Howard Hills recurve comment

[swampthing]

Standing up and getting everything "just right" then executing a good clean release is great for groups. A bow that does not have to be held a certain way,  released perfectly, need all kinds of dead rat fir and 850g arrows to make it quiet down, and still shoots a straight arrow out of itself, thats a hunting bow.

[nineworlds9]

I think it needs to be taken with a grain of salt.  It is 2013 after all.  Materials and bow design have come a long way.  Me personally- yup Hill bows are fun but even with practice I can't pull off with a straight grip Hill what I can with my 68" Stewart Slammer.  I find a takedown r/d longbow with a heavy riser and great flat cast to draw weight ratio far more forgiving than  any Hill I've tried.  I will continue to enjoy Hill bows for the nostalgia and simplicity.  Each bow style has advantages and none is the magic pill.  The shooter is 9/10.

[Cold Weather]

I have a copy of the book and have read the article.  Of interest, there was a rebuttal of Hill's claims by Doug Kittredge in an old issue of Archers Digest.

Frankly, I don't believe too much the book has to say.  There are accounts of 200 yard elk shots, etc..

I have 4 custom recurves and a custom longbow-and I much prefer recurves.

[beendare]

Good insights thx

[elkken]

I can shoot both equally bad just as I'm sure HH could shoot them equally good ....

[swampthing]

Don't give up on it, shooting only one bow and arrow combo from here on out... If your current bow ain't fast enough, aim higher!

[Dan Bonner]

I shoot a recurve way better than I shoot a longbow. I've only been to a couple 3d trad shoots but the recurve high scores were all higher than the LB winners scores. Neither  Howard Hill nor Pat B. we're competing though. I personally believe great shooters can shoot whatever they choose well. I'm not a great shooter, I need all the help I can get, I'll choose the recurve. BTW I have shot with Pat B. a time or two. He has smoked me with both styles.

Bonner

[shirikahn]

lol...I think too much has been read into Howard's quotes.  Shooting any bow accurately is (in my humble opinion, at least) is all about form, fit (as in draw weight, bow length, grip, and brace preference), and personal preference.  Could it have been that Mr Hill had such a following that his mere stating he "couldn't" use a recurve as well make it easier to sell more longbows?  Definite Possibility, but I am not saying he was swaying the masses with falsehood either!  I'm saying that Howards "fit" was probably better to that of the long sticks instead of the double bent ones lol.  Just my thoughts.  

Loren

[Pete]

The Badger Recurve built at Howard Hill Archery is "Sweet" not advertized, but A very nice and super quiet bow.

[Bill Carlsen]

What worked for him never worked for me. There was on exception. I had a 67# Shadow Eclipse that was 58". I could shoot that thing like crazy. Then I got old, the weight was not for me anymore and I never found a longbow that rivaled that one. Having said that there are so many new hybrid bows that seem to shoot as well as my recurves. A friend of mine (Birdbow) has one of Big Jim's Buffalo bows. It's 60# and the first time I shot it it was about 40 yards with an Easton Axis 340 with a 200 grain field point. It was at a deer target and it was dead center in the kill zone. Nowadays it's really hard to define what a longbow is and you need to specify what you are talking about. I shot a Hill longbow once and I can still feel the shock in my bow hand just thinking about it. If you can shoot one...good for you.  They are not for me. Guess I am not a good enough archer to shoot one.

[Gdpolk]

Shooting traditional bows accurately is more about consistency than the inherent design of the bow.

Olympians use recurves, I'm sure at their level of training that's what's easiest for their style of shooting to be consistent with.

I personally shoot R/D longbows with low grips the most consistently.  That's probably just because my first traditional bow was this design though so naturally it would make sense that this design is what I'm most used to and comfortable with, rather than that design being inherently better.

Also, you have to remember that Hill sold Hill style longbows.  Any businessman would try to promote their products.  Although I do believe that he personally shot his style best, he also had people buying his products because of what he could do with them.  It would make sense that he state that his were the best on the market and were a part of his success as an archer by design.

[damascusdave]

I am hunting with what many would call a longbow and if I took off those limbs and put on the recurve limbs I would be hunting with what everyone calls a recurve...if you think you can only shoot one or the other well get yourself an RER LXR...we have all sorts of choices that Mr. hill did not

DDave

[monsterchelli]

[Trad Longbow Joe]

If I remember the story Howard was shooting at -grouse in trees from odd angles and non-standard shooting positions.  He didn't shoot the sensitive limb recurve as well as he did with his trusty longbow.  I have noticed the same with my shooting, I have a reflex/deflex longbow ACS limb design, it shoots excellent when I can take a normal shooting stance, but when I have to stretch or bend at the waist I can't shoot it as well as my Hill style straight limbed longbows.

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

I've shot game with modern recurves, both short and long in length,  and with both modern, 'hybred" longbows and 'Hill-Type' longbows. I'm with Howard. When the chips are down, and the shot is difficult, I'll take the traditional, Hill-Type longbow every time. For both "fast shots' and shots from abnormal, off-balance positions it's far easier for me to hit with a Hill-Type Longbow.

Ed

With a Hill style longbow when one varies the cant, the rotational distance of the arrow above the knuckle is much samller then it would be with a modern recurve, especially if that recurve has an elevated rest.  If one always shoots the same recurve, this would probably get adjusted automatically. However, if one normally shoots a longbow, when that same person rolls a recurve over the arrow will tend to point much further to the bow side of the shot.  In Hill's case his bow was pretty much only curved at the ends, which would lead me to think that it was simply touchy to his particular shooting variations. One test that I did was to shoot a Bear SK with just the ring finger. The arrow flip-flopped like crazy.  I tried the same ring finger release with my favorite Hill style bow, a Hill Halfbreed from a Hill blank, the arrow flew to the same place with the same good flight as when released properly. Comparing the recurve ended bow that Hill referred to against a modern recurve is not apples to apples, but then there are a different set of variables that would need to be considered, which once again would fall in favor to the Hill style bow for varied hunting shots.  I would like to believe that Hill was very objective with his archery choices. He, most certainly, always seemed to know what he was doing.