What is the best Hill Style longbow? Performance counts. Looks doesn't matter much. Please give me your opinions

A Howard Hill.

I have a big 5 from the '80. I like it but I hope they're better now. I have been shooting hybrid longbows and recurves for sometime now. I may be too spoiled when it comes to performance.

I have a JD BERRY Hill style that is tops in every area.

Ain't nothin' like the real thing.....a Howard Hill.

I'll take a Northern Mist Classic !

Eric

For me anyway a Frank SanMarco. Truly an outstanding piece of the bowyers craft in both performance and looks. Oberon

Wallace Mountain has the skinniest limbs and tiny tips...and with a little work (sorry) the grip is great too...nice and small. The workmanship is right there with the real deal Hill...and performance is much better IMO. Great Northern Critter Gitter is right up there as well. I love the looks of the Hill and Harrison but just can't do that style of grip... Bob

Another vote for Wallace Mountain and a new recommendation: John Sherman. My Sherman is noticeably faster than my Hill Cheetah, same weight and same arrow.

BTW, if you get a Wallace, talk to BowAholic about his grip rework. Mine was perfect, IMO.

How available are the Frank SanMarco bows?

My preference is a Jack Harrison but I had and like Hill longbows made by Craig Ekin also. If you use a heavy arrow you will find that the Hill style longbows are as fast as some of the fastest bows out there.

Here is an example of a test I did and posted in another thread.

I found a spread I have from a test of a Dye FF recurve and Hill Wesley special. Both bows were 55# @ 28. Both bows had 10 strand 8125 padded loop flemish strings. I draw a true 28".

400 gr arrow Dye 217 fps Hill 204 fps

580 gr arrow Dye 184 fps Hill 174 fps

730 gr arrow Dye 166 fps Hill 165 fps

The 730 gr arrow generated kinetic energy 45 fp for the Dye and 44 fp for the Hill. The momentum generated was .54 for both bows.

Pick one you like and shoot a nice heavy arrow. The bow feels like a different animal with heavy arrow and the Hill style bows like them.

Have fun. You have to love those Hill style longbows.

Gil

Last time i talked with Frank he was just building for about half of the year and teaching the other half I think. Average lag time to get one 6 to 8 months last I heard. Back when I got mine it was a 60 month Waite time. Price around $1000. Spendy yes but oh bow what you get for your $$$. Oberon

Performance then a HH black bear, feel a Redman.

The best I have ever seen is my Schulz Legend.

I shoot a 64" Dan Toelke D bow, 54# @28 1/2". With only a pair of "cat whiskers" cut down to less than half of their normal diameter, it is the single quietest bow I have ever shot or heard shot! The only weight arrow I have chronographed is a 628 gr. footed cedar which went 164 f.p.s. The bow is smooth drawing, very forgiving and like every Toelke bow Iv'e seen it is superbly crafted of beautiful woods, mine of Texas Ebony and Myrtlewood.

A Special one off " Nottingham" 62" But most any Hill rocks

I have owned 3 different Howard Hill brand longbows -- excellent bows. Currently own 2 Northern Mist Longbows made by Steve Turay ( one Shelton and one Classic ) my vote goes to Northern Mist Classic, by the smallest of margins over the shelton. If you like Hill style bows give Steve a call you will be glad you did. Thanks Jerry.

A Hill, any Hill,aslong as it is a Hill,,, Oh,Did I say try a Hill????? And they dont have to be way freakin heavy in the draw dept. to really enjoy either,ask Capt .Dick Wrightman,he'll tell ya.(mine is only 40#) and somedays thats borderline too much. David

I have owned Hills, Kramers, Andersons and a San Marco. Kramers I like best, Fred Andersons also great, Hills are good, San Marco was the best looking bow but disappointing in comfort and shooting. No experience with Fox, Harrison, Boice, Belcher or recent bowyers.

The Ron Maulding Bighorn in the classifieds is a GREAT Hill style bow.

im going with craig at hill archery.

hill archery

Hill archery

Hill archery

All the ones mentioned are excellent bows, but i'm gonna throw out a vote for Sunset Hill - GREAT string follow bows!

Rex Oaks from UK makes an amazing Hill style Longbow, great looking and performs just as well, never owned one but seen 65# with a 600g arrow go through a Chrono very close to 200fps.

Rex has been making the 'Sagi' well over 30 years and has a loyal folling.

I have shot 60# Hill style bows in the past and switched to R/D because of elbow and shoulder problems, now I'm reduced to a girls weight Bow but least I can still shoot.

Another vote for Dave Wallace at Wallace Mountain. Here's mine...

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/lw/thread2.cfm?forum=23&threadid=193803&category=

Do you have any info on Wallace Mountain Bows?

Does he have a website? Contact info etc.. ???

hey Heavybows, I am impressed. I used to draw for strength two 70 pound bows, so that hunting with my 80 to 96 pound bows was not such a shock to my form. How do these monsters shoot? I would like to see a picture of the entire bows.

dean you got a pm.

