ACS owners- Question about grip, and more

[MRD]

Just received a new to me 3-piece ACS, and I can't figure out what the grip wants from me.  What is the way to hold it according to its design? Low heel,or Asbell-type recurve grip?; a light touch, or a forceful grasp?  Also, are considerably heavier arrow spines required than for bows of similar poundage?  Are they somewhat finicky about release or spine?  What is a good brace for a 62" bow?  Specs on this bow are 50@28', 62".

Thanks, everybody,

Mark

[T.A.C.]

Hi Mark,
 Mine is 62", 52#@28". I've found (at least with my release) that if I grip it with thumb and forefinger circling the grip and just the slightest heel pressure I get the best accuracy. My wood arrows are spined 65-70# and cut 28 1/2" (I draw 28"). Heads are 160-190gr. Carbons are spined 400 or 55/75 and cut 29". They have 100gr inserts and shoot best with 145gr heads. I use a 7 1/2" brace height.
 I'm finding with my other longbows(Wes Wallace, Border) that they actually like a heavier spined arrow!
 Get out there and play, finding the likes and dislikes of each bow is part of the fun. Good luck!

[MRD]

Thanks, Terry.

[snag]

I agree with the grip as TAC stated. Mine is a 60#@28" so the arrows require a little more spine. But I do like the 160gr heads. The brace height on mine is set at 7 1/4" and with 600gr arrows it is real quiet.

[Bjorn]

All of the above with a lower brace-6 3/4 works for me.

[ROB TAYLOR]

I had similar problems getting used to mine....it WILL bite your arm if you don't hang on to it.  A loose, olympic style grips is not gonna do it on the ACS.  I found a full hand wrap, with firm (but not white knuckled) grip works best for me.  
-Rob

[eagle24]

I kinda agree with Rob and Terry.  The lighter draw weight ACS-CX's I have shot seem to slap my arm more.  My 41# CX requires that I hold the bow with a light, but secure grip.  I can loosen up a little more with my 45# CX and don't have any problems with the string hitting my arm.

[WildmanSC]

I have a 64", 52#@28" ACS CX.  I'm shooting 30.5" Axis 400s and 29" Beman MFX 500s, both with 125 gr up front.  The bow shoots both arrows like darts.I don't exactly put my heel on it, in that I grip the bow with the thumb and index finger circling together, but the meaty part below my thumb is on the bow, not the centerline of my hand, which I would take to be the heel of my hand.

I just have to focus on a steady bow arm, focusing on the precise point I want to hit and getting a crisp, static release.  If my release hand goes flying or dropping, the arrows follow suit!  I also purpose a draw with my back muscles to get the maximum draw without over exaggerating it, if that makes sense.

Bill

[redant 60/65]

I find as TAC said with the grip, but I hold a little firmer. as for arrows I'm still messing with my A&H it is 64" 54# @ 28" I'm pulling just a little over 27" Right now I'm shooting GT 3555 29" 50gr insert and 125 field point, total weight 420 gr. with a elevated rest. It chro. avg.201 ft. But I find it less forgiving with the lighter arrows as with all bows I've shot, I'm going to put a 4 arrow quiver on it to add a little more weight to bow.  

[MRD]

Thanks for all the answers guys.  I'm not sure what I think of this bow yet.  It sure hasn't wowed me, and it seems okay fast, not very different from my Shawnee or the Centaur I had.  And with those, I could get great flight with all kinds of arrows.  Not with this puppy, though.  I'll give it some time, though.

I do like how quiet it is, though.  Very nice.  

Mark

[snag]

I talked with Larry Hanify at A&H today about an order. While I had him on the phone I asked him about gripping the ACS. He said he grips it with light pressure and a medium high wrist position. The meat at the base of his thumb just rests on the riser. He said if he gets sloppy it will "bite" him and remind him to concentrate. He likes 250gr up front with GT arrows. As I recall he was using 200gr heads and 50gr inserts. I noticed when shooting it today that the way I hold it makes a huge difference in the arrow flight and my accuracy. When I went to a medium high wrist, index and thumb wrapped around and touching the arrows flew like darts. I got "in the zone" at one point. Wherever I pointed the arrow that was where it went! Fun! Now I just have to do this 1000 times so I can get my muscle-memory locked in.

