Backbar against body for hunting?

KneeDeep

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Dec 30, 2022
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Now that it's the off season, I've been experimenting with rear stabilizers on my hunting rig to see if it adds any precision. As I'm experimenting, I'm making the back bar longer and longer incrementally (using a Crossover stabilizer) until all of a sudden I realize the back bar is now resting on my hip at full draw! Dang did it add even more stability to my pin float!

I'm guessing the reason you never see this is because it's not allowed by any of the archery associations in competition, but I wonder if anyone has tried something like that for hunting? With a collapsable stabilizer like the Crossover it wouldn't be more work than dialing a site which I know some do (not me). Anyone tried?
 
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Hmmm... never tried it but interesting thought. I do shoot a rear bar on my hunting rig and target bows, but I would think it would just get in the way if it were touching me, especially shooting uphill, downhill, from knees etc. Or maybe it gets caught up in clothing? Try it from different positions and then let us know how it goes.
 

big44a4

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Now that it's the off season, I've been experimenting with rear stabilizers on my hunting rig to see if it adds any precision. As I'm experimenting, I'm making the back bar longer and longer incrementally (using a Crossover stabilizer) until all of a sudden I realize the back bar is now resting on my hip at full draw! Dang did it add even more stability to my pin float!

I'm guessing the reason you never see this is because it's not allowed by any of the archery associations in competition, but I wonder if anyone has tried something like that for hunting? With a collapsable stabilizer like the Crossover it wouldn't be more work than dialing a site which I know some do (not me). Anyone tried?

I’ve shot several arrows like that, but it’s not as accurate as I can be holding a bow normal. I saw a guy shooting 3D resting rear bar in arm pit. He did not win. Wasn’t even top 5 at a local shoot in a bowhunting class…
 

TheTone

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I think you’d have plenty of shots while hunting where you couldn’t replicate the same hold
 
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Not a thing wrong with it, i was agreeing with tour statement and using the shooter as an example of a single point of contact on the riser .......

Ahh.

I get it now.


You can put torque on the grip with the HS, it's pretty eye opening.



Whole different topic, but in general stabilizers are used for all the wrong reasons. They are to stabilize the bow at the shot. Not make you hold the bow plumb, not slow it down. Those are all form issues that people try to correct with weight.
 

Marble

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Also, if shooting downhill then that back bar may prevent you having proper form. It can hit your leg, hip, belly etc. Just depends.

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MattB

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Now that it's the off season, I've been experimenting with rear stabilizers on my hunting rig to see if it adds any precision. As I'm experimenting, I'm making the back bar longer and longer incrementally (using a Crossover stabilizer) until all of a sudden I realize the back bar is now resting on my hip at full draw! Dang did it add even more stability to my pin float!

I'm guessing the reason you never see this is because it's not allowed by any of the archery associations in competition, but I wonder if anyone has tried something like that for hunting? With a collapsable stabilizer like the Crossover it wouldn't be more work than dialing a site which I know some do (not me). Anyone tried?
How well does that work on steep downhill shots?
 
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gabenzeke

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In Iowa, I believe regs specifically call this out as illegal. I'm going to have to look at them again...

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MattB

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Just felt like this needed to be quoted for posterity.
No doubt was auto-corrected into that.

I do have story about a friend taking a...shot...on a steep downhill. It ultimately resulted in him running back to camp in his boots and underwear, having shed his cover-all's back on said steep downhill. The whole thing would have been wasted if 2 of my other friends hadn't seen him do it and called him out on it.
 
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No doubt was auto-corrected into that.

I do have story about a friend taking a...shot...on a steep downhill. It ultimately resulted in him running back to camp in his boots and underwear, having shed his cover-all's back on said steep downhill. The whole thing would have been wasted if 2 of my other friends hadn't seen him do it and called him out on it.

Also a story of some hunters in Michigan riding home in the bitter cold, someone kept farting, and it was awful. To the point they were stopping and getting out of the vehicle every 10 minutes it was so awful, but nobody would own up to it.


After a while it was finally determined that it hadn't cleared the hood on someone's coveralls. It had frozen and was nearly unscented until it would thaw.
 

MattB

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Also a story of some hunters in Michigan riding home in the bitter cold, someone kept farting, and it was awful. To the point they were stopping and getting out of the vehicle every 10 minutes it was so awful, but nobody would own up to it.


After a while it was finally determined that it hadn't cleared the hood on someone's coveralls. It had frozen and was nearly unscented until it would thaw.
That happened to a friend of a friend in Iowa - pooped in his hood and they had a long discussion about how to properly wipe before they figured out that wasn’t the issue.
 

Zeke6951

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Not a stabilizer, but this product put out long ago by Knight & Hale does what you did with the stabilizer. It was called a Steady Ready. It did worked to reduce pin float and without bow torque. It was adjustable for length and had a ball type end that rest against your body. The contraptions attached to your bow arm with velcro. I have or had one. Seemed to me that it was more in the way than it was worth.
Knight and Hale Steady Ready | Archery Talk Forum
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...2ahUKEwjozo3o9ff8AhWuNd4AHQXVDPUQMygAegQIARA-
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Archery Talk
Knight and Hale Steady Ready | Archery ...
 
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KneeDeep

KneeDeep

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So, it seems everyone here has some pretty informed points!

For one, at the length that works for level shots, it definitely gets in the way of proper form on downhill shots. It's a Crossover that I'm using so I can shorten it pretty easy for those shote, but that gets to be a pain.

That said, when shooting level, it definitely helps me shoot much better, as long as I don't rely on it too much. If I use it to take ~50% of the weight of the bow off my bow arm, I shoot way more X's than I shoot normally shoot and fewer 9's (Vegas targets). If I rest on it too much it just transfers the float to my hips or stomach and the bow acts all weird at the release, as expected. I can see why the Steady Ready would attach to your arm instead of the bow to reduce that, but probably affects bow dynamics regardless.

I shoot a field round neraly every weekend for last several years, if it ever stops raining here I'm going to try a "cheater" field round using this style to see what happens to my score. If it's anything like the improvement I see on 300 rounds indoors I'm expecting a new "cheater" personal best :).
 

Marble

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So, it seems everyone here has some pretty informed points!

For one, at the length that works for level shots, it definitely gets in the way of proper form on downhill shots. It's a Crossover that I'm using so I can shorten it pretty easy for those shote, but that gets to be a pain.

That said, when shooting level, it definitely helps me shoot much better, as long as I don't rely on it too much. If I use it to take ~50% of the weight of the bow off my bow arm, I shoot way more X's than I shoot normally shoot and fewer 9's (Vegas targets). If I rest on it too much it just transfers the float to my hips or stomach and the bow acts all weird at the release, as expected. I can see why the Steady Ready would attach to your arm instead of the bow to reduce that, but probably affects bow dynamics regardless.

I shoot a field round neraly every weekend for last several years, if it ever stops raining here I'm going to try a "cheater" field round using this style to see what happens to my score. If it's anything like the improvement I see on 300 rounds indoors I'm expecting a new "cheater" personal best :).
If it really helps that much for you, try getting a V bar. You can put two smaller back bars on that stick out much less. Might be difficult with a quiver attached, depending on how it's set up.

IIRC, the weight on the left should be more than the right.

I dont think I've ever seen someone shoot one while hunting but they are fairly common in the target archery world. I don't think it's too practical for hunting.

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