After looking at Rangers photos, Dave Wallace builds well designed and superbly finished bows. According to many, he is also one of the best Hill bow archers. Seems like he is an optimal bowyer. Searching for more on the web little is found. Hope to learn more and see one of his bows up close someday.

Check out these longbows! http://stegmeyer-bogenbau.de/ then click on galerie.

Old Pharts Archery builds a sweet shooten stic and pury to :~)

I've owned several different ones and the Sunset Hill by Nate Steen is my favorite hill bow.

If I were looking for a Hill style bow, I would get the real thing, a Hill...PR

I own a David Miller split bamboo, no glass all bamboo and a Nate Steen Sunset Hill string follow and both are excellent longbows and very good shooting longbows with very little handshock, plenty quick and dead quiet. I stress dead quiet because a silent bow is important. Both of these bowyers build very nice looking longbows that are excellent hunting tools.

any comments on the Liberty english by allen boice?

I'm down to three four Hill Longbows and yes they are excellent longbows. I have to agree with ChatterB with his opinion of Steve Turray's Northern Mist Longbows as the Classic he makes is an outstanding Howard Hill style longbow. I have one that shoots a tad hotter than my HH Wild Boar that I love. Both bowyers Craig and Steve are top of the line bowyers and if I have nothing but praise for either of these men. It is the bowyer that makes the bow what it is nothing else in my opinion. By the way at the GLLI I saw a Howard Hill style quiver made the way they used to be with double leather stitched on the bottom part of it. The HH quivers today are not made that way because of the high cost in constructing them but if you are looking for the real McCoy talk to Steve Turray about these.

http://www.northernmistlongbows.com/AllBows/ClassicLongbow.html

The difference between FF and B50 make a day and night difference in a bow.

All I've ever shot is FF. I shot a Wesley at the GLLI, the only time I've ever shot B50, it felt like a rubber band and the bow shook for 3 seconds after the shot!

I think B50 has more to do with the "bad rap" for hand shock than the bow.

Eric

First: agreed Howard Hill Archery and Northern Mist are tough to beat

agree w/ the FF calming down Hill style bows tremendously vs B50.

Northern Mist. I just purchased a new Shelton back in June and I just love it. Steve used a custom taper so that I would get the most out of the 68 in. bow at 26 in. draw. He will make sure that the bow fits the shooter. My Shelton only cost $525 with bamboo limbs, not a bad price for a custom fit American semi-long.

Tom

I have a Nate Steen semi american string follow longbow thats built very much like the shelton, its 66' long and 47 lbs at 26" my shoulders are shot so I dont shoot much poundage anymore but it still gets the job done. Mine is clear glass over carmilized bamboo limbs, it makes for a great looking bow. I only draw 26" also. Tom, why the 68" bow for a 26" draw? just curious. I was looking on the website and that Shelton would be my first choice also, I bet thats a sweet shooter. Ron.

Ron, my draw is about 26 1/2 almost 27. I ordered the 68" in for a little more smoothness. I asked Steve if 68". would be a little to long and if I should go for the 66" bow. Steve stated that at his 26 in draw, he has shot and hunted with up to a 70" longbow. He stated that the trick is in the limb taper. Yes, the bow is a sweet shooter and when I tried his bows out, I shot both a 66" and 68". The 68" just felt a little better to me.

I'd buy a Hill made by Craig, and order it one step longer than the charts show for my draw length. The Schulz bows I owned had a little "livelier" feel, but there really wasn't any difference in the way they shot.

If my current flirt with Cupid-shaped bows doesn't work out, I'll be ordering one from Craig.

Johan, Dave does not have a web-site but here is his number to contact him. 1-740-373-8910. If you cannot contact him for some reason let me know.

I currently shoot only my Miller "Old Tom" string follow Schultz style bow. Of course Craig's bows are outstanding but I just love this bow best of all. Someone mentioned Liberty English. I just sold mine and the only reason was that it was a locator grip and I prefer the straight grip. That Liberty is by far the smoothest drawing bamboo bow I have ever shot! Very forgiving and accurate too. Just prefer the Miller to them all.

Might not be the best but the rocky mt. junipar sure looks nice--forward handle hill cheeta

Another vote for Wallace Mountain Longbows.

I feel some are confused on a true Hill-style bow. That kind of bow is definately not a flatbow, the limbs are narrow and thick built, there is no R/D in that bows and the riser section is as short as possible, no heavy handle, no long fade out....slim tips. The tiller and layout of a Hill-style bow ist different to many modern longbows.

Sorry for bad English!

I like Craigs bows, Nate Steens, John Schulz and Pete Georges, I think all of the other brands and makers are also nice sticks if built in that tradition....

NATE STEEN HAS MY VOTE

I just got a lierty english it is awesome.

