Just curious if any of you actually prefer strings made of B-50 to those made of "fast flight" type material.
If so, will you say why?
Thanks in advance, Skychief
No, give me an 8-10 strand ff type string, and I'm good to go.
I haven't found any advantages to skinny strings but I do prefer HMPE ma:terials.
I mainly shoot older bows and use b50 strings. The older bows were made for the non-fastflight strings and even though some use them padded on older bows. I don't feel the gain in speed is worth using the FF. Just a personal thing.
I use FF on most of my bows, but recently I got a B50 string for my Lone Wolf Kayapo. I really like the feel of the string, and have now ordered a B50 string to try on a Border Griffon. Plenty of speed with that bow, and I am curious to see if the B-50 will give a softer feel to the shot.
I would not say I prefer FF over B-50.I use mostly FF type strings.
But I have had some bows that shot sweeter and softer,felt better and were more quiet with B-50 or B-55.I usually use a 12 strand in B-50.
Most bows I have had were better with FF style strings.But not all!
Nope
I prefer the price of B50 endless loop strings, But I have nothing against other types of string material. I have used various types of strings. Ringing the last few FPS out of my bow doesn't really interest me. If a bow is quiet, I don't care what kind of string it has. That's just my preference. If you enjoy pushing your bows performance to the max,go for it. If we all liked the same things we wouldn't have much to talk about.
Anything but B50. Send it to me, I'll burn it for free :D
I shoot B-50 strings on my older Bows, but in Flemish twist style. The endless loop strings feel kind of "trampoline ish" to me....renember, the B-50 dacron what's considered a somewhat radical step when going to from the older linen strings. it is a good string material...
Forgot to say, but I shoot the fast flight skinny strings on my newer bows.
I still use B50/B55 on most of my recurves, I just prefer it. Longbows get high performance stuff though.
I let my bow decide what type string it gets. Some shoot/feel/sound better with B-50, others with FF.
I'm a B-50 or B-55 shooter. The few strings I've had made from more modern materials didn't seem to do anything special and, in some cases, were a lot louder.
Besides, I make my own strings and I just can't plunk down the cash for D-97 when I can buy two or three spools of B-50 for the same price.
Darren
Not all FF material is created equal. I Never had a bow that didn't improve with a D10 string from Pierre. The difference B50/55 and D10 on a Hill bow is like night and day. Recurves not so much but always an improvement however slight.
Depends on the bow, most of my Schafers are B50 only. I did have one that was ok for ff but it had some handshock and was loud no matter what I did, put a B55 on it and it was perfect. My new Huntsman is ff ok, has a D97 on it right now but I do not like the feel of it, ordered a couple of Rhino strings from Allen and when they get here one will go on it, should improve the feel and quiet the bow up.
I can say that I can tell no difference in the B55 or modern string material on my Schafers as far as speed and such.
I've used B-50 on every bow I've built over the years and have no plans to change. I have a few bows with FF type strings but have never made a string with FF type material.
I'm a B-50 or B-55 guy. Lately I have been fooling around with FF on bows that it is ok to do so. I'm torn..... I can see the benefit of FF/Skinny string but yet Dacron still seem to get the job done.......B-50/B/55 seems ALWAYS to be more silent for me......but I know guys that shoot FF and the bow is silent. The speed factor means nothing to me......2-4 FPS is a non factor at 12-20 yards when hunting. To me silence is more important.
With heavier bows, Dacron will whack my wrist hard even with the brace height approaching too high for the bow. I find the skinny strings make for a quieter bow with less hand shock. So count me firmly in the low stretch camp.
Darcy :campfire:
I run B-50 on everything. Have never seen a need to change over to the new stuff. All new bows that I buy get B-50. It works for me.
Hap
I have never noticed a difference in hand shock with Dacron or FF.......But I'm not real sensitive to hand shock anyway. I have friends that won't shoot my Hill or Hill style longbows because of the handshock.......I feel nothing. And changing the string does nothing to change that for me.
B-50
B-50 here.....Ive seen no real improvement on my bows with FF and I have 8 different spools/colors of B50 so I have enough to last a lifetime and my daughter can still sell spools at the auction..........YMMV
B55....it's cheaper than FF and easy to work with. The arrows or my skills don't know the difference. A good hit is a good hit. A miss is a miss, and sometimes a bad hit. :(
B-50 for me. I have tried FF strings from a well known vendor on this sight, but I just don't like the feel.
