really want to do and 10% reality

[Orion]

Ghost Dog, you pretty much nailed it.  I don't go in for listing my bows (including several Hills) on a public site.  We trad gangers are all honest, of course, but others can peruse our posts.  I don't want to provide a shopping list for potential burglars.

[Adam Keiper]

I'm primarily a selfbow guy.  I have something-dozen selfbows on my wall, but only 3 glass bows.  My favorite of those is a Big Five.  I think their elegance lies in their simplicity.

[Alex.B]

I have a 68 inches reconstituted yew laminations classic longbow made in Switzerland by a local bowyer, with all the trimmings, elk hide wrapped straight handle 62#@28" ( the only bois d'arc Yew, taxus baccata, the one English armies used, comes from Switzerland and Scotland, not Pacific Northwest) and it rips with no handshock, provided that you shoot it the way it should be: bent elbow, dead release

[WESTBROOK]

Ghost Dog, right on the money man!

Eric