[MRD]

Thanks, snag.

I need to settle back.  Take it easy with this thing.  I'm starting to hate the grip.  It reminds me of a little dinky compound grip.  Maybe my hands are too big for it. Man is it finicky.  Wish I could get a riser with a better grip, but i guess their philosophy is one size fits all.  Sorry, just venting a bit.  High hopes are being dashed on the rocks of reality.

[TaterHill Archer]

I must be doing something wrong.  If I hold mine tight, I get some wicked arm slap.  If I hold it loosely with my thumb and index finger, I don't get as much slap.  Mine is 54# @28"

[snag]

I was holding it like a longbow and would get arm slap too. Then I turned my hand around to the left (I am right-handed) and no more slap. This coupled with the medium high wrist and it really helped me. Also, I am going to put some wrap on the grip so my hand stays in place. It's made by LimbSaver. Suppose to go on without any adhesive and stay on...? I am hoping it helps me to consciencely think of placing my hand in the same way each time I hold it and keep it there throughout the shot.

[ROB TAYLOR]

I put a leather grip on it and it really solved that "too thin" feeling....snag is right as well....if you bury too much wrist inside of the center line (string line) as many do with more "standard" longbows, the thing will bite you hard enough that you won't want to wear your watch for a couple days.  This bow definitely wants a much more recurve style hold and needs even pressure from the web of the thumb to the last point of contact on your heel.  My $.02 FWIW
-ROb

[Pinelander]

Being "finicky" might have just as much to do with the cut-past-center window, as it does with your grip. Do you have the sideplate built-out at all, or just some thin calf-hair or whatever for sideplate? Are you using small diameter carbon arrows?

Unrelated question - how are you guys getting that CX limb "tink sound" dulled down? I can't seem to get rid of it to my satisfaction without using too much wool string silencer... which invariably creates too much reverberation in the string follow. I was thinking about tearing apart a bungee cord and using the very thin strands of rubber bands in that. Brace height is at 7-1/4" and I'm shooting 11 gpp carbons at 40 lbs.

I love this bow's performance and how it shoots for me, but the carbon tink is driving me nutz! I've never had this problem with recurves, MM silencers took care of the problem.... but of course they weren't CX limbs either.

[WildmanSC]

Piney,

I'm shooting 8.1 gr/pdf and 8.4 gr/pdf carbon arrows and I don't hear the "tink sound" in my CX limbs.  I heard it very definitively in the ACS one piece bows I owned that were pre-CX.  The ACS CX is very quiet, and the window is built out about 1/8" and the carbons I'm shooting are Axis 400s and MFX 500s.  They will both be footed with 2" of 2020 XX75 shafting to reinforce the wall of the arrows at the tips.

Bill

[swampbuck]

I had a missed wieght bow for a short time and besides shootin a heavier arrow seemingly as fast as a light one the main thing I noticed is that I never once hit my arm.I typically have issue's with this with other bows and don't wear an armguard so that I know when it hit's

Piney,did ya try the small limbsavers just above the fad outs but not out onto the limb much??I did that with my Hatfield and it was really noticable in terms of quieting the bow down.

As for being "wow'd" maybe early on when I shot a few but the sour taste of waiting isn't likely to "wow" me at all when I finally do get mine.It may or may not stay parked at my house.

Good luck and enjoy your new toy

[MRD]

I built out the side plate, and arrow flight has improved.  Pinelander, good idea about the bungee cord.  I'll have to give that a try.  I'll have some time this weekend to shoot and such, so that's what I'll do.  This thing is wicked fast, though.  That is kind of fun!

Mark

[Pinelander]

LOL, I just cut an old bungee cord apart.... BIG rubber bands in there. I guess I need to get one of those little whimpy bungeee cords, to go along with my little whimpy ACS-CX, lol.

Small limbsavers, well.... that's an idea.

Bill, turn your hearing aid up.  :D