ILF Explanation?

[NDTerminator]

I and apparently a few other inquiring minds here about want the lowdown on ILS bows.

What does ILS stand for?

My understanding is that an ILS bow allows for great individual tunability, and that limbs/risers can be ready swapped & changed.

how is this tunability affected?

Give us the info, throw us a bone....

EDIT - sorry, just had to correct the title!

[George D. Stout]

ILF......International Limb Fitting.

[JRY309]

I believe the term is ILF which stands for International Limb Fitting.You can get ILF limbs from different manufacturers and use them on many different bows that have the ILF limb pockets.Like Morrison ILF,Hoyt risers and many others.They will allow some weight and tiller adjustments.

[NDTerminator]

Cool...

What are the advantages/disadvantages of the system?  Do they perform markedly better than convential TDs?...

[Orion]

The advantage is limb availability and adjustability.  Performance is no better than other bows.

[NDTerminator]

Originally posted by Orion:
The advantage is limb availability and adjustability.  Performance is no better than other bows.

I presume adjustabilty refers to draw weight to a degree and tiller?  How adjustable are they, and can Joe Archer do it or does a guy have to be a bowyer?

[wingnut]

Well they can do better the regular TDs because you can take a $300 riser and put the best limbs in the world on it.  You can't get that performance from a single bowyer.

Or take a riser from one bowyer that fits you well and limbs from another that you like.

I'd love to have the interest on the money that has been spent world wide to develop ILF recurve limbs.

Mike

[NDTerminator]

Originally posted by wingnut:
Well they can do better the regular TDs because you can take a $300 riser and put the best limbs in the world on it.  You can't get that performance from a single bowyer.

Or take a riser from one bowyer that fits you well and limbs from another that you like.

I'd love to have the interest on the money that has been spent world wide to develop ILF recurve limbs.

Mike

It is amazing when a person takes a moment to think about it. What else has been internationally developed to be universal?

[Orion]

Yes, the adjustability range is usually about 5# give or take a pound.  And, yes, you can adjust the tiller with the turn of a limb bolt.  The average joe can certainly do it.  Helps to understand tiller, of course.  

I agree, if you take the best ILF limbs and put them against a mediocre TD, the ILF limbs will probably do better.  But if you put the best TD limbs against them, the difference,if any, would be miniscule.  There are a lot of ILF limbs out there that are mediocre as well.  They don't stack up very well against the best T/Ds.  So the difference is in availability, selection.  One can buy high or mediocre performance in either.

[Doc Nock]

As Bob Morrison pointed out to me about my situation, which is gnarly creeping arthritis, instead of having to keep buying lighter limbs over time as the malise progesses, I can turn down the poundage. As Orion said, Bob also commented it's about 5# diff.

That is a huge selling point to me.  Right now, I've got a perfect set of Morrison Cheyenne 54# C limbs I can't shoot... just makes everything ache when I draw a mere 54#!!! But 48# I got used... now that hurts deer, not me!  

I'm wanting some ILF conversion for my Cheyenne riser that fits like a glove!

[R H Clark]

Orion
I have 8 bows now and have owned a dozen others.I've also shot lots of demo bows at 3D shoots.So far I have not found any bowyers limbs that shoot better than a $200 set of ILF limbs.

I'm not saying the ILF limbs are better unless you count the price.

I also have 2 sets of high end ILF limbs Winex and Samic Masters.I have never shot any limbs that can equal them.Granted There are a couple of top end bows I haven't tried yet.

[trashwood]

let's say you have an open mind about what trad is and you want to put an arrow thru the wing knuckle of a turkey at 18 yds.

 

with a little practice and some tuning, ya can do it

rusty

[Bob Morrison]

Doc, I'm close, I can do the conversion now, But I need to make it look good. Too many things in the fire right now. It will be done by spring.

[Orion]

RH, my point exactly.  Limbs are limbs.  Some are better than others, but there's nothing in the ILF system that suddenly transforms recurve limbs into rockets.  A number of bowyers who make both simply have a different limb butt/attachment system on one versus the other.  The rest of the limb design is the same. I doubt one would see much of a difference between the best Morrison or Border recurve limbs  and the best ILF limbs by other manufacturers.  By the way, I'm not anti ILF. I rather like them.  They've been around for quite a while.

[NDTerminator]

Well, I can see right now an ILF riser at some point in my future.  I really like the looks of that 15" one that Trad Tech sells...

[RLA]

Most of the pro's have already been mentioned. One con is in the process of adjusting the poundage and tiller on your ILF set up. Your also changing the geometry of the bow. This is where the solidly mounted non ILF limbed bows have an advantage if the bowyer has done the research and has the limb pads on the non ILF riser at the optimum angle for the best all around performance. I have both types of bows and like both, but this is the way it was explained to me.

[Bill Carlsen]

I have to disagree with all of you that say that ILF limbs are not better performers than regular limbs. If you shoot high end limbs, carbon foam, for example, you will find obvious performance improvements. For one, the ILF target limbs out there (like the Winex) are the best limbs in the world. The companies that make such limbs have dumped many dollars in to RD in order to come up with limbs and limb materials that perform at very high levels. In addition, my Winex limbs are engineered so that as reach full draw the amount of weight increase actually drops off to only about 2# per inch rather than four or five.

I doubted all this about ILF limbs until my wife wanted to take up hunting . She has a short draw and pulls about 45# max. I got her a DAS bow with high performance limbs because when they first came out the mfgr. would buy back the bow if we didn't like it. When it arrived I set it up for her and at my draw it was about 50#. I took one shot with the bow and it was shooting the arrow better than my 66# Groves. I ordered one for myself and have never looked back. I have been shooting 60#  with the DAS and have found that it outshoots any other bow I own even though they tend to be 10# heavier in weight and all are hight end "regular" bows.

Another advantage of the ILF limb, whether you use a DAS connection or the standard ILF connection, is that there is a decided advantage to archers who have to shoot low poundage and/or short draw length. The preload on these bows can be set such that you can get superior performance at the lower weight and draw......very similar to bows that are shooting 28'+.

I have more to add but have to go.

[Bob Morrison]

I have to agree with Bill. Some of the best  Recurve limbs in the world, bar none... I still not a fan of metal risers, its a personal thing. That is why I built a wood ILF riser and I doubt wheather you will ever see wood in the olmpics. Just another choice if you want wood. I have never shot a bad ILF limb. That is why we also offer other brand limbs that our own. We can offer a very custom ILF riser, and put real good shooting limbs on ranging $150 to a bunch... I doubt 90%  could tell the difference in preformance. Most do need to be painted to hunt with, skins look good on them also.
Longbow limbs are another thing and are starting to catch on Dryad, Sky, Black swan all are starting to build ILF longbow limbs, and they all will fit on any ILF riser. For the past 2 hunting season all I have shot is ILF, recurve and longbow. And if I decide I don't like the bowyer  :rolleyes:  I just trade out limbs. Depending on your draw length and riser you can go from 52" to 68 or 70".

[joevan125]

What makes the Winex limbs perform so well.

Whats the difference in Bobs carbon/foam and the Winex limbs.

If they are the best limbs in the world why wouldnt other bowyers build limbs that are just like the Winex.

Thanks.

[joevan125]

Hey Bob im getting close to putting my order in.

I am loving my ILF recurve and i cant wait to try one of your ILF longbows.

Did you ever find me some broad band water snake skins.