Silencer Question

[mrpenguin]

I am looking for a silencer that will have minimum effect on my arrows and bow.  I currently have used Sypder Silencers and they seem to have little effect, but I've read that using the silencers with the "speed ball" will actually speed up a wheel bow.  Does this do the same for traditional equip?  Any other materials you could recommend?

[katman]

Do not know how adding anything to the string, more weight, will speed up a traditional bow.

1/2 catwhisker trimmed to one inch placed at the quarters worked best for me in my testing.

[kbetts]

This was done in a past issue of Traditional Bowhunter.  Can't remember what issue, but I believe beaver fur was at the top.

[jsweka]

I remember that article in TBM. Yep, beaver had the least effect on speed and most effect on dampening sound.  That's all I ever use.

[LAR43]

Never much worried (cared about speed) Guess If I was I'd be shootin' a wheeler. . .

Larry

[mrpenguin]

Originally posted by LAR43:
Never much worried (cared about speed) Guess If I was I'd be shootin' a wheeler. . .

Larry

I'm not so much caring about speed as effect on the tune of the bow.  I want a material that will have the least amount of effect on the bow because I am shooting a heavy spined arrow.

[pickaspot]

I always liked the looks of beaver balls, so after seeing that article in TBM I took the cat whiskers off and have been VERY pleased.

Have not shot through a chrony but did notice that my arrows showed weak after switching  :confused:  

I wound up having to shorten them ~ 1/2" (Gold Tips). That would seem to support my impression that it gave my bow a little more "umph"...and just as quiet.

Dr. J

[hawk4570]

Beaver fur is the way to go.

[Cromm]

Got to love the Beaver....

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by mrpenguin:
 

Originally posted by LAR43:
Never much worried (cared about speed) Guess If I was I'd be shootin' a wheeler. . .

Larry

I'm not so much caring about speed as effect on the tune of the bow.  I want a material that will have the least amount of effect on the bow because I am shooting a heavy spined arrow. [/b]

Nothing wrong with wanting the best performance out of your bow. All silencers will reduce the speed of your bow, some more so than others. I like making my own out of genuine wool yarn. I like to trim them down somewhat so as not to slow my bow down too much and still provide the silencing effect. They are very light weight and cause minimal performance loss.

[LBR]

Depends on how much you use.  Beaver silencers can vary in weight--some are wider, some are longer, fur can be longer or shorter, thicker or thinner,the hide thickness varies, etc.  Probably not a huge difference, but the difference in the weight of silencer materials in general isn't normally huge.  

My personal favorite is "cat whiskers".  Properly applied and tuned, I haven't found anything that works better.  Most folks I've seen don't apply them properly, and they use way too much and/or cut them way too long.

First, tie them on around the string.  This way you can move them up or down the string for tuning.  I've seen bows where moving the silencers an inch or so made a HUGE difference.

Second, more isn't better, especially if they are too long.  Long cat whiskers will make their own slapping noise.  I like them fairly thick but short.  I'll fold a 6" piece in half (or combine two 3" pieces if I want two colors), tie them on around the string, and trim them back.  I'll usually trim one piece shorter than the other--looks good, although I'm not sure that it works any better.  An inch to 1.5" is the max length, and in some cases I cut them a good bit shorter.

I love the looks of fur, but tuning is a pain in the butt, and I like to use a small amount of silencer on my string.  I also prefer a material that doesn't hold water, burrs, or scent.

It doesn't hurt that they are cheap also.  The only drawback I know of is you may want an extra set of hands available, at least until you get the hang of tying them on.

[cbCrow]

I have always made my own silencers out of wool yarn. I spray it with scotchguard ,let it dry, than just make it up and presto instant quiet. The best to use is WOOL yarn, not acrylic.        

[Straight Shootin']

I also make my own out of all natural lambs wool that I obtain locally.  Only use what is needed to obtain desired effect. Usually cut to 3/4"-1" on either side of the string. On my longbows I will usually use two sets.  Works quite well for me....

[K.Morgan]

If your not into the look, I remember the cat wiskers worked the best in a test that was done not long ago with all sliencers. I like beaver or muskrat myself.

[Ragnarok Forge]

I'm throwing in a vote for Muskrat.  Just as effective as beaver in my book, and I like the grey and brown color better than the straight brown beaver.  Otter looks like Beaver and works well.  The lighter the weight of the silencer the less it affects arrow speed.