The noise factor isn't a factor for me. I think you can quiet most bows down with a little work regardless of the string material.
To each their own.
QuoteOriginally posted by Bud B.:
B55....it's cheaper that FF and easy to work with. The arrows or my skills don't know the difference. A good hit is a good hit. A miss is a miss, and sometimes a bad hit. :(
:biglaugh: That says it all for me also.....
Dacron has a lower tone at the shot. Skinnies need string silencers to get there... Once your b50 has "stretched in" it is pretty stable.
Can't use FF on any of my bows. One probably still needs its strings made of silk. Course that's the price you pay for using a horn bow. Glad to pay it.
swampthing......I agree about the tone or pitch. FF has a higher pitch than Dacron. Which may explain why I think it's louder. It's interesting to hear everyone's thoughts.
I shoot Dacron on my bows. It has it's shortcomings, mostly stretch, but I prefer it because:
1. Very quiet
2. Softer feel
3. 60#@ 29" it's plenty fast enough
4. With a 14 strand my wood arrow nocks fit perfect
5. About one third the price
6. Seems easier to work with
7. Easier on the bow
8. No need to pad the loops
9. Very quiet ( worth mentioning again)
B50 for me. Easier on the fingers than skinny strings and generally quieter.When I buy a used bow I always order a B50 flemish string, usually before I receive the bow.
I never did get used to the "doink" sound when shooting FF. I prefer the B-50 "thud".
I use what works the best on the bow. I own a medium r/d bow that really shines with FF. Other bows I own shoot better and feel better on the shot when stringing them with FF.I find that certain bows like differing string materials AND HELP " TUNE " THE BOW WHERE I LIKE IT. Dacron is one such material for that purpose. Self bows and recurves always get Dacron.
I've tried both and it seems to depnd on the type of bow, but on all my d/r longbows it's FF hands down. I notice a faster and quieter arrow. I use 8 strand strings from SBD currently.
B-50 for me. I am going to have some built out of B-55. Sounds like very little difference. I have tried lots of different strings and return to B-50 for its feel, forgiveness, and softness of shot.
i have some bows with B-50. i have changed some of them over to the higher performance stuff. i have yet to see any one type that has opened my eyes enough to forget the B-50. i like it all
I shoot B-50 on all my older bows. But the newer ones, I prefer D-97. Don't really care if it's faster or not, I just like the "feel" better.
I am not a fan of B50 or B55,the only bows I have dacron on are a couple of older vintage recurves and I prefer to spin up and endless loop string for them.Everything else I use some form of a low stretch material.Just don't care for the feel of dacron.I have been making my own strings for as long as I've been shooting traditional for around 20 years.First thing I learned to do was to twist up my own strings.I use D97,8125,8190,450+,Angel Majesty and Ultra Cam and have no problem making them quiet.I don't shoot a FF type string for any performance increase.For me the bow just feels more solid and not springy.
FF strings on all my longbows, once I make a string I stretch it out before I put it on a bow and my brace height never changes can't say that about Dacron. I have been using 16 strands of 452x and hope they never quit making that stuff!
B50 for me. Have tried ff materials over the year. They've always seem a bit too loud and twangy for my likes. The few fps gain just isn't worth it to me.
I have shot B50, D97, 450+ and a couple others I am sure I was not aware of their material name.
First...I dont like the feel of the skinny strings on my bows...I know it can be fixed with double serving but dont feel the effort is worth it.
Secondly....I dont like my nocks to be that loose due to the diameter of string and serving. Yes I know I can double serve as well...or heat my nocks and squeeze together....but why mess with it when I can get great nock fit on my 11/32 and 23/64 shafts with B50 and standard serving?
Third...I dont see a performance gain worth it to be truthful. I am not a speed chaser...wanting to get every foot per second out of my equipment. I want good arrow flight (if I have a good release)...an arrow that hits with some authority and a bow that can transfer the energy properly. 2-4fps does nothing for me at my shots of 20yds and less...
