I have been shooting a short recurve that is stacking badly on me. .I have a 32" draw and I am very new to traditional style archery. I recently traded for a Hill Wesley Special that is 50 lbs @ 30", it is 72" long. Could this become a practical hunting bow? Other thoughts? Thank you
ABSOLUTELY!!
That bow will kill anything in North America. By learning to shoot the bow canted you can hunt more effectively in brush or even in a tree stand.
That bow will be so smooth and quiet!
Bob.
I'd say that's about perfect for your draw. If your draw is that long, you're probably a pretty tall dude. The bow length shouldn't be a problem for you re maneuverability. If you're very new to trad archery, I'm going to guess that you haven't checked your draw length with a traditional bow. It's often an inch or two less than it is with a compound because one generally puts a little more bend in the bow arm, leans into the bow a bit, and shoots with a more open stance and lower wrist grip, particularly with a Hill style bow. Also, the heavier held weight tends to scrunch one up a little.
If you were 32 with a compound, you're probably closer to 30 inches with a longbow. Check it out. Draw the bow with an arrow on it a few times, and have someone put a mark on the arrow immediately at the back of the bow at the arrow rest when you're at full draw. Do this several times. Then measure the distance from the throat of the nock to the mark. Take the average, and you've got your true draw length. Good luck.
I would say the bow sounds perfect for you as well. To add to Orion's method for measuring draw length, get a clothes pin and nock an arrow then place the clothespin on the arrow just in front of the handle and draw the bow to your anchor. When you let down the clothespin will stay in place for you to measure your drawlength. Do this a few times to make sure you are drawing consistenly and you should know what your draw length is.
Yes indeed :thumbsup:
In my opinion I think you done very well for yourself, your long draw and long length of bow might well be a great combination,and the bow being wesley special is just icing on the cake.As far as the poundage is concerned ,you are good to for any game in north america.Just remember, as we all know, arrow placement is the key to success.Have fun with it and good luck. :archer2:
Sounds like a great combo ! And welcome to Trad Gang .
Check out the Howard Hill thread that has a couple of thousand pots on the "whats? " where's" , "hows?" and "Why's " of all things straight limb longbow .
Possibly, the best that you could ever imagine. I'd guess that you'll be at 59lbs at 32 inches. Should be really smooth.
We'd love too see you post some photos of it, then with the animals that you take with it.
You are on the right path. With that bow you can do anything you want.
Man with a power stroke that long it's got to have great cast. You have a winner.
Man with a power stroke that long it's got to have great cast. You have a winner.
Abso-bloody-lutely! You have a great hunting bow there!
I can only echo what's been said. I shoot a Wesley Special almost every day. Master the very different grip and the low wrist position and you will be a very dangerous person!
My friend, let me say WElCOME to you and tell you that was a real good trade. I've been shooting Hill bows for about 30 yrs. and can attest to their ability to take game of all kinds. I would like to reccomend some books to help you along, "Become the Arrow" by Byron Ferguson and "Shooting the American Semi-Long" by David Miller. Both are full of good advise on how to shoot that type of bow. Good Luck in your endeavour. :thumbsup: :archer:
Thank you all. I do have Ferguson's book. I am sure I will have many more questions. I am elk Hinton next Sept in WY. I hope to be ready by then. Thank you for the welcome.
That bow at your draw should be a great hunter! Is it 72" ntn or end to end? Doesn't matter; however, I rarely see 72" ntn. Welcome Hillbro.
what arrows are you shooting out of it
It is still in transit. I am not sure he shipped it yet.
Call Craig at Howard Hill Archery. He will be able to guide you in arrow selection and will be able to tell you when the bow was originally built, the make-up of woods/vaneers, and the original weight. He wants you to be a happy Hill customer. Welcome aboard. Enjoy the ride.
Sounds like a great fit for ya!!!!
Gotta love them Hill Bows... :thumbsup:
I think that bow will work very well for you. As far as hunting the only problem you might have is with a pop-up ground blind.
Welcome to the 'Gang! I can't add to what the fine feller's above have said, except that I have converted to Hill style bows almost exclusively this past year and love 'em! There's magic in their simplicity and beauty in the graceful lines of them at full draw.
Have fun on the journey, and good luck on the Elk hunt!
Perfect for you
Welcome to the Hill gang. Your form may adjust some to that bow, if you are not familiar with them. Here is a video of a long armed dude that has only a 28" draw for you to get a mental picture of how it all can look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFqjNKC72dA&feature=related
It should work out very well for you. I have a 69" Hill Halfbreed that is marked 45@29. I pull it to 31". It really is a touch too short for me, but it is an incredible bow. I prefer a 70-72" bow.
I also have a 70" Cheetah. It is marked 50@28 and I pull it to about 30.75". The difference in draw length between the two is in the style of grip. The Halfbreed has a dished grip that I built out a touch to fit my hand. The Cheetah has the stock locator grip.
I've been shooting some Arrow Dynamics Trad Lites and Hammerhead Lites out of both of them. I'd shoot wood, Surewood are my first choice, but I need to extend them for them to work, so, until I add some footings, I'll use the ADs.
Anyway, you want to use a heavy arrow out of your bow. I'd recommend trying the Hammerhead Lites. Full length, they are 32.5" from the throat of the nock to the end of the insert. Using a 200 grain point will put them at around 640 grains. Plus, they are as tough as any shaft on the market. They are really easy to tune, too. In fact, all you need to do it put a point on, adjust your nock height, and go shoot.