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John Shultz and his all 'boo longbows...

7K views 4 replies 1 participant last post by  Atlantis 
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#1 ·
I know that John Shultz used to build bows for Howard Hill, and that he used to live around Hamilton. I'm also pretty sure that he no longer builds bows, and that he son sells leather crafts.

Has anyone here shot one of his bows, not the hill bows. I keep hearing how smooth all wood (or grass for 'boo for you picky types) bows are, and his are often mentioned as some of the smoothest. I've seen a few of his bows offered for sale, but it seemed they were more for collectors and I was never too sure if they were shootable, and if they were how durable they would be (for the price especially).

Just wondering what info, experiences any of you might have had. His bows seem like an interesting piece of archery history, and I understand he was (is?) quite a character. Also interested in his relationship with HH, as a fellow who made bows HH actually shot (again, please correct me if I'm mistaken).
 
#2 ·
I have owned bows that John made me himself. The first one was yew with glass and the second one was the Last Wilderness model made with bamboo and no glass. John said the no glass bow was a follow the string model that he designed after he re-read some of Howard's writing where Howard mentioned that he thougtht the best bows were of the follow the string design. Mr. Schultz is a true legend in his own right and I can't say enough about him. I would highly recommend his video "Shooting Like Howard Hill".

However, I did not care for his bows even though many will tell you there are none any better. After watching John and his son shoot on the video you would have to agree. Both of the bows that John made me stacked like crazy after 28". I didn't do a force draw curve but I can say it was like hitting a brick wall after 28". The bows I owned would be great for someone with a shorter draw. The quality was excellent in both bows. Very little noticeable handshock and cast was very good.
 
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#3 ·
Garry, can you explain "follow the string" for me? I've heard the term a few times in reference to all wood bows and I can guess what it means, but I'm really not sure. Also, how long were the Shultz bows that you had?
 
#4 ·
Atlantis,

Both of my bows were 66" and my draw length was 28 1/2. That last half inch almost gave me hemorrhoids or maybe it was a hernia.

I am no expect on bows and someone can correct me if I am wrong but my understanding of a bow that follows the string is a bow that will bend back towards the archer when unstrung. Howard and John felt that some amount of string follow makes the bow more accurate and nicer to shoot. A bow with reflex or negative string follow might be faster but it might also be harder to control.
 
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#5 ·
That's what I thought and I also find that very interesting considering the current trend in R/D longbows...we tend to measure everything in terms of performance per pound, but if you're pulling #90, that makes up for a lot of performance...stability, smoothness become the benchmark then...
 
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