My feeling on it is a resounding yes! This is something that was hardly if ever discussed until the last few years. I'm not saying it isn't a valid concern. It is nice to shoot a bow that's dead in the hand, but for me, the lack of handshock is pretty far down the list of what is important in selecting a bow. I mean jeez folks. It's a bow. It's not like we are out there trying to tame a .338 mag.

What say you?

A bow with a considerable amount of handshock, for me, isn't enjoyable to shoot. While I mainly use my bow for hunting, I shoot nearly every day. Why? Because I enjoy it.

Over hyped? Hell no. In fact, i don't think there is enough emphasis on it. Not only is it not fun to shoot, it also effects accuracy.

With hand shock comes vibration ultamately meaning noise. Eliminate one you eliminate the other. I want a quiet hunting bow.

personally, i prefer to have a little... kinda like why i got rid of my graphite shafted irons, no feel... i think the rags that say things about "some perceptible hand shock" contribute to it being way overhyped and these are the same guys that nit pick over 2-3fps when determining the hottest new bow...

in short, ya, way over hyped, kinda like the speed thing as well...

For the most part I tend to agree with the others. For me, a bow with less handshock is more enjoyable to shoot. I look forward to shooting it. I also agree that it can affect accuracy. It has been my experience that one tends to anticipate the handshock/recoil from a bow that demonstrates alot of it. In which case most folks tend to flinch thus affecting accuracy.

Is it essential to have a bow with little to no handshock, no, but I do think most folks enjoy shooting them more.

My bow may have a little, but when Im drawing it back and release it on a deer.....I won't even notice it[8D]
I suppose if I was to do 3-D style shooting alot, it might be different.

Interesting answers. I still think it's over emphasized IMO.

I've never in my life thought about flinching when shooting any bow. It's a bow.

I can see the vibration/noise correlation and that is a valid point, but I think more noise is generated by the things we add to the bow like rests, sights and quivers that buzz and super light arrows that make the bow sound like .22 when shot.

Thanks guys. Keep em coming. I'm just not drinking the kool aid.

I will say this to clarify my earlier post... i don't think lack of handshock is a bad thing... but i also don't want something that is so sterile to shoot that i can barely tell whats goin on with it... now, if i have to consciously keep the bow from jumping out of my hand then that is a problem for sure... but i do agree that the emphasis on it is overkill... pretty much all of the parallel designs are pretty much shock free designs... especially when you compare them to the old style D shaped bows of ten years ago... at this point on current bows we're talkin about hair splitting differences, which is why it is way overhyped... when the first parallel bows came out, ya, not overhyped, but now they pretty much are all that way so its not an issue in my eyes...

If handshock affects accuracy, why don't we see more parallel limb bows being used for target venues by the guys that make their living by shooting high scores? Before anyone says it's what they are paid to use......think again. A pro can shoot any bow in a manufacturers lineup, yet consistenly they choose to shoot bows without parallel limbs that produce more handshock. Look on the pro line in any spots oriented venue, or even on the 3D course.......the big boys are shooting bows that produce more handshock.

I think its over rated personally. For a target bow, it's almost a draw back in my opinion, because the traits in a bow that produces low amounts of handshock also make is difficult to balance properly with target accessories. Aside from this,I like somefeedback on what I'm doing with shot execution, and handshock provides me with this. With a pure hunting bow,lack of handshock isnice I guess, but honestly it's nearly at the bottom of the list of criteria I look at when selecting something.

Just MHO.