pro`s and con`s of string follow

[RC]

I would post this on the Hill thread but there is to much to keep up with on there.
 For you fellas that have owned both what do you think.Handshock plus or minus and accurracy and smooth of draw.Thanks,RC.

[awbowman]

I will be watching this.  I NEED A HILL!

[Bob B.]

RC, cool post.  I do not know if others will agree with me but I will post my take on string follow.  I have owned a Hill Cheetah with a very slight back set.  I have shot plain straight as well.  My Shelton from Northern Mist is a string follow bow.

First relative to noise, all have been very quiet.  However, I believe the string follow to be the quietest significantly although I have no data yet as to decible levels.

Second, I do not notice any accuracy difference.

Third, as to smoothness of draw/release.  I notice a big difference.  The bow is much smoother at the beginning of the draw and seems easier upon release in my opinion, others my disagree, but for me it is very easy on my joints.  I have a bad elbow and the string follow is very easy on my body.  I think because it is so smooth on relaese, I may shoot it better than a straight or back set bow.  However, this is an opinion, I have no data for this either.  

Lastly, as to preformance, I notice no difference other than the bow is quieter and has NO hand shock.  My Hill was smooth and not real shocky, just a mild thump.  My string follow Shelton has none.  It has less hand shock than my Deathwish and it is an R/D longbow.

I can not really think of any cons RC.

So, I love the stringfollow.  It is quiet, smooth "unshocky" and shoots jsut as hard as a stright stick.

Bob.

[Ricker]

RC, I really like a deflexed bow, referred to as "string follow", in a glass lam bow.  It feels gentler in the hand after the shot and gives better shooting qualities similar to how a reverse handle bow acts.  A well built deflexed bow will have good early string weight too.  I cannot really feel or see any noticeable speed differences, but then again I am not looking for speed.  The accuracy I can have is what I am after.  Hope this helps.

[Mudd]

X's 2 what Bob said.

All but one(Keeper Kat,Hill Cheetah 66") of my other bows have been replaced with string follow bows.

The one coming from Sunset Hill is also a string follow as will be my "Expedition" from Miller.(long time off yet)  

It never hurts to dream a little and maybe skip a meal or two to pay for it...lol

God bless,Mudd

[WESTBROOK]

What Bob says is right.

They draw very smooth but feels different because of the lower tension at brace height. The draw starts soft and is a steady weight gain.

The release is where they realy shine. Once the string leaves the fingers you feel nothing, no thump, no nothing. And they are selfbow quiet.

I've noticed no sacrafice in performance from what I can tell. They push my heavy arrows just as well as my straight limb bows.

Like Bob, my stringfollow bow is a Northern Mist Shelton. I've never shot a Hill SF bow so cant compare the 2. I belive David Mitchell has Hill and Northern Mist SF bows so hpoefully he will add some of his insight.

Here is a Shelton, left, and a Classic. Steve puts just a hair of reflex in the Classic.

My 2 cents, a well made string follow bow is as good it gets.  Eric
 

[ron w]

I have 2 string follow bows....a Hill and a Apex Predator Cumberland. Compared to straight or slightly reflexed bows I think the string follow bows are smoother to draw and very easy to make silent, or real close to silent. Both are good shooters, the Hill Half Breed is 66" and the Apex is 68". I like the string follow design a lot!!      

[swampthing]

The Stringfollow is gentler in the hand, quieter, and more accurate for me. Performance does not suffer unless your comparing to a significantly backset one to one that has considerable string-follow. Most are 7/8" either way.
   If you shoot arrows that are on the heavier side,  10gpp and up you might as well get the backset one, The arrow weight will dampen the bow nicely. If you shoot arrows on the lighter side of 8-9gpp, the gentle shooting characteristics of the string follow will be a welcome addition to your shooting experience.

[SteveL]

Exactly what Bob B. said. I could not have said it better.

Especially that part about being easier on the body. I have a bad elbow and a flaky drawing shoulder. I could shoot my Shelton all day long, no problem. I foolishly sold mine awhile back, but as soon as finances permit I'll get another.

[30coupe]

Everyone is talking about the positives of the string follow design, but nobody mentions the negatives. If anybody finds any, let me know because I haven't! I'm sure there are faster bow designs than the Hill style (Kanatis certainly are), but few  shooters of Hill style bows are concerned with speed.

The aspect I most enjoy about my Shelton is how quiet it is. It is by far the quietest bow I have shot. I suspect the string follow design is a contributing factor.

[swampthing]

Exactally, when you consider that a lot of arrows out of a 45# bows, kill and blow through tons of stuff, then the whopping 2-4fps loss from a backset bow seems pretty insignificant.

[ArrowAtomik]

These posts make me wonder why so many R/D bows are out there.  I need to shoot a Shelton one of these day.

[BowHunterGA]

Well here is my experience.

