Howard Hill longbows

S.C. Hunter · September 12, 2010, 11:16:00 PM

How many use them? What experience do have with them even if you don't own one.

Mudd · September 12, 2010, 11:35:00 PM

I love mine!!

God bless,Mudd

Shawn Rackley · September 12, 2010, 11:48:00 PM

yeah i love mine too. just ask roy "mudd" .its a cheetah. i love this thing lol. and i shoot pretty well with it. really smooth draw. feels like its 68" inches long, but its only 66"

straitera · September 13, 2010, 12:05:00 AM

Hunted with Hill & Hill style only for the past 32 years including today for that matter. I have 6 & might sell one but only to buy another. Prefer mine in straight grip, heavy, & longer 68"-72". Get with Ben Kleinig in Australia. He's shot some sweet bows to be sure after some scary animals. Bet his Hill tops the list.

Sean B · September 13, 2010, 12:22:00 AM

I had a wesely special and it shot great. unbelievable quiet. Very light. The only reason that i got rid of it was because i prefer recurves and I needed the $$.

JRY309 · September 13, 2010, 12:24:00 AM

I have a HH Half Breed,it is a sweet shooting longbow,one of my favorites.I think they are solid shooting bows.

S.C. Hunter · September 13, 2010, 12:37:00 AM

Thanks for the replies keep it coming. I had a good feeling about them just feels better when it is confirmed. I have a Bama bow made in the same style as a Hill shoots great. I shot the cheetah once about 6 arrows and what I remember most was how quick I was on target and the arrows went where I was looking.

Benny Nganabbarru · September 13, 2010, 02:00:00 AM

Forrest is too kind. Compared to others, my Howard Hill longbow shooting / hunting experience is quite limited, and amounts to three billy goats with a 66", 70# @ 29" Redman, and two boars / one sow with a 70", 75# @ 28" Wesley Special. I really do prefer the longer length. I mostly shoot recurves, but at some stage in the future will likely invest in a lighter Hill. I made my sweetest shot ever with the Wesley Special: a dead plastic milk bottle at 80 metres. For some reason, I could shoot that Wesley Special better than my 62" Black Widow longbow of the same draw weight.

Stone Knife · September 13, 2010, 05:25:00 AM

They are an acquired taste, I love my Big Five 48# @28" 66"

wislnwings · September 13, 2010, 05:25:00 AM

I love my recently aquired take-down cheetah.

GingivitisKahn · September 13, 2010, 07:04:00 AM

I love my HH Halfbreed. Once I stopped shooting it like a recurve (i.e. incorrectly) it stopped kicking me. Now all I notice is how light it is, how smooth it is, and how much fun it is to shoot.

If you are on the fence and have the funds to buy one, buy one. Don't like it? Sell it - they go quickly enough on classifieds here.

I'm a one bow guy, but if something happened to mine, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

Dave Alaxanian · September 13, 2010, 08:26:00 AM

I have a "BIG5" 75lbs. @30"--they take a while to get used to and you have to "MAN-HANDLE" them but hit where you're pointing!!

Bill Turner · September 13, 2010, 08:42:00 AM

I find HH longbows to be outstanding shooters and easy to carry. I have five ranging from 64" to 68"(53# to 57#). My hunting bow this season will be a 64", 53@28 TD "RedMan". At my 27 and 3/4 draw, I would not recommend a HH bow less than 64". I would also highly recommend talking to Craig at HH Archery before making your purchase. He will not steer you wrong.

Ray Lyon · September 13, 2010, 08:47:00 AM

I've got a Tembo that I first purchased back in 1978. It's a lot of fun to shoot and they are very accurate. I use a Super Shrew as my go to bow, but the Hill bow isn't collecting dust.

September 13, 2010, 08:55:00 AM

I have had a bunch, my favorites from Hill archery are two that I tillered myself from the blanks. A 68" Half breed model and a yew. I like to make the grips so they are biased to the bow hand, left/right, not symmetrical, and I like to get more action in the tips to accommodate my under 27" draw.
If you don't shoot a straight gripped longbow like Hill would teach you to use it, you perhaps would not like them. Bent bow arm, low bow shoulder, swing draw, canted bow and minimal holding time are the keys to getting along with them. Do not over bow yourself, there is no point to that. I have seen a number of times guys getting heavy bows just because a whimpy guy like me had heavy bows. My son shot two arrows through a 244 pound dressed weight buck with a 47 pound at 27" Big River Hill style, that shoots exactly like another lighter Hill we had. One arrow while standing twenty-five yards, one on the run up a steep hill at 55 yards, which turned the deer and the last one when the deer jumped full speed off an embankment at 15 yards, which angled up and forward and cut the spinal cord. He shot the fourth arrow after it was down and hit the top curve of the rib with a rounder broad head and that one skipped off, but deer was already dead.

Shooty1 · September 13, 2010, 11:03:00 AM

Been using them exclusively for a couple years.
As long as you remember the Hill grip and the bent bow arm, they're downright awesome.
Forget those things, however, and they won't impress.
It was awkward for me for a few months because I have a tendency to overdraw, and using the proper bent bowarm necessitated a decrease in draw length. If [old habits kick in and] you start locking your bowarm or heeling off the wristbone instead of the meat of your thumb, accuracy will suffer, frustratingly. Note, this has been my experience--results may vary.

Butch Speer · September 13, 2010, 12:33:00 PM

I have a HH Big 5. 66" 55@27. I just love it. Light, fast & no handshock. Shoots right where you look & gets there quick. Can't ask for more.

Jerry Jeffer · September 13, 2010, 12:34:00 PM

I have enjoyed shooting them and would like to some day own a Redman and a Grouse.

LongStick64 · September 13, 2010, 12:41:00 PM

Pound for Pound best value around. A very simple tool that simply works as well as any other bow.

ron w · September 13, 2010, 01:13:00 PM

You either love them........or you hate them...... I had a Cheetah, liked it but traded it off. I will buy another when a good deal pops up. I like the dished grip!