Bow noise

[1screagle]

I have been shooting arrows from my longbow 61#@28" 66" for over a year not really content with a perception of kinda loud, or at least not as quiet as I would like. I loved the performance of these arrows as they shot out of the bow like a lazer to the target. These arrows have a total weight of around 565gr. Yesterday I ran some arrows through it that were made from the same company but heavier spined but loaded up front for better flight, These are about 740gr. Wow! what a difference! The bow is from my perception night and day more quiet, a bit more of an arc at 20yds, but not too much, but noise magically vanished. They hit hard! I can't imagine anything in my sights not relenting to this setup with a scary sharp broadhead. I've heard all about heavier, quieter before. Just wanted to share what happens when you give up a little speed for weight in a hunting setup. Don't fight common sense, practice with your hunting setup. The fear of a whitetail jumping the string has just vanished and replaced with a ton more confidence. Can't wait till my next hunt!!!

[Night Wing]

Shooting a heavier arrow is just one way to quiet a bow. Adjusting brace height, using puffs instead of cat whiskers and reducing the number of strands in a bowstring are some other ways to quiet a bow upon arrow release.

[1screagle]

The thought of using a large puff ball doesn't appeal to me only from a purely asthetic point. Look big. Is there some smaller ones that work well and how would they be in the field during wet weather? I love the thought of having everything I could want in a bow and ultimately having it whisper quiet. Brace height for a longbow usually better higher or lower for noise? I always played with Brace height for where I found a perceptable sweet spot in how the arrows flew and where they hit the target. I'm not new anymore to tradbows but still have a lot to learn I'm sure.

[Easykeeper]

Heavy arrows work great for quieting bows, but I still like something on my string.  Take a look at the fur silencers from 3Rivers.  They are smaller than the big wool ones, look nicer, and still do a decent job of damping the string.  They have otter and some others that should be at least as water repellent as wool.  The big fuzzy wool ones are probably still the best, but I know what you mean about the aesthetics.  I use them but sometimes think they look like I have a toilet cleaning brush on my string...

[LBR]

Nock fit, your release, how well the arrow is tuned to your bow, brace height, bow design, how the string is made, etc. etc. etc. all play a part.  It just takes some tinkering to find what works best.

I've had great luck with cat whiskers.  The problem I've seen most is folks leaving them way too long--that will add it's own noise.

Properly applied and tuned, they work great.  A big advantage is being able to slide them up or down the string for fine tuning--moving them an inch or so can make a big difference on some bows.

Chad

[1screagle]

How do you like the beaver balls, the fur seems to be fairly water repellant save a terrible wet day. They do hold a bit of moisture like anything would and havn't tried them when they are wet. But in dry weather they seem to help with noise, I just don't know about other options to choose from as works best, looks best scenario. There has to be a favorite string silencer that accomplishes this scenario. I've got the arrow I like, now the string silencer.

[Bjorn]

LBR knows his stuff; who made the string is far more important than what it is made of or what is being used to silence the string.
When everything else is right a small wool puff is all it takes.