Just received a new to me 3-piece ACS, and I can't figure out what the grip wants from me. What is the way to hold it according to its design? Low heel,or Asbell-type recurve grip?; a light touch, or a forceful grasp? Also, are considerably heavier arrow spines required than for bows of similar poundage? Are they somewhat finicky about release or spine? What is a good brace for a 62" bow? Specs on this bow are 50@28', 62".
Thanks, everybody,
Mark
Hi Mark,
Mine is 62", 52#@28". I've found (at least with my release) that if I grip it with thumb and forefinger circling the grip and just the slightest heel pressure I get the best accuracy. My wood arrows are spined 65-70# and cut 28 1/2" (I draw 28"). Heads are 160-190gr. Carbons are spined 400 or 55/75 and cut 29". They have 100gr inserts and shoot best with 145gr heads. I use a 7 1/2" brace height.
I'm finding with my other longbows(Wes Wallace, Border) that they actually like a heavier spined arrow!
Get out there and play, finding the likes and dislikes of each bow is part of the fun. Good luck!
Thanks, Terry.
I agree with the grip as TAC stated. Mine is a 60#@28" so the arrows require a little more spine. But I do like the 160gr heads. The brace height on mine is set at 7 1/4" and with 600gr arrows it is real quiet.
All of the above with a lower brace-6 3/4 works for me.
I had similar problems getting used to mine....it WILL bite your arm if you don't hang on to it. A loose, olympic style grips is not gonna do it on the ACS. I found a full hand wrap, with firm (but not white knuckled) grip works best for me.
-Rob
I kinda agree with Rob and Terry. The lighter draw weight ACS-CX's I have shot seem to slap my arm more. My 41# CX requires that I hold the bow with a light, but secure grip. I can loosen up a little more with my 45# CX and don't have any problems with the string hitting my arm.
I have a 64", 52#@28" ACS CX. I'm shooting 30.5" Axis 400s and 29" Beman MFX 500s, both with 125 gr up front. The bow shoots both arrows like darts.I don't exactly put my heel on it, in that I grip the bow with the thumb and index finger circling together, but the meaty part below my thumb is on the bow, not the centerline of my hand, which I would take to be the heel of my hand.
I just have to focus on a steady bow arm, focusing on the precise point I want to hit and getting a crisp, static release. If my release hand goes flying or dropping, the arrows follow suit! I also purpose a draw with my back muscles to get the maximum draw without over exaggerating it, if that makes sense.
Bill
I find as TAC said with the grip, but I hold a little firmer. as for arrows I'm still messing with my A&H it is 64" 54# @ 28" I'm pulling just a little over 27" Right now I'm shooting GT 3555 29" 50gr insert and 125 field point, total weight 420 gr. with a elevated rest. It chro. avg.201 ft. But I find it less forgiving with the lighter arrows as with all bows I've shot, I'm going to put a 4 arrow quiver on it to add a little more weight to bow. :thumbsup:
Thanks for all the answers guys. I'm not sure what I think of this bow yet. It sure hasn't wowed me, and it seems okay fast, not very different from my Shawnee or the Centaur I had. And with those, I could get great flight with all kinds of arrows. Not with this puppy, though. I'll give it some time, though.
I do like how quiet it is, though. Very nice.
Mark
I talked with Larry Hanify at A&H today about an order. While I had him on the phone I asked him about gripping the ACS. He said he grips it with light pressure and a medium high wrist position. The meat at the base of his thumb just rests on the riser. He said if he gets sloppy it will "bite" him and remind him to concentrate. He likes 250gr up front with GT arrows. As I recall he was using 200gr heads and 50gr inserts. I noticed when shooting it today that the way I hold it makes a huge difference in the arrow flight and my accuracy. When I went to a medium high wrist, index and thumb wrapped around and touching the arrows flew like darts. I got "in the zone" at one point. Wherever I pointed the arrow that was where it went! Fun! Now I just have to do this 1000 times so I can get my muscle-memory locked in.
Thanks, snag.
I need to settle back. Take it easy with this thing. I'm starting to hate the grip. It reminds me of a little dinky compound grip. Maybe my hands are too big for it. Man is it finicky. Wish I could get a riser with a better grip, but i guess their philosophy is one size fits all. Sorry, just venting a bit. High hopes are being dashed on the rocks of reality.
I must be doing something wrong. If I hold mine tight, I get some wicked arm slap. If I hold it loosely with my thumb and index finger, I don't get as much slap. Mine is 54# @28"
I was holding it like a longbow and would get arm slap too. Then I turned my hand around to the left (I am right-handed) and no more slap. This coupled with the medium high wrist and it really helped me. Also, I am going to put some wrap on the grip so my hand stays in place. It's made by LimbSaver. Suppose to go on without any adhesive and stay on...? I am hoping it helps me to consciencely think of placing my hand in the same way each time I hold it and keep it there throughout the shot.
I put a leather grip on it and it really solved that "too thin" feeling....snag is right as well....if you bury too much wrist inside of the center line (string line) as many do with more "standard" longbows, the thing will bite you hard enough that you won't want to wear your watch for a couple days. This bow definitely wants a much more recurve style hold and needs even pressure from the web of the thumb to the last point of contact on your heel. My $.02 FWIW
-ROb
Being "finicky" might have just as much to do with the cut-past-center window, as it does with your grip. Do you have the sideplate built-out at all, or just some thin calf-hair or whatever for sideplate? Are you using small diameter carbon arrows?
