Guys, been about 10 years since I've shot and things have changed. Trying to become proficient again with the goal of getting into bowhunting. I've used a stabilizer, but noticed that many of the hunters here do use one. I had a couple of questions regarding stabilizers: 1) do they help all that much? enough to make up for that added weight? 2) there are many different designs out there. Is there a particular stabilizer you'd recommend (for my Mathews Z9) or do most of them work fairly well? Seems to me that a shorter 3-4" stabilizer would be less awkward than a 9" model. Advice much appreciated!
Guess it all depends on why you are looking to get a stabilizer. They really serve two purposes and you have to consider both when you are looking to get one. Most of todays bows will shoot just fine without a stabilizer so the decision is really up to you. First reason is balance. If your bow feels uncomfortable and needs some added weight to the front a stabilizer will fix this. Todays stabilizers come in many different lengths and weights for just this reason. Second reason is vibration reduction. If you are shooting your bow and noticing a lot of hand shock or vibration a stabilizer is a great way to help reduce that. With all the designs, colors, weights and lengths of todays stabilizers no one can say which one is right for you. If you think that you would like to add one to your bow I would check a local pro shop and see if they will let you shoot a few arrows with different stabilizers on to try them out. After trying a few you will figure out if you want one, and what length and weight you want. As for look or design that really makes no difference and is just a personal preference. Good luck in your search. I shoot the Helim and have the Pine Ridge Nitro on mine. I really like it for both the balance and shock reduction and I don't mind the design at all.
i shoot a 6 inch axion because my ballistic wanted to kick back some instead of falling forward after a shot and the harmonic stabalizers in it are nice also
Jfergus7 covered it pretty well. Most of today's bows do shoot well enough without one. I have found most stabilizers 6" and under don't do much outside of 30yd. Most hunters stay inside that so there isn't much point in any thing more than vibe elimination and sound dampening anyway in my opinion. Now start hitting 40yd plus and the benefit of a good longer or heavier stabilizer that benefits the balance of your bow really shines. Then there is the help with reducing torque. A short 6" and under doesn't do much to help reduce torque which helps in accuracy. It's pretty much a sound dampener if it doesn't help with accuracy. As for length, I hunt with a 10" and have never hunted with anything short of 8". I have a friend that hunts with a 14". We have had no issue at all with the lengths we hunt with. Think about it this way, it's no more trouble than maneuvering your bow around with 20" of arrow hanging out of the end of it or no more difficult than wielding a rifle around in a stand. I have hunted and practice out of smaller ground blinds and haven't had an issue. I do want to second the suggestion to try out as many as you can at your local shop. That's how I found mine and I'm not sure I could be happier without a side bar and maybe a couple more inches length on the front. That would really only benefit my 50yd+ shooting. For a hunting situation it would probably be about useless.
Thanks guys. I'm starting with a small 2" Axion "silencer"--the bow is pretty quiet already, but I figure a little extra vibration control won't hurt and it will keep dirt and grit out of the stabilizer bushing threads. After some experience with that set-up, I'll look at adding an 8" with adjustable weight to see if it makes much difference for me. I see where a longer stabilizer provides a bit more leverage.
yeah sticknstring and jferg hit it perfectly. as for the 8 inch with adjustable weight the bee-stinger sport hunter extreme fits the bill. and the weight is adjustable. but try and shoot as many as possible.
Stabilizers in my opinion are almost a gimmick nowadays... almost like an ar-15... lets put as much crap on the gun/bow as possible.... bows nowadays have plenty of stabilization and balance built in them. The guys that are getting results have 3 foot stabilizers and are shooting for comps... unlike us hunters....do yourself a favor and ask the simple question. If I practice and get proficient with my bow, how many shots do I need to kill a deer? answer... 1..... HUNT ETHICALLY, HUNT SMARTLY, PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE....
How is a stabilizer a gimmick? LOL He wasn't asking about how much practice it takes, he was looking for some suggestions and advice regarding stabilizers. Anyways, to the OP...if your shop will let you try out different ones, go for it and do some shooting to find one that feels right. I like the Axion stabilizer I have, has the dampers on it to cut out the hand shock in my Heli-m and keep her quite! Good luck on your search.
Some good advise. I have a 6" truglo stabalizier on my bow my bow and I like it because it small and seems to work. I bought the 6" axiom but that was so heavy and didn't seem to absorb the shock. Here's the test I'll do to test stabilizers. With the stabilizer off the bow, hold the front end of it with two fingers about three to four feet off the ground and drop it straight now it's center bolt. It should absorb all the shock of the fall and not bounce but just fall over to the side. It amazing how many stabilizers don't do this and will bounce up some. Both of my store bought truglos lay right over though. Good luck with your search and I also believe that less is more.
Nix...I'm in the same boat, been away from compounds for a while & get'n back into it, a good bit has changed & all for the better. Me & a guy at work were talk'n stabilizers the other day, he told me it helped his groups tighten up, I told him the just didnt work for me & it turned into just something else to clutter up my bow, I get the vibration/noise reduction but seems the bows that are being produced now days are just unreal quiet, a mouse fart makes more niose. Just say'n.
you dont need a lot of things for hunting that we use but it makes us more comfortable in taking that shot on a deer or whatever youre putting your pin on.
I think it is up to the individual. If you feel that stabilizer makes you more confident and more accurate then use it. If you don't think you need it then don't waste your money. I would agree that you should try some out, but if you don't think they are helping then don't buy one. Seems to me that there are some cheaper ones that work just as well as some of the very expensive models out there.
