# Howard Hill longbows? and bow wood selecting?



## Boreal Boy (May 13, 2010)

I am looking at buying a Howard Hill longbow and am trying to choose a model. Wodering if anyone has one and/or reviews.
the only thing differnt between the models is the materials used and I am not experienced enough to have a favorite bow wood or know whats the best for what I want.
I like the Wesley special, big 5, redman and owl.
http://www.howardhillarchery.com/longbows.html
the bows i am looking at have either bamboo, osage, yew or a combination, any recomendations?

I want a bow that is fast, smooth, straight shooting, quiet with minmul hand shock
any suggestions with models or materails? 

also have to decide max backset, trad backset and string follow???
Grip straight/trad or slight contour or pistol?
if your wondering, I have been shooting trad for 8 months, started with a martin stick, now have a martin savannah #50 and want a "straight bow" again.
thanks


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## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Boreal Boy said:


> I want a bow that is fast, smooth, straight shooting, quiet with minmul hand shock


Don't we all? More seriously though, all of those are relative. How fast? How smooth? How quiet? Straight shooting being the only one a bow can't really ensure- unless for some reason it's un-tunable. Hill's aren't supposed to be un-tunable.

Anyway. If you're looking for a bow over 62", count Osage out. It's too heavy. Yew or bamboo would be better. Likewise, 62" or less give Osage a serious consideration, as the bow would be much stronger with it. There's a lot that's been said about bamboo being the best limb material, but enough folks have found that yew or juniper will shoot just as fast that I would just say go with your gut.

As for the amount of back set, I would go with the happy medium. Too much and the bow will need heavier arrows to shoot accurately, and a glass bow with string follow will be a dog in terms of speed- at least in my experience.

The grip is up to you. I like a locator on my glass bows and a straight grip on my selfbows. It's really only a matter of what you want.


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## LongStick64 (Aug 29, 2009)

Having owned and shot many Howard Hill bows, it will be hard to find one that is Fast, smooth and low handshock. I used to be a big Howard Hill bow fan, that is until I shot a Great Northern Critter Gitter. No comparison in my book, it's not even close. Hill bows are smooth but they are not close to fast and they do have handshock, not bad, but you do notice it but you do get used to it. The longer the Hill the smoother it gets and in my opinion I'd rather get a 60" Great Northern than a 68" Hill if I want smooth.


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## BowmanJay (Jan 1, 2007)

I will tell you also as a past HH bow owner, those bows have plenty of hand shock! It is the reason I sold mine. I had a custom from them in all bamboo and it was a great bow but I just couldnt shoot it for more than 20 shots or so because it hurt my hand so badly. I would look into this more before you spend any $$$, I was warned and went ahead anyway and learned to regret it later...Also the bow was shipped ot me in a simple USPS triangle cardboard box. When the bow was delivered, the top tip was sticking through the box and snapped right above the string grove. I could not believe that they would ship in such a poor container, they made me a new bow (had to wait another 3-4 months) and they finally shipped it to me in a 4" PVC pipe as I asked them too...


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## LongStick64 (Aug 29, 2009)

To be fair Craig does package his bows better these days but if you do request a PVC pipe he'll do that as well.

Either way if your looking for a performance D bow, a Hill is not in that category.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

BowmanJay said:


> .Also the bow was shipped ot me in a simple USPS triangle cardboard box. When the bow was delivered, the top tip was sticking through the box and snapped right above the string grove. I could not believe that they would ship in such a poor container, they made me a new bow (had to wait another 3-4 months) and they finally shipped it to me in a 4" PVC pipe as I asked them too...


And that wasn't just a fluke. I picked up an HH bow from USPS for a friend who couldn't get there and the box it was in was crushed. And it wasn't carefully packed at all, just thrown in the box. The problem was the long flat box wasn't sturdy enough to resist the forces that tried to fold it in half and the bow inside was directly touching the inside of the box, thus taking the force the *packaging* is supposed to take to protect the bow.

HH makes good on their mistakes and they seem like good people--but I'm still a bit baffled by their bad packing and shipping. Hopefully that has all changed as LongStick says.

BTW, the wood you choose really won't make much of a difference. The fiberglass does all the heavy lifting in terms of power, and bamboo is used as the core, to give separation between the back and belly of the bow, so choose your woods based on what looks good to you. Oh, and if you don't like handshock, a HH bow probably shouldn't be your first choice. HH makes fine bows, but they are famous for their handshock.


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## Boreal Boy (May 13, 2010)

WOW! thanks guys that reality check was just what i needed!!!!keep them coming.
Thant being said, you know what I am looking for, so what would you suggest in a "performance D bow"...?? great northern, protege....?
I currnetley draw 28"on my savannah (may increase to 29 as my shooting progresses, 6'1" 200lbs) looking for a #50
thanks again


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## LongStick64 (Aug 29, 2009)

I agree with Black Wolf on wood choice aiding performance. I once asked Craig about this very issue. I asked him which Hill model was the better performer and he replied that they were to a degree equal in performance. There really is no difference at all in the models, they are all built on the same form. Adding a lam of bamboo doesn't mean an addition of performance. We are talking about bows that on a good day are averaging 165 fps. Compare that with others that nibble at 200, big difference. Any solid design R/D longbow should be quicker and smoother. What you may be intersted in is the Howard Hill Badger. It's Craig's only R/D longbow. He doesn't advertise it but he does still make them. And if you are stuck on D shaped longbow, there are a few R/D longbows that when at full brace have a D shape.


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## LongStick64 (Aug 29, 2009)

You want performance, a Great Northern Critter Gitter. Protoge is new on the circuit, not enough of them out there to get a solid review. The CG is a real nice performer and I find it smooth and shock free. The Great Northern people know how to build a no nonsense bow that meets your expectations.
Look here on the classified section for Traditional1, he has quite a few for sale, you can get one at a decent price.


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## Boreal Boy (May 13, 2010)

Thanks LS 64.
As for R/D my Savannah fits the bill, just want to try a full trad D bow.


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