hey everyone i just got a blackwidow sa 11 3 piece takedown recurve 47#@26 it shoots great but makes alot more noise than my 1 piece longbow. it has rubber cat whiskers and yarn puff balls on the string, but this sounds more like a limb vibration noise. everything is tight as far as the limb bolts so is this just part of the sacrifice for the recurve or is there something i can do to help this. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN. love the bow just not the noise maybe my longbow spoiled me?
Cavscout,
You didn't say what length bow you have and what string you are using. I have heard people say that B/W bows are noisy, but I haven't found that to be the case. I have a PSA11 62" 51# at 29" and I use a B-50 string on it with spiders at 9" from the string end and 15". This is my hunting bow and it is extremely quiet. My other B/W is a SA X 58" and 57# at 29". This bow is for 3D and has a D-97 string set up the same way. My brace height is 8.5" for both bows. Try a B-50 string set up like this and your problem may be solved or just try repositioning your string silencers.
Rick
I put moleskin on the string groves of my limbs. I also shoot heavy arrows and make sure that my arrow nocks are not too tight. But a recurve is not as quiet as a long bow. If you play with it you can get the noise level down.
I was shooting a sa111 but tried everything to get it quieted down nothing got it as quiet as my lag longbow so I sold it and went back to the lag.I am spoiled also.
if you dont mind the looks you can get the dimpled bow wrap grip wrap then wrap one on each limb in the same area on each limb(measure it)...i have an ma11 that sounded a loud snap until i tried this and it worked very well...nice and quiet now
I own 6 Widders and here's how I tame em down. I offer it up only because it hase worked on all of them.
1. Use a padded loop string.
2. Set the brace height at 9 inches
3. Use a single set of yarn puffs about 12 inches in from where the string first contacts the limbs.
yup, raise the brace height
Raise the BH
You can also use a thin felt (sticky on one side) between the limbs and the riser.
Bow hush.
When placing your string silencers....you wanna take you string length (where it meets the limbs) and 1/4 it. Take your 1/4 measurement....measure up and down from the spot where th string meets the limbs and mark/install.
Heavy arrows help a lot, also.
Limbsavers aren't out of the question.
Like Otto I've had up to 7 Widows at one time. I sold 5 of them and started building my own recurves last month. my experiance (like Otto's)tuning my own PSA's, MA's and TF's, a padded loop FF string, a brace height of 8 3/4" to 8 15/16" and a single wool puff 12 to 14 inches on each end always made mine huntable quiet even with a 8.75 grain/lb arrow. I also bare shaft tune my arrows and can put broadheads and field points in the same spot.
What Rick said, B50 on the blackwidows that I hunt with and a higher brace height. DB
thanks for all the advice guys. i already padded the string, installed the yarn balls and will adjust the brace height. if that doesnt satisfy me i will go to heavier arrows. you guys are great for helping me. good luck to everyone this season and maybe some of us from ohio can get together and do a weekend hunt if im still layed off when deer season gets here. i wish it would hurry up!!! I got enough land for 2 guys to hunt with me but it would be tent camping on the farm in monroe county, ohio
Look to the string grooves too. Serve your string with yarn out where it contacts the limb and it should help.
Is it only the take down bows that are noisy?
All them widows are noisy, "buy me, BUY ME!!" I hate it. :bigsmyl:
So... you are saying all Black Widow bows are noisy, not just the take downs?
WANNA Sell It? :saywhat: :biglaugh:
Widows are great bows but like all high performance recurves they need to be tuned. Recurves as a whole tend to make more noise than long bows.
There are many things that will effect the performance and noise level. I own a PSA & a PTF and here is what I've found:
1. I keep my arrow weight at or above 10 grains per pound of pull. Example (55lb x 10gr = 550 grain arrow) minimum.
2. Brace Height has a large effect on both noise and performance. It takes some time to establish "your" correct brace height. Many people who slam Widows have skipped this step and never find out how to make the bow perform. Junk in, Junk out. A PSA should be braced between 8.25 & 9 inches. Mine performs best (for me and my shooting style) at 8&5/8 inches.
3. I use two sets of beaver fur string silencers. One set is placed at 1/4 of the way down from the limb tips. The other set is place near the limb tip so it just slightly touches the limb when the bow is strung.
Enjoy your Black Widow, they're fine bows. I see so many people pick up and shoot a high performance bow and form they're opinion without ever having tuned the bow or even matched an arrow.
Check out Black Widows web site and register for their forum. Great people and a welth of info.
Had one took many, many critters with it and ended up selling it because of the noise. Trade it for a Schafer or Morrison. As good or better bows without the noise fight.
Like all the guys said before: raise BH (my Widow BH is at 8,5") good silencers and 10gn/# arrows
And my experience is, it also depends on the silencer position on the string.(I use buzz busters)
So my Widow is pretty quiet, but I guess a good longbow will always be a bit quieter then a recurve.
The easiest way to silence a noisey bow is to open the string up and put your silencers in. Widow does it with their silencers. In the string not on the string. String Leeches work for compounds and they work for Traditional too.
Well here is my two cents. I had a PSA-X with the same problem and here is what I did. I put felt in the string grooves, a set of limbsaver quads on the belly of the limbs about 8" up from where the limbs meet the riser. But the most important addition and "I am sure many will disagree" I put a B-50 Dacron string on it with a double set of cat whiskers. I was shooting extremely light arrows for 3-D and it was the quietest recurve I have owned to date and much quieter than most of the longbows I have owned to date and that is a long list! I know it is not politically correct to use a Dacron string.Lol!!I did'nt see any significant decrease in speed and using a heavier hunting arrow would have helped more. I also agree with Keuka brace height is very important with a Widow. This is just my personal experience. Hope this helps.
