B-50 vs. FF is there a best of both worlds?

[DarrinG]

What about Fast Flight Plus? I've been shooting a 18 strand FF Plus string on a 2002 model bow that's not "FF rated" with zero issues thus far. HUGE performance improvement over the B50 string I had on it. Noticeable speed/cast improvement.  The FF Plus string really "woke up" that bow and it's actually quieter and no "buzz" in the hand w/ the FF Plus string.

[LBR]

FF+ is Brownell's copy of the original FF material.  Original FF is 652 Spectra, not sure what they are using.  Weird situation...the founders of BCY invented original FF when they worked for Brownell, and they also named the material...but Brownell owns the name.  However, the original material is exclusive to BCY.

I don't know of any real tests that have been done to determine just what the breaking point (no pun intended) is for a bow and one of the modern materials.  Some people get away with it indefinitely, others ruin a bow in a few shots.  It's a roll of the dice at best.  Kinda' like getting in a tree stand with no harness...

I personally won't shoot one of these materials on a bow that isn't made for it.  Not worth the risk.  How much of a risk depends on lots of variables...how well the bow is made, how heavy the arrow is, how long your draw length is, etc.

You are describing some of the big benefits of using a low stretch material--any of them.  

Chad

[DarrinG]

Thanks, Chad. The FF Plus string is on a recurve not actually rated for modern string material. However, this bow has "beefy" limb tips, smooth nocks and grooves. I've been watching the tips closely and so far, so good. I know another gentleman who is shooting a modern string on the same model bow for some time now with no ill effects. To be honest, this bow always felt so good in hand to shoot, fit me well, but was a wee-bit of a dog in cast/speed. Not super-slow but just didn't have any "umph", if you know what I mean. I put the aforementioned FF Plus string on it because it was just not getting shot much with the B50 string. Man, what an awakening! It was like spraying some nitrousoxide on that bow. Totally different shooting bow as in trajectory/cast/speed and "umph". I cant put it down now.

[limbshaker]

My brother in law works at a carbon fiber plant. He just brought me a huge spool of 24,000 strand "fiber". This stuff seems very tensile strong and is crazy slick and thin. Very strong and feels like it wouldn't stretch, but cuts easily with scissors (that's the sketchy part)

Might make quite an interesting bowstring.

Or might make for a pair of ruined underwear  

[LBR]

DarrinG, besides reinforced tips the string grooves have to be cut at the correct angle (45 degrees--lots of the old bows are cut at 90).

Limbshaker, one thing to really watch for is can it hold up to being flexed in the same spot over and over (like the nock point)?  Some materials act like a wire...will hold up for a bit, but sooner or later......