Tell me about your hunting ILF rig

[KyRidgeRunner]

Hey guys.  I’m looking at possibly getting an ilf rig to hunt with in the near future.  What does everyone recommend? I like a bow around 58” long and I want the limbs to be no more than 45lbs.  I hunt deer mostly and from a stand mostly however I do occasionally like to get into a blind that’s why I like something no longer than 58”.  So what does everyone recommend?  I’ve never had a ilf rig so just wanted to see what you guys that shoot them recommend in a hunting setup.

[D.B Cooper]

Mine is a Morrison Phoenix 17" riser with Sebastian Flute Elite carbon and foam short limbs.  I've had all kinds of ILF risers and limbs and this one is my favorite hunting rig.

[nineworlds9]

I've had a variety of ILF setups over the years.  It depends a lot on what you want to spend.  In your case, you have a specific parameter in the bow length (58") so that does limit the choices slightly, you'll want a riser that's 17" or less, depending on your draw length.  I generally don't recommend short limbs for anyone but the shortest draw archers, but since you're wanting 45# or less that's less of a concern.  You could find a 13 or 15" riser and use longs or mediums also.  

My current setup and my favorite to date is the 17" Win&Win Black Wolf with Uukha limbs.  The Wolf is a molded carbon fiber riser that is beautifully made and my favorite part is the high deflex which makes it very pointable much like a Border Covert Hunter.  The Wolf also is neither too heavy nor too light,  very similar to what a heavy wood riser would feel like.  For your needs I'd consider risers from Morrison, Dryad and Zipper, and now recently even Stalker has gotten into the game.
The Uukha limbs come at different price points depending on the carbon content, what sold me on them is the unique construction which is basically impervious to weather, and the smoothness, which is so considerable you can even use a shorter length limb than you otherwise would.  I use longs on my Wolf for a 62" bow, but I could certainly use mediums with no issue.
Most limbs and setups out there will outshoot any of us.  I'd spend a little on the right riser and start with an inexpensive set of Oly limbs and rattle can them. This way you can have the riser you want, learn how to setup the bow, and later can start experimenting with the fancier limbs.

[NittanyRider]

Riser: I have a Morrison Phoenix 15" riser with a Jager low grip. The Jager grip is awesome!  It is narrow and flat on the belly side, which is perfect for me because I press my palm (life-line to edge of thumb) against it and then softly wrap my middle finger around the front of the riser.  The nice thing about the ILF risers is that you can always find a grip to match your form.  Also, Bob set it up with a sealskin rest and I added a stubby cushion plunger which allows me to easily adjust for the two different diameter arrows I shoot.

Limbs: I have a few different sets of medium RC limbs ranging from about 35# to 50#. Medium limbs + a 15" riser makes a 58" bow.  Regarding limbs... I've spent up to $695 on a set of foam/carbon limbs and as little as $150 for wood/glass limbs, and in my opinion, I don't think the $695 limbs out-perform the $150 limbs by all that much.  They look cool, they are light, and probably have an edge in performance, but in my experience, carbon is more fragile and a bigger liability when your bow is getting knocked around in the deer woods.  I'm not hard on my gear, but accidents happen.  I recently bought a set of the BlackMax2.0 limbs (50# @ 28") from Lancaster Archery for $150.  I've been really happy with them - they are the only limbs I am hunting with this year.    

Adjustability: The Phoenix riser allows you to adjust the draw weight +/- 5 pounds.  It also allows you to adjust tiller, which is really the only adjustment I use.  I shoot 3 under, and I can adjust the riser to achieve even tiller for all my limbs.  I don't like to be constantly tinkering with my gear.  I like it to be reliable and ready to go when I practice or hunt.  ILF bows give you the option to adjust draw weight, tiller, AMO length, limb type, grip type, etc., but since I did the initial tuning, I have not adjusted anything.  I favor simplicity, with a little bit of flexibility mixed in, and to me, that's what the ILF bow delivers.

[reddogge]

This is a rig I use for rabbits and small game because it's light and easy to carry. Morrison 17' riser and 45# BF Extreme limbs. 60" with medium limbs but could be 58" with short limbs.

   

This is a 3-D rig but I could hunt with it if I wanted to. Titan III and 45# BF Extreme limbs. 62" with medium limbs.

 

[M60gunner]

Mine is not that expensive. Hoyt Excel riser with TT carbon/foam limbs. Riser is used, limbs were “scratch and dents” on sale. Got 2 doz. AO 2213 arrows and sniffers. This is my “resides in PA. bow”.

