Skinny strings ?

[Orion]

kennym:  String stability to me is not elongating on the bow.  Dacron, even when it's shot in, tends to elongate under warmer temperatures.  It also has more stretch at the shot compared to the low-stretch strings. 

All strings have some stretch, though the newer low-stretch strings have very little.  Made extremely light i.e., low strand) they might stretch a bit at the shot, but again, not as much as dacron, and not enough for most people to notice, and they still reduce limb vibration and hand shock more than dacron. Made standard or heavyweight, there's virtually no stretch, at least none the archer could feel. And, the low stretch materials aren't as susceptible to temperature fluctuation as is dacron.  In short, they're more stable.

A skinny string shouldn't be any harder on the fingers than a normally built string because it should be served to the same thickness (as previously used strings) to fit the arrows one already uses.

[Rob DiStefano]

rather than use a larger diameter serving thread, i padded all the serving areas - center and loops - with dacron string fiber.  loops always get nylon serving as that material is kinder to the limb nocks, and for the center serving i like BCY's halo HMPE thread.

[McDave]

I jumped on the skinny string bandwagon along with everyone else, and learned how to pad my loops and double serve. I think that by the time you do all that, you're really gaining very little.  After a while I decided that it made more sense to just use the number of strands needed to properly pad the loops and get good nock fit with one layer of .021 serving.

[Rob DiStefano]

for all my bows it's 14 strands of d'02, no loop padding, #4 nylon for the loops and .016 halo for the center serving.

[Gdpolk]

Some bows like them.  Some bows do not.  My personal two Sierra longbows like the 8-strand D10 strings that Pierre Lucas from Silent But Deadly Bowstrings makes.  His strings make the bow more quiet, have less vibration, shoot a fuzz faster, and don't continue to stretch after the initial break in.  What's not to like with that?

[Rob DiStefano]

Some bows like them.  Some bows do not.  My personal two Sierra longbows like the 8-strand D10 strings that Pierre Lucas from Silent But Deadly Bowstrings makes.  His strings make the bow more quiet, have less vibration, shoot a fuzz faster, and don't continue to stretch after the initial break in.  What's not to like with that?

that's really great - for you. 

and THAT is the bottom line and at the core of ALL bowstrings - personal subjectivity. 

this may mean trying out different strings for each of yer bows, see what cartridge load yer gun likes best.  it's really the same thing.

if a string works well for ya, then what's not to like with that?   

[Gdpolk]

Some bows like them.  Some bows do not.  My personal two Sierra longbows like the 8-strand D10 strings that Pierre Lucas from Silent But Deadly Bowstrings makes.  His strings make the bow more quiet, have less vibration, shoot a fuzz faster, and don't continue to stretch after the initial break in.  What's not to like with that?

that's really great - for you. 

and THAT is the bottom line and at the core of ALL bowstrings - personal subjectivity. 

this may mean trying out different strings for each of yer bows, see what cartridge load yer gun likes best.  it's really the same thing.

if a string works well for ya, then what's not to like with that?   

Exactly. For what it's worth I've tested the two bows with 6-8 different types of string builds. What I was looking for was a lower sounding pitch during the shot, lower volume during the shot, and less handshock/vibration. The speed didn't matter to me nor did the stability of the string as compared to making my bow sound and feel better in the hand. A 12-strand D97 string was actually a tad more quiet and had a deeper pitch than all the others but the bow vibrated like a tuning fork after the shot. So I took a slight increase in noise to improve the shooting characteristics of the bow. It just turned out to also shoot faster than the rest and stretch very little. To me this is a fun part about tuning the BOW to shoot it's best which is, as you said, almost like finding a pet load for a firearm.

[Kelly]

for all my bows it's 14 strands of d'02, no loop padding, #4 nylon for the loops and .016 halo for the center serving.

Rob are you still using this for your strings? On asl longbows, too? Thanks

[ed lash]

I make my own skinny strings with padded loops...they're pretty. But I like to shoot my thick ones better. I actually think I'm more accurate with them.

[Rob DiStefano]

for all my bows it's 14 strands of d'02, no loop padding, #4 nylon for the loops and .016 halo for the center serving.

Rob are you still using this for your strings? On asl longbows, too? Thanks

Nope, gone back old school, all strings (endless and Flemish) are 14 strands of B55.

[Joeabowhunter]

for all my bows it's 14 strands of d'02, no loop padding, #4 nylon for the loops and .016 halo for the center serving.

Rob are you still using this for your strings? On asl longbows, too? Thanks

Nope, gone back old school, all strings (endless and Flemish) are 14 strands of B55.

