HH bug got me ... Part One!

January 21, 2012, 11:22:00 PM

Hey Eric...good to see you - its been a long time. How is the whitetail herd doing at the bottom of the hill? Some of my best memories of chasing those Wiley Whitetails happened along the river there - just North of Manton.

WESTBROOK · January 21, 2012, 11:43:00 PM

Hi Tony, Your asking the wrong guy, LOL, I got to hunt a total of about 2 days this year. Work has been crazy busy the last 4 months, I guess the upside is I'm working for me now and not someone else. There's always next year...I hope.

Where in MI are ya? Are you gonna make it to Kalamazoo? I'm thinkin about goin, not sure yet.

Eric

JCJ · January 22, 2012, 07:52:00 AM

Roy:

That looks like another nice Hill style bow. All Osage is my favorite in a bow.

Jay

Bud B. · January 22, 2012, 08:15:00 AM

Nice form Roy. Consistent anchor.

I noticed those Snag arrows were spot on as far as length goes. BOP was right in front of your finger. Just enough for broadhead use.

Regarding the tips, possibly phenolic reinforced tips?

Congrats on the new bow. I'll bet it'll age nicely.

I'll post up some photos of the Dave Johnson when it arrives.

Oh, and I guess you ate those grits since you were well enough to get out and shoot.

Glad you're feeling better.

Bud

Steve Clandinin · January 22, 2012, 09:21:00 AM

Roy,Fantastic looking bow and great shooting.I sure like that armgaurd,where the heck did you get that!LOL

Mudd · January 22, 2012, 09:35:00 AM

That really is one great looking arm guard isn't it?

I cherish it. I just wish I had been smart enough to have glued down the split in the hoof print before it got stretched out to the point it had to be removed.

I might hit the builder up for another someday along with the promise to take better care of it...lol

I want to encourage anyone who wants to learn the Hill style of shooting to always re-read everything you've already read on it and re-watch the "Hitt'em like Howard" video.

I know each time I see some little area that I can improve on.

The two points of contact anchor was just the latest "Big" thing for me. It really locks everything down for you and helps keep things lined up consistently.

God bless,Mudd

PS: was I subtle Steve?....lol

JCJ · January 22, 2012, 09:47:00 AM

Both hands quiet after the shot is a key that I focus on.

MikeNova · January 22, 2012, 08:21:00 PM

Nice bow Mudd. That property I was telling you about has some promise I believe. So if your ever around the way and want to try a pig let me know.

ChrisM · January 22, 2012, 08:32:00 PM

Nice bow Mudd, How does the Osage feel as opposed to Boo? I love the looks of it but just wonder if Osage is little shockier due to the increased weight of the wood.

BowHunterGA · January 22, 2012, 08:48:00 PM

Took my all Osage Hill bow out today for a little stumpin'.

Hill Crocodile, 68" all Osage 73#@28

Chris, I will be anxious to see Mudd's thoughts but for me, I feel the Osage is slower than bamboo but the added weight makes the bow feel very smooth and dead in your hand on release. I wasn't sure I would like the Osage but I must admit this bow has grown on me.

khardrunner · January 22, 2012, 08:50:00 PM

Shot the new halfbreed a bit this weekend, but I have to say so far I'm disappointed. I've shot other hills and read everything about tuning and grip but this thing is a thumper! I literally bruised my bow hand shooting it.

Hopefully I can get it figured out.

Rossco7002 · January 22, 2012, 09:04:00 PM

Keep at it. I got a new Half Breed this month as well, didn't notice any difference in hand shock between that and my Wesley (i.e. there was none). Is there anything else different about the bow which might be throwing off?

ChrisM · January 22, 2012, 09:11:00 PM

Wonder if the tiller or timing is OK? However don't ask me the proper way of checking.

Ben Maher · January 22, 2012, 09:17:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by BowHunterGA:
I feel the Osage is slower than bamboo but the added weight makes the bow feel very smooth and dead in your hand on release. I wasn't sure I would like the Osage but I must admit this bow has grown on me.

Well said !
Exactly how I found mine to be !

BowHunterGA · January 22, 2012, 09:32:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by Ben Maher:

QuoteOriginally posted by BowHunterGA:
I feel the Osage is slower than bamboo but the added weight makes the bow feel very smooth and dead in your hand on release. I wasn't sure I would like the Osage but I must admit this bow has grown on me.
Well said !
Exactly how I found mine to be ! [/b]

Thanks Ben. I should say "slower" is rather relative. My Osage Hill still sends a 780 grain arrow downrange at about 170fps. Plenty fast! I hope to be able to compare it to my new Northern Mist bow this week. The new bow will have bamboo limbs and I hope to use the same arrows.

I would think that the added mass of the Osage has to effect speed. It just stands to reason that more mass should mean a reduction in speed.

Now, what I would like to see is this.

All things being equal, which material would be effected more by arrow weight as relates to speed?
I would expect that speed from an Osage bow would be effected less by increasing arrow weight than would Bamboo. Meaning, as arrow weight increases, arrow speed would drop more rapidly with Bamboo than with Osage. Would like to hear others thoughts or experiences on this.

Mudd · January 22, 2012, 10:05:00 PM

Eternity weighs 20.1oz, Keeper Kat(Cheetah) weighs 19.7oz and my Old Tom weighs 16.5oz.

Both KK and Old Tom have bamboo limb cores.

I don't feel any hand shock whatsoever out of any of these bows.

I don't have a chronograph and don't need one because all 3 of these bows perform at or above my performance expectations.

There isn't enough difference in performance for me to readily detect.

I am surprised that there isn't more of a physical weight difference of the Osage Royale being all Osage but the scales don't lie so please don't let that deter anyone from using it in your bow.

If you think "Eternity" is beautiful now, just wait!!! Age does something awesome with Osage.

God bless,Mudd

Benny Nganabbarru · January 22, 2012, 10:39:00 PM

Steve, that is a beautiful Crocodile! I'm getting excited about mine!

30coupe · January 22, 2012, 11:50:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by khardrunner:
Shot the new halfbreed a bit this weekend, but I have to say so far I'm disappointed. I've shot other hills and read everything about tuning and grip but this thing is a thumper! I literally bruised my bow hand shooting it.

Hopefully I can get it figured out.

If you look back a few pages in this thread, you will see where I and some others reduced or eliminated hand shock by dropping the brace height on Hill style bows. Mine is a Northern Mist, but still built in the Hill style. Once I got to 6 1/4" the thump started to noticeably decrease. Below 6" it disappeared. I'm at about 5 3/4" and it's all good now!

BTW: I'm using a 10 strand D97 Flemish string padded to 18 strands in the loops. Nate Steen and some others have had similar success with dacron strings and low brace heights. Dacron didn't work out for me though.

Hope this helps. Those Halfbreeds are some sweet looking bows.

Stiks-n-Strings · January 23, 2012, 01:26:00 AM

Shot my Hill style all wood bow today at a shoot and enjoyed the heck out of it. Forgot how much I loved shooting a genuine longbow.

I'll get some pics up of the finished bow tomorrow. It is Bamboo backed with a bloodwood core and osage belly with bloodwood and osage riser and tips.

khardrunner · January 23, 2012, 06:10:00 AM

I tried brace heights from 7 5/8 down to 5 3/4 with no real significant difference. It was slightly better around 5 7/8 - 6 1/8, but not much. I tried arrows weighing from 475 grains up to 675 grains, carbon, aluminum, cedar and ash. Again, not much difference. I know the string is worn but I do not know what the material is.