Stiff vs bendy bows

[jayman448]

Seeing as virtually all modern bows are stiff in the handle, im wondering why this shift happened through the years? Is it simply for ease of production or is there a noticeable performance difference in stiff handles vs bendy? is it just a matter of hand shock? and what do you guys prefer.

[Morgan]

I have just made my first bend through bow recently. It is my fastest bow. Doesn’t have any more noticeable handshock than any other that I’ve made. Most modern bows have an ergonomic handle and cut in shelves that I understand is not possible with a bend through bow. I think ergonomics and styling is where the shift came from. I do not believe they give anything up in performance all things being equal.

[mullet]

I think Mass production and people wanting to shoot off a shelf had a lot to do with it.

[Pat B]

A lot of the designs we use today came out of the golden days of archery in America in the 1940, maybe before. A stiff handle bow has more mass, most were longer and set up for target and hunting. When the TBB series came out lots of earlier those norms were edited by folks that tested every bow style and bow wood, experimented with both and changed the rules. Even when TBBIV came out it corrected methods that were cut in stone just a few years before in the earlier editions. Folks are doing things with wood bowyery today that I couldn't have imagined 10 years ago. All of this is good. It shows that archery lives, is alive.
 A well made bendy handle bow shouldn't have hand shock. Most hand shock probably comes from poor design and execution.