Ben Pearson cougar info appreciated

[Flbowhunter]

I just picked up this cougar for 25 bucks. Anyone know what the recommended brace height for these bows is? It’s 62” and marked 45@28, but I’m drawing about 31. Also it seems like the shelf if very very flat. Would it be beneficial to move to an elevated rest (fishing line, feather, bear weather, etc)? I shot it maybe a dozen times an it is very consistent but shoots knock low. Has a 14 strand b55 bowstring and i only tried my usual hunting arrows, a 2117 with a 150 up front. Thanks y’all.

[Noah70]

You didn’t mention what year the bow was from, but attached is a picture from the 1968 Ben Pearson catalog.  Interesting in that it states best performance is up to 30” draw.  Brace is 7 1/4” to 8”.  I owned a number of Pearson bows back in those days, and I installed a low brush rest to stay above the shelf.  Back in those days almost all the bows had very flat shelves.
Regards,

[kennym]

Is it just me or could that string be on end for end? Looks like a lot of serving on bottom.

I can't tell if that is the nocking point,but is it pretty high? If so, lowering should help the nock low...

I let a Cougar go at a farm sale because the other bidder wanted it for his boy. The farmer bought it new so one owner . Brought $5 

Still not sure I did right... I should have bought it and loaned it to the boy

[Flbowhunter]

Thanks for the info. Kenny, I’ve adjusted the knock height from about 1/4” to about 3/4 of an inch. Cannot seem to get rid of the knock low. The string is on the correct way.

[kennym]

How’s the tiller measure on it? Are you bare shafting  or shooting fletched ?

[Flbowhunter]

I shot bare shafts. I haven’t put a square on it, but Just eyeballing it the gap between the fade and the string is probably a 1/8” to 1/4” greater on the top limb than it is on the bottom. 

[Kelly]

Nock low means lower nock point.

Are you truly drawing 31” to back of point?

[Flbowhunter]

I’ve tried a full range of knocking points moving up and down slowly. Yes I am drawing a full 31”. I’m 6’5 with gorilla arms, and I’ve measured several times.

[Kelly]

Are you using a bow square to set your nocking points?

Your shafts may be too stiff, 2117 are 82/83# spine. You probably are getting 57# at your draw.

How do they shoot with fletching?

[Flbowhunter]

Kelly, I actually have not shot fletched yet I have only shot maybe a couple dozen shots today. I had the same thought about the shafts being overspined, so I tried shooting with a 225 grain point to no avail. I would think a full length shaft with 225 up front would be sufficiently weak but perhaps not. I do not own a bow square, but I have not had trouble in the past eyeballing the nock height up and down until I get true flight from other bows.

[kennym]

Try measuring square off string to fade on riser. Measuring in the pic at whatever that scale would be, its almost 3/8" weak on top limb.

It looks 3/4" weak by eye in pic, but they can be deceiving.

Also you might try a raised rest or at least a good bump under the shelf rug.

All theories! 

[Kelly]

Looks to me like you have two nock points already on the string in the picture, correct?

Something just doesn’t make sense here. Do you have any kind of square?

[Flbowhunter]

Kenny, I put a fishing line rest on it and seemed to help some but still not what I would consider good flight. I don’t have access to the bow right now but I can tell from ilf rigs and building a couple bows that the upper limb is probably 3/8” weaker than the lower limb. Kelly, yes I always shoot a double knock point because I shoot 3 under. I don’t have a square unfortunately. I’ve always used a ruler for measuring tiller and brace height and just eyeballed my knock heights.

[Kelly]

Well my eyeballs tell me your nock points are way too high.

Are you string walking?

[Flbowhunter]

Kelly, no I’m not string walking. Like I said I’ve moved the knocking points up and down through a full range of knock heights. This picture just happens to be from where it was set very high. I normally start with a knocking point that it too high and then work my way down until I get the flight I want. Yes the knocking point is set high in this picture but I’ve lowered them significantly with no change in flight.

[Kelly]

Since those us here trying to help are dealing with facts derived from decades of shooting and using basic archery equipment for tools to give accurate advice, that advice can not be carried out by eyeballing. My eyeballing of your nocking points is severely high and until you decide to use a bow square we can’t help you much more. I suspect you didn’t go low enough because your starting point in picture is excessively high, like way over an inch high.

I will be glad to help you further but we need to be talking with facts obtained with simple archery tools, not eyeballs.

Wish I had an extra bow square I’d send it to you but mine is over 60 years old and I use it multiple times a day checking brace height, tiller and nock point height when I’m using different bows and/or change it strings. I simply can not operate archery equipment without one. I’m here to help!

[Kelly]

As near as I can tell using my Potawatomi bow square placing it as close as possible on your picture the bottom nock point 3/4 of an inch above the shelf rug. IMH that is too high even for a 3 under shooter and if you do not touch the nock with your top finger while drawing that is a form of string walking, which this bow was not tillered that way 50+ years ago.

How far above the bottom nock point is your top one? Which is the most important one because the act of drawing will push the nock up against that one.

I have shot 3 under off and on over the years and have never seen the need for a second nocking point because my top finger is up against the nock so it can't go anywhere.

[Flbowhunter]

Kelly, sorry if my post came off as rude. I was just trying to explain what I have done with the bow so far. I appreciate you and everyone who has contributed to this thread. Getting back to the bow, the lower nocking point sits flush with the bottom of the nock and the upper nocking point sits against the top of the nock. I agree with your assessment of that particular set of nocking points being too high. However I have moved them down incrementally (about a 1/16” or an 1/8” at a time) towards the other extreme of being considered very low (just before the arrow is sitting at an upward angle on the shelf). My bottom finger does touch the bottom of the knock and sits on top of the lower nocking point. I tell myself that the double knock set is more consistent but it’s mostly just because I’ve been tying them that way for the last 5 or so years when I got into making my own strings). I will be ordering a Bow square soon. I enjoy the look and feel of the bow I just want to get it tuned so I can take it out after pigs! Thanks again for everyone’s help.

[Kelly]

In the meantime shoot some feather fletched 2117’s.

[Flbowhunter]

I was honestly ready to give up on tuning this bow. I removed the bottom knock point, set nock height at 3/8s of an inch with a square and shot again with no change to flight. Then I moved down to 1/4” with no change again. Finally I switched to split finger and all the sudden I was able to get it to shoot perfect bare shaft and put bullet holes through paper at 3/8” nock height. I was reluctant to try split because I’ve been shooting 3 under for the longest time. But I’ve been shooting very well with this bow and split finger. Thanks everyone for your help.