Every Spring I paper tune my bow. So yesterday after shooting bullet holes through paper with all six of my arrows…I set my bow back into the case and noticed I didn't have the stabilizer on it. I was a little surprised at how well the arrows shot through the paper without it. I suppose there is really no advantage to not having one on a bow...but do modern bows shoot so smoothly in comparison to the old days that they don't really need stabilizers anymore?
Hunting stabilizers any more are really just for cutting down on noise and vibration. I have a 10" stab on my bow and I really don't notice any difference in accuracy till I get out past 40 yards. The only reason I keep it on is pretty much noise reduction.
I Agree...Hunting stabilizers are more for noise and vibration dampening...target stabilizers however can make a huge difference helping keep your bow steady.
I was doing ok until you brought that up Eric. Whats the difference? Be nice you can see I'm a newbe. RC
They IMO are for the above two things....may cause better accuracy at a minimal point but that's not why we use them for hunting as I see it.
Most hunting stabilizers are simply too light to see any benefit in terms of accuracy. Most are for what others have already mentioned, noise reduction. You may notice your bow sounding different with and without it. It might not be any louder, just a different sound. At typical hunting distances, you won't notice much of a difference in stabs. Get to longer ranges, 40+ yards, and then you'll start noticing that a longer, heavier stabilizer will aid with aiming.
can you explain something to me? What does it matter how noisey your bow is? i mean a bow is a bow, is a bow, is a bow. how noisey can a bow possibly be? if you shoot an animal what does it matter if anything heard it? and if you miss, it still doesnt matter? as for vibration reduction, yes a stablizer helps a lot with that, plus it gives it some weight balance. but i dont understand why people stress about noise.
Have you ever had or seen a deer jump the string? The deer didn't just randomly do that, it heard something that scared it and the deer wanted to get the heck out of there. What do you think the deer heard? The louder the bow, the greater the chance of scaring the deer then having your arrow hit high or miss completely.
Every single bow sounds a little different (tone, duration, volume) based on so many factors that I can not even list them all on this post. Both of my neighbors also shoot archery and it is interesting to hear the differences in their bows. For the sake of this topic I will not name manufactures as I really do not think it matters in the end. Instead it is the responsibility of the shooter to manage their bow's noise to the best of their (or their archery shop) ability. The one neighbor's bow is so loud when he shoots that I can hear his bow in my house with the windows closed (no kidding!!). The other neighbor is super anal retentive with bow noise and I only hear his arrow hit the target or a dull whine of the arrow in flight at distances over 30 yards WHEN I AM OUTSIDE. Personally, I play with my bow to the point where it is as quiet as I can possibly get it. I have videoed my shooting to pinpoint the location of excessive rattle and noise, but the audio on my camcorder seems to make my bow sound like a .44 Magnum going off so it was not very beneficial to me!!!
A bow without a stabilizer is like walking around the woods without your pants on! I have been running a stab for so long I couldn't go without it regardless if I needed it or not! Why did grandma cut the end of the ham? Because it wouldn't fit in her pan. Why do I cut the end off the ham? Not because it doesn't fit in my pan!
A lot of people say they just put stabilizers on their bow for the looks. I feel like the added weight allows me to stay more steady and reduces noise and vibration.
I noticed a significant difference in vibration and noise when I added one. I noticed no difference in accuracy, though.
I like it for noise dampening and balance. That said, every bow is different. A Z7 to me wouldn't need one for balance at all, actually if I had one I wouldn't run a stab on the front anyhow. They seem really front heavy as is.
Where would one find a stabilizer like yours? I know they're used a lot for indoor bows. I noticed it looks like you have one 30" stabilizer, then another stabilizer attached to it. What are those called?
deadcenterarchery.com is where those particular ones can be found, I'm set up for 3D... I don't actually hunt with that set up, I have a 10" Dead center with a 3oz weight that I hunt with. The front stab. is 30" and the other I just call a Side rod, which is 12", Using a offset bracket to angle it to pull the weight down and away from the bow to counter react the weight from the acc. that's loaded on the right side of the bow.
I agree with most everyone. They (meaning hunting stabs) are more for vibration and noise control. The longer 8" + actually can make a difference out past 30 or so yards. Hit the 75yd range and you can tell a huge difference.
They make a difference at any distance... That's why you see indoor shooters using them.... but in a hunting situation, it would be very insignificant.
