Howard Hill longbows

[Buckeye1977]

Been kind of intrigued by these bows lately. The only longbows I have shot have been more modern style like black widow and a few others. I have been noticing that most bows of this style are fairly long in length. That would be a downfall for me because of the type of hunting I do. I hunt in very thick places and do a lot of blind hunting so don't have a lot of room to play with. I've seen that you can order a hill bow in a 60" length. Are there any negatives in this style of bow and that short length? Wondering if anyone has one this length and how they like it? Thanks

[kevsuperg]

Good question , might have a limited draw length I would think but I don't know.
I shoot a 64" Wesley special forward handle @28" dl.  Seems to be it's limit.
I'll be following this thread

[Orion]

I've never found longer longbows -68 inches or so -- difficut to move through the brush.  They're quite easy to move through the brush, in fact.  Less likely to hang up than a recurve.

Straight, Hill style bows are long for a reason.  When you draw a straight bow, the tips are pulled closer together as you reach full draw.  That increases the string angle (increasing finger pinch) and begins to stack.

The tips of a recurve or hybrid mostly move to the rear, but not together, as they are drawn. This lessens the rate at which the string angle increases.

Can probably shoot a 64-inch Hill style bow with a 28-inch draw without too much of a problem, but a 60-inch bow will likely stack a lot at that draw length, and finger pinch will be noticeable. I shoot mostly 66-inch Hills and wouldn't go any shorter for my 28-inch draw length.  My next one will likely be a 68-inch.

[Buckeye1977]

I only have a 26.5" draw do you think that would be a problem?

[Sam McMichael]

I have a 25" draw and shoot 68" bows. According to the physics involved, this may be a bit long for me, but they are very smooth. I mostly hunt from ladder stands. It is relatively easy to lean out a bit so the lower limb clears the stand. The only drawback is with tent type blinds, but I don't like them, so it is no problem. Instead, I use brush blinds when hunting on the ground. I have not found my longbows to hang up in thick brush any worse than shorter bows.

[nineworlds9]

Originally posted by Buckeye1977:
I only have a 26.5" draw do you think that would be a problem?

The sweet spot for you would be a 66-67" Hill, with standard handle Hill bows the general rule of thumb is 40"+your draw for bow length, so say 28" draw 68" bow etc.  Generally as with any bow you want to avoid exceeding a 90° string angle at the tips of the bow at full draw because past that you're stacking like mad and losing efficiency.  
That being said, if you keep the draw weight down say 50#@your draw or less I think even Craig at HHA would agree you could "get away" with a 60-64" bow.  Would it be ideal?  No. Would it work for closer in hunting shots?  Sure, just keep a nice clean release.  Also, with the less than ideal shorter bows you "might" get a little shortened bow life, BUT when considering most glass bows last a lifetime this is a minor concern.  If you're gonna do a shorty Hill I would go with a high lam count bow like a Wesley, the 5 lams will be a little sweeter when taxed to the limit just like how the high lam count is favorable on a heavy draw weight bow.

[nineworlds9]

Btw, Craig's son has been known to use a shorty Hill so it can work.  My best advice in the end is to find yourself a 66" Hill in your preferred weight on the used market combined with a high quality fast flight string and try out the style and see how you like it before going and ordering a short bow.

[monterey]

Call Craig at HHA, and ask him for his opinion.

Hill style bows of the same length can vary in their max draw length depending on width, thickness taper and the use of tip wedges.

Craig can build it to suit you exactly or tell you that what you want might not be feasible.

Personally, I would not compromise performance or shootability for the sake of fitting it into a blind.

[Terry Green]

I have longbows from 54"s to 68...and the shorter bows go with me in the thickets...for a reason.  While stalking you will end up with a higher percentage of a shot opportunity with a shorter bow. If not, I'd go get an 88 inch bow, a 108 inch bow???

I don't know about the 60 inch HHs, but I have a 68 that I love...I take it to the big woods on occasion...but NOT in the thickets where it likely cant get drawn for limbs.

My goto bows are 60 inch...and sometimes I have traded to my 54 incher for recovery when the animal ran into the thickets so I can get a shot off it need me.

[Buckeye1977]

The longbow I had last was 62" and sometimes had trouble getting it tangled up. Luckily it never cost me a shot at an animal but got me aggravated to say the least! The longest bows I have now are 58" and haven't had any trouble with them in any situation so far. Maybe if I do go with a longer bow might do like Terry and just had with it in places where I know I'll have no problem. Have never shot that style bow but the nostalgia of them is very alluring!

[Mike Mecredy]

H.Hill styled bow at 60" long wouldn't be a problem at all with a 26.5" draw length.  I made a few of them in the past at that length experimenting and such.  I liked them.  one of the 60" ones I made I drew it to 28" and it shot good.

[JRY309]

My personal opinion if you want a 60" bow,don't get a Hill.I draw 27" and wouldn't buy a Hill under 66".I have 66" and 68" Hill's,my 66" is my favorite.I feel their design with a narrow limb deep core draws and shoots better with alittle more length.Craig Ekin that builds them recommends 60" plus your draw length,say you draw 28" he would recommend a 60" + 8"= 68" bow.I have seen guys that have shorter Hill bows,they can't give them away if you want to sell it.

[two4hooking]

My experiences have been similar to Orion.

[Caboo]

On straight or setback limbs or string follow Hill style longbows. The shorter the longbow the faster the string angle to the limb tip will open up. When you hit 90 degrees you are hitting the wall so to speak and you will feel it in your draw. The longer the Hill style longbow the smoother the draw and it will be a longer draw length before the string angle to the limb tip hits 90 degrees. You lose leverage once it hits 90 degrees. If you have a short 25 to 26" draw length a short 64" Hill will probably be okay but if your draw length is 28 to 30" you will most likely enjoy a longer 68 to 70" Hill longbow. Bowyer Louie Armbuster always insisted buyers buy 70" first or if the buyer insisted he would compromise to 68". I've never understood the big deal about 70" longbows being too long. I've never had a problem in trees or the ground. I've never owned a blind but have shot out of blinds at 3D shoots with 70 to 68" longbows and never had a problem.( Yes they had roofs) If you feel you have to go short under 64" with a 28" plus draw you need to go to a high deflex-reflex longbow not a Hill style longbow. The shorter the bow the higher the deflex-reflex you need to keep that limb tip string under 90 degrees at your draw length. It's all about leverage and your string to limb tip angle determines that result.