New to bow hunting this year and have tons of questions that I'll ask and probably make you all sick of me but I'm trying to be an efficient and good hunter. First of many questions is about stabilizers. Do you use them and why or why not? What would be the benefit of the different lengths? Any recommended brands and any to stay away from? Pretty much a basic rundown of them.
Also did you try searching google for your answer? There is about a 3.2 million results in .49 seconds when I searched different bow stabilizers
No, I did not try google. I was wanting some replies from people here from their personal experience.
Zesty- The problem with doing internet searches is you will find that 90% of the results all say the same thing, with only few saying something a little different giving better information than all the rest. I feel your pain on avoiding that -most of us do not have countless hours we can waste goofing off on the internet. I am by no means an expert, but there certainly are several that are. So, my 2 pennies worth are: Stabilizers are used for different reasons by different shooters and they seek different advantages out of using one. Sometimes the bow is very light and it can drift around easier in windy/breezy conditions so the extra weight can help hold it steady (the primary reason I shoot one on my new bow). Another reason is the bow, beyond popular belief, jumps or recoils a little bit - some bows more than others. The little jump is the bow moving up and either left or right depending on the shooters dexterity. A stabilizer can minimize this keeping good form. The jump can also be the resultant left over "physics stuff" of when the bow transfers its KE into the arrow. If the bow is storing and providing lots of energy (high poundage vs. lower poundage) the arrow could be a little too light and not absorbing the "extra" energy into it. This left over "stuff" can cause a bow to jump a little bit. Other reasons to use a stabilizer is to help in reducing vibration noises - again too much energy of the bow and not efficiently transferring its maximum energy into the arrow. There are a lot of things happening when a bow string is released, especially in bows that have a high amount of mechanical and dynamic energy. Sorry if this sounds dumb or confusing - I spend very little time at the local pro-shop to get enriched by the "audience" wisdom accumulated there on a lazy Saturday afternoon...
Two thumbs up Roadrunner for the reply. I'm still figuring it out and can't add any more to this other than appreciate the comment.
There are two mane uses. Vibration dampening which also is a noise reduction tool and stabilization for improved accuracy. Some do one or the other and some do both. Most well balanced bows have a front stabilizer and a side bar. This mostly is to balance out the left and right and forward and backwards. Doing this helps stabilize the hold but, what many do not realize is that it also stabilizes the bow at the shot or when fired. A bow that is well balanced will not lean left or right nor will it rock forward or backwards when a bow goes off. If anything it may have a jump forward. Not a rock forward but, a slight forward motion. This is why you will notice most target rigs have a side bar and a longer front with more weight on the side than front. Side bars are becoming more popular in hunting as hunters realize the importance of a well balanced bow for accuracy. As for the vibration dampening part of it, some "stabilizers' are nothing more than vibration and noise dampening. Stabilizers that are very short and rubbery are no more than limb dampeners mounted to the front of the now and offer little to no stabilization. When you add weight to the front you may notice a steadier hold and if you add a side bar with more weight it can help with hold and shot execution. General starting point of a front bar/side bar set up is the side being half the length if the front and double the amount of weight on the side bar as the front. Now that can be a broad spectrum when it comes to the actual finished set up and a lot of other factors really play into that such as your sight weight, rest weight and personal grip of the bow. It's just a generally good starting point. It took me about 5 different weight combinations and a good 20 adjustments to the side bar angle to finally get it perfect. My hunting set up is nothing like a set up I run for target. I use a short S-coil for sound dampening with no side bar and am 100% comfortable shooting it that way. Biggest thing is play with your set up. If it helps, keep it. If it hurts, forget about it. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
