Strings, Silencers, & Tuning... Surprise?

[Curtis Haden]

Well, I was a little shocked at the changes a new string and silencers made on my bow.  I had been shooting a skinny 450+ string on my Griffin longbow, and replaced it with a 12-strand, DF97.  Also installed some bowhush and hushpuppies instead of my usual cat whiskers.

With the old string, I was shooting 29" 2016's with 125 grain points, -and/or- 29.5" CX Heritage 150's with 200-250 grain points, both with good results.  The bow is a 64" 52@28, r/d longbow, and I draw 28".  Brace height seems to work best about 7 1/4".

After putting the new string on and shooting it in for a couple days, I couldn't help but notice that my arrow flight had done went in the crapper.

Fletched shafts were visibly nock-right downrange, and averaging 6-8" left of point-of-aim at 20 yards.  Tried bare-shafting some new 2016's and wound up with 30" and 150 grain points hitting dead on at 25 yards.  Fletched one up and started shooting bullets again.

Couldn't really do much with the carbons, because 250 grains was all I had point weights for, and no un-cut shafting.  Needless to say, I'll be shooting the "loonyums" till I get some new 90 or 150 shafting.      

Anyone else ever see that much difference just from changing from one FF string/strand count to another?  I don't think the hushpuppies are much heavier than the rubber silencers, but I may try chopping one in half (like I do the cat whiskers) and see if it still stays quiet.

I don't really mind shooting the longer shafts, and I have other bows I can still shoot the old arrows out of.  Just never would've thought the string set-up would make that much difference.

[Bjorn]

Got a grain scale? You need to weigh your strings and the components-there are some surprises and answers in store.

[LBR]

I think that's a mistake a lot of folks make--switch from one string material to another, or even one string maker to another, and all of a sudden arrow flight goes nuts. I saw a big difference in 4 strands of 8125 with one bow (18 strand string vs. 14 strand).

Just like you saw, often you will have to re-tune if you change something.

One other thing--is your nock fit the same with the new string?  That will also have an effect.

Chad

[Curtis Haden]

Nock fit is fine.  I'm not having any trouble, now that I re-tuned my arrows.  I guess the point of posting all that was basically to just discuss how something pretty minor can change your arrow setup by quite a bit.  I never would have expected that much difference.  Food for thought.

Just a little side-note... The new string is one of Chad's and obviously the Bow Hush is from Terry.  I've always appreciated the quality of Chad's strings, and I do like the Bow Hush as well.  No complaints with either!

[DCM]

I'm not surprised the tuning changed.  But I'm a little surprised such a small tuning difference, basically 50 grains of point weight equivalent made such a dramatic difference in the group position, 6" or 8".

If you hunt, now would be the time to shoot some broadheads.

I'd consider using the 29" arrows but using points built from a long aluminum tapered adapter and a tapered steel point, ones used for wooden arrows.  The insert should be about 40 grains, the point obviously 125 and it will add about 1/2" or so of effective lenght.  Then you don't have to re-gigger your set so much, buy new shafting etc.  Only downside is the adapters are a wee be fragile.  Not real bad but if you center punch concrete it will bend.  But they are cheap and 2016 aren't that resilient anyway.  Just a thought.