I've been exchanging posts with a couple of folks as a result of this thread. Since there seem to be a few other folks here with an interest in this, I might as well pass on the same information to you I passed to them.
I got into bow building because I couldn't get any modern bowyer to build a real copy of the old shoot off the hand Indian and York bows from when I was a kid. I paid for three custom bows, even sending an original old bow back to be copied, and still couldn't seem to get exactly what I wanted. I eventually got a chance to work with bowyer JD Berry, who showed me the basics and made my first form. It took me awhile to assemble a shop, but I built my first solo bow in Oct. of 2008.
I have now built 18 bows. I'm putting #19 in the oven today. I've settled on a style that is somewhere between a true Hill and a basic flatbow, with an element or two of the English longbow thrown in. I've found I can make it with or without a shelf and have it shoot fine, with relatively easy arrow match even without a shelf. It's still evolving a little bit. I'm gradually working toward a narrower limb surface and deeper core, again moving toward the ELB, but maintaining both flat back and belly, like the Hills.
My most recent bow, Sweet Georgia Brown, is amazing to me, and pretty much to everyone who shoots with me. I just came home last week from shooting the big Moses Lake Shoot. Everyone who shot a round with me was surprised at what this bow could do, and I was flat out floored. It was a shoot with a lot of longer shots... more 25 to 40 than I generally like... and lots of really severe uphill/downhill shots. After the first few rounds I got used to the bow and started believing in it and I took everything from the established stakes and was making kills at all distances. The catch here is that Georgia Brown is a 22# bow! Georgia has a shelf, but that's not her fault. 8^)
The one I'm putting in today is for a friend who wants a 35# version. It'll be interesting to see how that comes out. Next project is probably going to be a duplicate of Georgia but without a shelf.
Take a look at my web site:
www.oldpharttsarchery.com Check out the Gallery of Bows. "Lemonade", "Road Trip", "Arrowl Flynn" and "Look at Me" are all shoot off the hand models. Arrowl Flynn was rotated among the Howard Hill Longbowmen all last year, and everyone who got a chance to shoot him loved him.
I think you shoot off the hand guys will enjoy looking at these bows. Please remember though, I'm not in the bow business. I love to share what I do, but I'm not trying to promote bow sales here.
"Arrowl Flynn"
Topic: Shooting off the hand (Read 150 times)
