"Handshock"... need some honest help

[YORNOC]

Man, I'm struggling badly. I want to shoot longbows in the worst way but after shooting olympic style recurves for years, then breaking my hand last year.. I feel everything very hard in my hand/wrist. I'm shooting good 64" and up hunting recurves and love 'em. But really want to tame the longbow.
Here's my issue...I have seen "no hand shock" labeled on many quality longbows. I have not found this to be the case on any of them yet.

I dont know if longbow shooters just dont feel the handshock after years of shooting or if a non handshock longbow exists out there.
I have good friends SWEAR that the "!@#$" brand is free from shock, then I shoot it and after ten shots my wrist is tingling and I'm miserable.

If it is just something that needs to be accepted with longbows and I have to adapt, thats fine and I just need to know. But if there are componants/materials/design that can get rid of this problem I'd love to learn about them.

I'm not looking to get into a "favorite bowyer" arguement here, so please dont go that way. These guys are all GREAT craftsmen. In fact, bowyer responses would REALLY be helpful.
 
Without giving away trade secrets of course!
Thanks in advance for any help,

[Looper]

Are you shooting with a high wrist and 3 under? I ask because the way you grip both the bow and the string can throw the timing off a bow, which is a major cause of handshock.

What you'll need is a bow specifically tillered to the way you shoot.

[AkDan]

there is that or maybe just the low wrist itself is eating you up and not the shock itself.   Assuming you didnt shoot low wrist with the olympic curves.

My chief is pretty dang smooth....not recurve smooth, afterall it doesnt have the mass my bob lee has.  You know you've shot it, but it doesnt rattel your teeth out like many longbows I have shot I love it so much I have 3 identical bows lol. (good thing too, Allen doesnt make them anymore ugg!)  the bbo I am trying to tiller out right now has more handshock than it should have and a pretty good thump but I think most of that is tiller.

[pdk25]

Are you only interested in straight limb d hill style longbows, or are you also interested in mild r/d d shaped longbows? I am personally not bothered by handshock, but that doesn't mean that it isn't present. When I shoot a recurve, it makes me try to straighten my elbow. The mass if the riser and Recurves design seems to reduce the shock. If I carry this straight arm technique over to the longbow it definitely increases the shock for me. I think it is a high wrist versus low wrist thing. I thing if the bent elbow as my shock absorber. It may not help you, but worth thinking about. I think the critter bitter and Mohawk style bows have a lot less shock. Also consider using a longbow with the shortest working limb that your drawlength will allow. Good luck.

[Bud B.]

You may also need a very high GPP arrow/bow ratio. I have noticed shooting extremely high gpp reduces shock/vibration down to a single kick similar to a Red Ryder BB gun, if that make sense. I feel hand shock/vibration on lower gpp  but with 15 or so gpp I feel one kick of the bow. This is the a D longbow.

I think others have hit on the wrist position also and the grip style you choose.

Hope you find a shootable bow for you.

[GingivitisKahn]

Heavier arrows and so forth can help, but I'm convinced the only way to beat handshock is to change your grip.  I grew up shooting recurves too and my recurve grip (little contact with the bow, web of the thumb / forefinger in the deepest part of the pistol grip, etc.) absolutely will not work on a longbow - not one with a straight handle anyway.

Until I started "gripping the handle of my Hill like one would grip a suitcase" and until I started giving it a more firm grip than I'd ever dream of doing with a recurve, it kicked the crap out of me.

Now that my grip is right, it's as tame as a kitten.

[Keefer]

David,
   Something to try and real cheap..If you have an Ace bandage wrap that around your hand a few times then up to your wrist...It might help not sure just a suggestion I'm thinking of trying myself...Seems like a smaller riser bow with less wood to take the shock from the release will go into your bowhand...Something else is a more forward handle bow might help...Remember the old Mercury bow Pearson made? I thought it had Mercury capsules in it for this reason but I may be wrong...Makes me wonder if that reason was for keeping the handshock into the bow kind of like a stabilizer...I shot bows that felt like I got an electrical shock on release and a heavier arrow helped in reducing the shock...Many things to think about here and to try before moving on to another bow...God Bless and hope you find a solution...Keefer's <><

[BigJim]

There are several ways to tame hand shock. Now some bows have more while others less and we all know that.
However, you can reduce the handshock in any bow to a tollerable state (by most anyway) by adding a bow quiver and heavier arrows.  
You may not like a bow quiver, but if you try one and give it a chance, you will at least get used to it and may very well love it. I seldom shoot bows with out and not because of hand shock. Changing your grip may also  help some.
good luck, bigjim

[dcmeckel]

I agree with Bud B.all the way,GPP and wrist position are crucial to comfort.I would add though that there is a noticable difference in bow type and Bowyer design.I have owned and shot several makes and models and have even made a few bows myself and there IS a difference in bows and Bowyers. If you send me a PM I will be glad to tell you which ones worked best for me. I don't wan't to get into a "best Bowyer" argument either
David

[Terry Lightle]

Try a hybrid with heavy arrows,that might help your problem.I have a Cari-bow Slynx that that feels like a recurve in the hand to me.

