bow string material choice

[bassman211]

For the last couple months I have been reducing the weight on many of my self, and backed bows , so that I can continue shooting them. In the 35 lb range, and for target shooting at my club only. Not hunting. I have one arrow combo that I like to shoot from all of these bows. Most , but not all of the bows are strung with 8, or  10 strands of B55. The bows that are strung with low stretch BCYX, 652, and D97 will bare shaft tune nicely with my arrow. Saves on me buying different spine arrows. Not so with B55 material. Just thought it might help some of you out that are in the same situation as me. Good building, and shooting.

[Pat B]

All I've ever used is B50, B55.

[Muskyman]

Not to high jack this post but.
I've got a spool of B 50 I bought probably 40 or more years ago. It seems to be okay still. I’ve used it since I started making bows and it hasn’t broken any strings. So I guess it’s still okay. Does it even have a shelf life?

[bassman211]

Pat B you are missing out on some real performance.

[Pat B]

The arrows always go where I want them to go.

[bassman211]

I under stand that Pat, but if you are shooting lower poundage bows with arrows that you like ,and  your bow won't bare shaft tune properly low stretch string can be , and usually is the answer. In stead of having to buy a weaker spine arrow to shoot with the bow the string compensates, and will suffice. I have proven this to myself with many different low poundage self bows, backed bows, and even some vintage glass bows. For  target shooting  I buy top of the line carbon arrows that are not cheap. When I hunted I used my own wooden arrows, with hand made steel ,and stone points. I am not suggesting that you do the same with your string choice, but I will say that  low stretch string will enhance the bow's performance up to 10 fps. Allowing you to shoot a heavier spined arrow which for me saves money on arrow expense.

[uwe]

Hi,
Mostly I`m using flax. I still have some Dacron, but flax is my favoutite.
Uwe

[freke]

 I like FF better than B5x as it not stretch as much and I do not need to correct string height all the time, but they can be noisy.
Recent have I made raw hide string, I am not good at it (yet) as they have come out heavy, but those stretch little as long as they are not soaked but work.   

[Selfbowman]

I argued with rick Barby for a year about B50 being quieter than D97 . I was wrong. He proved it with decibel meter. 🤠🤠D97 is also faster. It won’t cut into Osage. Pat I had 8 rolls of B50 that I gave away after buying one roll of D97. And I am tight!  Buy one roll and you will see the difference. To some of us the difference is not important. I understand. Happy string making.🤠🤠

[Pappy]

D97 for me, quieter/faster and I get less arm slap, plus usually only have to adjust the brace once, maybe twice after a lot of shooting but then it stays the same. 
 Pappy

[bassman211]

If you go through all the hard steps to build a good self bow why not use a string material that will enhance it's performance. It is just a personal choice ,but a no brainer to me.

[bentstick54]

My 1st string on my 1st Osage selfbow was B50 because that is what I had. A friend suggested I switch to D97 and since I needed to by a new spool of something I thought I would try it. That was in 2011, and that’s all I’ve used ever since then. Mostly because string stretch is not a problem.

[razorbak]

I have made tons of strings over the years and have tried EVERYTHING that has been on the market over the last 4 decades and always liked the higher performance materials and currently my personal favorite is Mercury 2 as it’s tough as nails and it doesn’t stretch like the b50/b55 which is fine for many but not for me as it’s pretty sad while watching it stretch before your eyes while sitting in a tree stand during a morning hunt. I’m sure I many fellas don’t have any issues with that but it don’t work for me. DF97 is a good material and alot cheaper than many spools out there but I find more added benifits with my current string material choice