The world's quietest Black Widow PCH.

[Tedd]

Just my findings...Actually I don't even know anyone else that has a Black Widow! But I did get manage to get mine really quiet.
 It's only a few months old but I have experimented a lot with strings, servings, silencers, arrow stiffness and weight and feather types. It a PCHX 51@29. I draw 31"
Recently I wasn't getting anything to work as good as I wanted. Maybe I was being too particular? Too much testing? I struggled with carbon shafts trying to get good flight. Sometimes they would make a little slap on the side plate weather too stiff or too weak. I tried it all. I'd get close but not perfect.  Sensitive buggers! I was about ready to go back to tapered wood shafts when I finally I added 75 more grains to the front of a shaft that was already bareshafting just a tad weak. Bingo! Perfect flight, just don't ask me to bare shafts it!
So I settled on a 300 Tradtional Only 3 rivers shaft, 32" long, with 100 grain brass insert and 75 grain point. 3 - 5 1/2" feathers. The string is a 22 stand 452X with #62 serving. (I find the #62 quieter than the Halo). Two woolie whispers.
Gloves make a difference too. I'm shooting split finger. The quietest glove form me is the simple deerskin glove. But your 3rd finger can get sore with that glove. The finishing touch I found tonight when I was taping my daughter's knee with Kiniseo tape. She has tendonitis from too alot of AAU basketball. Its a sports tape that is elastic and stick to any skin even sweaty or wet. I put two wraps around that sore finger and it made a huge difference in quietness for some reason and it really protects the finger. Plus I can feel the string very good.
It's easily the quietest bow I have ever used and it's driving the 615-620 gr arrow hard and accurate. Now for some concentrated practicing!
BTW...all that AAU basketball she plays helped make hunting a little more affordable in the future. She just made her verbal commitment to play D1 basketball for Holy Cross in Mass.
Any where to hunt near Worcester?
Tedd

[Tedd]

Forgot the most important part. Commercial velcro on  the limbs at the string grooves to prevent string slap.

[TxAg]

Awesome on all accounts

[Stumpknocker]

Good deal. Took me some tinkering to get my sax quiet too. Finally shooting a well tuned bow is sure a good feeling.

[suttoman]

Man Tedd - with all that stuff hanging off your string, Velcro on the tips, and a 22 strand string to boot - you must have slowed that baby down a real lot.

I hate anything hanging off my string.  The only thing I have on my Predator 'Impact' is a Thunderhorn bow quiver that slips over the limb fade-outs.  That has taken out any twang that was there before and now she is lovely and quiet.

Do you have a bow quiver on your bow?  Keep up the practice and shoot well.

sutto

[nineworlds9]

22 strand!!!  Mother of...  You need to get yourself a skinny 8 strand, 10 strand max D10, with wool wrapped ends...combine that with your Velcro in the grooves and the heavy arrow, some woolies, that should be more than enough and the skinny string will regain you some fps.   22 strands!!  That rope belongs on a warbow  

By all means, whatever works..I just think you have options.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

That is interesting stuff regarding the use of surgical tape on your finger and the use of a soft deer skin glove effecting noise level....    Most times that 3rd finger is just going along for the ride anyway...

I'll share one that I tried and found to be very quiet is using 3 fingers to draw the bow to anchor, and dropping the bottom finger prior to release..... I think of it as taking the safety off before touching it off...

I agree with nineworlds9 here.... A 22 strand string is serious over kill.... go to 10 or 12 strand and add a bit of yarn to your string up by the string nock and ditch the puff balls. that's all you should need and you'll pick up a LOT of performance. .... Kirk

[Piratkey]

My PCH is quiet,it's not the more quiet bow that I have but it's good for hunting with.
I use flemish 12 strands astro flight material with 62 xs serving,2 medium wool silencers (QUIVIUT)  in L4 and 2 very small in L6,NO VELCRO or felt pads on the limbs,this is not add anythink for me.
I use 11 gr arrow per pounds too,that's all.

