Silencing a Pitsley Predator

[OldCoacher6]

I was very lucky and purchased a used Predator on the auction site for a great price.  It came in the mail today and she shoots great.  However, it is a little on the noisy side for me.  i have tried the recommended brace height and higher and it is still a little nosiy.  It does have a FF string.  I am shooting a 2018 out of it.  Which is pretty heavy.  Any sugggestions?  Thanks in advance.  I'll try to post pics later.

[bowdude]

Mine are fine with limbsavers, B50 and rubber silencers.  Old or new style Predator?

[OldCoacher6]

I think it is a new style Predator.  Macasser Ebony and Bubinga riser.  Zebra Wood limbs.  Serial number is 101706-01

[OldCoacher6]

Here is a pic of the riser

 

[JOKER]

I shot one at the wheeling expo. They are some realy nice shooting bows.    Steve

[JRY309]

My buddy just picked up a stock Predator and it shoots sweet.I made him up a padded loop D97 and added bow hush with whoolie puffs,it is very quiet.Give bow hush and hush puppies a try,great products.

[joe vt]

Can't help you with a recommendation except throw a Dacron string on it.

And that sure is a pretty looking riser. I tried contacting the seller on another site and he never replied.

Do you know the woods? Looks like Ebony and Bubinga. When you get around to it, take some more pics and share them with us.

[George D. Stout]

Put on a 57", 14 strand dacron string and twist it to fit.  You will have to twist it more than an AMO string (56") but it will keep it from stretching as easy and will quiet the bow.  I use just one set of Wooly Whispers to get my bows hunting quiet.

[TexMex]

The best advice I can give is

send it to me and you will never hear it again  

[Bonebuster]

I have shot predator bows for ten years now, and found that padding the string loops, and just about any of the common string silencers to be more than adequate to quiet them down. I will add that I`m very picky, and my bow MUST shoot quietly. Bow hush products are very good, and in a short time they have developed a big following for good reason.

I make my own strings, and made a few dacron strings to try out. The newer string materials are much more durable, and stretch much less. Dacron will work, but I much prefer D-97.

Never tried limbsavers. I`m sure if you are still getting more noise than you care for, that these would help.

I keep my arrow weight up to and slightly over ten grains per pound. My bow produces a deadly, silent "thump" at release, and there is no reason your bow won`t do the same.

My Predator(s) make me look like a better shooter than I really am. If that bow comes to fit your style like mine does me, you will not believe how deadly you will be while hunting.

Congratulations on your purchase. It`s a beauty!

[mikecc]

Good luck, I had one for a year and even with a Mountain Muffler string mine was the noisiest recurve I had ever shot. I personally think they're a little noisier than most recurves because the limbtips are really thin and fairly narrow which helps with speed but makes the tip vibrate and cause noise at the shot. Have someone shoot your bow while you stand at the side and watch the limbtip. Next shoot a thicker limbed recurve like a Bob Lee and you won't see that vibration in the tips. If your dead set to keep the bow do all the above mentioned stuff. I've found only a few recurves that are pretty quiet with almost no silencers.

[JimmyC]

I just shot a Predator at Cabela's with the stock D-97 string.  It was very quiet and there were no string silencers on it.  I even stood next to the sales rep while he shot it so I could listen for any annoying sounds, again real quiet.  

I'd try a TS-1 string or B-50.  I never have a problem getting a curve to go silent with B-50.  Just be sure to start at the low end of the brace height (with nothing attached to the string/padding on limb other than the nock point)and work your way up, once you find the point of minimal sound from the string slap on the limb and overall vibration (not so much the vibration of the string post shot) for your shooting style, make note of it and then tie on a rubber "cat whisker" top and bottom.  Most of my bows function great with only half a strip of rubber cat whiskers.  If I have to add more than that, something isn't quite right.

Only other thought is that sometimes you hear a smack sound from an overly stiff arrow (overspined arrow)hitting the side of the riser upon release.  Been there and done that too! It can certainly confuse the issue.

Good luck,

Jim

[BowsnLabs]

Like JimmyC says, I also shot one at Cabela's once and thought it shot very quiet with no string silencers on it.  I was impressed with the way it shot - very smooth.  Might be your string on that one.  Good luck.

[SERGIO VENNERI]

Ron; I own 4 Predators  a one piece and 3 TD's and they are all absolutely quiet with '97 strings and actually one of the easiest recurves to quiet down. Don't know what the problem with yours is, but i'm sure it's something simple. Heres a few things to try:
(1) Make sure you have gaskets between the limbs and riser.
(2) Brace height, mine shoot quiet at 71/4"
(3) Change the string in case there is a broken strand under the center serving, this causes noise and inconsistent shooting.
(4) simple silencers such as catwhiskers installed between 71/2 and 8" lower than the string contact point.
(5) wrong arrow spine, usually overspined causing the arrow to strike the sight window.
(6) Too light an arrow.
Don't give up , these are awesome shooting Bows.

Hope this helps.
          Sergio

[OldCoacher6]

Thanks for your help and suggestions.   I absolutely love this bow and it is one that I have dreamed of owning for a very long time.  i was very lucky to pick it up for what i consider a song.  I have not had an opportunity to shoot it as much as i would like yet, but it has some vibration in the limbs that I can't seem to get rid of.  It does have a FF string and i am considering trying D97 or B50.  It is 51# @ 28 and i draw 26".  i have been shooting 2018 cut to 28" with 145 grain tips.  Does that sound too stiff?  I have shot a few 28.5" 2115 w/ 160 grain tips and they shoot very well also, but just as noisy.  I have had the brace height set from 7 3/4 to 8 1/2.

[Abel]

Yes, that sounds like you are overspined a bit. You may want to consider a 1916 since you are only getting 45# out of her.

Your Predator is one of Rons new ones. I recommend contacting Ron and seeing if the bow is tillered for split finger or three under. Shooting a bow three under if it is tillered for split finger (or reverse) could cause noise/vibration.

There are several things you can do to quiet a bow. Here are the five things that I do:

1. Change the string. You can change to the same material or B50, but change the string! Make sure your arrow nocks are not too tight to the string. You should be able to bump an arrow off with light pressure once its snaped onto your string. If you find yourself applying multiple pounds of pressure to push the arrow off the string, its too tight. Sand the throats down with a metal fingernail file.

2. Install the regular size brush buttons. These keep twigs and junk from getting jammed between the string and the limbtip. They also reduce vibration in that area of the limb. 3Rivers has'em

3. Put a pair of mini-limbsavers on at the fadeouts. The are small/low profile but plenty big enough to reduce vibration in a traditional bow.

4. Use fur of otter or beaver on the string. Rubber silencers slap around and make more noise. Wooly-whispers are good too, but I like fur mainly because I've had great success with it and it looks good.

5. As a last resort, I'll apply some felt padding at the areas where the limb touches the string. I hate for it to be too thick, so I use camo felt like you might put on a compound bow's arrow shelf to quiet down arrows falling off the rest.

[SERGIO VENNERI]

Ron;
   I would go with a softer spine arrow to start with. You are definitely way overspined for your draw weight. I think this will cure your problem. Whatever you do, do not make a bunch of changes at the same time!