"Soft" bow - what am I looking for?

[Tom Anderson]

I'm looking for a bow that starts its draw out "softly" and gains poundage in perhaps a non-linear manner. In other words, I don't like a lot of weight at the start of the draw.

What kind of bow design should I be looking for? Longbow? Recurve? Forward riser? Set-back riser? Takedown, One-piece, Deflex/reflex, Etc., Etc.?

[paradocs]

Tom-Mild R/D longbow...less preload than a hybrid or recurve, decent performance, and quiet....with minimal handshock.  Great Northerns are the ones I have the most experience with....go relatively long in bow length for increased smoothness in draw.

[Shaun]

String follow unbraced and a D tiller longbow. Northern Mist makes a great one and some old Hills were string follow. You are giving up the early string weight part of the power curve, so you will not have a real fast bow. But this style of bow is very forgiving and easy to be accurate with.

[kshunter55]

A long bow without reflex limbs would be your best bet.  The recurve of limbs was made the lengthen the limbs as the bow was drawn to make the weight lighten up in the back end of the draw.  The traditional longbow starts easier and stacks its weight at the end of the draw.

[NomadArcher]

I would second what Shaun said about a string follow bow. I have had a few and the Northern Mist Shelton(string follow design) is a very sweet shooter with a very smooth draw and very forgiving.
 Besides Northern Mist you can contact Craig @ Howard Hill Archery can build a string follow design and also Nate Steen of Sunset Hill Longbows.

     
Ken

[Tom Anderson]

Thanks, guys. Unfortunately I hate the looks of a string follow longbow, but perhaps I should try one anyway. I guess you can't have it all in one package, can you?

[Apex Predator]

My straight longbows come off the form with about 3/8" string follow and are very smooth.  I agree about the string follow bows being very sweet shooters.  How much string follow are built into the Northern Mist bows?

[James Wrenn]

A long one..with your draw length.

With any ilf type riser you can back off the bolts to adjust the preload and smooth things out for your long draw.

[dan ferguson]

Last year I had some friends come up from Texas to hunt, One of them had a Harrison bow, I think JC posted a picture of one he got. This one was 57# but it was really light to about halfway back, never shot anything like it before.

[dan ferguson]

No it was Danny Rowan that posted a picture of it or looked like it. Siberian Wolf or something like that.

[Dick in Seattle]

I've been fighting this same issue.   Health problems have me down to much lighter bows, 33-38# at my 25" draw.   The kicker is, some i can shoot, some i can't, depending on their power curve.   I've been buying/trying a lot of different bows finding what works for me.  

one thing I'm finding is that, as kshunter55 mentioned, my beloved longbows clearly tend to stack toward the end, while recurves, which I had not shot previously, tend to be a smoother draw for the same end weight, particularly vintage recurves.  I guess it has to do with the compression factor of a thick narrow limb vs. a wide thin limb.

I've tried some vintage recurves and found them really comfortable, even beyond my 38#.  I have a 51# at 28 (44# at my 25") Super Kodiak that I can shoot if I don't overdo it.  It actually pulls much easier than a couple of 35 - 38# longbows I have.

I've also tried some really highly touted new recurves, looking for a bit more speed.  However, what I'm finding is that the way the bowyers are getting that speed is to front load the power curve.  This means you end up drawing more "inch pounds" before you reach weight.   Won't work for my shoulder.   I had a big disappointment yesterday.  I got two gorgeous Predators, one a 44# that I can shoot (38 for me) and a heavier one I can't shoot.  Even though I can shoot the 44, it's just not as comfortable a draw as my old Super Kodiak of the same weight.  

So, what I'm finding is that it is very much a matter of how the particular bow is tillered, as well as looking just at what type of bow it is.  

This reminds me a bit of sailing... years back, we all went to highly designed fin keel boats looking for speed.  They're fast, but you have to work at sailing them, being in control every second.  Some of us older guys started going back to old full keel designs that were slower, but much easier to sail.  You could leave the tiller to go below and get a beer.  I guess speed isn't everything ...  :^)

For me, at this point, it looks like I'm going to spend a lot of time with the old Super Kodiaks and stop chasing the latest speed bow.

Dick in Seattle


kshunter55

[Molson]

Mohawk longbows draw like that.  Mine feels incredibly light for it's 57# compared to my other bows of similar weight.  You're most likely to find that feel in mild R/D longbows.

[joe skipp]

The Kempf Kwik Styk with Static Limbs pulls smooth without stack or "loaded" up front. One of the smoothest drawing bows I've ever shot.

[Tom Anderson]

Dick,
Thanks for the discussion. I'll have to agree, that based on my experiences, those older bows do kinda draw like I prefer.  And I entirely agree about chasing speed - been there, done that with both women and bows.  :D  

Joe Skipp,
Where can a see a picture of a Kempf Kwik Styk? I haven't been able to find a website that shows them.

[nyamazan]

Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by string follow or a string follow longbow?

[Dick in Seattle]

nyamazan....   picture a regular long bow strung up... "D" shaped.      Now picture the same bow unstrung.   Most modern longbows (referring to flatbows, not reflex/deflex, are basically straight.  The old ones, even unstrung, had some curve to them... as if they had been strung up with a string that was too long.   Having that initial curve, as if partially drawn, right in the basic bow shape, is called string follow.    I'm about to dash out the door or I'd hunt up and post a pic for you... maybe someone else has one handy...

[nyamazan]

Got you Dick in Seattle.
Understand your explanation, and seen a couple of bows like that.Allways thought they were bows that had just taken on a bend after years of service.Didn't realize they were built like that on purpose.
Thanks.

[sloaf]

The easiest pulling bows are deflexed riser recurves with the the limbs mounted on the back.  In effect this lowers the brace height and puts less stress on the string when braced.  Drawing a bow like this starts off light and comes back buttery smooth.  My check-mate firebird pulls to 30" without stacking and the bow is only 56" long.  The kempf would also be a good bow to look at and seems to have a loyal following here as well.  Hope this helps.

[Tom I.]

Nyamazan...
Some have string follow from the very reason you state...being left braced for a long period. Paticularly selfbows (all wood)and some older longbows.  What Apex Predator descibes is a bow
that has string follow as it comes off his forms.
Howard Hill once stated that he wouldn't shoot a bow that didn't have some string follow.
Tom I.

[Stumpknocker]

My Morrison Shawnee feels exactly like what you are describing.  Butter smooth.  Tge