-Leonard-
QuoteOriginally posted by GMMAT:
Raise the BH
You can also use a thin felt (sticky on one side) between the limbs and the riser.
Bow hush.
When placing your string silencers....you wanna take you string length (where it meets the limbs) and 1/4 it. Take your 1/4 measurement....measure up and down from the spot where th string meets the limbs and mark/install.
Heavy arrows help a lot, also.
Limbsavers aren't out of the question.
Ill second the heavy arrows. along with beaverballs, that really quited them down
does it have new "O" rings on the locator pins?
All recurves make more noise than longbows.The string slap on the limbs does that.BWs can be quitened down but take a little more work than many because of the glass in the limb core.Still that is one of the things that make them such a bullet proof hunting bow.jmo
Heavy arrows (usually 12 GR. per pound or more), just one set of cat whiskers. But the thing that made the most difference on mine was loosing the tip protector, while actually shooting the bow. I keep it in my pocket while shooting and slip it on and off. That really helped and also picked up the speed. I won't shoot mine at any higher of brace height than 8 1/4. It just de-tunes them when you go for lofty brace heights. I would rather use an even heavier arrow and keep the performance. I've had people comment on how quiet they are.
I have owned six different widows and have never had a problem with making them quiet. All my bows are low to mid fiftys. The first thing I do is make a 8 stran string from 8125 and pad the loops with B-50 to a total count of 16.( you will get better performence from your bow with this string alone) Next I put wool puffs at quarter and third points on the string. And last I shoot between 10 and 11 grains per pound. I have never had to raise the brace height past 81/2 inches.
The noise! :knothead: I can't take the noise! :banghead: Sold mine years ago never could get rid of the noise.
Sometimes, with 3 pc bows, if you're hearing "limb noise", you can fix it by taking the limbs off, apply a little paste wax on the riser where the limbs sit and on the part of the limbs that touch the riser. Just put the wax on there just enough so you can see it. Don't wipe it off. After a few minutes, re-attach the limbs, string the bow and try it. If it doesn't work, just remove the wax.
I have never had a problem getting the widow just as quiet as any other recurve I have owned. I do about what Running Buck said cept I use 10 strands of TS1 with the b50 pads. Brace is about 8.5".
SL
Rob...Where you elkin it this year? I booked at the last minute with Mike and Danny. I was going to Montana but had to cancel.
Are you and the Buckster gonna make a trip?
The B50 and you don't have to jack up the brace height. For me the lower brace gives me about the same speed as the FF stuff with all the extra silencing methods
UPDATE; so i took the brace hieght to about 8 and a half inches, put a yarn serving on the string where it contacts the limbs, the yarn puff balls and rubber silencers are on the string and i even padded the limb pockets where the limbs bolt in. The bow is much quieter now but still much noisier than my long bow. I love the way the bow shoots so i will try it and maybe aim a little low for strig jump,but if it causes me to miss one deer i will be going back to my long bow and will be trading it off for another longbow or selling it.
First deer you miss because it ducks the string let me know. :saywhat: I'll buy it!! :biglaugh:
Put the BH at 9 inches. It will make a big difference. Any loss in performance will be neglibible.
Lol, I'll bet you've received just about every idea for quieting a bow that there is...with alot of them conflicting. After five Widows (still have two) here's what I've found works well for them. My two are pretty quiet, even compared to my hybrid longbows:
1.) Get a clean release! This is probably the #1 culprit. A 'deep hook' on the string helps alot...avoid plucking the string.
2.) Brace height between 8.5" and 9" depending on string set-up (thickness and silencer type/placement).
3.) Single sets of yarn puffs or full-sized tied-on (not inserted) square-edge rubber catwhiskers (not rounded or vinyl). Test the locations to find your bow's silencer sweet spot since its different for different bows/strings/fistmeles.
4.) Padded FF string; 10 strands of D97 works well for my bows of around 50#+/-. Haven't yet seen any need for felt groove liners or yarn-wrapped string loops with this set-up.
5.) Did I mention get a CLEAN RELEASE?
I've owned many kinds of bows and can say that Widows aren't excessively noisy unless you let them be. They just need a little TLC and tuning care. What bow doesn't?
Widows have a different pitched sound. Try letting someone else shoot it and just stand back and listen. You may be pleasantly surprised.
It sounds a whole lot different from behind the string than it does away from the bow.
WOW, thanks to everyone that has given advice. I have tried all of your ideas and am now pleased with the noise level of the bow.I am using 11-32 cedar arrows at full length and 125gr heads, but may go even a little heavier after hearing all your ideas,I guess string jump wont be a problem since i dont shoot at deer past 20 yards, but i got a laugh out of that one myself.please keep the advice coming on the arrows though cause i am still trying to get the most out of this bow. I AM REALLY STARTING TO LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cavscout I own two widows and would suggest you try harder with all this great advice. I did most of what was mentioned but when I started shooting 700gr carbon arrows the noise problem was history!
Also, check to make sure your alignment pins are secured. My SA developed a noise the second year I owned it and the brass pins had become loose. On the advice of Ken Beck, I twisted them out with a pair of pliers while using leather over the pin as not to mar it up. He told me to install them with regular fletch-tite. I did just that and they are still secure and tight. I think the best thing I ever did to quiet my SA was to puchase a Mountain Muffler string. I don't know if they are still available, but they will do the trick. I tried dacron on my SA once and didn't care for the way the bow shot at all.