[NittanyRider]

Reddogge - That's a great looking Morrison riser!

Any difference in shooting characteristics between the metal and wood risers?

[ron w]

I took the bear in my avatar with a 17" Zipper riser with Dryad Static tip recurve limbs. The riser is Ebony and Zebra wood with moose antler overlays. Bow is set up at 45# @ 29".....Carbon Express weight forward arrows with Ace standards up front. Great shooting set up.

[KyRidgeRunner]

Thanks for the info guys.  So am I thinking correctly.  For the most part if I dealing with ilf rigs the shorter the limb the less smooth it is compared to a longer limb? Also I’ll have to relate this to compounds because that’s what I know the most about.  Is the longer riser bows more forgiving vs the short?

[batbow]

I bought my ILF set up here on trad gang. Thanks Hawkeye!
Morrison gen 1 15 in riser and a set of Morrison gen 1 carbon foam limbs, these make a 58 in bow.
 I also picked up a set of Dryad  ACS RC limbs longs. These make a 60 in bow.
Currently running the Dryad limbs, very impressive speed and smooth.
These limbs are 40 lbs on a 17 riser, they are 44 lbs on this 15 riser cranked all the way in minus whatever I needed to get even tiller. Running a 530 grain arrow at 168 fps avg.
Definitely impressed with the speed at this weight arrow. My 49 lb Stalker Coyote with the same arrow is going the same speed! So I am drawing 5 lbs less and still have the same energy.
I love wood bows and the beauty of wood, but the aluminum ILF setup is really easy to get setup quickly and I feel like it's more responsive to the tweaks you make while tuning.

[Hawkeye]

Originally posted by batbow:
I bought my ILF set up here on trad gang. Thanks Hawkeye!

So glad you are still enjoying the setup so much.  Those ACS limbs sound like winners, and it sounds like you made short work of the ILF learning curve!

Thanks for the good time we had putting the transaction together on the Classifieds.

Wishing you continued success with that Killin' Machine you have put together and tuned so well!

Daryl

[tecum-tha]

I don't see much need for ILF at all. Most people who shoot these are constantly tinkering with new limbs, tiller this tiller that etc.
Defeats the purpose of simplicity.
Another thing is that people are trying to tune bows to them instead of tuning themselves to a bow. Tuning is brace height and nock point and a rough arrow tuning when you start out, as your shooting style is not fully developed yet.
To each their own...

[The Whittler]

I think most tinker with their gear even it's a self bow, it's the nature of the beast :-). Most of the post on this site and other sites prove we are all tinkerers one way or another.

How else can we  keep our minds occupied.

[tracker12]

I do not tinker with my ILF rigs.  I find a riser get some limbs, tune it up and shoot it.  I never change the limbs and tiller for me it is always even.  I just like the way they shoot.  The ability bot change limbs while nice was never a reason why I bought the bow.  The Titan with Jager grip is just a great shooter for me.

[batbow]

Being a toolmaker/Machinist my entire career and building things since I was old enough to walk, i have a hard time not messing with things. Either improvements or just making it suit me.
I made my own knives from the age of 10 to about 21, made my own bolt action rifles and falling block rifles including the actions since I was 14. Made a few simple  bows as a kid.
But I have never made a modern recurve or longbow, I highly respect these guys that make the beautiful bows, both ILF and conventional wood bows are mechanical art to me!
Sorry this is a little off the topic!
All bows = good stuff n fun.

[ron w]

I have a new to me ILF rig that I may use to hunt some. It's a old Martin Lynx compound that I had machined [warfed] to take ILF limbs. It was my Uncle Herb's bow, he got me started in bow hunting in 1967. He passed in 2013 so I thought maybe it would be cool to take him with me in the woods so to speak. Right now I have TT wood/carbon Black Max limbs on it and it makes a 66" recurve. Seems to shoot very well.

[reddogge]

Originally posted by NittanyRider:
Reddogge - That's a great looking Morrison riser!

Any difference in shooting characteristics between the metal and wood risers?

Yes, the Morrison is lighter and shorter so the heavier Titan III is a 62" bow and it is the better shooter for me for 3-D. But since I use the Morrison for running or flying game weight and length is not a factor.

[reddogge]

Originally posted by tracker12:
I do not tinker with my ILF rigs.  I find a riser get some limbs, tune it up and shoot it.  I never change the limbs and tiller for me it is always even.  I just like the way they shoot.  The ability bot change limbs while nice was never a reason why I bought the bow.  The Titan with Jager grip is just a great shooter for me.

Right on. I don't fool with mine either. Set and forget.