Skinny string to B50 switch. What to expect?

[skychief]

I have a Predator recurve with a modern, low stretch, skinny string (forget which material).  It really casts an arrow flat and accurately, though somewhat noisely.

I am wanting to know what to expect (besides string stretch) if I replace the string with a 14 strand B50 flemish string.  I use such strings on my other bows.

Really interested in a better nock fit, easier on the fingers, and quieting the bow down some.   Also, would I notice a difference in its cast, in your estimation?

I know that re-serving is another option.  Just curious to know if switching strings will make a super shooting bow, into a mediocre shooter.  

I wonder if the design of the bow will allow it to shoot B50 real well too.

All thoughts appreciated, Skychief.

[Fletcher]

I like the hard strings over B50, but the only way to really find out is to give it a go.  Every bow is different.

[ron w]

You'll find opinions that go both ways, like Fletcher said, try it. I have bows with both, I can see good and bad in both. Let us know what you find out!

[LBR]

Really interested in a better nock fit, easier on the fingers, and quieting the bow down some.  

Then go with 18-20 strands of BCY-X.

I agree that the only way to know how much difference you'll see/hear with Dacron is to try it.  For me, the stretch alone is enough to drive me crazy.    

[McDave]

Re-serving, either with thicker serving or with two layers of thinner serving, is really not that hard to do.  I make all my strings now with 8 strands of skinny string, with the loops padded to 14 strands, and depending on the nock, usually one layer of .018 and one layer of .022 serving. I suppose eventually I'll have to try BCY-X and change everything, but I've got a lot of BCY-10 to go through first.  

I know this sounds complicated and tedious, but once you build a couple of strings, it's as easy as building strings out of B50, and a lot more effective.

[Steelhead]

Nothing wrong with trying the B-50 to see what happens.Might be a pleasant surprise possibly?
I mostly shoot 8 strand D-10.
But I have had some bows that I preffered B-50 or B-55 with over the FF materials.
When I shoot B-50 I use 12 strands.

[Paul Shirek]

You can expect a bit more vibration, probably quite a bit less noise and perhaps a less crisp feel as the bow fires. I do switch sometimes to B50 for hinging whitetails as on some bows the quiet factor is really noticeable and the small speed loss doesn't matter.

[Caughtandhobble]

I would expect the change will likely decrease the dynamic spine of your arrow enough that you would need some serious re-tuning. As much as I experiment, I will not make changes during hunting season.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing along with results.

[joe vt]

I never quite understood the issue with creeping. My new Dacron strings stretch, but they always stop. After that they are fine. And on my bows, using my arrows; any brace height change (within reason) does nothing to arrow flight.


If your current setup has your arrows on the stiffer side of nominal then Dacron could cause your arrows to be too stiff.


On my bows, Dacron adds vibration (hand shock) and shows a little less performance. But they provide to me a smoother draw (probably because of stretch), easier on the fingers, and definitely quiets the bow to another level or two.


BTW I notice that endless loop Dacron strings stretch way less than Flemish twist.


Your mileage may vary.

[LBR]

Dacron has more vibration, but it seems to be more noticeable on longbows or bows with less mass weight.

For me, more vibration is more noise and it lasts longer.  The pitch changes, but I get more with Dacron than with BCY-X.

The pitch and level can vary depending on the material, strand count, bow style, string construction, etc.  

Some bows seem to "like" one material over another.  In my experience--and that reported to me by countless customers over the past two decades--Dacron is not inherently quieter.  

To the contrary, I've noticed it being noisier and have had customers report the same, compared to 100% HMPE materials.  Not all of them, but more than enough to convince me there's more to it than just the string material.

There's also tuning, silencer placement, silencer material, nock fit, arrow weight, your release, bow design, bow tiller, etc.

So, again...no "one size fits all" answers.  What you get will depend on a ton of variables, and could change from one string to the next or one bow to the next.

[Zradix]

Chad ( LBR ) knows what he's talking about.

I get more felt vibes from dacron type strings.
You may have to play with nock fit a bit...

Your arrows tuned to the skinny string will most likely be too stiff for the dacron.

If you want to make it easier on your fingers try a different tab/glove..or double serve it where your fingers are.

I doubt it will turn your bow mediocre....but it will slow it down a touch.