I have a few straight limb (Hill and Schulz bows), one string follow (NM Shelton) and one backset (Howatt). The bow with the heavy backset is the fastest Hill I own but is far short of being called smooth by any stretch of the word. While I personally have never noticed hand shock or felt anything near what others have voiced about Hill longbows, this one just shoots rough.

The Shelton is smooth, quiet, fast and accurate. Like others have said I can't say I notice anything negative about the bow or design.

Now, my straight limb hills are pretty much the same. Quiet as death, accurate and for me no noticeable hand shock. With that said, my Osage hill is deader on release due to the added heft of the Osage, where the bamboo and myrtle bows are lighter and there is a slight thump on release.

Still I prefer the straight limb bows but I think this is more of a nostalgia thing rather than a distinct advantage. When I ordered my latest bow from Steve at Northern Mist we talked about it for a bit and somewhat mutually decided to build a classic rather than a Shelton but it was so close a coin toss could have decided just as accurately which to go with.

[dragonheart]

Stringfollow, the way to go.    

[EastTexasRedneck]

I am glad to see all these positive comments about string follow bows. I have a Shelton on order from Steve and this makes me all the more anxious to get it. Supposed to be done in May or June, I'm ready now.

[Hud]

Three David Miller longbows, 1-straight limb all bamboo, string follow, very mild, 66" 56# @ 27". 1-backed bamboo Hawk, string follow, 67" 57# @ 27", and a 1-backed bamboo Hawk with more string follow, 65 1/2" 60# @ 27".

All are extremely quiet, smooth with no handshock and good performance. The shorter bow with the most string follow will stack the last inch at 3#.

String follows do not require string silencers, and are as quiet as an R&D with them. They are not as fast as a 62" 54# @ 28' Purist Longbow (R&D) by Robertson Stykbow, but smoother and more quiet. They carry a very low string 5-3/4" with the feathers touching the rest.

They are only slightly smoother, and quieter than my Old Tom, glass 68" 64# @ 27" longbow with 1/2 inch backset. The latter is maybe faster, and just as accurate.

The disadvantages of any string follow is the sense that it stacks. It is possible because they are sooo smooth to start, very little tension on the string and therefore, they reach the peak weight in a shorter distance.

The other thing about all Bamboo, other laminated bows without glass, or self-bows  is they are draw length specific, if it is made for a 26", or 27" draw, drawing it another 1 or 2 inches will eventually ruin the bow.

[Precurve]

I have a Hill style from John McDonald that has extreme reflex that's very fast, but isn't very well mannered.  I also have a NM Baraga and a Shelton.  I haven't shot any of the other Hill brands listed above.  The Shelton is the easiest shooting, smoothest and most accurate bow I've ever shot.  The bow feels much lighter in draw weight than it's listed and my only regret is that I should have ordered it a little heavier.  Of my Northern Mist longbows the Baraga's probably slightly faster than the Shelton but it's very close, and hard to tell when shooting.  I picked up both bows at Steve's shop and shot both through his chronograph, and the Baraga was 4-5fps faster with the same arrows, but the Baraga is also 5lbs heavier in draw weight.  However to get the Baraga to shoot as quiet as the Shelton I have to go up in arrow weight, which cancels any speed difference.  For me both bows are great shooters but the Shelton is more enjoyable to shoot and more consistently accurate.  I hate to use this word but it's almost mindless accuracy.  With the Baraga I have to pay a little more attention to my release and shooting form; with the Shelton it's always there, regardless of what I do.

Dave

[Mudd]

RC I'd be interested in what your thoughts are now  after all of the responses written here.

Inquiring minds want to know...lol

Thank you!

God bless,Mudd

[David Mitchell]

As Westbrook said, I have both NM and Hill string follow bows as well as both brands in the slight back set models.  In the photo you can see that with the Hill (on the right) there is not much string follow.  The Northern Mist Shelton has noticeably more.  Due to that, I think, the Hills in string follow are essentially no different--to me-- than regular Hills with slight back set.  The Shelton is the smoothest drawing and shooting bow of the lot, but the difference I see/feel is not much.  In fact, with my most recent acquisition from Steve I went back to the Classic.  They all are sweet, enjoyable shooters.  They will all shoot far, far better than I can   :D , and the performance differences are not that noticeable--to me. Of all my bows, I give Steve's Shelton the edge in most areas--ease and smoothness of draw, quietness, pleasant shooting characterisitcs all the way around--but not by much.  

One thing I have found--when I order a bow from Steve, I know exactly what I'm going to get as he always makes it "perzactly" to my specs.  With Hills, I have ordered three new ones--none came in just as I had ordered in some respect--in every case heavier than ordered/marked  by at least 4#, and one grip a good bit larger than ordered.  That weight thing bugs me.

Here are the Hill Big Five string follow and Shelton side by side unstrung to show the difference in degree of follow.

 

[Jeff Strubberg]

Nah, nevermind.