String Silencers

[Kessler10]

Do they really help? Do you recommend having them for Deer/Elk hunting?

[jmez]

Yes they really help. That said I think they are unnecessary on today's bows. I haven't used them in years. Bows used to be loud and they simply aren't anymore.

[ishy]

Yes they help, but will it make a difference in a wound up white tail jumping your string?

[pointysticks]

i've been shooting a bow religiously since 2007. a newb in some circles. it still amazes me how quiet a bow is..UNLESS you are the one shooting it. with the bow going off near your face, you hear everything. i think my bow is kinda loud, but my friends tell me it is utterly silent.

i wouldnt know if a string silencer works. i know it couldnt hurt. well, it might suck up some speed.

[HurricaneHuge]

I depends entirely on who's asking and your setup. Worked in an archery shop full-time for 3 years and still help out part-time. Every year we get guys with 20y/o setups with "an elk hunt out west coming up and I want to update my bow so she shoots like the new ones." Not gonna happen, but a bow can be tamed down depending on what we're dealing with. My favorite way to quiet a bow down? Heavier arrows. A string stop would be another recommendation for silencing. String grubs/whiskers/monkey tails can help some, but they're usually not good enough on their own. My two cents.

[vertical limit]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't string silencers rob speed from your bow? Which, in turn, would rob your energy down range?

[HurricaneHuge]

If they do you're generally only talking 2-3 fps. Unless you define yourself as an archer by having the fastest bow on the line, it isn't anything to worry about.

[vertical limit]

Oh ok. I had just always heard they rob speed. Thanks for properly informing me!!

[HurricaneHuge]

Archery is like everything else, brother. A ton of opinions out there, and nothing really wrong with any. Just depends on the person. If a person's main goal is silencing his bow, 3 fps isn't much to worry about, especially if it achieves the goal. Speed guys refuse to give up 1 fps, even if the overall bow performance improves. They'll tell you how some guy supertuned their bow and they gained 15 fps and in reality the guy over twisted string and cables, increasing the draw weight outside of manufacturers specs, and stiffening draw cycles. As long as it's fast, they'll tell you it's smooth as can be even if it makes 70# feel like 90#. Every body has preferences, but in my experience if a guy tells me "Speed kills!" he generally misses at an extraordinary rate of speed.

[Mike_Parson]

I have found in my limited experiance that they do work and the slight decrese in speed is really not noticable. I would rather have a slower silent bow than a loud fast one, just opinion tho.