Stabilizers, what are they really doing, why do we use them?

[Billy Goat]

So, this is a spill over from a discussion in a different thread, and rather than my normal thread detour, figured it would be best to just give this its own thread.


First, target archery is much different than bowhunting in my opinion. There's a whole lot of benefits to shooting target archery that help you in bowhunting, but I tune and setup hunting bows a fair amount different than I do a hunting bow. Few reasons for this, but mostly it boils down to a target arrow is different from a hunting arrow. Hunting arrows have some "steer", or probably the correct term is drag on the front. Depending on what broadhead, it can increase or decrease, but anything past a smooth target point has some level of air resistance that can effect arrow flight. For that reason, I don’t tune hunting setups the same as a target bow.

That's a different tangent, but I think it's important to bring up in relation to stabilizers in hunting bows as well.

So, stabilizers....

They are really on the bow to create a moment of inertia to hold it steady through the shot. Meaning, when you shoot, there's a period of time where the bow is held by a single point, your hand. It had been anchored by the string at full draw, giving it mostly 2 points of anchor, but one of those just got turned loose. So now its hopefully staying in the same position while its launching the arrow, enter stabilizers.


Mass is what counters force (if i remember all those terms correctly). If we could make a bow heavier, it would move less during the shot, in most circumstances. If a bow weighed 25# it would be pretty difficult to shoot. But you can use a long bar (lever) to add stability with less weight. Multiplying the force of the weight by the length of the bar.

So, what am I talking about?
Your sight picture shouldn't be held still by mass. It can be a little final tweak, but your pin float is really based on your overall draw length coupled with your skeletal alignment. Mass will slow the float, but once dialed in it shouldn't really change the area you are floating over, just the speed it moves across that area.

You should dial in your bow to you without stabilizers. Lot of times archers jump to stabilizers to fix the sight picture, and are creating more problems than solutions.

Throwing weight out front to point the bow is one thing on flat ground, can seem great until you are aiming up or downhill. Suddenly now you are fighting another component that was covering up the issue of too long or short of DL on flat ground.

If you are using a back bar to hold your sight level straight, when you are in an awkward angle its not going to have the same effect. You might need to change your grip, but that will probably be better than trying to have your equipment counter your grip.

These are just a few examples.

There's a lot that goes into hold on a bow, adding mass weight will make a lot of shooters more comfortable with the sight picture, but frequently isn't fixing the real issue. DL and proper skeletal alignment will help you the most. Until you nail those down to find your best sight picture, I'd recommend leaving the stabilizers alone.

Hunting length short stabilizers really don't add much but mass anyways(unless you really load them up with weight), try putting 5-10 ounces on the lower v-bar mount bushing. Gives you some additional mass, also actually adds a little low inertia, without the hassle of more things sticking out of your bow.



This is still a very brief overview, but is a place to carry over the discussion.

@dreamingWest and @tipsntails7

 

[Blockcaver]

I never have bow hunted with a stabilizer. Not a target archer so don’t even own one. Prefer the lighter weight and smaller profile of a bow with close fitting quiver, sight tucked into the riser and a modest size and weight drop away rest. That’s been the sweet spot for me over a long bow hunting career.

 

[Billy Goat]

I never have bow hunted with a stabilizer. Not a target archer so don’t even own one. Prefer the lighter weight and smaller profile of a bow with close fitting quiver, sight tucked into the riser and a modest size and weight drop away rest. That’s been the sweet spot for me over a long bow hunting career.

For western hunting, I went away from any stabilizers. The benefits to my lack of form, were offset I felt by the benefit of not carrying as much weight all day.

Meaning, weight makes my bow more forgiving, but carrying 12+ ounces less for hours on end benefits me more than having a little more on the overall.

