I have a 3 pc rampart longbow that I just got about a month ago, it has a fast flight string on it and shoots like a dream. My question is this. I know that it is made for fast flight but I just worry about saving my limbs. If I put a B50 string on it will it shoot any different? I know I will lose speed but saving my limbs is alot better to me than speed.Will I see a big difference in arrow flight? and the way it shoots flat? What do you all think??
You will lose a SMALL amount of speed, depending on amount of strands used. Arrow flight shouldn't be affected. Some people notice a spongy feeling on release with B50.
I have tried some different string materials, and other than B50, I can feel it in my bow elbow.
I haven't seen anything that shows prolonged life with B50 over F.F. I just like the feel.
I do not feel that you will see a lot of performance difference. Generally speaking fast-flight will add less than 10 % to your total feet per second to the arrow speed. The bow will shoot a lot quieter with B50 and quiet is important when hunting. Unless you are shooting long ranges and with sights I do not feel you will notice any difference. If shooting instinctively your brain will adapt and no difference will be seen.
If the limbs are truly designed for fast-flight string it will not harm the bow. Generally speaking it is not the limbs that fast-flight does damage to it is the limb tips.
In most cases fast-flight is a psychological thing. If the shooters we in an blind shooting situation, that is shooting the same bow with an unknown string material they would not shoot any better.
So the real question is will fast-flight string make you shoot better?
If you want maximum performance while shooting any given type of string material shoot the lowest brace height that your bow will shoot. Start with a high brace height shoot the arrows that you normally shoot and keep lowering the brace height till the bow starts making more noise. That will tell you the lowest brace height that you can shoot on that bow. If you were shooting too high of brace height you will find that you have increased what you lost with the string change.
Don't know what happened to the last part of my post.
Generally speaking shooting fast-flight string is a psychological thing, I feel that if most people were in a blind test shooting the same bow with or without fast-flight their shooting would not improve.
The real question is will shooting fast-flight string make you a better shooter?
Really depends on the bow. I have two recurves one being a Toelke the other my Zipper that absolutely hate having a B55 string on them, when I slip on a D97 skinny, the bows simply shoots much better and quieter. On the reverse my Hill's work perfectly well with B50 and my Tomahawk works equally well with either choice. So try either and use what you think works best, just listen to the bow.
fastflight for me
You feel more at ease you will shoot better.
DDave
B50 on hill bows, and FF on RD bows.