Lastly...I know a lot of people shoot it on their bows no matter manufacture date or style...with both regular and also padded loops. I am not willing to risk damage with unpadded loops of no stretch material....and I am also not willing to pad the loops to make it safe. My whole idea in traditional and primitive equipment is to be LESS ENCUMBERED with tech and modifications...it goes against my style.
I shot a lot of 450+ on my Habu and D97 on my Robertson recurves....but day in and day out I am more than satisfied with the B50. Once shot in and settled...I dont find it to change signficantly when unbraced to braced position...a few pulls or a couple practice shots and it is back to brace height I desire. 14 strands with serving fits my snap on nocks almost perfect...
I think the only way I would shoot D97 all the time is if I made all my strings 14 strand just like I do with B50....but all I am gaining is low to no stretch....with keeping the same size string...so is the cost worth it for an inch of stretch/settling????
When my current rolls of B50 are gone I will buy some B55....less stretch than B50...which in my mind will make it nearly perfect for my uses and that of many others. Characteristics of B50 without the large (relatively speaking) settling and stretch immediately after construction.
Thanks but will stick with B50 and move to try some B55 when I need more material.
Depends on the bow I give them what they want.
I've tried every type of FF and was never happy with any of them for a hunting setup because I couldn't get them quiet enough. With B50 I gave up a little performance but I had a silent bow. Tried the new B55 in an endless loop and now have the best of both worlds: performance of a FF and silence of the B50 flemish.
I have come to the conclusion that 8-strand skinny FF strings are the ticket-- I have been able to quiet down (and speed up but that's not as important) a number of bows which stubbornly remained noisy with 16-strand strings. Don't see an upside to B50 on a modern bow aside from cost.
I shoot D-10 on all my bows - modern - vintage-primitive - mostly make 16 strand strings - a few skinny strings....that seems to quiet some of my recurves down...
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Glenn
I shot B-50 for more than 40 years because theta's all there was, and it worked fine. However, the low stretch materials today are superior to B-50. They're faster, reduce hand shock, and , in most instances, quieter. I don't build particularly skinny strings, usually stick with 12 strands of D-97 for bows in the 50-60# range.
QuoteOriginally posted by ksbowman:
I mainly shoot older bows and use b50 strings. The older bows were made for the non-fastflight strings and even though some use them padded on older bows. I don't feel the gain in speed is worth using the FF. Just a personal thing.
That for me as well.
Just want to emphasize that, for a great many of us, HMPE ("Fast Flight") materials aren't about gaining a few fps. The advantages are: increased durability, reduced stretch, reduced creep, increased stability, reduced hand shock, etc.
I'd use HMPE materials if they were a little slower than polyester due to these benefits.
For some bows, inversely, those characteristics are lethal. For example, I own a horn composite bow (thanks scars!) and per all builders, but quoting Adam Karpowicz in his book "Ottoman Turkish Bows, manufacture and design
" using FF strings destroys both the nock ends as well as can cause delamination. He tried every permutation, only to end up losing bows, no matter if they were reinforced with rawhide, sinew, horn, or whatever. While many who have contributed know about this property, I'm sure someone will have need of it.
I wish I could use FF materials, but my nocks are tiny and would be cut through almost immediately. B50 or silk are my only good choices.
The advantages over B-50 and B-55 goes WAY beyond speed. And if dacron is all you've used and all you'll ever use and everything else is overpriced and just hype, then you'll never know the difference. Keep doing what works for you.
I use to be hardcore Dacron or nothing, but I tried D-10 and saw my error and never looked back,. INFACT, since switching to D-10 on the bows I make, I've spent less on string material. I don't have to use as much D-10 as I do B-50/55.
I had a long bow made for me 5 years ago and the bowyer supplied a FF endless loop skinny string. In my opinion, that bow has never been hunting quiet-there was a high pitched vibration at the shot. I've tried various string silencers, heavy arrows, very heavy arrows (800 gr out of 57#'s), adjusted brace height, nothing would quiet it down. I put a B-50 string on it and it is virtually silent, a barely audible whisper. I may hunt with it now.
I have other bows with FF strings and they are very quiet. I think it depends on the bow. If you have a noisy bow shooting FF and nothing will quiet it down, try B-50.
My bow was the last one this bowyer made so there was no opportunity to discuss it with him.
Continuous loop strings are louder no matter what the material is.