Ever shoot a Hill style and say "no thanks"?

Me!!!!!!!

I hate the grips and the hand shock! Some of them sure look good, but I just can't get past those grips or how much my teeth rattle when I shoot one!

Bisch

I

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Yep. Have owned a bunch, and enjoyed them. Have killed game with them. Great journey. Fun at times. Frustrating at times. Right now, I haven't got time for them. I'm making a return to bowhunting, and I need something that gives me confidence. Something I know will forgive me if I make a form error or miss some practice. For me, that bow is a Black Widow longbow.

[Pat B]

I like longbows(true longbows) but I don't like the handle on a Hill style bow. I prefer a bulbous type handle that fits my hand better.

[Steve D]

Yes.

[tarponnut]

It seems like they need more tinkering than most bows to get them to shoot comfortably. The low wrist/heel of hand style grip feels very awkward to me(but I've been shooting recurves for 30+ years)
I like the looks of them but not as much as a recurve. They certainly have a devoted following though!

[cmh]

Originally posted by JDBerry:
Liked the one, "Howard Hill bug bit my hand" that was funny.

  Gun, I give or sell(at my cost) my bow, every year, my bow is nothing extra cool, fact is, I shoot the ones I don't like the looks of and it didn't make it out the door.

  Thread should be named "Wish I was ready for the ASL BUG to bit me"   ...James

Mr Berry.....  I figured you would have to charge extra for the mojo since you hunt with it  

[tzolk]

I really love the Toelke Super D style Hill bow. Its straight limbed with reflexed ends. It has a little pulse in the hand but certainly not as bad as another Hill style I've shot. He makes his grip smaller and limbs very narrow and light which steps away from the Hill and Hill clones out there.

[Big Ed]

The original Hill bows are awesome , but will absolutely shake your teeth loose. Some of the current bowyers make some very elegant and fine shooting bows. JD Berry,Toelke, Northern Mist, Leon Stewart just to name a few. Something very intriguing about them just not for me!

[WildmanSC]

Originally posted by Steve O:
Hill style and self bows...I always  want 'em then I shoot them and realize I do this for enjoyment and they manhandle me.  I do not want to spend the time to master them, I'd rather use my limited time to hunt.

X2, AMEN!!!!

Bill

[Cavscout9753]

I'll admit, it took a bit of stubborn determination to figure out a Hill bow. Tuning is a little different than I was used to. Low brace height, arrow spine being close to actual bow weight, the lightness of mass, etc. But after I did figure that stuff out it has become difficult to shoot other bows, especially my recurves. If you just "try" an ASL bow odds are it may not take. For many people they're either a feast or famine type bow. But now my recurves feel like guns going off in my hand, locator grips feel like I have no solid grip on the bow, and literally anything else, even mild R/D's seem loud to me. I absolutley get why ASLs arent for everyone, but if you ever do decide to "try" one I suggest a monkish determination at first, after that they seem to consume you. But, this would all be pretty boring if we all liked and shot the same thing! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[Bladepeek]

I had a beautiful Hill style with a straight grip that I just couldn't enjoy shooting. I shot it as accurately as any other bow, but:

     a. it bit my bow arm BADLY. OK, poor form.

     b. it definitely did vibrate badly at the end of the shot. Had a hay rope for a string. A later, similar bow became much more pleasant to shoot with a thinner string.

     c. it really stiffened up in a hurry and felt like I was holding much more than the draw weight at anchor.

I read a ton of posts bragging up J D Berry bows and found a used, left hand Morning Star in my weight range on the classifieds.

     a. with a minimum of 6 3/4" brace height it does not offend my bow arm at all. I can shoot it with no arm guard

     b.no vibration at any point during the shot. My friends have commented that it is REALLY quiet with a FF string. It is certainly the quietest bow I've ever shot. Nothing but the thump of the arrow hitting the target.

     c. See "c." above. Totally different feel from my curves and strongly D/R longbows. Not good or bad - just different. Now that I think of it, I want to put it on the scale and plot the draw weight curve, but I will be surprised if it doesn't stiffen a lot faster in the last 2" of draw.

[Diamond Paul]

To the original question of this thread, yes, I've shot them and decided almost instantly that they were not for me.  I can't afford the elbow surgery, and I can't hit a room from inside it with one.  They are no fun whatsoever to shoot.

[Shakes.602]

That is My Dream Bow.....One of these Days!!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by McDave:
If you like the Widow PL, you won't like the Hill style bow.  For me to shoot a Hill style bow, it would require the same somewhat irrational dedication that caused me to want to shoot traditional bows to start with, but taken to a different level.  My two shooting buddies both shoot Hill bows fairly often, so I've also tried them fairly often. But for me it's like eating liver: every once in a while I think I might like it, but as soon as I taste it, I know I don't. They're slow, they have hand shock, and they don't shoot where I'm looking. Other than that, they're fine.

2X on this one.... The only Hill style bows i've ever shot that you didn't have to pick your dentures out of the dirt every time you drop the string was a 75# & an 80# draw weight.... But Both those bows had enough tension on the string at brace to minimize the hand shock somewhat....

But most 60# Hill style bows still kick like a mule...Nature of the design bro

[pitbull]

I've been through the elbow surgery from one. I'll stick with recurves.

[Terry Lightle]

YEP!

[cahaba]

I have been shooting Hill style bows for 46 years. Haven't had any elbow or shoulder problems.
 I did try a brand name recurve once. Man that thing was twangy, loud and harsh feeling to me. I also don't get the hand shock thing. They aren't for everybody but they do have a huge following. To each his own.

[marlon]

No locator grip l love my hill longbows!

[JMG]

I tried shooting a Hill Longbow before. To me, it's just different with a degree of hand shock. But for me, I like my bows, like I like my women, with curves!!  

[drewsbow]

I haven't tried them all but the ones I did didn't agree with me , too much shock.