Howard Hill Bows Too Simple/Too Plain?

[bayoulongbowman]

If you are trad shooter , bowhunter,  I thinks most of us go through our Howard Hill phase , some of us stick with it, move pass and beyond it. While others like myself , go in and out and back to the simple longbow of the Howard Hill style bow ...some bowyers have improved this design ...either way , I never get tired of reading or talking , or shooting a Hill style bow.  

[Dick in Seattle]

I got to this one late.   My wall is almost all Hills... lots of them.    If you want to see beauty in Hills, take a look at the 2008 Hill Longbowmen calendar.   It's a free download...

 http://tinyurl.com/yqc8jr

I wasn't working in pdf files last year, but I do plan to go back and "pdf" the 2007 calendar so that it will also be dowload available, as I keep getting asked for it.

Dick in seattle

[Stone Knife]

Dick, when i didn't see you post here i thought you fell off the face of the earth  

[KodiakBob]

Thanks Ghost Dog and Bayoulongbowman, I think both of you made the point I was thinking of, simple is good. I know that I sometimes get wrapped up in hi-tech fast bows and lose sight of why I shoot a bow, the simplicity of grip it and rip it.

[Ghost Dog]

Hey KodiakBob,

Simple is good. So is uncomplicated and uncluttered, if that is what appeals to you. It certainly does to me and many others.

From the perspective of many bowyers, new materials and new limb profiles and impressive chronograph results coupled with multiple overlays and fancy grips bring in the orders, and increasing business is vital for these guys, and they deserve our respect for their creativity and craftsmanship.

There are, however, many bowyers who have made their reputations with simple, uncluttered, elegant looking bows with simple lines that perform fantastically; Howard Hill, Great Northern, Northern Mist, Liberty Bows come to mind. And then there is the world of selfbows!

[laddy]

I have noticed that most people that declare that Hill bows are not accurate don't know how to shoot Hill style.  I find Hill bows more accurate than most others when i shoot and recurve always remind me how clumsy they are when I try to shoot under something to hit a rabbit.

[Clint B.]

One problem I see (from clsssidied ads & ****) is that many guys are ordering their Howard Hill longbows way shorter in length and drawing them way longer than Howard Hill himself would have recommended. Consider a guy like me, 6' 0" with regular sleeve length. From reading his books & bow catlaogs, I believe Mr. Hill would've set me up with a 68" amo longbow & a 27 1/2" or 28" arrow. Today, I see guys of my height ordering 62" to 64" AMO HH longbows & drawing them 30" or more. That has to be an unpleasant shooting experience for this style of longbow.

[bayoulongbowman]

Yes sir , give me 66 or 68 or 70 longbow any day!!I agree with ya Clint B. .I love shooting 61# in 68 incher!! mark#78  

[mike g]

I'm 5'11" and I shoot a 68" Hill bow tillerd for 28" but I pull it closer to 29"
    I personaly would not want a Hill bow less than 66" >>>------>
    When ya order a Hill bow, talk to Craig and he will set ya up with the proper length....

[Orion]

Agreed, 68-70 inches seems to be the traditional Hill length for a 28 inch draw.  I have a just shy of 28-inch draw and have shot Hills from 64 to 68 inches.  If I were doing mostly target shooting, I'd stick with 68 inches, but for hunting, I feel a little awkward with that length.  66 inches seems to be the sweet hunting length for me.  Purely in my head, of course, but that's why I have a 68 incher up for trade now.  Hint.  Hint.

[mike g]

I think even with my Height and draw, that Craig will tell ya 64" will work....
    Butt, I think a longbow is just not a long bow unless it's at least 66" minimum....
    Nothing scientific here just my toughts on the subject....

[Dick in Seattle]

I have a real short draw, 25", and Craig started me out at 64".   Later, on take downs I went to 60" and actually liked it and did well with it.... have two 60" td's and a 60" cheetah.   However, with experience comes wisdom (we hope...) and the last several bows I have ordered I have followed the practice of ordering an inch longer than my draw and a notch lower weight than i though I wanted...   So, I'm now shooting bows that are 66", a bit longer than Howard would have recommended for me,  and drawing them a hair short of tillered length, but not grossly underdrawing, as happens when i try to shoot a bow made for 28".   I order the weight at the longer draw.   My next Hill, due here in February, will be 66" and 45# @ 26"... which will make it a very smooth, easy 42# or so for my achey old shoulder.  If all goes as planned, this will be a fun, easy bow for me to shoot in 3D for several more years.

Dick in Seattle

[JRY309]

I traded for a Howard Hill bow on here last spring and now have three of them.I wasn't sure I would like from what I had heard about handshock.I guess that can be subjective.The first Hill had a dacron string and it had handshock when I put on some string silencers.Then I took them out and the handshock was almost gone.My other Big Five has ebony tip overlays and I put on a D97 and what a difference that makes in handshock.I really love shooting them,I've shot longbows for years R/D and some hybrids.For some they are quite addictive,I have found that out myself.My latest Big five has a gaboon ebony riser with black glass laced grip with a high gloss finish,it is a beautiful bow.

[WESTBROOK]

Simple? You could say that. Simple is a good thing.

Plain? Hardly! They're like a woman that does'nt have to put on a bunch of makeup to look good.

Eric

[MWhitehair]

Originally posted by WESTBROOK:


Plain? Hardly! They're like a woman that does'nt have to put on a bunch of makeup to look good.
 

Very well said.
Im hooked on Hills for that simplicity...

[Ketzi]

Originally posted by WESTBROOK:
Simple? You could say that. Simple is a good thing.

Plain? Hardly! They're like a woman that does'nt have to put on a bunch of makeup to look good.

Eric