Ok I had an 8 strand d97 string on a bow tuned well and decided to make a 12 strand. Both flemish and padded to 16. The only difference was the 8 strand had 2 cat whisker silencers cut in half placed on the 1/4 marks. The 12 strand showed weak arrow. So weak I missed the 20" target at 15 yards. I always thought an 8 strand was supposed to show a weaker arrow. Can 2 very small string silencers make that much difference? The bow is a Fox RC 48#@28" Some of you smart guys chime in please.

Found that out myself.  My original string I have for my Kimsha longbow shoots much different from my 8 strand from Oliverstacy.  Can't even shoot the same arrow.

They sure can. More dramatic effect if your tune was a little on the weak side to begin with. You can fine tune an arrow by either trimming silencers(lightening them) or slightly adjusting there position on the string. So they make a difference.

A full 6" of cat whisker silencer weighs a whopping 38 grains.  By the time you tie it on, trim it back...you might add 20-25 grains to the string (10-12.5 grains in two different spots)--I cut half or more of mine off when I trim them back.  You'll generally add that much or more building up the center serving on a skinny string (extra strands, double serving), and to a point on the string that is much more critical.

The 4 extra strands in the 12 strand string will weigh about the same as the cat whiskers, or a little more.  Can you weigh the two strings to compare?

Based on that (I just weighed all this on my grain scale), there's no way the silencers are the culprit.  Even without silencers on the 8 strand, it's not going to make anywhere near a 10" difference in your point of impact (assuming you were aiming at the center of the target) at 15 yds--maybe at 100 yds, but not enough to notice at 15.  

I've swapped around with several differnt types and diameters of strings on my personal longbow--from 12 strands of 8190 (TINY string--about the same as 8 strands of 8125, or 6 strands of Dynaflight '97) up to 14 strands of Dynaflight '97.  I don't have to swap arrows, point weight, etc.--it shoots just fine (according to my tournament scores at least).

Very few people shoot accurately enough to shoot the difference in strings that differ by a few strands.  There might be a very sensitive bow here and there that shows the difference more than others...but that bow will be sensitive to most anything...arrow spine, release, silencer placement, etc.

'Course if you have decided in the back of your mind there's going to be a big difference before you release the first arrow, then you'll probably see a big difference regardless.    

thanks guys. Thats why I love this site. I wil weigh the 2 strings tonight. I have a very accurate scale. I will let ya know. I tear the silencers length wise then fold in fourths and tie on.

QuoteYou can fine tune an arrow by either trimming silencers(lightening them) or slightly adjusting there position on the string.

Thats cool. Does anybody know what happens when you move the silencers up vs what happens when you move them down? As far as the arrow showing stiffer or weaker?

for example: the closer you move the silencers to the nock point, the stiffer the arrow shows in bareshafting.

  :confused:

The closer to the center of the string, the more the weight will affect performance.

That's interesting. I have never seen the big spine jump in arrows some people have when switching to a skinny string over a thicker one. I have seen a bit of speed difference in my bows though. I personally like a 16 strand fast flight string best. It gives me perfect nock fit, good speed, and because it will hold so much weight I can afford to have a few strands cut if I am on a hunting trip.

Ok here is what I found out. The 8 strand with the silencers weighed 114.88 grains and the 12 strand w/o silencers weighed 97.32 grains. 12 strand has .024 halo serving 6" long. The 8 strand has Brownell #4 6" long wrapped twice for 4" for good nock fit. The silencers are only 1" in diameter. I then put wool silencers on the 12 strand and it weighed 142.45 and had good arrow flight. 20 windings of wool weighed 22.56 grains each. Thats amazing. What happens when the wool gets wet. By the way my shooting leaves much to be desired. Could chrono I guess.

Also make sure your serving sizes are right. If one is a little thicker, it'll screw up your tuning.

The amount of wax on the string could account for that much weight difference--not enough to matter.

If I silencer gets wet, you can pluck the string to remove most of the moisture.  Shouldn't affect arrow flight, but might spray your face a bit.

gotta be my form I guess. I didnt think it should make that much difference. Thanks everyone. You are a great help and a tremendous source of knowledge.

QuoteWhat happens when the wool gets wet?  

It Looks like a drowned rat, and weighs a lot more than cat whiskers...    

I don't know anything about the differences and how they might affect arrow flight, but the first question that popped into my head was nock fit.  Did you change the serving size to keep nock fit the same between both strings?  Seems likr that could make a difference.

Good one KirkII. Yes I changed serving for nock fit. Hey Whip I think you used to own the bow I am talking about. 64" Fox RC 48@28. I got it shooting good with both strings. I just could not believe such small changes could make that big of a difference.

Being an Oregon boy here i ran the gauntlet with different silencers in wet weather. the ones that really look like dead rats in the rain are beaver balls.  

Good post, learned a couple of things here.