I'll post some pics that I had taken awhile back comparing my HH Wesley Special and my Wallace Mountain Longbow. Both bows are 68" long. The HH is 55# @ 30", and the Wallace is 50# @ 30".

I just traded to get a Jerry Hill, heard some negative things but I thought I would give it a try. I love it, smooth, great cast, and silent. A real nice bow....glad I traded to get it. The specs are 68"-50# @ 28"

I really like my Pete George.

I also own a Pete George, excellent craftmanship, a good, sweet shooting bow - just like a Sunset Hill bow.....

None better than a David Miller longbow. Best part is that he lives about 3 hours from me.

God bless,

Jose

My 7 Lakes "Carolina Night", by Steve Ballenger.

66" #51@27". A very smooth shooter, for this style bow.

Older Robertson stykbows I'm sure the new ones too but I only have mysticals

Northern Mist all the way for me also. I have several of Steve's bows. Love the classic and the shelton. Shoot the classics more though.

I have had three beautiful hill style bows over the years, some string follow and some reflex. Althought I am a good average recurve shooter, I just cant get the hang of shooting hill bows as accurately as I want to. At Denton hill I tried out a hill style bow made by Joel Templin of Jet archery. I can't believe that I can shoot this bow as good as my recurve. I took one deer with it this fall and the bow is still shooting as good as when I got it. Longbow have always been described as a forgiving, accurate and easy to shoot. This one meets all the criteria you would expect to find. If you get a chance to try one don't pass it up. Nothing against Hill bows, I am not just good enough to shoot one the way I want to.

Ron

jd berrys longbows are hard to beat oh yeah I had a Wesley that I had craig reduce the weight on and it was a great shooter but the berry is whisper quiet too and zero handshock .

I have a black swan classic that I absolutely love! Definitely the fastest/smoothest hill style bow I've had my hands on.

Wallace Mtn looks like a deflex reflex.

I like my Ferguson. There are quite a few Hill like bows in that line up over the years. Mskes sense they would be good since Byron can actually shoot.

Quite a few of the bows saying they are Hills, have been designed along more modern lines, and have lost some of the stability Hill prized. Which of course may yield a bow more in accordance with the individual's preference.

Of the one's I've shot, I like my eastern red cedar lam Dave Johnson the best.

Jd Berrry makes some great ones. Jim Belcher union jack is a grensat bow also

To answer the initial question, IMO Craig Eakin at Howard Hill Archery makes a great HH style longbow. If you want his best (IMO) it's a Wesley Special, 5 lams of bamboo w/Red Elm core under clear or brown glass and Cocobolo riser & tip overlays. Owned a Jerry Hill 'Wildcat II' (68", 65#@28") that I traded to a younger guy in VT. He harvested a nice buck w/it so IMO a bow is only as good as the archer shooting it. Harvested game w/it but it got to be too much draw wt at my age.

We are truely blessed to have so many choices!

If I was in the market for a new bow I would go with Nate Steen or David Miller. Used I would find me a John Schulz.

Hatrick that is a nice looking bow, beautiful. I have always had my eye on Dave Johnson's. I like that deep handle. What are the dimensions of that handle?

I actually bought a bow from a Miller bow graduate. The bow is amazing! I like it just as much if not better then my HH Archery. great price too!

Steve Turay's Classic and Whisper models.

JD Berry's Vixen and Morningstar

Gary Sentman's MidGrip Classic.

All are Hill style reflex only and store a lot of energy at brace height.

It's JD Berry for my all the way. I've owned alot of the others, and all were good, but JD Berry just takes the cake for me. Morningstar then followed by the vixen

Man, there are so many great Howard Hill American style longbow makers out there right now. I have owned a total of seven HHA by Craig Ekin and currently have four on my rack. I've owned 5 Wesleys, a Big 5, Halfbreed, Redman, and Cheetah. They are all great bows in their own right. Each has it's own unique feel and personality. I love Craig's bows, craftsmanship, price, customer service and delivery time. Craig is a really great guy who will work with you endlessly to deliver EXACTLY what you want. Hard to beat. I have however recently purchased a JD Berry. I'll let you know how it compares.

Tim

Craig Ekin Howard Hill Archery - has the BEST Hill style bows

Hatrick, that is a very nice looker. Im going with the Ekins

JD Berry Vixen, best Hill still I have shot.

Harry Elburg "Condor" best hill style I have shot. Have 4 of them, all 68" (50#,53#,83#,90#)

I love my HH Longbows, but I think one of the most over looked bows out there is the Great Northern Traditional Longbow. It will hang with any Hill style bow out there!

I Do not think thier is a best.

I think the Toelke Super D is worth mentioning and also the Great Northern Traditional longbow.

These both look and shoot very similar.

Jerelison, the Dave Johnson grip is 5-1/2" in circumference 3-7/8" top to bottom and is a very slight dish. I don't like small grips on Hill Style bows. This grip fits me perfect.

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