Depending on how good a shot you are you may or may not notice the difference in cast.
...but I bet you'll notice a difference with your arrows being too stiff.

[Mike Mecredy]

I used to use nothing but Dacron, then I tried D-10, I've never looked back.  The noise isn't so much louder it just makes a different note/pitch.  It's easier to add some silencers to the string than it is to change the string and readjust everything.  That is, if the bow, like you mentioned, is shooting well for you.  

Going from low stretch to Dacron will be disappointing.

[Zradix]

I feel Mike is right.

Personally the only real benefit I've ever noticed from a Dacron type string is peace of mind when used on a bow that having a low stretch string on would be questionable.

[Mike Mecredy]

Yes, if the bow is designed for it, stick with the high performance sort.  If not stay with Dacron, but there are differences in a good Dacron string and a not so good. Well made Dacron string has only the number of strands as needed, has about 6" of splice twists, and only about one twist every 3" for initial adjustment twists. It's well waxed but not over done.  Also the serving and nock fit should be as such that when an arrow is nocked, you can pick up the arrow with the bow, but you can't pick up the bow with the arrow.  It not it's too loose or too tight and that makes a world of difference pertaining to noise, vibration, string slap, and arrow flight dynamics.

[lbshooter]

About six months ago I replaced the FF string with a B50 on my Silvertip for many of the same reasons as yours.  I should have done it a lot sooner!  The speed difference of not noticable and the noise, nock fit, and wear and tear on my fingers are much improved.  After a day or two the string settled down and I have not had to adjust my brace height since. The string is still in perfect shaped with over 1000 shots on it. It is a 15 strand dacron from 3 Rivers archery with a brass nocking point and cat wiskers.....nothing fancy.

[LBR]

Nock fit has nothing to do with string material.  You use enough strands, the right size serving, etc. to get a proper nock fit.

As noted, noise depends on a lot of variable.  

Comparing equally well made strings, the main difference is pitch, although I have noticed that materials with Vectran (452X, 450+, and BCY-X) seem to be quieter than 100% HMPE materials (Dynaflight '97, 8125, Dynaflight 10, etc.).  

I think the Vectran helps dampen vibration--like a built-in silencer.  Since Dacron has more vibration, all else being equal I can't see how it's possible for it to be quieter over-all.

If a string is served to the same diameter, how can it be harder or softer on the fingers?  You have the same amount of pressure spread out over the same amount of space on the same fingers...what's different?  I've never experienced this myself.  

On the other hand, if the serving is smaller I can see where it would feel different.

[Rifle River Scout]

I had gone from a B-50 to a skinny , looking for better performance but ran into noise that I couldn't quiet and the bow seemed to be less forgiving so went back to B-50.
My bow again is quiet and sweet.

[LBR]

For the sake of clarity, I'm not referring to "skinny" strings, but rather "high performance" materials vs. Dacron.  I'm not a fan of extremely thin strings myself.

My favorite string to date is 18-20 strands of BCY-X.  Quiet, stable, consistent, durable.

[damascusdave]

Originally posted by lbshooter:
About six months ago I replaced the FF string with a B50 on my Silvertip for many of the same reasons as yours.  I should have done it a lot sooner!  The speed difference of not noticable and the noise, nock fit, and wear and tear on my fingers are much improved.  After a day or two the string settled down and I have not had to adjust my brace height since. The string is still in perfect shaped with over 1000 shots on it. It is a 15 strand dacron from 3 Rivers archery with a brass nocking point and cat wiskers.....nothing fancy.

So what was the "Fast Flight" string actually made with and who made it...those can be huge factors in making sure you are comparing quality string to quality string...sure a poorly made Fast Flight string can be inferior to a well made Dacron string...but in my experience a well made HMPE string will best any dacron string any time on all counts

DDave

[Bladepeek]

I have a 14-strand B50 string on my Bear KMag and 8-strand D10 strings on all my other bows. My hearing is bad and others may notice a higher pitched noise than I can hear from the skinny FF strings. I'll leave that up to the people who can still hear.

What I don't understand is the "easier on my fingers" claims for the Dacron strings. All my strings are served to the same diameter so I can use the same arrows on all my bows except for my little 33#'er. If the serving is the same diameter, I fail to see how one string is going to be easier on the fingers than the other. I sure can't feel any difference.