been thinking i wanna try something other than b-50 on my selfbows... just to see if i like it, but, as is usually the case when i get to wantin somethin... im overwhelmed by choices. for you guys that use some sort of fastflight on your organic bows, what do you prefer and why?
(before anybody warns me, im going to pad the loops with b50 and use horn tip overlays)
I use only B-50 on my selfbows but I have two osage selfbows made by Dano(Dan Grens), both have FF strings and neither have overlays. I think wood bows handle FF type string well because they have give.
D-97 Because I had some to try. Works fine. Seems to be a bit quicker than B50 (but that could be my imagination too) Haven't tried any of the other FF material.
I use Astro Flight on most of my selfbows.
for so reason most guys out west use ff..i dont..i like b-50 and i dont need tip overlays its soft material..i really think each to there own..in fact the only down fall that i see about b-50 is that it will streach..so,i just pre streach the string...
I use 452x, D97 & D10 on everything including a bunch of wood bows. The durability of FF cant be compared to B50. FF string will literally last thousands of shots per year for many years, matter fact ive yet to wear one out. B50 wont touch that amount of use no matter how well you take care of it.
Pearldrums out of those three is there one you like better? and whats the difference? does one make a fatter/skinnier string? im gonna by two spools of something, just not sure what.
I like them all the same Eric. I have the 452x only becasue I walked by a booth and seen a ridiculously low sticker on it, I grabbed it. I cant tell a difference between 10 and 97. Both seem to feel the same, shoot the same and are about the same size from what my eyes can see. 10 might be a fuzz smaller?
cool, thanks man.
I'm with PD. I have literally not been able to wear out a FF string. I've been using 8125, nto for any particular reason except it was recommended to me.
I have one bow which is ERC (so very soft wood) no tip overlays, just pin nocks, and aroun 50#@28", been shooting for years with a FF string. The nock grooves have marks from the string but who cares.
I think because wood absorbs vibration better than FG, it's actually much more suitable to FF.
I find many of my wood bows are nearly silent ... not so for my glass ones.
I've been building and shooting selfbows for almost 30 years and have only used B-50. I have never had a string break and some of my bows have had 10,00 shots or more. Like Blacktailchaser I pre-stretch the strings I make and once shot in I rarely have to adjust the string.
To me the extra cost of FF is not wirth the few FPS one might get from using FF and I have no complaints about he durability of B-50.
Unfortunately, I have the kind of arm configuration that lets the bow string find it with amazing regularity. I have to wear an arm guard or else.
B-50 keeps going after the shot because of the stretch and really works my bow arm over. DF-97, being low stretch, stops short of my arm most of the time.
Performance wise I don't see much difference at my short draw length but my forarm definitely knows the difference.
It's not just the added FPS Pat. Low stretch strings will take a lot of bounce out of these bow. Makes for a more pleasurable shooter. Add a few strands of B-50/55 to the string and makes for a super quiet hunter also..........Art
I'm with Art on that. I also find the bow tends to tune better at a lower brace height, and still not get arm contact as Eric mentioned.
Someone had made a comment on here a while back that a FF string doesn't really cost more because the spool holds more length/lb. I haven't bothered todo the calculation. I figured out when I bought the 8125 that it woudl cost about $2 per string plus the cost of setrving. So say maybe $3.
I can live with $3/string.
I don't know about the rest of you fellows, but the one thing that I've noticed with the Dacron strings, is better accuracy. Dang those trade-offs anyhow :mad: .
QuoteOriginally posted by Art B:
I don't know about the rest of you fellows, but the one thing that I've noticed with the Dacron strings, is better accuracy. Dang those trade-offs anyhow :mad: .
Better accuracy?? Me thinks you didn't tune to the modern string .
When I have my 'druthers I prefer 450 plus. Feels like dacron but doesn't stretch and shoots pretty much like FF. I have a 450+ string that's going on 15 years old now! Good thing it's so tough because it costs like gold! I have one of Dano's bows too and it has FF. I think if you pad the loops with a few extra strands and get your nock grooves nice and round, you'll be o.k.
Better accuracy for myself Pete. But I'm into mix strings myself, way modern then many today. :readit:
Bows are funny. You can use one type string and the bow will be super quiet. On another bow, the same type string can be very disappointing as far as sound goes. I've since starting using a dampening system of Dacron with the FF material, and I've yet, after four years of use, found a bow that it isn't super quiet on. But my experience is only with selfbows. But logic says it'll do fine on glass bows also........Art
100% 450+ here for as long as I remember...selfbows and glassbows... soft and tames a bow for me.
Art, the problem mixing Dacron and modern material like DF97 is they have diferent stretch characteristics, and the modern material ends up doing the lions share of the work, , putting it under even more stress.The Dacron is not pulling it's weight .
Art makes the Dacron bundle a little shorter than the DF97 bundle, so when the string is stretched out, the Dacron stretches out to match the 97 bundle. At least that's what the ole coot told me:)
Pete, you should have set me on straight and narrow four years ago. ;) Couldn't be happier with the results.
Hey, I'm using nothing more than a skinny string with a dampening system. I get no twangs or thunks no matter what bows I use 'em on......Art
any chance of a build along Art, sounds very interresting. after silence is golden!!, and i sure like the lower brace heights too!
I've written about my mixed strings numerous times fujimo. Most think I'm joking I reckon. Getting tired of explaining it really......Art
I use D97 8 stran with the loops padded to 20 with B 50 on all my bows self bows and vintage bear bows the oldest being a 1962 Kodiak , I think there is a night and day difference , the only down side it takes me longer to pad the loops out , but well worth the added the time , and as far as the cost you use less strans to make a string 8 strans for a 50# bow , on my third roll of D97 , one roll makes many strings. With all the better string materials out on the market now , you can take an ok bow and make it shoot better. Curt
OK.
QuoteOriginally posted by Art B:
I've written about my mixed strings numerous times fujimo. Most think I'm joking I reckon. Getting tired of explaining it really......Art
You grouchy ol' coot Artsy! He is right though, I have one of his bows and strings, thank God. Very quiet and soft feeling string, yet explosive when you let it go. It works. And no, the dacron isnt working harder. I argued that myself until I seen first hand. Art is an expert among experts in bows, arrows, trade points and strings. I will never question him again as Ive been blessed to own a chunk of all of his crafts, none better.
Art is an expert among experts in bows, arrows, trade points and strings.
We talking about the same Art I know? LOL
I sent fujimo a PM on how Arty makes the strings, cause he told me how a few years ago. And yup sometimes ole Arty needs to take Midol... :laughing:
And so does Pearly Girl:)