B50... why on earth do you guys use it?

[toomanyknots]

...How on earth can you stand to use it?  It's like stringing a bow with a big heavy piece of rubber. Like a bike innertube or something. I am almost offended someone would sell me this stuff as bowstring material,  . Now I know b50 is widely popular, but am I insane or something, and just spoiled with linen? Do you guys not notice the drastic increase in handshock? Do yall really wanna make a beautiful brand new bow, that we can all attest to how much time and work can go into a handmade wooden bow from harvest to shooting, and then string with a big heavy rubber b50 string, thats gonna take more effort than it should to string, feel like the bows limbs aren't even bending when you draw it from it stretching so much, and shoot like... well, you know.  I just don't see the point... just had to get this off my chest, feel free to let me have it,  .

[Eric Krewson]

Couple of things; a properly made B-50 sting won't be as stretchy as you indicate, might take a look at the way you make strings. If you make them too long with too many strands and twist them up a bunch to take up the slack they will be just like you described. 15 twists is about right for a B-50 string, any more and you are too long and have a lot of performance robbing extra string material.

I use 12 strands of B-50 on my bows when I use B-50, not exactly a "big, heavy" string.

A safe bow string should be 6 times the bows draw weight, at 45# breaking strength per strand even a 12 strand B-50 string is a bit of over kill for my 50-60# bows with a breaking strength of over  500#.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Way too much stretch and finaggling for me. I have used fast flight for the last 100 strings I have made.  My decision to switch wasnt out of haste, Ive been making strings for almost 15 years.

[adb]

I've also gone pretty much to FF strings as well. Brace height stays much more consitent. I use FF exclusively on heavier weight bows above 50#. With my warbows, I can't even brace them with B50. Down side (there always is)... much more expensive. A 1/4# spool of B50 is about $10, a 1/4# spool of FF is about $40.

[bcbull]

knots  i gotta beg to differ on ur handshock commet  it s a proven fact fast flight does produce much more hand shock  you very well may get less streatch and more speed with ff but usally a bow thats loud will quite right down when swiched ove to b 50 i use both theres no one cure for all brock

[turtle]

When i first started making bows i ordered the cheapest string material i could find whitch happened to be b50. When i ran out i ordered more. Last time i ordered string material i ordered b55 at basicly the same price and it is suppossed to have less stretch and be faster. I honestly cant tell any difference in performance between the two. That being said i have never tried linen or any of the fast flights. I have been thinking about buying some fast flight but have a hard time getting myself to sink the extra money into it when i have never shot a bow with it to see if i even like it. I am planning on growing some flax this year and making a string from it just for fun but i have no experience with it either. So i guess my reason for using b50 and b55 is because its what i have and what i always used. Maybe if i try something else i will find out what i have been missing, but untill then i will cotinue on as always.

Unless of course you want to send me something else to try.

[PEARL DRUMS]

When some people shoot my bows and ask what I make strings from, they all say the same thing. "I gotta get some fast flight, that thing is quiet!". In my opinion loud bows arent tillered well, have too light of an arrow or the handle is designed poorly. B50 strings can be quiet, but on an already quiet bow a FF string will be even better.

turtle - look at it this way. A spool of B50 is 8-9 bucks, a spool of D97 is 18 bucks. Is that 10 bucks a year gonna matter that much? Try it buddy and you wont look back.

[Pat B]

I've used B-50 exclusively for almost 30 years and never had a complaint. I've not noticed excessive stretch, not much change in brace height and have never had a string break. I use 14 strands for bows of 45# up to 65#. Any hand shock I've gotten in my bows was because of too much tip weight(reduction has changed that).

[PEARL DRUMS]

Well then Pat, looks like I need to shoot one of your bows this spring. I will complain either way just so cant say nobody ever has!

[bcbull]

i agree with ya pat  iv had bow s with 1/4 tip s quite as can be and seen half in tips bang like a drum haha all come s down to how it s bulit  brock

[Stefan]

I use B-50 and in my opinion it aint that bad as long as you dont make a flemish bowstring out of it.

Maybe I should make a fastflight bowstring for the bow I am currently shooting and compare

I always make bowsting on a jig that is meant for bowstrings for modern recurves (dont know the proper term in english)

If you guys use fastflight do you make a flemish bowstring?

[Jodocus]

I use 8 strands of b50 on my 50 pounders and did not experience a fail yet.

However I kind of resent the idea of putting plastic on my bows. I also find it disappointing that the dye comes off so easily with some colours.

I would love to try linen, but I have no clue where to get any. I dont really like yarning too much and also have no wheel, so it should come in treads already. Any ideas?

[Pat B]

I use only Flemmish twist strings.
  Pearlie, you are welcome to shoot any of my bows. I like having others critique my work. It helps me improve, if I think improvement is needed. 
  I'm not looking for high performance bows. If I were I'd be shooting FG bows or those other things. For what I want a bow for mine do just fine. I rarely shoot over 30 yards and my arrows are at least 10gpp with pretty heavy weight forward(cane and hardwood shoot arrows). For hunting situations they work perfectly; quiet and go where I'm looking with good cast to get the job done.

[dbb]

I would love to try linen, but I have no clue where to get any. I dont really like yarning too much and also have no wheel, so it should come in treads already. Any ideas?

Try looking for sewingthread made by linen,its usually thicker and i know some use it for strings with good result.

[Pat B]

The only time I worried about stretch in a bow string was with a 90#@30" yew war bow I built and FF was recommended by war bow folks.