Like heavy boots, sometimes you need them, but sometimes its better to have the energy to cover more ground than bricks on your feet.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Hunting length short stabilizers really don't add much but mass anyways(unless you really load them up with weight), try putting 5-10 ounces on the lower v-bar mount bushing. Gives you some additional mass, also actually adds a little low inertia, without the hassle of more things sticking out of your bow.

First, thank you for the detailed explanation of how a stabilizer acts during a shot. I always saw them as "balancing" tools and hadn't considered it through the lens you explained.

How are you attaching weight to the riser? My riser doesn't have multiple threaded spots. I'd considered a piece of threaded rod and jamming weight onto each side of it through the hole in the riser for a side bar.

 

[Billy Goat]

How are you attaching weight to the riser? My riser doesn't have multiple threaded spots. I'd considered a piece of threaded rod and jamming weight onto each side of it through the hole in the riser for a side bar.

I still use a stabilizer on a hunting bow usually, and a back bar. I'm just not using them to try to dial in a hold, or with a ton of weight.

I did have a hunting bow setup with no bars a few years ago, and I just used either a bolt or all thread (easy to get 1.5-3" sections for stabilizer weights) to put low mass on it. Put right into the v-bar (rear stabilizer) bushing. If you dont have a lower rear stabilizer mount bushing, I know some guys who just put a v-bar mount on the front hole and mount weights directly to it, no bar.

In playing with a bow initially, I'll frequently just pull the weights and threads off stabilizers and screw them right into the bushings on the bow. Gets that mass weight up some without hanging levers off of it that you might be fighting.

 

[Jpsmith1]

I still use a stabilizer on a hunting bow usually, and a back bar. I'm just not using them to try to dial in a hold, or with a ton of weight.

I did have a hunting bow setup with no bars a few years ago, and I just used either a bolt or all thread (easy to get 1.5-3" sections for stabilizer weights) to put low mass on it. Put right into the v-bar (rear stabilizer) bushing. If you dont have a lower rear stabilizer mount bushing, I know some guys who just put a v-bar mount on the front hole and mount weights directly to it, no bar.

In playing with a bow initially, I'll frequently just pull the weights and threads off stabilizers and screw them right into the bushings on the bow. Gets that mass weight up some without hanging levers off of it that you might be fighting.

I will be working to set up a new bow in the spring. I've decided it's time, so I'm kind of trying to do it right rather than the ad hoc methods I've done before

 

[HunterGatherer]

I actually quit shooting a stab on my bow a few years ago. Went through a few of them over the years, getting longer and heavier. Most recently had a big B-stinger. I got tired of taking it off and on all the time to get it in my case and of course it was heavy. Packing an extra pound in your hand all day takes it’s cumulative toll.

When I took it off I remember a little bit of an adjustment period but it didn’t last more than a couple days of practice before I was shooting just as well without the stab as I had with it. Never looked back.

Maybe shooting in the wind a heavier bow helps hold more steady but not worth it IMO

 

[AlphaK9]

Good discussion. I enjoyed reading through the other one on my original post- but this should generate plenty of opportunity to learn. Good on you dudes for keeping it civil- one sword sharpens another.

On the topic of marketing- it's obvious that Mathews has it down to a science. Chris Bee, Levi Morgan, the Elk Shape crew etc are all sent 12inch bars for their new proving ground testing and because they are phenomenal shooters, the average joe sees those rigs and thinks he had to duplicate it. Except the average joe had to swipe a card for those pieces of kit, and they are not cheap for what they do.

I will say I have found some significant benefits to adding longer bars for both float and stabilization- something I likely wouldn't have ever tried 5-8 years ago.

Here's to soaking up more knowledge as time marches on! Good hunting, everyone.

 

[DB29]

For hunting I would give up a front bar easily but the side bar I found helps a good amount. With a bow heavily weighted to one side with a sight and quiver I found myself having to torque the grip to get the bow level. Once you release the bow immediately starts canting toward the heavy side while the arrow is still on the string. Having a side bar balance the bow through the shot and after made more improvement for me than any front bar I have tried out to 12in.