[LBR]

452X is a very small diameter string--not quite as small as 8190, but smaller than 8125.  A LOT smaller that 450+ or even Dynaflight '97.  22 strands is a bit of overkill IMO, but it's not a rope--16, maybe 18, would be where I'd start...but whatever works.  10 or 12 strands of 452X would be a piano wire.  

I don't think you'll be loosing a noticeable amount of performance with 22 strands--and who got into this side of the sport chasing speed anyway?  I'm much more partial to quiet.

A little tinkering and tuning can go a long way with any bow.  A friend got a new BW a couple of years ago--VERY nice bow, but with the factory string (14 strand Dynaflight '97, flemish, unpadded loops), and fairly tight nock fit, it was a bit noisy.  

A little tuning, swapped out the string for a 12 strand Dynaflight '97 (loops padded to 18), served it for a proper nock fit...it was probably as quiet as any recurve I've ever been around, quieter than most. Think we put one small set of cat whiskers on it (small puff balls) for silencers, and we were done.

Haven't tried it specifically on a BW, but if I were to start tinkering with one today I'd start with 8190, 16-18 strands, loops padded to 22.

Chad

[nineworlds9]

Cool, learned something LBR.  I just have no familiarity with 452x or 8190 etc. when I read 22 strand my eyes bugged out. always been a D97, D10 guy, good stuff to know thanks for the input.  Wool wrapped ends or bowhush and a spot of Velcro does wonders.

[DennyK]

My bows have the 10 strand D10 SBD strings with the recurve wraps and 2 wool silencers just larger then a golf ball. My arrows are 2018's with 145 grain tips. ZERO problems with noise. But if you are confident in your set up by all means stick with it.    on the deerskin glove.

[LBR]

...when I read 22 strand my eyes bugged out.

Yeah--it sounds like a rope, and would be with Dynaflight '97--even bigger with 450+.  Materials like 8190 and 452X are almost half the diameter of Dynaflight '97. 450+ is quite a bit larger than Dynaflight '97.  They can vary a lot.

I really like the small diameter materials like 452X and 8190.  If you like a tiny diameter string (honestly, I don't, but that's another story) you can use these materials and still have a reasonable strand count.  If you like a more moderate size string, you can use them for that type string also.

[Friend]

Used an 8 strand SBD D-10 string and std silencers on a 55# PCHX.

Shot an ~611 gn arrow...She was quiet.....

[JMSmithy]

Hey Tedd

Head west out of Worcester.  Some decent public land hunting out by Quabbin ... At least there used to be...

Crusader Class '89        

Good luck to your little girl and God Bless.        

[Tedd]

OK! Thank you. Looking at google earth I figured there has to be some deer near there. We will be driving up through Connecticut also. Sure looks like deer country.
Funny we have found the Holy Cross alum to be a very friendly, approachable and proud and always  excited to talk to  a future Crusader. We are not really near what I  would call a high population of HC alums. But almost every time I wear an HC tshirt we meet someone who strikes up a conversation about it! I'm proud of my daughter for getting an offer to play there. The cost is beyond what I could have afforded. It is a tremendous and I'm sure a life changing opportunity.
Here is my bow in full silence gear. Really liking how it shoots right now.
Tedd  

[Crash]

Glad you got it quiet and congrats to your daughter.  In my opinion, the PCH and the KB are easier to get quiet than other bows in the Black Widow line.  Not sure why, of course, it could be that I am also partial to them, aesthetically speaking.

[Dave Lay]

congrats ! a well tuned quiet bow is a pleasure..  I have my 60" 60lb PSA almost as quiet as my longbow just by shooting a 8 strand sbd string and 10gpp and finding that sweet spot in brace , only other adddition is moleskin on the limbs to keep the string slap down. its by far the quiestest  BW i have ever had and i have had 8 or 10