Review: Sunset Hill "The Legend" by Nate Steen

Bowyer Nate Steen from Idaho recently allowed me the pleasure of reviewing one of his recent creations. Sunset Hill “The Legend” American Semi Longbow (ASL) is Nate’s own take on the classic straight ended “Hill Style” longbows as inspired by the works and teachings of Howard Hill through Mr. John Schulz.  Mr. Schulz and his late brother Dan were personally tutored over time by the great Howard Hill and produced many of Mr. Hill’s personal bows.   Nate named this particular bow “Bright Eyes II”, as it’s resemblance and construction are similar to John Schulz’s personal exhibition bow used in the “Hitting’em Like Howard Hill” instructional film. “Bright Eyes II” is 66 inches long between the nocks and marked 57 pounds @ 26 ½ inches of draw.  In addition, it is my opinion that Nate has been able to successfully incorporate a few of his own improvements based on his research and passion for the legends of the longbow. I will attempt to highlight some of those aspects in this review.

Grasping “The Legend” a person is immediately struck with the light mass weight and delicate point-ability of the weapon.  The impression of fine craftsmanship is evident by the smooth graceful lines and perfect balance that one may compare to the feel of a finely constructed bamboo fly rod.  These aspects are further enhanced by the classic construction and aesthetics of the bow.  Highly marbled Mrytle wood in the handle is contrasted by the heat treated caramelized bamboo in the limb laminations. These are ultimately punctuated by the creamy milk chocolate bar colored brown glass on the back and belly.  Slightly below the dark brown dyed leather handle wrap, as well as on the belly side of the limbs, the script in fine white resembles the classic Schulz cursive lettering on the inscriptions that are so iconic to vintage longbow aficionados. .  

 Starting at the top, “The Legend” has the smallest and most slender tips I have ever seen in an American Semi Longbow. I have handled dozens of John Schulz made longbows from various time periods of his career and these tips are “the smallest of them all” comparatively.  The string grooves nearly touch on the belly side of the bow.  The limb dimensions below the tips are almost a square in cross section, as deep as they are wide.  The profile is reminiscent of the classic English longbow here.  The back and belly edges are notably rounded and much of the bamboo as viewed from above is visible on both sides of the glass.  The limb profile when unstrung is string follow with approximately 1/2 inch of follow, which after an extended shooting session can extend to an additional 1/4 inch at the tips (see pics below) before relaxing back.  This movement highlights how much of the limbs “work” is done by the core wood as opposed to the glass.  The limb width at the fades is a little over an inch wide.   The handle section from taper to taper is a few skimpy 8ths over 12 inches long, whose short length Nate says maximizes the working limb length and can allow a shorter than typical bow without stacking effects.  

The back bow below is a "back set" Schulz made Tembo for comparison:

The Handle on this particular bow is 2 1/8^th inches deep.  The thin and slightly rounded width extends to a shallow dished area near the center at 2 inches deep.   The deep sweeps in the handle taper are evidenced by the slender narrow continuance of glass extending up under the leather wrap on both sides.  This design creates a narrow wedge handle that is both naturally comfortable and easily consistent in the hand.  Inspired by several archery legends like Hill and Bob Swinehart, who had their personal bows set up without a side plate, Nate inlays a small round leather circle at the precise arrow pass before the finish is applied.  His rationale is that “shooting off the wood” allows the archer to audibly detect any mistake in release or tuning. This feedback ultimately results in improving both the archer and the symbiosis of bow to the shooter.  Another benefit of this design is that the thinning of rest material brings the arrow pass more toward center shot and helps make the bow slightly more spine tolerant.  I have found that this does not increase any noise in drawing the wood arrows I am accustomed to shooting.

Speaking to shooting, let me begin by saying that this longbow is the most forgiving and stable shooter I have had the pleasure to release an arrow from.  The string follow allows a buttery smooth  draw that does not stack at the end of the draw cycle due to the maximized working limb length. Nate is a careful study of limb tiller and provides a bow that bends more out of the handle than typical ASL designs.  These aspects also allow a lower brace height as Nate recommends around 5 7/8^th for his bows.  The stored energy in this design sends an arrow with noticeably more speed than expected, destroying any reduction in cast from the slight string follow design and all the while reducing the “hand shock” to a gentle muffled thump.  There is no need for string silencers.

All the benefits of shooting a Sunset Hill are evident when the archer utilizes the bent arm fluid style the bow is designed for.  If you are a serious “Hill” shooter and devotee you need to get behind one of these bows and see for yourself. I enjoyed the bow enough to convince Nate to let me purchase "Bright Eyes II".  We will be partners on numerous future adventures.