String Silencers???

[woodchucker]

Today we use all types & styles of string silencers.

I DVR'd The Fred Bear special on the Sportsmam's Channel a few weeks ago. After it was over, They ran a special episode of Fred's film "Kodiak Country". I couldn't help but notice that Mr. Bear did not have any form of silencers on his bowstring. It showed Mr. Bear shooting several times and his string made distinct,(although not loud) "thuuump"

I remember a few types of silencers being sold in stores back in the 1970's... The little 3tab rubber Kwikee silencers, A little rubber disc type with holes in it, "Brush Buttons"..... However, I can't remember anything in a Bear Archery package!!!

Could it be that "string noise" was not considered a big issue back then??? Or have I missed something over the years???

Perhaps, I'm just old and CRS!!!!!  

[warpedarrow]

I wouldn't know about the early years.  Most of my exposure to archery in the late fifties and sixties was with solid fiberglass bows such as used at scout camp.  The sound that the bow made was never a consideration.
Recently, I strung up and was adjusting brace height on a '62 Kodiak Magnum.  The thing really made quite a twang.  I started with a brace height of about 7 1/2" and worked up to about 8 1/4" before being satisfied with performance.  Wanting to hunt with the bow, I was not happy with the amount of string slap and string vibration noise that it still made so I cut a couple of adhesive backed strips of felt and placed them in the string grooves.  I also made some cat whisker string silencers with the handiest roll of twine that I could find.  Bright green and ugly as sin but it made a remarkable difference in the noise level.  My guess is that the two quick "fixes" reduced noise level by seventy five percent.  I know that they had felt and string back then so my guess is that people probably made their own bow silencers quite cheaply and there wasn't much of a market until later on when money was easier and people were less inclined to be resourceful.

[Medicare Bhtr]

Bear Archery marketed yarn silencers called "Puffs".

[woodchucker]

I remember the Puffs, I had them on my compounds in the 1980's

I was thinking more 1960ish???

[mahantango]

I have some Bear string silencers from probably the 70's still in the package that look like little spikey black rubber balls.

[woodchucker]

Hey!!! I remember them now!!!!!

You put them between the sring strands... But with the old (or new,lol) endless loop strings, they didn't stay put very well when you unstrung the bow.

[Jon Stewart]

This came up some time ago about silencers being used back in the day.  I checked old archery magazines from the 40's, 50's and 60's and only found photo's with brush buttons on the bows. No string silencers.  Dad had an archery shop back in the 50's and 60's and I can only remember the three pronged string silencer being sold.

[Hobow]

I wonder if the Bjorn nock had something to do with the need for silencers as well?  Prior to the late 60's Bjorn nock, most nocks didn't snap onto the string, it was more of a wedge fit than a snap.  

I've noticed a very large noise and vibration difference between the two types.  I file most of the "snap" part out of my nocks now and like it much better in regards to noise and feel.

[Don Stokes]

Snap nocks are noisy and affect arrow performance. My nocks are a loose fit on the string, barely staying on the bow without being held.

I remember the use of felt in the string grooves of recurves to quieten them.

[woodchucker]

Personaly, I think ALL string silencers are UGLY!!!

But, They definatly do WORK!!!!! I put them on my hunting bows during deer season, but they usualy manage to "come off" soon after,LOL!

I just like the looks of a clean string on an old Bear...  

[Bjorn]

The strings themselves were quite overbuilt too.  I have a bagful of '50s EL strings and many are 18 strands. Is that like an end to end silencer?