Give us your Favorite String Material and why!

[Knapper]

With Pearlies math on the string length per roll and the current pricing from 3Rivers I get 1.10$ per string w/ FF and .80$ a string w/ b50 per1/4 lb roll.
Knapper

[4dog]

b50--cause thats what i staryed with and im scared of change...lol.....

[H Rhodes]

Money isn't the issue for me.  It's that I keep my tackle to a bare minimum.  I am comfortable shooting a twelve or fourteen strand B-50 string without a glove or a tab.  Some of y'all that shot with me at the classic may remember that I shot with bare fingers.  I think that may be the reason that I have stayed with B-50 - my fingers have become accustomed to it.  I don't doubt that the FF strings have their advantages, otherwise it wouldn't be a step up in the price in the store bought bow market.   My bows seldom draw more than 55lbs, and B-50 seems to work for me.  I know there are as many different ways to approach archery as there are archers, so I am in the "not selling anything" crowd too.  If you like your strings the way they are, stay with them.     

[_Jon_]

Here is what I tell folks who come to visit and we start talking about bow strings.  If they currently have a B50 string on their bow let me make them a D97 string.  After the new string is made, we'll head to the target near the shop and they can shoot several shots with their old B50 string.  Next we swap out strings and they can try the D97 string.  I've not had a person I can recall who took this test keep their old string (B50 string)  The reason is simple.  Honestly I've done this so many times I can't keep track of the numbers.  A bow with less string stretch upon release of an arrow will deliver less vibration, less noise, and preform better overall in my opinion.  I can build either a spring or a string.  If a bow string I build has "more" then 1 and a half twists per inch from string nock to string nock it has to many twists.

B50 has what is called creep because it will stretch until it settles in.  My strings I build are 10-12 strand strings and I pad the loops to make them 16 strand.  That's for wear on the string only.  I like to use .030 Halo serving on stings with 10 strands, and .024 on 12 strand strings.   

If we take the time to build a good bow and it's a great performer and then we've spent many many hours making sure the arrows we shoot from it match in spine and fly straight.  We lay out our grip to make it feel  the best it can to our hand.  We sweat and work so hard on our bows which we do.  Why use a string that has less to offer? 

As bad as I shoot I need all the help I can get.   

Just my opinion, your mileage may very.   

         

[MWirwicki]

Nice explanation, Jon.   

[Zayn_JK]

Waxed BLACK(Very important) Cotton thread.

[Brock]

I never used any no or low stretch material before my Habu in late 90s...first strings I used were 450+......my Robertson recurve had D97.....and my Mohawk Sparrowhawk not sure what it is but is a skinny string.  Shoot good...last long time for me but here are my beefs:

- I dont like the feel of skinny strings on my fingers
- I dont like having to build up serving area so they fit properly on my 11/32 snap nocks
- I dont trust putting them on my selfbows no matter if they are padded loops or not....just dont.


So when I replace my strings these days I typically put on B50...  I started making my own strings just a month ago....learning on B50 but to be honest if the kits had two spools of D97 I likely would have checked to see if I could trade it out for B50.  Once I think my strings are good to where I can give them to friends or family....then will think about moving to B55 but the B50 does everything I want.

- I stretch them.....and then leave bow braced for couple days before serving them.  Once I get a bow braced and setup and am shooting it I leave it strung all the time.  They stop creeping after a day or two ...faster if you shoot them in.  I like a two bundle thick string.

I made one few days ago matter of fact for my Mohawk Sparrowhawk....66", 50#....factory skinny string on it 63" and has string silencers.  Shoots pretty quiet.  Got my B50 stretched and braced....let sit for a day or two...put on serving, wrapped a nock out of dental floss..shot a dozen times...check brace height and let hang again.  Shot last night and tonight at 10 yards with no string silencers and my regular heavy wood arrows and snap on nocks.

The nock snapped perfectly for me...snug enough to not come loose during draw or if bumped...but not so tight they hang on string and lose energy or cause wear on string.  The arrow leaving my leather worn tab and then hitting target is all I could hear...I did not have any noticeable twang of the string....just the gentle thud of a well built longbow and heavy wood arrow.  I am not certain but I dont think the target could tell difference between the smack it gets with low stretch versus the b50 I prestretched. LOL

I prefer the simplicity...not interested in extra 5fps...not interested in how it feels on my fingers...not interested in having to compensate in the loops and the serving to make it work with my bows.  I want simplicity not more stuff to worry about...that is why I walked away from the compound in 1990.

Give me B50....and maybe B55.

