Which one of the Hill bows is your favorite and why. I have a Big 5 and a Redman and I'm thinking of picking up another. Leaning towards a Tembo or Wesley Special.
Thanks,
Tom
Cheetah with extra lam of boo!
I have a Tembo and a Wesley Special. The Wesley with 5 lams is smoother drawing. That Tembo, 64", 60lbs@26, is 184.7 fps with a 675gr ash arrow. I draw 28.5. It has a whole different feel when you draw it.
That's like asking a politition what's his favorite lie....too many choices and there all good un's!! I also have a Wesley (thanks again Mike) and a Tembo with carbon and love both of them! Like Bill said, the Wesley is very smooth but that Tembo packs a serious punch probably from the carbon lam. They all shoot good so pick the look that does it for ya and go for it! My list is an Owl, Cheetah, Crocodille with Ebony..there's something about that osage and ebony that just....awh heck, just give me one of each!!!
My pet is a Tembo. - lbg
got 3 wesley , 2 cheetah, 1 halfbreed,1 tembo love them all,but my go2 bow is my 60@27 takedown cheetah 62in shoot great ,kill a cow elk last year
I have two Wesley's and a Big Five,one of my Wesley is a reverse handle,that one might be my favorite.But I would like to get a half-breed and a cheetah.
I've shot quite a few Howard Hills, a couple of Jerry Hills, and a Pete George. My favorite Hill bow, though, is Sunset Hill by Nate Steen. It's 66" with a real short riser, 58 pounds at 27.5 inches. It's not slow, has low handshock, and seems to be very accurate for me. Give them a look.
Mine...
It's a Redman.
Cheetah- never owned one but shot one at there shop and its a beautiful bow; and shoots really nice!! I probably - probably would get an extra lam of boo too..
I have had many many Hill and "Hill" styled bows.whilst i love nad shoot all of them....my new all osage with ebony tips n' riser is the pick of the bunch.
Next is an all yew "union Jack" from Belcher....nice!!!! or a Redman from Craig just like Mr. Kleinig's
ben
I liked the Big 5 I tried 2 years ago... It was a nice shooter for me...Didn't have the money to buy it....
I've had and shot over 40 Hills. Liked just about every one. I've personally never found the Wesley to be that noticeably smoother than the others, and I have had (and still have) several. Mind you... darn fine... just not "Oh, my! That's smoother than I'm used to."
My choices nowadays are two: in the standard line, the Cheetah... always. I've had a number of them and every one was super smooth and really beautiful. However, some time back the HHL group worked with Craig to design our own bow, the Longbowman's Choice, and my most recent "go to" was the first one of those built. With my shoulder problems causing me to drop weight, I just last week ordered another, 64" and 36# @ 25". Construction will be osage, bamboo, an accent lam of cocobolo, bamboo and osage. Riser and tips will be cocobolo. The LBC inlay is the original Howard Hill broadhead done in silver. Can't wait...
Dick in Seattle (temporarily in Cleveland)
It's hard to just pick one but the more that I shoot my Longbowmans choice in yew and the Longbowmans classic in Osage which I bought off of Dick the more I like them.......stabow
I like the Big 5s. Had a half-breed that I also liked alot, but foolishly let slip through my hands. A Cheetah is also on my list of Hills to get. And maybe a Tembo, and a.........
I currently have a Wesley Special and a Big 5. If I were to order one today, it would probably be a Halfbreed. I have fond memories of one I let get away....
I have three 75-pound Wesley Specials, two of them are take-downs, and they are my favorites. In fact, I rarely shoot the one-piece any more.
In addition to the little bit of extra weight in the handles making them shoot a little bit more accurately than my one-piece, I like the ability to quickly pull them apart and slip them into my daypack for a hike or bike ride into the mountains.
More importantly though, they are great for travling to hunting areas via jet or plane.
My Cheetah.
you guys are a good influence. I am now looking into a Redman, my third Hill-style bow (Wesley and a J. Schultz 'Grandpa')
Cary
I am watching this thread with great interest. I cant remember ever shooting a Hill bow. I have been thinking about giving one a shot and have been to the site a few times. Wish there were more pics. I remember standing next to a fella at a shoot and he was shooting a Hill. I was looking at my target and all the sudden an arrow appeared in the next target. I didnt even hear his bow and I was only a few feet from him.
heydeerman.... when you say "been to the site" do you mean Hill Archery or Howard Hill Longbowmen? Can't imagine more Hill bow pix than we've got on the HHL site. If you haven't been there try: www.howardhilllongbowmen.com (http://www.howardhilllongbowmen.com)
Dick in Seattle (temporarily in Cleveland but on the way home in the morning!)
