# Howard Hill and Bow speed



## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

Kegan - 

HH Archery claims (or used to anyway) an average bow speed (with the correct arrows) of 115 fps + bow weight. For example, a 50# Hill bow should shoot in the 165 fps range. 

That assumes a 28" and again, the "correct" arrow. 

In my experience, that holds true for most Hill bows, barring extreme draw weights and arrow weights.

Viper1 out.


----------



## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

I wasn't even thinking about his newer bows, or the ones made by Hill archery. Just about the solid bamboo bows he had made for himself in the 30's and early 40's- before fiberglass made the impact it did on bows.


----------



## Ratdog68 (Feb 22, 2009)

Did he use self bows, or was he also using laminated wood bows for those speeds? He was using 'boo-backed, wasn't he? Those speeds do not surprise me with 'boo backing and a light reflex. 

I like my fiberglass enhanced longbows too... but, the all natural materials do put a bigger grin on my mug.


----------



## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Hill seemed to use a few selfbows in his early years, but for almost all of his serious hunting from the 30's on was with bamboo laminates. Though it doesn't appear that he glued in any reflex (he likes string follow). 

And even though he didn't like reflex, he _still_ liked a fast bow. Hmmm.


----------



## Ratdog68 (Feb 22, 2009)

I thought I'd learned that he liked just a LITTLE bit of "tip forward" to his bow design ? Yer startin' to like the notion of using nature's fiberglass (bamboo) in a bow?


----------



## Flying Dutchman (Aug 7, 2008)

Let me quote the master himself:

"_For many years I could handle perfectly bows pulling up to 100 pounds at 28 inches, though my favorite weight for hunting was between 80 and 90 pounds. Few men have ever spent enough time to develop sufficient strenght for handling easily such heavy bows as these". 

~ Howard Hill ~_

When we know this, it is certainly not amazing that Howard Hill could reach arrow speeds up to 180-190 fps. 
_
"Even at the age of 62, he could draw and shoot an 75 lbs bow with ease and comfort. In fact, two or three times a week he would shoot such a bow for 30 to 90 minutes, shooting 110 to 150 arrows_". 

(All quoted from the Howard Hill Archerey brochure)


----------



## cody roiter (Jan 31, 2005)

Guys here is a early 1930's or 1940's bow that Howard made himself... ( thanks to Ted fry from raptor archery told me what I had..) This bow is a all boo backed boo and is more of a flat bow then any thing ele's....

Enjoy,

Cody


----------



## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

Ratdog68 said:


> I thought I'd learned that he liked just a LITTLE bit of "tip forward" to his bow design ? Yer startin' to like the notion of using nature's fiberglass (bamboo) in a bow?


I love bamboo! Trouble is, I'm too cheap to buy some!

I'm not sure whether Hill glued any reflex into his bows or not. Nothing I can find indicates he does- but all of Hill Archery longbows have it. Either way, he still was shooting a fast bow!

Flying Dutchman- I'm shooting an 80# sinew backed flatbow with roughly 800 gr arrows. I've never chrono'd it, but I can tell you it certainly isn't shooting 180! I think it's about 150... in a good day:lol:.


----------



## Flying Dutchman (Aug 7, 2008)

kegan said:


> Flying Dutchman- I'm shooting an 80# sinew backed flatbow with roughly 800 gr arrows. I've never chrono'd it, but I can tell you it certainly isn't shooting 180! I think it's about 150... in a good day:lol:.



Keep on practicing then.... :jksign:

I am shooting only 38 lbs and with a 350 gr Goldtip I chrono just over the 170fps. But I realize that your kinetic energy must be way higher. Your arrows of 800gr must have a lot of knock-down power.... I certainly wouldn't like one of those in my chest....


----------



## kegan (Aug 28, 2006)

:lol:

Yeah- they do have a lot of "smack" to them. But the diamter is really large (they're made from birch dowels). I've seen lighter bows get better penetration on targets with small diamter arrows.


----------



## Flying Dutchman (Aug 7, 2008)

Okay, I shoot POC or carbon, preferably POC. They are 5/16 and the Goldtips are even slightly thinner. Both penetrate amazingly well, even with fieldpoints. Even on very tuff foampacks, like ETA foam 400. Even when it is wet.
So I think I could use my longbow for hunting, I am just waiting for an invitation from you guys...


----------



## rattus58 (Jul 9, 2007)

Hmmmmm.... My first bow shot deer was shot with an 88 pound Deathwish Bow by Steve Wendt. The bow wasn't even at completely full draw I don't think when I released from a sitting position and the deer was approaching warp speed as the arrow not only hit her in the right rear ham, travelled all the way through and broke broke her left shoulder with a three bladed snuffer.

I don't know how fast or how slow this bow is, but it is plenty fast enough and in the few videos I've seen of Howard Hill, his arrows always seemed to be traceable on their way to the target, but in the movie Tenbo, if I remember accurately, I didn't notice anything that indicated anything that wouldn't have been completely expected in the sense of arrow speed. Howard Hill, if memory serves, also was shooting bicep wrenching bows in the 90 pound range.

Aloha...  :beer:


----------