[Arrowind]

Here is what I tell folks who come to visit and we start talking about bow strings.  If they currently have a B50 string on their bow let me make them a D97 string.  After the new string is made, we'll head to the target near the shop and they can shoot several shots with their old B50 string.  Next we swap out strings and they can try the D97 string.  I've not had a person I can recall who took this test keep their old string (B50 string)  The reason is simple.  Honestly I've done this so many times I can't keep track of the numbers.  A bow with less string stretch upon release of an arrow will deliver less vibration, less noise, and preform better overall in my opinion.  I can build either a spring or a string.  If a bow string I build has "more" then 1 and a half twists per inch from string nock to string nock it has to many twists.

B50 has what is called creep because it will stretch until it settles in.  My strings I build are 10-12 strand strings and I pad the loops to make them 16 strand.  That's for wear on the string only.  I like to use .030 Halo serving on stings with 10 strands, and .024 on 12 strand strings.   

If we take the time to build a good bow and it's a great performer and then we've spent many many hours making sure the arrows we shoot from it match in spine and fly straight.  We lay out our grip to make it feel  the best it can to our hand.  We sweat and work so hard on our bows which we do.  Why use a string that has less to offer? 

As bad as I shoot I need all the help I can get.   

Just my opinion, your mileage may very.   

       

Well said.  I was scared to try FF.  For the longest time I had heard it was not good for wooden bows and I believed it.  Then I start finding out that a lot of the bowyers on this site were using it!  what?   Then I was concerned about cost.  Honestly I was skeptical that the difference in performance would be worth it to me.... then Weylin sent me an awesome bow for the 2013 trade (Thanks again dude!) with a FF string and it was amazing.  He helped convince me to try FF.  At the time I was working on my own trade bow for Stringman and I was very intimidated because he is such a good bowyer I wanted my bow to be the best I could possibly deliver.  After learning that guys like Weylin and others like Gordon and PD and Blackhawk and so on and so on were all using FF    I decided to try it.   

I like to do what you have said above to myself.    I tiller with and shoot the bow in with B50 then shoot it in again with FF.  I just like to see how one simple thing like a different string material makes such a big difference in how the bow performs.   Maybe I shouldn't be doing that but it's fun.  So far I've seen no ill effects that I've noticed....unless you call better performance an ill effect.   

FF for me. 

My BOWS need all the help they can get!   I won't even talk about my shooting.   

[Pappy]

Man this is still going on. I have read all of this,funny ,I don't quite understand some folks ,cheap or I have loads of b50 or just happy with it, I do understand, I'm old school/The simplicity of it/or it will hurt my bow,sorry I don't
understand. I am about as old school as they come and took a while for me to come around for a lot of the reasons I have heard,finely decided to try it,man made is man made and FF has been around a long time.I know some say they have had different experiences with it,but for me it is much quieter/don't have to wait a day or 2 or 3 for the string to settle,no arm slap and less shock,not to mention it's faster which is of not much concern to me ,but hay it ant bad either. /win win win.   TB3/super glue and most epoxies haven't been around that long either,but most of us still use them so old school is not a good reason in my view. Just thought I would stir the pot a bit,break out the pop corn,got to love this stuff. 
  Pappy

[DarkSoul]

One reason to use B50 in my country, is because the archer must use a dacron B50 string with the bow in order to compete in the traditional bow class. If you use anything but B50, you cannot compete in the traditional bow class. So linen, hemp and fastflight are all not allowed. Somewhat weird, since linen is of course far more traditional, but I think they've made this rule for safety sake. I'm wondering if anyone could tell the difference between a 12 strand B50 or fastflight string during a competition, but rules are rules.

[Pappy]

A well made B50 with very few twist is an awesome string,problem is most are twisted way to much and they are like a spring. Had a string maker at the IBO  Trd world a couple of years ago make me a string of B50,he had about a twist an inch and it shot almost as good as any FF. Usually they are made a little long or don't compensate for the stretch and folks just twist them up to shorten them,that is where the problem comes in.IMO.
   Pappy

[George Tsoukalas]

You are right, Pappy, in that too many twists to the B 50 string decreases effectiveness.
DarkSoul, the fact that you cannot use linen is strange but what can you do.
Jawge

[Don Case]

I use ff cause that's all the shop had.  Now I've got 1/4# so it will last as long as I make bows, probably.

[PrimitiveTim]

Sinew.  That stuff makes a great string.  It's strong and there's no greater satisfaction than shooting an arrow off a string that you made yourself.  Also, it's primitive.  The level of grip on the string is perfect and easy to control.  That stuff is so strong too! 

[PAHunter]

Sinew.  That stuff makes a great string.  It's strong and there's no greater satisfaction than shooting an arrow off a string that you made yourself. 

Sinew strings are fun but you better check the weather forecast.  I started with B50 and recently moved to FF with padded loops.  Don't expect to go back.