string follow design in Hill style bows pro and con

[MikeM]

What are the pros and cons of the string follow design in Hill style longbows.

[Rob DiStefano]

for me, it's all con, i see no advantages of string follow.  

the many "string follow" backset bows i've shot all exhibited some form of jarring, rattling shock on release.  i never felt any kinda "stability of shot" with these bows.  they were all "thumpy" and slooooow when compared to longbows of the same cut that at least had reflex in the limbs (think: yer basic, standard howard hill longbow).  

why in the world would i wanna put up with that when i can just as easily have a longbow that has that classic "D" braced limb shape, pulls easily and smoothly, with zero -and i mean no, none, nada- "hand shock" on release, and far better overall performance?  here i'm talking about most any mild r/d longbow.    

now that's my personal take, after messing with many longbow types for too many decades - and you did ask for opinions!   :D

[David Mitchell]

My experience is the opposite of Rob's. String follow is all I buy now. And I have also messed with all sorts of longbows since about....Oh, 1956.  Like they say, your mileage may vary.  Mine and Rob's sure do.      :D   Besides, my membership number is lower than his so that has to count for something, right?  

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by David Mitchell:
...  Besides, my membership number is lower than his so that has to count for something, right?    

yeah, but you didn't build this place!    :p

seriously, it's all good, really it is. back set, straight, reflex, r/d, recurve - just pick one out that works best for ya and have at it!        

[LongStick64]

It's been said before and bears saying again, sometimes it's all about how you interpret the bow.
I had heard all sorts of negatives about Hill bows, handshock, etc. It wasn't until I shot one did I come up with my own opinion. I know it works both ways, but you'll do yourself more by getting your hands on one and shoot it.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by LongStick64:
It's been said before and bears saying again, sometimes it's all about how you interpret the bow.
I had heard all sorts of negatives about Hill bows, handshock, etc. It wasn't until I shot one did I come up with my own opinion. I know it works both ways, but you'll do yourself more by getting your hands on one and shoot it.

this is by far the absolute smartest and bestest advice on bows and most anything to do with trad archery/bowhunting ... and life in general, to boot!

one man's ceiling is another man's floor.  

             

[Bill Turner]

If you put two HH bows side by side with the same specs , one string follow and one the standard Hill design, the string follow will be smoother(easier) to pull to anchor, and a little  slower(less performance)than the standard HH design.

[Bud B.]

Forgive my ignorance but can someone exlain what string follow means? I think I know what it is based on my readings here but am not 100% sure.

My guess is it's a non-reflex tipped bow that settles in with a form that follows the pull of the string.  

Thanks.

[Roy Steele]

String follow dos'nt mean hand shock. It dose mean smoother drawing. More stable meaning your arrow will do the same thing better (more) if your not shooting lawn form.

[Shaun]

String follow means that the unbraced bow has the tips closer to the archer side of the bow (belly side) than the handle. Place the unbraced bow belly against a wall or the floor and the tips will touch before the handle. This produces a more stable bow that is easier to shoot accurately. The down side is that it means sacrifice of a small amount of performance. Howard Hill preferred this style of bow - and he was a much better shot than me.

There are modern R/D bows that have this profile - like the Bear Montana. There are some fine custom bowyers who offer this style in Hill shape - like Northern Mist and Hill.

Most selfbows have a little string follow though a few hold some reflex when unbraced.

I like this style of bow and the few glass bows I build are based on the Montana shape. This is also the base pattern for Sundbear long bows. So, don't discount them out of hand.

[Bent Rig]

Like it was said in many posts before  about handshock - you may be holding the bow wrong(grip). String follow for the majority  should be sweet & smooth shootin' as for the rest ,it's the shooter or set-up - not the design .

[dragonheart]

I think part of it is the draw cycle of the bow.  A SF longbow is more like most self bows in the way the poundage builds.  In stark contrast to the SF is the ACS limb that build heavy in the draw cycle and then is smoother on the back side of the draw.  

Hand a SF bow to a guy who likes R/D and recurves, and they typically do not like the feel of the draw cycle.  Guys who like a more build up on the back side of the draw from smooth to heavier poundage will tend to like the SF bow.  Having shot both designs, The SF is slower in arrow speed, very, very quiet.  I really cannot discern an accuracy differnce.  

The SF bow is a touch forgiving on a poor release, but a mild RD bow that is well made is not critical unless it is very short in bow length.  I have not seen a noticable differnce in hand shock, if both griped with an assertive heel down grip.  If you like a locator grip, probably will like the RD bow more.  Straight grip, IMHO, no real differnce in shock.  

Hill and Schulz both favored the SF design for trick shooting and for forgivness.  Most other longbows of that day and age were reflex only, which is my least preferable design.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by dragonheart:
...  Guys who like a more build up on the back side of the draw from smooth to heavier poundage will tend to like the SF bow.  ...

yeah, i always called that 'stacking'.  

[WESTBROOK]

String follow is my favorite Hill style limb, they are very sweet to shoot. The lower tension at brace reduces handshock, and on a well made bow this be as close to zero as you will get with that style bow. They have a different feel ,like Dragonheart describes, but far from stacking.

For those still wondering, here is SF and no SF

Eric

 

Hey, where's the snow?

[ChristopherO]

Westbrook's picture just said a thousand words in explaining string follow.  
Now, place a reflex longbow, like my Martin Pioneer, next to those and then you would understand what handshock is.  It took me quite a while to learn how to hold the reflexed LB to alleviate the shock.  It was enough for my watch to gouge into my wrist.  That, and performance, are the reasons R/D bows were spawned, in my opinion.