First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone. And secondly, I must apologize for not being a very good participant on this thread.
I shipped the bow to Glenn last week, and it should have been there Monday or Tuesday. I'm a little supprised that he hasn't checked in lately. Hopefully, it's not lost in transit again.
I must admit, that I am not the best person to review this bow, as I have very little experience with Hill style or ASL longbows. Perhaps that's the biggest reason for my procrastination. But, I'll do my best to convey the shooting experience with my limited knowledge and comparison.
The bow is very beautiful, with elegant lines. The subtle curves of the very mild d/r string up nicely to that traditional D shape that we all know and love. The limbs were surprisingly narrow, and drew back smoothly. I didn't feel any tight spots on the way back to my 27" draw. Normally, I draw right about 28", but I found myself instinctively putting a little more heel into the bow, and slightly bending my elbow. I normally shoot hybrid longbows, so this came as a bit of a supprise to me. After only a few shots with this bow, I learned quickly how it wanted to be held.
The bow is very stable, and accurate shooting was easily attainable, even for someone such as myself with little experience shooting these type of bows. The size of the grip, fills the hand nicely. But I must say, I'm not a fan of a perfectly straight grip, like this bow has. I think if it had a dished or locator grip, that I would have seen even better consistancy.
The bow, as expected, was very quiet, and most definitely had considerably less hand shock than other bows that I've shot in this category. I attribute this to the centrally located riser, sandwiched within the lams, and the slight amount of d/r. After shooting this bow, it has renewed my interest in Hill/ASL style longbows.
In short, I was very pleased with this bow. I found the cast to be better than expected. It was quiet. And smooth, comparitvely speaking. It has a beauty that only this type of bow can exhibit. It easily put the arrows where I wanted, and it was fun to shoot! Thank you Allen for this great opportunity. I relally appreciate all the bowyer's who enable us bow-a-holics. Lol. Thanks again, and have fun to all who get to shoot this great bow.