[Stone Knife]

More heel pressure, heavy arrow. I never had luck shooting any longbow like a recurve.

[straitera]

HS is definitely relative in the eye of the beholder. IMHO, no question in different shooting "technique" w/straight grip lb's vs locator or pistol grips. SHLB's need a firm grip vs spot-on fit in the web of the hand re Rcv & loctr. Ever see recurve shooter w/fingers outstretched on bow hand? Try it w/lb. Not the same!

Your wrist injury may prevent your switch until exercise, therapy, +/or witchdoc can numb the pain. Try Keefer's very tight Ace bandage. Accupuncture works miracles on joint pain. Many quality lb's have pistol grips. Hvy arrows, powdered glove fingers, more cant, longer limbs, or whatever may ease the jolt enough until you can get acclimated...because you can get acclimated. Point..,straight grip lb's are different IMO not meant to be shot like recurves. Shoot wrong & you'll know soon as your eyes stop rolling. Maybe you already know that? Some good folks w/good info above. Let us know.

[mmisciag]

So, I have a SB that has a lot of hand shock. I also have a LB 3pc TD. It has a heavy riser and bow quiver. No hand shock. I think my arrows are in the 550 grain range.

I think the key is to get as much energy into the arrow. Pushing a heavy arrow may to the trick. I agree with Jim adding mass to the bow via a bow quiver will help as well.

Martin

I agree with Buddy that you may have wrist and tissue issues that make things worse for you. If I want to experience hand shock with a Hill style bow, I try to draw one 2 inches longer than my normal longbow draw. When I extend my arm out straight, bridge up on the grip, then squeeze it a bit, and rip my fingers off the string on the release, it is like getting struck by lightening with one longbow that I have and no longer shoot. Other than the ripping release and the tight grip, that is how I shot my target bow.  With my longbows i let the bow sink into my hand to find its own settling spot, I hold it tight enough so it does not move much on the release, my bow arm elbow finds a natural bend, my shoulders are not jammed up tight, and everything is in a neutral mid position with no extreme jams or extensions. But that's just how I do it. Still I have shot some longbows that jar my brain cells loose when I least expect it. On everyone of those I have altered the bow to make it less so. If I made gains in how the bow shot, I ended up giving them away. On the other hand there were a couple of very expensive bonfires when I went to far.
The other side of this is, I shot a Stotler recurve and a couple of Jack Howards. That , for me, extended stretch to get to a 28" draw, does not work for hunting. There have been a couple of Jack Howards for sale lately, oh how I wanted to buy one of them. With my shortened draw they would not work for me, so I had to pass. Same story for the Stotler recurve, a beautiful and yet agile long recurve, but it will not function at my short draw.  Regrettably, not all bows work when one finds that his best draw length is shorter or for some who wish to shoot short bows, longer than normal. Lucky for us there are many styles to choose from.  I would consider in your case not so much what shape you want the bow to be, but rather, what kind of form do you want to use and what kind of a shot do you want to take and find the bow that does that job best for you. My personal record for shooting quarters out of the air in succession at ten yards was not done with a longbow, it was a Bear Super Kodiak.

[paradocs]

I feel handshock worse with any grip that "indexes"...locator, low/medium/high pistol grips, etc.  Now shoot straight-gripped longbows and recurves almost exclusively; heel down, and have no issues whatsoever with handshock.  I did have a wrist injury years ago that is probably a factor.

[ron w]

What all have said above......I also have changed the brace to reduce the "shock". Heel down, light grip.........hope it works for you!

[jhg]

I agree with the light grip suggestion. Having shot both types of bows a lot I can attest that there are many nice hybred longbows out there that have no more  handshock than recurves.

[LongStick64]

I have found that if I shoot a 68" Hill longbow, slight locator grip, reasonable weight arrows, I don't notice any hand shock.

[njloco]

My first LB was a Bear Montana, had to sell it because of too much hand shock, my buddy who bought it said he doesn't notice any hand shock, go figure ?, or maybe it just doesn't bother him.

I have shot other peoples LB's and have noticed a lot of hand shock, but the LB's that I have don't seem to have any, and the way I have to hold these bows is completely different from each other.

It might all be in the eyes of the bolder.

[Shawn Leonard]

Lots of good longbows with recurve grips that have no handshock. If you are talking Hill style LBs, well never shot one without handshock!! Shawn