Different strings-impact on tuned arrows

[Mhuddle]

#2467

I had a ah-ha moment last night in the garage. A year ago I tuned some carbon arrows with my new Martin bow and the BCY Flemish string that came with it. I also bought some wood arrows and it turned out that the spine was too weak even after I cut them as short as I could and out the lightest weight on for a tip.

Fast forward to this winter. I bought a back up B-50 Flemish string. I assumed this was the same kind of string – obviously I didn’t pay close enough attention. After breaking it in I found that I had to put an additional 200+ grains up front for my bare shaft carbon that I tuned a year ago to fly true. Then I went to my old woods. Now I could put a 160 grain field point on the shortest arrow and it flew perfect.

Now I was confused. I thought how bad was I shooting before that I tuned my arrows so bad. We’ll after shooting with my new string for the last two months I put on my old string. All the arrows with the new wights shot like crap. Put the weight on that I used in the past and perfect.

Back to the internet to do some research on strings. Low and behold the original BCY Martin string is not the same as the B-50. It amazes me how much impact the strings have on arrow spine.

I wonder how much speed you lose?

Sorry for the long post. This may seem obvious to most but everyday in this new pursuit I learn more. After having my bow for a couple years and messing around with 4 different spines wood and carbon arrows with all kinds of different weight up front it is all started to make some sense. Frustrating at times, but you just have to be patient and keep experimenting.

[raghorn]

#9777

Were the brace height and nock point the same? FF(low stretch) strings usually require stiffer arrow. speed-maybe 10fps.

Upon release a bow string does not travel straight forward, it has a “S” path or oscillates. Brace height changes that path which affects spine and noise.

[Mhuddle]

#9811

raghorn wrote: Were the brace height and nock point the same? FF(low stretch) strings usually require stiffer arrow. speed-maybe 10fps.

Upon release a bow string does not travel straight forward, it has a “S” path or oscillates. Brace height changes that path which affects spine and noise.

Brace height identical. Spent the last few weeks using different nock points until I had it dialed in. That was frustrating. Having to account for bad releases versus the nock point. Anyway, feel really confident in nock point now.

The fast flight, low stretch string really made a difference in arrow spine. I like the fact that my old woods now work with a 160 tip. Just not sure if it is worth the reduction in speed. Due to the 10 feet in snow still on the ground up here I’ve been shooting short distances in the garage. Want to see how the slower string shoots at 15 and 2o yards

[raghorn]

#9822

Don’t worry about any loss in speed, it’s not enough to make any difference in shooting. Since you are able to shoot your wood arrows that is gain.

[Stephen Graf]

#10762

If you like the way the B50 shoots, you can make the fast flight work for you by adding string silencers…

String silencers are very handy tuning tools. You can slide them up and down the string to achieve the arrow flight you want. If the arrow’s are stiff, move the silencers towards the tips. If the arrow’s are weak, move the silencers towards the center.

You will find the fast flight way more durable than the B50. It might be worth the effort to get it working with your heavier arrow setups.

[David Petersen]

#11246

Steve — I’ve never heard of using silencers to tune before. But considering the source (I won’t embarrass you here by mentioning your considerable credentials re engineering), I’m game to give it a try. I would presume that the heavier or bigger the silencer, the more influence its position would have on tuning?

So, now we have three incredibly simple ways to fine-tune a bow to arrows: brace height, depth of arrow shelf, and string silencer position. I’m anxious to try it but since I’m all tuned-up for turkey I’ll have to “invent” some slightly untuned arrows to experiment.

Thanks for the tip, which may be decades old but living in a cave as I do, I’ve not heard it before.

[James Harvey]

#11568

Steve does that work by changing the speed of the string as the silencers are moved around or is more complicated than that?

Like Dave said, another tool for the toolbox, thanks 😀

[Stephen Graf]

#11783

Dave – on the weight question… I mostly just use yarn for silencers. My wife’s left over knitting yarn. Must be real wool. Fake stuff doesn’t work. Anyway, It doesn’t take much weight to get the effect. If you really want to have fun, try 4 silencers. 2 up top, 2 on the bottom. Then you can really get some crazy arrow setup’s to tune. When I was using super efficient reflex-deflex bows I used 4 silencers. Now that I am sticking to hill style bows, I just use 2.

Jim – on the speed question… I did some crono testing looking at what happened to the speed. What I found on my setups (heavy arrows) is that adding silencers to the strings costs about 3 fps. Moving them around to tune the arrow doesn’t change the speed within the accuracy of my crono.

But you are right. The way it works is that you change the inertia of the string as you move the silencers up and down. The more inertia the string has (moving silencers toward center) the slower the arrow will fly. The less inertia the string has (moving silencers toward limb tips) the faster the arrow will fly…

but like I say, it ain’t much once you buy into silencers anyway.

And Dave you are right as usual, not my invention. I think I read it first in Byron Ferguson’s book.

And I have to add… It’s like every other tool you own. Once you have it, you wonder how you ever did without it.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#11817

Steve is spot on regarding string silencers and tuning. I’ve used that trick several times to tune two different bows to shoot the same arrows the same speed. Good tip.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#11896

Thans for that explanation, Steve. I have played around with using silencers to tune as well, but it’s nice to get a better understanding of what is really happening when you move them around. It’s also one of the reasons I’ve gone back to useing small clumps of wool for my silencers – you can easily slide them up and down the string, which you can’t do as easily with fur strips.

[Mhuddle]

#11916

Interesting info. Funny thing is that I had 4 silencers (2 up and 2 down) on my b-50 string. It appears that may have further exacerbated the difference between the two strings and their impacts on the same arrows.

Once you have one thing figured out..another variable is added!

[Arne Moe]

#13536

Mhuddle,

Where in MN are you? Maybe we could get together and work it out?

Arne

Grand Rapids, MN

[Dennis Sundborg]

#22515

Steve’s idea really works. I’ve been struggling with bow tuning on my Buffalo for 2 1/2 years now and after reading the earlier parts of this thread I started moving my cat-whisker silencers around. What a difference. I was able to tune the bow to suit my 16% FOC whitetail arrows to fly like darts and by moving the top silencer toward the nocking point, I can shoot my 20% EFOC bear and moose arrows (same shafts c/w 100 gn. inserts) out of the same bow with negligible difference in flight and impact location at 20 yds. Great tip Steve. Yahoo!

[Stephen Graf]

#23510

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