Thanks everybody for your reply's, I'm really thinking of a Tembo with black glass, hand polished, myrtle riser with a grey leather grip wrap. That just sounds good to me.
Tadpole I think there is one just like that in the HH catalog. You should be very happy with the Tembo, I know I am!
I've owned a Hill Wesley for about 3 months now and I love it. I'm a diehard Silvertip recurve guy, but after shooting the Hill I see that I've missed out on alot being so narrow minded. With the info provided on Dick's site I had no problem adjusting to the bow. all Hill shooters should be sure to check the site out.
Thanks Dick for taking the time to provide so much info, you have did the Hill style bow a great justice.
Billy
I own three--in order of preference they are 1. Wesley Special, 2. Tembo with the take down handle, and 3. Redman. To me the Wesley and Tembo are both smoother and sweeter to shoot than the Redman. I don't know if the difference is the all bamboo vs the yew or not. They are just more pleasant on the realease....Dave
(3) 68" longbows including 2 Hills; Wesley & Big 5. All shoot great. I shoot best the Big 5 because it is heavier. The Wesley is also smooth as silk.
Mine is not a Hill bow per se , but my Frank SanMarco Hill style bow is my favorite Hill style bow that I have ever had the chance to hold or shoot.
Oberon
My Tembo...
Brice.
I have a Big Five and a Redman, both are great shooting bows. If I were to get another Hill it would have to be a Halfbreed with an extra lam of yew.
I have a HH "Cheetah" in order with Ebony Riser and Tips
I can hardly expect it!
Markus
I only have one Hill my Big 5 "Just Passable"
So for now I guess it's my favorite....
My next Hill will be Leopard wood Riser and tip overlays....
The limbs will be, Yew Back and Osage Belly and Lambo Core....66" 50# @ 29" ....So I guess it will be a Leopard....
I`ve hunted with a borrowed Wesley for a while and it was a killer. I now have a built for me Cheetah with an extra lam of boo with a cocobola riser and limb tips. Its sweet. Since I started shooting Hill bows I have no thoughts on shooting anything else with the exception of a Harrison HHC.These bows are forgiving,with my crappy form I still manage to hit what I`m shooting at...
I hope to buy a takedown Wesley with Ebony riser and clear glass with horn tips. I`m not gonna hunt with it just send pics to Squirrel bait to drool over...RC
I have really enjoyed my Wesley Special. I am now waiting on my Owl blank. Osage front and back with three boo lams in the middle. I told him to select the darkest coco he had for the riser.
I have a new to me Wesley Special coming later this week (hopefully). 68", 60#@28", ebony riser with black glass and antler tips. Cant hardly sleep at night waiting for it. This will be my first Hill, going home this evening to make up some arrows for it.
brackshooter
RC, you are a CRUEL,CRUEL Man!! :bigsmyl: :banghead:
I'm partial to 66" or 68" Hills especially with dished grips...mostly because I like the dished look. I also favor darker risers, and bamboo limb cores. I kinda like the simple look of black glass, though cgood clear glass over figured wood is nice. And rubber whiskers for silencers...again mostly for looks over puffballs or furballs (they all work good...real quiet bows). And leather shelf/plate over velcro or anything else. And though matte finish is great for hunting, its hard to beat a gloss finish for good looks.
Other than that I'm not all that picky. :knothead:
For you guys that have shot both, what difference if any do notice between the Redman(all Yew) and the Big 5, Tembo (all Bamboo) models??
Thanks
Eric
It's been over 25 years since I shot a Hill longbow. Believe it was a Tembo or Big 5. I was watching this fella shoot his and he let me shoot it. Sweet shooting bow.
Howdy Brack, She's all packed and will be on her way Wednesday AM. I know I'm getting something real nice in return, but dang all this talk has got me thinking about my next one. It'll be a takedown this time.
Steve
Can't wait to see/shoot her Steve. The call has been too strong for me to pass up, I am glad I now have a chance to try out one of these fine bows....