I did some searching on here and with other search engines...looking for a strand count for a 71# Bear Kodiak.

16 strands of B-500/b-50 is good up to 80# correct?  Some sources state 60-80# and other say 50-70#.

Thanks,

Josh

Info I got when I built my string jig was 50-70 was up to 14 and 70-80 up to 18

A 16 strand dacron should work fine for a 71# bow.I have used 14 strands on my 62# Hill.I used a 18 strand(3 bundle dacron) on a 95# Bighorn longbow I had.

16 stand will work.. But to be on the safe side I would go with 18 or so..

Cody

i have used 16 strand b50 on my 69# recurve without a drama.

16 is good to 80#

Consider that the 71# Bear Kodiak you're building a string for came from the factory with an endless loop string.  Even if the strand count was 18 on the original, there were half as many strands doing the work since that's all that's in one loop.  

Are you building a flemish twist string for this bow or an endless loop?

Trap

QuoteOriginally posted by TRAP:
Consider that the 71# Bear Kodiak you're building a string for came from the factory with an endless loop string.  Even if the strand count was 18 on the original, there were half as many strands doing the work since that's all that's in one loop.  

Are you building a flemish twist string for this bow or an endless loop?

Trap

Flemish string.

Josh

I use an 18 strand; I am at 74# at my draw- the reason though that I use 18 strand is in the times I have cut my string with my broadhead; and needed the extra strands. Chit happens.

16 is plenty.

16 will work fine, I use 16 up to 80#, then go to 18 for up to 95#. Haven't made any for over that weight in quite a while!

Have shot my Kodiaks (68#, 70#, 72#) mostly with 14 strand in endless and 15 in 3 bundle flemish. More a tuning thing the a safety question for me. Would not be affraid to use 12 strands. Most strings are way stronger then needed anyways.
Top string stress is about 5x max. draw weight.
B-50 should have a breaking strength of 49# per strand.
14x 49# = 686#
devided by 5 = good for 137,2#

String beaking strenght is less then the summed up strenght of all single strands though - but the safety margin is big enough.

I have a 70lb bear take down limbs with a 20 strand dacron on it. It still stretches with that quite a bit, and it stretched 16 strands profusely. It needed to be re-braced after about every end. It doesn't take too many bracings before you don't wanted to use it anymore. The 20 works better and improved the performance. I draw it past 29 though. That is my experience anyway.

15-16 strands is what I'd use, although 14 would probably be plenty strong.  Most likely you'll have to go an inch (give or take) shorter than usual, because it's going to stretch more with that kind of draw weight.

I made a 21 strand for a bow I was pulling approx. 125# on, and I had to go way short on it due to the stretch.  I forget exactly--3 or 4 inches, I think--that was several years ago.

Chad

I don't feel too comfortable with the string stretching that much LBR. I know the performance is better with a string that can hold the weight. I've seen it. But that is just my opinion.
Lately there are some people that are using FF skinny stings with very well padded loops. One I know claims over 2000 shots with it on an old Shakespeare. If the bow has strong tips that might be the ticket. They are much quieter and faster.

Thanks all for the responses...I was worried about what LBR touched on, Dacron string stretch under the higher poundage.

I'm glad most new bows are FF rated...they just don't stretch FF strings like they would Dacron.

Josh

You don't need any more than 16 strands of B50 for your bow...just like others have already mentioned.  Happy shooting and good luck hunting!

I just checked in the post on heavyweight bear bows in the Trad/history and collecting forum and it talks about a bow being delivered from Bear archery for a elephant hunt. The bow, a Kodiak went for 102@28 and came with a 24 strand dacron string. I can't see were a 20 strand on a bow being shot at 76lb with newer design limbs is that out of line.

You gentlemen need to also consider the size of nocks on the arrows.  It's not out of align, it's overkill! Good shootin, Steve

I've always used 16-strand Dacron on my 80-pound bows. Went to 15 strands about 10 years ago for 75-pound bows. They don't break.