Which woods for less hand shock

[dennis rice]

Is there any difference in hand shock on a straight limb bow of the same design using different woods or bamboo

[jacobsladder]

i think bow design , tuning , and braceheight are critical....but i do think a heavy wood and the more mass helps absorb some of the shock....

[Bjorn]

My opinion is that hand shock is bad design, bad tiller, bad set up, or any or all three. But not wood type.

[dennis rice]

Maybe i was thinking backwards i was thinking the heaver limb wood would have more hand shock

[Pat B]

Heavy limb tips will have more shock. Heavy risers will help to absorb some of the shock...but like Bjorn, design, tiller and set up have more to do with hand shock than the wood used.

[George D. Stout]

More than  not, hand shock is in the archer and the way they shoot the bow.  I've had guys tell me their bow "loosend their fillings", and when I shot it, I thought it was a great shooting bow.

I would opt for a denser riser..(osage, phenolic, bubinga, etc.) because that would help tame some vibration.  However, you really need to learn to shoot with a soft arm...not a locked elbow, and don't grip the bow like it's a snake you are trying to kill.

[Roy Steele]

PAT has it right.I'd like to ad bad tiller when one limb gets home before the other.

[Orion]

I agree with Bjorn.  However, all other things being equal, physically heavier limbs will carry a little more unused energy forward to be absorbed by the riser, bow arm, etc. than will physically lighter limbs.  Anyway, that's been my experience.  But the difference is small, and folks who learn to shoot with a soft arm, as George suggests, probably wouldn't notice it.

[Apex Predator]

The difference in limb mass will be minimal between the lighter core woods and some of the heavier core woods, because you will usually use less of the heavier wood to get the same draw weight.  The biggest factors are limb timing and removing excess weight from the outer limbs while profiling.  

If the archer can spend a couple of days with the bowyer the limb timing can be optimized for that archers draw.  This is seldom practical though, so we settle for tuning the bow to optimize it's shooting characteristics for the individual archer.

[snag]

George you hit is on the head!..or bullseye. During a shooting clinic this past summer Rod Jenkins worked with a bunch of us on our shooting form. As we began to adopt what he was asking us to do ALL of our bows became quieter. We were finally letting the bow do what it was built to do without getting in it's way! This probably resulted in less string oscilation and torquing of the bow.

[fountain]

i personally think it is in the holder as well.  i have had a hill style bow and it was awful.  i like them and would like to have another, but the straight grip is just not for me.  i get bad hand shock from them everytime.  i know people that shoot them and say they feel no shock.  i like a locator grip.  that is what i am used to shooting.  after shooting my recurve for a good while now, i get some hand shot on my longbow--when others have shot it and say its the best shooting longbow they have ever shot!

its all in the way it is gripped to me--given its built with good craftsmanship.  coming from shooting compounds basically all my life until 2 years ago, the locator-high wrist- style grips are the way to go for me.

[RC]

I`ve built longbows with Bamboo,hard rock maple ,zebrawood and red elm . Tillered them all for me and the boo was quieter and had less vibration.I also used coreflex for the riser.
  As someone else said tuning and tiller as well as grip play a big part. I believe with all things perfect the wrong grip will make the most difference. On Mudfeathers Wesley Special I can tell a big difference in shock by changing the amount of "hook" on the string with the bottom finger.Regardless, I love a Hill style bow....they made for killing.RC

[dennis rice]

Thanks everybody im thinking of another hill style bow and just cant make up my mind what woods to choose

[gordie]

hello dennis,
i agree w/ pat, george,& apex... and the bows to prove it, you are welcome to shoot'em the next time we shoot together.