I'm interested in this.  Can you explain why?  What do you prefer about the b-55?  I'm assuming quieter/softer feel?  Any shots through the chrono to compare the speed difference?

[Rob DiStefano]

for all my bows it's 14 strands of d'02, no loop padding, #4 nylon for the loops and .016 halo for the center serving.

Rob are you still using this for your strings? On asl longbows, too? Thanks

Nope, gone back old school, all strings (endless and Flemish) are 14 strands of B55.

I'm interested in this.  Can you explain why?  What do you prefer about the b-55?  I'm assuming quieter/softer feel?  Any shots through the chrono to compare the speed difference?

Yes - quieter, softer - but mainly better overall stability.  The trade-off is a perceived loss in arrow speed (with all tackle the same other than the string material). 

[Dave Lay]

I mirror steelhead
    I have used SBD strings on my bows for a lot of years. To me they are quieter and seem to be more dead in the hand on release. That's a 635 gr arrow on a 58 lb bow and similar GPP with my other bows. I've even put a D97 stock string back on as a reminder and yea, I can sure tell a difference. They will change your tune a little needing a little stiffer arrow

[Possum Head]

low strand count strings were a novelty of sorts for me and i built quite a few, for all the bows i owned and for friend's bows. 

in the long run, i've gone the opposite direction, to higher strand count strings.

while skinny strings can offer a few feet-per-second boost in arrow speed, heavier strings offer the better advantage of Stability and the added "robustness" of more strands in the string.

I tend to agree. I thought it was just me or in my head. I've tried several skinny strings and just received a Holm-Made River Runner with a skinny string and it doesn't "feel" or shoot near as stabile to me as a Kota I have with the thicker string. Don't like the feel at the shot with the skinny string. Gonna swap it out and see. For whatever reason, and it still maybe in my head, but I rather have a string with more stands than the skinnies. Just seem more stabile and controlling to me.

Tend to agree with you and Rob, while I didn't dislike the skinny I favor the opposite. Let us know if the River Runner improves!

[Sam McMichael]

When I ordered my bows from Northern Mist, they came with D-97. It has worked well, so I have stayed with it. It makes sense to try different materials to see what works best in your particular situation. I have no real preference of one material over another beyond how well it performs on a given bow.

[JohnV]

Based on the varied responses I would suggest that you try one and see how you like it.  Some like them, some don't.  I think they help lighter draw bows a tad bit.  I don't have any problems keeping them quiet.

[Rob DiStefano]

String design and build is a personal thing. 

String design can be best used by its inherent functional abilities. 

Need a faster arrow for lowered trajectory?  Need more shot stability?  Need more inherent string consistency or durability?

As long as a string works the was it was designed, it's a good string.

[motorhead7963]

I am a fan of the skinny strings infact just ordered another pair from SBD  for one of my newer bows. I have used them for several years. I had and sold a BW PCH that I did a chrono test with std (D97) string and a skinny string (SBD) out of the 60lb BW. the SBD string was 8fps faster than the D97 and noticeably more STABLE, and dead in the hand at the shot. I have no problem getting my strings quiet. Now don't no one get there panties in a wad, I have a 60lb (70s) grizzly that has a SBD string on it for over 5yrs now and I shoot it alot. For me I will stay with what works for me. I am slowly transitioning ALL of my bows to skinny strings.

[Tedd]

You are putting B55 on your modern bows because it makes the bow nicer to shoot? Tell me more. Do bows tend to slap your are more than if you use a more non-stretch material?
Tedd

[Rob DiStefano]

You are putting B55 on your modern bows because it makes the bow nicer to shoot? Tell me more. Do bows tend to slap your are more than if you use a more non-stretch material?
Tedd

If yer post here is directed at me ...

I never have arm slap and haven't worn an arm guard in half a century.  This is a matter of bow arm and bow hand technique.

There is something "forgiving" and yet "stable" for having my bows braced with B55.  The arrow speed is compromised, as expected, but speed doesn't necessarily kill, nor adds to consistent accuracy (in fact, it may be a detraction). 

Again, choose a string for the bow and task(s) at hand and what works best for you.  This doesn't mean one kind of string is better than another, it just means that yer looking for a string that will offer the best compromise for you and your requirements.  And, as it has in my case, your string requirements may change over time.  I do admit that I can whip up my own strings in endless or Flemish flavors whenever the need arises, so that's an advantage for testing strings and their parameters. 

There's nothing like getting older and realizing that change can be inevitable - we like change, we hate change.