Riddle me this Batman

[PrimitivePete]

So I have noticed a trend with my bows when it comes to quieting them down. Regardless if I am shooting one of my recurves or longbows, I need some sort of string dampner to hush them a bit. But none of my self bows need anything on the string and they are super quiet. Does it have to do with the performance of the bow ? or do simple sticks just rule ?

[woodchucker]

I think it has to do with the "unity" of the grain structure....
The wood grain, and fibers, have been together from the begining. Always growing and working together.

A laminated bow, has the laminations "built" to build strength. Working together to increase power & speed....
Then the bow is backed with glass, on the back & belly, to build strength and durability.
Yet, all is working against each other also? Building power on the draw, to be explosively released, at the string drop.

Personally?? I think selfbows just naturally know enough to be quiet in the woods....

[GCook]

I've noticed it as well.
I've also noticed they are s l o w.
Pretty sure the fact they have less stored energy has a lot to do with it.

[PrimitivePete]

I'll agree on the speed not being a + point on these bows but for 20 yard shots in eastern woods, the ability to quietly deliver an accurate arrow is a +. I'm sure in locations where distance is a factor and shorter gap is a benefit, self bows lag behind, as in anything archery related the application of the right tool is subject to a variety of factors.

[GCook]

I agree.  Texas deer are jumpy and quiet trump's speed imo.

[McDave]

Pretty sure the fact they have less stored energy has a lot to do with it.

I noticed the same thing recently with a 68” Fox Triple Crown that I bought used.  Initially, it was the loudest longbow I’ve ever shot.  I don't know if that's why it ended up on the used market or not.  But other than the noise, I liked the way it shot, so I experimented with different silencers and a set of limb savers, which didn't make much difference. 

Then I let a friend of mine shoot it, who has an inch less draw than I do, and it was as quiet as a longbow should be!  I tried drawing it an inch less, and it was that quiet for me too.  So less stored energy = less noise.  But a longbow should be just as quiet at 28” as it is at 27”, so I kept experimenting with it.  Eventually, it occurred to me that the endless string that evidently came with the bow from Fox might be noisy, so I replaced it with a Flemish string that I made myself.  This quieted it down to an acceptable level, but still not as quiet as it is when shot at a 27” draw. 

I thought I might be losing some speed with the Flemish string, but it comps within 1-2 fps of the same speed as the endless string, and I have the same gap, as far as I can tell, at 50 yards.  The endless string was twisted up quite a bit, which could have contributed to the noise. I don't have much experience with endless strings, but they say you should put as few twists in them as possible.

Anyway, it's quiet enough now that I’ve quit worrying about it, unless something else occurs to me to try.

[Wudstix]

I agree.  Texas deer are jumpy and quiet trump's speed imo.

Quiet kills!!!  Doesn't matter how fast you miss!!! 
 

[GCook]

Which is one of the reasons I love my Primal Techs!

[Kirkll]

Sometime just tinkering with brace height can make a significant difference on noise. Type of string material used and strand count is more of a tone factor. But a skinny string is significantly louder than more strands. Softer string material will give you a lower pitch tone and seem a lot quieter.

There are quite a few different types of fast flight string that will give different tones too. I loved the old Rhino string made by Brownell for that reason. I used a 14 strand. it was a non creep string if stretched properly when built too.   The dacron strings are quieter, but on some bows it effects performance levels significantly because they stretch more. But Some bows with lower preload on the limbs are great with dacron string.

Another significant factor is limb balance and materials used in the limbs.  Carbon backed bow limbs have a unique sound all of their own. A bow built with .050 thickness glass vs .040 thickness will make a different sound too....

Bottom line is..... the game we hunt hear all of them.  Tail up.... hold the shot.... Tail down, drop the string.

.02 cents offered

Kirk