Howard Hill bows

corbarwolf · Howard Hill bows

Hi guys,
I am considering buying a HH Bow.

Big Five Bamboo/Bacote 4 lams 45lb-68"/28"
Does anybody own a Howard Hill AFB?
What model and spec. do you have?
How do you rate it?
Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers
Mark

I think you have one kathyg/segolden? a detailed review from you guys would be nice

segolden

Hi Mark! Yup, bought a slightly used Big Five just before I went on my little hunt, and both of us have been putting it through it paces since I came back. Quick rundown goes like this:

The bow is top quality in finish and construction, and it fools people into thinking it's much lighter in draw weight than it is. Your prospective bow is very similar to this one, 48# at 28", and yet Kathy is able to pull and shoot it even though she's used to a much lighter compound. The provided strings are B-50, fastflight is not recommended, so it's very quiet as well, avoiding that twitch that some bows can cause with excessive noise.

Performance and arrow speed are virtually identical to an ELB of same stats, though much less picky about arrow spine. All my arrows are suited to this weight range, carbon, alloy and wood, and they all fly well. Being an AFB, it likes as heavy an arrow as you can shoot for best hunting use, but I shoot carbons for everything else. Why pay more if it works?

If you're used to an ELB, you should have no problems. The grip feels a bit unusual if you haven't shot a Hill before, but is easily adapted to. Just don't use a loose grip like on most recurves, because it will bounce around if you do that. I've tossed out the old myth about "hand shock" with any longbow, especially these Hills. With all that bamboo and a good rigid handle, it spits arrows very efficiently without any fuss. In fact, I have to make a conscious effort to shoot my other bows now, as this one is so easy to hit with.

For more info, check out these sites:

http://www.howardhillshooters.com/

http://www.howardhillarchery.com/

It might pay to log onto the Howard Hill email list, but that's up to you. Real friendly folks, and lots of data involving the shooters' site. Hope that will get you started; be warned, Hill bows are addictive!

corbarwolf

hi segolden,
just come back from howardhillshooters good site and very informative.
The AFB rules over here dictate no reflex to the limbs, more a constant curve, i see that in the images on that sight can you confirm the limb tips are still curving not flatting at the tips.
I've heard of handshock with these but it also appears to be as you say a style adaptation not bow fault.
Have you got an arced rest or flat with yours?
How do you rate the cast and speed to similar poundage AFB's?

Glad you are enjoying it.
Just sent my enquiry over the water for pricing, hoping exchange rate brings a favourable price back with shipping costs!

chat again later segolden...so many questions...i need to hold/nay shoot one...lol

cheers
mark

segolden

Always glad to assist, Mark.

You shouldn't have any problems with the rules on this bow, none of the Hills have any reflex, as the entire limb from tip to the beginning of the riser is working.

I've noticed little difference in cast between my R/D bow and the Big Five of the same draw weight, and think it's because of the bamboo/fiberglass combination of the Hill keeping up with the R/D's more efficient design. It does toss arrows faster than the ELB, mostly because of the more extreme archer's paradox of the older design. It does seem to like ten-grains-per-inch shafts or a bit heavier, but it doesn't mind my 375-gr. carbons either, as long as the range is under twenty yards. Fred's 450-gr. woods fly just as stably as my match alloys of the same weight, very nice for longer shots.

The rest is flat and, though I'd prefer rounded, the only difference with this over my other bows is a touch more noise. There might be a bit of drag from the flat rest, but I don't have a chrony or another HH to compare. There are probably four traditional archers in this county including myself, so it's difficult to trade experience off the web.

Anyway, hope this helps. You'll like the Hill, I'm sure. Ciao!

Steve

kathyg

i did a little review myself a while back, mark, which i'll pass here:

http://archersrest.myfreeforum.org/sutra24813.php#24813

corbarwolf

Great reviews you two write, always a pleasure to read, thank you both.
I currently shoot an AFB at 40lb but suspect that a HH at 50lb would be more than manageable, what do you think?
What does the Bacote look like compared to other woods you may have seen?
Does your Big Five have horn overlays?

cheers
Mark

segolden

That's us, blabbermouths to the core.

As to going from a 40# to a 50#, a lot depends on what your personal draw length is, and how much shooting you do. If you draw shorter than 28", or are accustomed to very long meets with lots of arrows shot from your 40#, then you might get along with a 50-lb. HH, though you'd still have to build up to it some. If not, then you'll probably be able to comfortably pull the Hill a few times, then everything will quickly go into the dustbin. Don't settle on the draw weight until you've pulled something in that range first, as overbowing yourself is a common mistake.

This Big Five is pretty plain-jane, no fancy horn tips or inlays, but the bacote is a nice, grainy, warm-reddish color that really sets off the lighter bamboo and black fiberglass. I also like kingwood, shedua and cocobolo, again warm colors and lots of grain. Ask Craig what he can do for you in that department, he's not picky.

Regards,

Steve

heavybows

heavybows

Thats 150# hill. Marlon

segolden

Beautiful bow, makes my shoulder pop just thinking about it, though.

Steve B

What beautiful timber in the bow, afraid I think like segolden, my body is not trained to do that so I couldn't , but by heck I still love the look of the bow

heavybows

Thanks Marlon