Most people who shoot multiple types of bows probably agree that hill bows thump a bit more than a hybrid or a recurve. Given the right grip and shooting style, the thump becomes nothing more than a pleasant reminder that the arrow has been loosed.
However, some people are scared into thinking that hill style bows will require trips to the dentist or at least the chiropractor. For people who shot those bows I would recommend getting the bow looked at.
I recently picked up a used hill that was physically painful to shoot. It was loud as well. After my dad shot it and agreed something was off, we sent it to Craig. He figured out that the limb alignment was off as well as the tiller. This was the cause of the problem.
5 days later I shot the same bow today and WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Yeah it still thumps a bit but it is quiet, pulls more smoothly, and most of all is a blast to shoot. Even with a dacron string and no silencers I couldn't stop shooting!
Seriously, if you have had issues with hill style bows, look at tiller and alignment caused by misstringing the bow or something
similar. That can make a HUGE difference!
I find it hard to believe that Hill bows are that succeptible to tiller problems.
I am glad you solved the problem and have a bow that you now love to shoot.
Personally I want to run into one of these hard thumpers one day as I have yet to shoot a hill bow that I would use the work "Shock" with anything I feel upon loosing an arrow. And I shot recurves for 4 years before shooting my first longbow. :confused:
Jim, Craig measured and fixed it. I'm going off of what he told me and since it worked, I find it hard not to believe him.
I don't feel any more handshock in my Hill as I do with my R/D bows.There was alittle thump when I had a dacron string on it but with D97,made a big difference.
Kyle, I'm not doubting your experience, I simply don't think that straight or nearly straight-limbed longbows are very prone to major problems from stringing methods. I believe that hand shock in Hill style bows is more likely caused from improper shooting form, light arrows and sometimes they kick like a mule because they are poorly made.
Jim, I would beg to differ on that even with a Hill bow. I have looked at alot of straight limbed bows and between push pull stringing and pulling the string around when drawing you would be suprised if you really looked at them and knew what to look for. Most guys don't. I am not saying you do not by any means.There is alot more to gettting a bow correct in the Hill style than a measurement for tiller.
Pleased that bow worked out for you in the end. Now go enjoy some shooting!
Craig is a Great Guy!! I must be missing something, I have NEVER had what I would call "Mega HandShock" with ANY of the Bows I own, or have Shot. :scared: :archer:
I never thought a Hill kicked all that much. Maybe a touch more than a hybrid.They are actually really fun to shoot.
Jim, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but personally I will side with Craig and Jason on this one.
As for the topic of hand shock, I never thought I would feel it on a Hill bow either. I've shot them for a while and have shot several different ones. It's the style I grew up shooting. This Hill hurt though. I'm just hoping to give guys another option before they toss them aside.
I love these bows!
Dont give up just yet, I have found that with the propper brace height and the use of propper arrow weights, you can tame the most savage of beasts. I have a Lofton 68" 73 lb @ my draw length that will get your attention in a hurry without propper brace height and lite shafts, but tune her up and shoot heavy ash shafts out of her and she turns into a kitten. I have found that with all my hill styles that they prefer a heavy arrow ,rather than lite ones. You may sacrifice a bit in speed, but the penetration you gain from the heavy arrows are worth the trade off. JMHO :thumbsup:
I have a 78# Cheetah....don't feel the so called hand shock that folks talk about. Don't have that much experience with Hill bows other than the one I own. It is deathly quiet.
I hope you all don't get the wrong impression... my Half-Breed is fine now. There were issues at the beginning, but Craig and Jason were awesome enough to help get them corrected. It's all good now!
Again, this is just a heads up for other guys dealing with the same problems.
Thought I would chime in. I am Kyle's dad and I shot the halfbreed. I've been shooting hill style bows for years. When Kyle told me this bow kicked hard I didn't really believe him. He sent it to me and when I shot it it liked to jump out of my hand. I thought I did something wrong and took a harder grip and shot it again. It was really uncomfortable to shoot. It really jarred the arm. I put another string on it and it didn't help. Called Craig and he gave me some things to look at. I couldn't figure anything out. I sent it to Craig and he found the tiller and alignment problem. He said the bow had not been taken care of right. I can't wait to shot it now that it is fixed.
I am just glad it worked out for you Kyle. A Hill bow is a terrible thing to waste! :goldtooth:
I believe those posting here referring to "Hill bows" are referring to Howard Hill bows made by Craig Ekins. To clarify something, when I posted that hand shock in "Hill style bows" was sometimes caused by them being poorly made, I was in no way referring to Craig's bows. I have never shot one actually but I have shot a number of "Hill style bows" some of which were poorly made and did indeed kick like a mule.
Jim, I am not talking about any bowyer in particular either. It is all good. I have shot a few of those rattle your teeth loose bows as well and just kindly hand it back to person and say wow what a shooter. HA HA.
kardrunner,
You have PM. You are not alone.
D Shape Bows, I was in NC and shot a D Shape style bow from Mike Treadway. I now know what you guys like about shooting this style of a bow. Feels like a "real" longbow.... What a fun style to shoot and they are really really quiet as you all know. I could be hooked on a D-Shape bow in the near future... :bigsmyl:
The really neat thing about trad archery is the nearly limitless choices available. I'm an old man with severe arthritis. Believe me, it's not only in my head :) I load my own shotgun ammunition mainly because I can't buy light loads. If I shoot a round of any kind of clay target game with the typical ammo you find in the big box stores, I have a horrible headache at the base of my skull. Load my 20ga equivalent loads in my 12ga and I can shoot 200 - 300 birds with no problems.
I sold a VERY nice Abbott bow because after a dozen shots, my bow wrist and elbow ached.
The bow was as quiet as a bow can get and it hit right where I pointed it - one of only two bows I've owned that did. I couldn't miss with that bow. Believe me, I wanted to keep that one. There was no jumping around, or "kicks like a mule" going on. I just felt a vibration run up my arm that I don't get with a slightly higher wrist.
I'm seriously looking at going a bit non-traditional and getting a 68" D bow with a medium wrist grip. Isn't it nice to have choices?
Ron
Both my elbows are screwed up from a birth defect I didn't find out about until I was in my late 30s. I FEEL hand shock.
Every Hill bow I have shot has kicked madly. Can you tame them? Sure, beef up the arrow, change your grip, shoot more of a bent elbow. That's all how you TAME handshock. If the bow didn't kick, you wouldn't have to do any of that.
I'm glad folks enjoy Hill style bows. Makes me smile to see one bent at a shoot, as long as I'm not the one bending it.