To Stabilize, Or Not To Stabilize???

[Stateline]

Just wanted some opinions on stabilizers for a hunting setup. I know all setups are different, but just wanting input from fellow hunters. Do you use one? What length has been the best? Which brand do you prefer? I'm looking to try a 6" Bee Stinger because it fits my bow without seeming cumbersome. I've heard several times that longer is better. Haven't spent much time with any to this point so I'm wondering where the happy medium may be. Thanks in advance.

[ctdad]

Best stabilization comes from a long bar with weight on the end of it. You need to decide how long will be functional while hunting.

I don't use one and routinely practice at 90 yards.

[ElkNut1]

I see them used quite a bit at 3D shoots so I guess some feel they help. Personally I've never used them at the shoots or in the woods. To me it's more needless wt & just another thing to get caught in the brushy areas as you try to make your way through heavily choked areas. If you've not used them no need to get started with them thinking they're a must! (grin) We too shoot out to 90yds-100yds without them.

ElkNut1

[pointysticks]

i think mine is 6oz @6". it's the budget stokerized model. i like it. i use it to hold my wrist strap. does it help accuracy? maybe..i've never tried it without. personally, i think i could shoot fine without it. but i NEED the wrist strap. it is my mental security blanket for my loose high grip style of shooting. i bet i could get a nice titanium bolt to hold on a strap, but what the heck the stab is only 6oz.

bonus of the stab? i like how i can hook it over my shoulder. this allows me yet another way to carry my bow while hiking. i think more ways to carry a bow over the miles is a good thing. the bow is pretty stable like this. i can even leave it on my shoulder while i pull my binos up to my face.

a long stabllizer would be torture in some of the thick stuff. it would be like a grappling hook!

[>>>---WW---->]

Guess it all amounts to what ever rattles your chain or yanks your crank! But personally, I've tried several and not a single one of them made be a better shooter. So, I now shoot without one. I see no real advantage to using one. And probably the only disadvantage might be as a brush catcher for some of the longer ones.

But what it all really boils down to is if you are happy with it (or any other piece of equipment) that's all that matters.

[JJ Overkill]

I shot with one. I did notice a difference when shooting with one. the placebo effect heck how knows. I got use to it and it never leaves my bow.

[ctdad]

Smaller, shorter stabilizers built mostly out of rubber are usually used to decreased vibration and hand shock mostly. With modern bows, especially parallel limbs, there isn't much vibration or hand shock left in just a bare bow so many don't see a benefit from this form of a stabilizer.

Longer, stabilizers that have weight on the end of them (6 inches to 3 feet) are used to help steady or stabilize the bow while the bow is being held at full draw and through the release. The further away from the riser you can get the weight, the more stabilization it will have. 30 inch stabilizers are not usually functional for hunting purposes but they will greatly stabilize the bow so the competitive shooters really like them. There are also v-bars and back stabilizers used to balance a bow so that the archer doesn't have to work as hard to find their sight picture or level their bow. These add even more weight and aren't used as much for hunting b/c of that.

I also use a wrist sling but to get rid of the stabilizer, I just melted the ends of the my paracord sling together through the riser below the hand grip. Slings are easy to make out of paracord (youtube) so if you mess one up, it isn't a big deal.

[Stateline]

Thanks fellas! I've never really used one either, but I'm always looking for ways to improve my shooting (confidence as much as anything). Sometimes the cost is money well spent, other times you look back and think "That was something I didn't need". I love practicing at long range so your responses have helped. Thanks for taking the time to share. Great website, and some great members. Thanks.

[Swede]

Stateline: It is impossible for others to say whether or not you would be better off with a stabilizer. What kind of bow do you use? What kind of accessories are on your bow? How do you hunt? etc. etc.
I would try one that balances my bow, so that when I hold it loosely, like I would just before I draw it, it stands vertical in my hand. Does the stabilizer quiet the bow? Does it reduce hand shock? If you are not getting any benefit, then why waste you money and pack the extra weight?
I am not good enough as a shooter that I can tell if my target groups are a fraction of an inch tighter on average at 30 yards, when I shoot a stabilizer. Are you?

[WindedBowhunter]

As stated the longer stabilizer with weights will reduce vibration and assist in stabilization of your bow.

Having said that, the longest stab I have ever used was a 12" B-Stinger with a 11oz weight. It was tough in the backcountry, but awesome for those 50-60yds shots on whitetail.

Currently, on my whitetail bow I am shooting with the Stokerized SS1. It assists in balancing the bow true to center, even side-to-side.
http://www.stokerized.com/products/hunting_ss1.lasso

[quarbles]

i had a 6" axion stabilizer, was more of a rubbery vibration dapener and didn't do much. got a 10" b stinger with 8 oz weight and i think it's great. undrawn bow is forward heavy but it balances and distributes minute movement whilst at draw. it basically makes my 'grip' the fulcrum at draw to provide a better shooting platform..... or at least thats how i find it. i also have an offset bracket that seems to help me with canting. if i shoot with it off it seems that any little shake is magnified as compared to stab on, which lends me to feel that at least for -me- the stab adds some forgiveness. aswell, due to the slight forward heavy nature undrawn, i notice that if i don't allow my bow to 'bow' after the shot breaks then i'm possibly adding grip torque. thus, i just make certain that the bow takes a li'l bow as part of my sequence.
the stab looked long and odd at first, but it never seems to get in the way of things and an arrow on the string is longer anyways....

[otcWill]

I drank the coolaid and bought a 12in Bstinger wtih the 11oz weight this past off season; single biggest improvement to my longrange shooting and overall stability that I've seen from any accessory. Great product

[Stateline]

Thanks everybody. Just unwrapped the 6" Bee-stinger. I figure it's a good place to start. Just money, right? Curious to see if I'm good enough to tell a difference !!! Happy Hunting!

[WindedBowhunter]

stateline - Keep us posted on your findings!

Did you get a few different weights?

If so, which weights did you get?