In accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the present invention as disclosed herein, a shock absorber adapted to be incorporated in a drill string includes axially splined housing and mandrel members having a helical coil spring reacting therebetween to absorb longitudinal vibration and shock loads and otherwise attenuate exciting forces generated by the drill bit. The coil spring has a low spring rate and is enclosed between the housing and a hollow flow tube that is slidably sealed with respect to the housing and the mandrel.
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