Unrelated question - how are you guys getting that CX limb "tink sound" dulled down? I can't seem to get rid of it to my satisfaction without using too much wool string silencer... which invariably creates too much reverberation in the string follow. I was thinking about tearing apart a bungee cord and using the very thin strands of rubber bands in that. Brace height is at 7-1/4" and I'm shooting 11 gpp carbons at 40 lbs.
I love this bow's performance and how it shoots for me, but the carbon tink is driving me nutz! I've never had this problem with recurves, MM silencers took care of the problem.... but of course they weren't CX limbs either.
Piney,
I'm shooting 8.1 gr/pdf and 8.4 gr/pdf carbon arrows and I don't hear the "tink sound" in my CX limbs. I heard it very definitively in the ACS one piece bows I owned that were pre-CX. The ACS CX is very quiet, and the window is built out about 1/8" and the carbons I'm shooting are Axis 400s and MFX 500s. They will both be footed with 2" of 2020 XX75 shafting to reinforce the wall of the arrows at the tips.
Bill
I had a missed wieght bow for a short time and besides shootin a heavier arrow seemingly as fast as a light one the main thing I noticed is that I never once hit my arm.I typically have issue's with this with other bows and don't wear an armguard so that I know when it hit's
Piney,did ya try the small limbsavers just above the fad outs but not out onto the limb much??I did that with my Hatfield and it was really noticable in terms of quieting the bow down.
As for being "wow'd" maybe early on when I shot a few but the sour taste of waiting isn't likely to "wow" me at all when I finally do get mine.It may or may not stay parked at my house.
Good luck and enjoy your new toy
I built out the side plate, and arrow flight has improved. Pinelander, good idea about the bungee cord. I'll have to give that a try. I'll have some time this weekend to shoot and such, so that's what I'll do. This thing is wicked fast, though. That is kind of fun!
Mark
LOL, I just cut an old bungee cord apart.... BIG rubber bands in there. I guess I need to get one of those little whimpy bungeee cords, to go along with my little whimpy ACS-CX, lol.
Small limbsavers, well.... that's an idea.
Bill, turn your hearing aid up. :D
Limbsavers will do it for you, Piney. That was the first, although admittedly familiar, noise I noted upon shooting mine the first time. I call it the "carbon tone". Limbsavers eat it pretty well.
Go to your local GOOD fishing tackle house and buy some funky colored spinnerbait skirting and use that for silencers....much cooler colors and they're pretty darn thin.
-Rob
Piney, just buy some catwhiskers and attach them with tiny zip ties, you can use tweo et together and you should be good to go. Shawn
QuoteOriginally posted by Pinelander:
Bill, turn your hearing aid up. :D
Piney,
Back when I had the four or five 1-piece ACS longbows, pre CX, I didn't have hearing aids and could definitely hear the plooop of the limbs every time I shot. I now have hearing aids and I can hear everything with my top program. That is the program I use when hunting and when shooting. I don't hear any noise out of the CX with the hearing aids.
I do have to say I was shooting today at the Archery Shop and a friend of mine was shooting with me. He heard a couple of shots and he said what's wrong with your bow? It doesn't make noise like that!
It turns out I was standing aligned with a holder with some wood arrows in it and my bottom limb was hitting the tops of the arrows upon release. I moved the arrows aside, shot again and the CX was back to shooting as quiet as ever. Bob said "That's better, that's what I'm used to hearing, nothing!"
Bill
I might add that I had a great day shooting today, in balance. I was spraying all over the target a bit and then Budro, the owner of the Shop, came over and gave me some pointers. Before I knew it I was back to shooting tight groups in the center of the kill zone on a deer target at 20 yards. I should note that I would have an occasional flier when I dropped my bow arm or plucked the string. But when I maintain a rock solid bow arm and get a static release, I get the tight groups.
I guess I should also add that I installed a DAS SRF sight along with the adhesive backed bracket on my CX today. It makes a world of difference. I was using the same portion of the sight for aiming at 10 and 20 yards and was hitting my aim point. Next week I'll go outside and check it at 15 and 25 yards and see what kind of adjustments I have to make.
Bill
I have an update, for those interested. I took the advice given and built out the side plate even more. Had to go out almost a 1/4" to get good arrow flight (with the arrows I have available). But I was getting GREAT flight, and hitting what I was shooting at (I guess I need stiffer arrows!). I have to be carefful about dropping my bow arm, too, but when I hold steady, she sure shoots good.
Pinelander, I can hear a low "thrum" from the bow, as far as noise, but I can't imagine it being much quieter without be silent. I have cat whiskers on it, and the string material is TS-1 plus, I believe. The quietest string material I have found.
Thanks, all!
Mark
How did you build the side plate out?
Layers of velcro. rolled one into a tube, and stuck it to the existing rest with another piece. Not sure how long it will last, but was good for testing puposes.
I'm shooting a bit over 13 gpp and brace at 6 3/4. Sidewall is built out about 1/8. I do get a slight 'thrummmm' characteristic of R/D; but nothing more. I don't shoot past 25 yards so shaft weight is not an issue. I did notice that if I drop my bow arm the shot always wanders to the right. I am a rightie. This is pretty much the only bow I shoot, everything else is on the rack. One thing I hate about the ACS is now all my other wonderful bows aren't worth a sore behind.
I'll give you a dollar for all of them so they don't disturb you any further Bjorn. No sense in letting them just rot away. :bigsmyl:
Wow! Talk about the midnight oil Dave. Thought you'd be sawing logs after a hard opening day.
Bjorn
I saw some pics of your ACS on some of the other threads. Where did you get the snakeskin done? It looks great, much better than the black carbon with the orange-peel finish.
Thank you MRD; those are the vinyl Skin eez coated with the dullest varnish I could find; they are removable and have zero effect on performance.