For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Mass can dampen the feel of this. But everything that throws or pushes something is automatically shoved right back. Longbows: If folks could handle them for countless millennia, so can we.

Arrow weight cures most.  Energy has to go some where, best if it goes in the arrow.

Tune, grip and arrow weight aside, there are some hybrid bows that are very mild in the hand. ACS and Hill Country Wildcat are the two stand outs for me for the 3 pc, and both I have are not heavy mass weight bows. Kanati is about as dead in the hand as I have shot for a 1 pc hybrid. For a D shape I would say 2 tracks long walker is the best I have shot.

Had a couple top name bows that had too much handshock for me, got rid of them. Have shot  Zipper STX, Hummingbird,and Silvertip 3 piece longbows and Hummingbird one piece longbows that had almost no reaction to the arrow being released. I usually shoot Dymond wood or Cocobolo risers so that helps some too.
Short answer, shoot ten top longbows you will find several that have almost no handshock. Roy

If you have arthritis in the thumb of your bow hand like I do, you will come to the realization that ALL bows have some hand shock just some more than others ... I have shot lots and lots of different bows LB and recurve and I have never had one not be felt in some fashion by my arthritic thumb.

I have shot some d/r longbows that basically had little to no handshock, my own Whips by Dan Toelke have absolutely none to me with arrows running from 10 to 13 to 1 grains of arrow per pound of draw weight. I have shot a couple of d/r longbows and a number of D shaped longbows that would rattle your teeth! My own Toelke Super Ds  with the same weight arrows as my Whips have so little handshock that it is more like a pulsation than a thump. In fairness my own bows have been set up by me for me, the other bows mentioned were not of course.

Skinny, low stretch strings will help on the D profile bows, but you will still feel a bit of a thump. My Shelton has very mild hand shock with 9-10 grains per pound arrows. If I get some heavy ones made up, I'm sure it will be even less.

My Kanati has NO noticeable hand shock, but to be honest, it is a hybrid, definitely not a D profile. I think Jason gets rid of the shock by making extremely efficient bows. I have had mine since 2007 and I am still amazed at the speed even with heavy (11-12 gpp) arrows. Oh, and Kanatis are also very light weight, so you don't have to have a hefty bow to have minimal hand shock.

If you want to shoot a Hill style longbow, you will need to get used to at least some shock. The string follow bows like my Shelton tend to have less than straight or back set bows. It is certainly not uncomfortable to shoot.

Tomahawk SS! smooth and dead in the hand. Kirk makes a great bow as well as do many others like A&H, Black Widow, and on and on... Just try as many as you can and see which one you like best.

here is another question concerning hand shock...do you feel more hand shock with your arm fully extended and locked out ;  or less hand shock with a slight bend...for me I experience less with a slight bend at the elbow...I "think" the slight bend acts somewhat like a shock absorber...anyone care to chime in ?...thanks

Hand shock is a relative thing. I am with those that say all bows have "some" hand shock. If you think your bow does not have any, shoot it with an open bow hand and don't grab it at the shot. Better have a soft place out in front for it to land though   .

Yep, "Dead in the hand" was the term I was looking for and the one longbow I tried felt like a coiled spring in my hand on release. The whole 'Physics' of this is interesting. I knew there had to be more to it with so many guys loving their longbows.

Thanks Kirk for the long explanation and to all for the informative comments. I'm going to wait until I develop better form and get up to my shooting weight before I start collecting more bows. [Actually, the truth; I told myself no new bows until I kill something with this first one]

I would think that less shock not only makes a bow more fun to shoot but more accurate with less tendency to develop bad habits- flinching, gripping etc.

Some bows flex all the way into the handle too, that has to create more shock on release. And I would think the straight handle bows have more shock. vs. ones with more > forward. Kudos to the bowyers that have it figured out!

I purchased a terrestrial long bow on here from GreyBeard,I couldn't be happier with a purchase it was made by a tradganger r/d style longbow 60 inch 53@28 feels like 48,smoothest drawing bow I have ever owened no hand shock and a Joy to shoot.

End your search with 3 words.....Big River Longbows.......

I like St. Joe longbows, very quiet and stable.  

Maybe I'm just still numb from my partying college days, but I don't notice handshock in longbows - even straight limbed Hill styles.

I ordered a Dwyer Original Longbow today just so i could say i have a Hill bow. Just kidding, the first bow i ever owned was a Dwyer Original Lonbow and i ordered a 56 pounder.

Well i have a 30in draw so you can imagine my suprise when i tried to draw and shoot that monster but man was it fast. I can't remember much handshock but it did have some but i was new and overbowed.

The one i ordered has a beavertail grip and they stain there woods to give them a darker rich look and i think it was $420 something delivered.

I know there is a great mystique surrounding HH bows but for the money and looks i'll take that Dwyer anytime.

Joe Van

I have a Leon Stewart Slammer and I cannot feel any hand shock at all. The riser is quite small and I think Kirkill above does a good job of explaining why riser is not that impt.

My new Kempf 58" longbow has no hand shock and with the TS-1 string I have on it, is deadly quiet.

QuoteOriginally posted by Bill Kissner:
Hand shock is a relative thing. I am with those that say all bows have "some" hand shock. If you think your bow does not have any, shoot it with an open bow hand and don't grab it at the shot. Better have a soft place out in front for it to land though           .

That doesn't prove anything. If you shoot your bow with an open bow hand and don't grab it at the shot, then how is it NOT gonna hit the ground?!? Hand shock or no hand shock it's gonna hit the ground if you don't hold onto it! Never saw a bow that sticks to an open hand, unless it's glued to it.

I'm not understanding what you're trying to say here. No one is saying a bow doesn't move upon releasing the string and the arrow leaves the bow. Hand shock is an unpleasant "jarring" of the bow hand from the shot. The bow simply moving or vibrating a little isn't hand shock.

Say what you will, but I'm telling ya right now, my Kanati has NO hand shock.

I have shot some 3 pc. longbows that were virtually shock free, with the extra weight in the riser. ACS for sure! But if you want a one piece bow that's as light as a feather and super fast and quiet as a mouse...u need to try a Centaur or a Kanati!