Bow stabilizers can give you an edge in shooting your arrows, and this is proven when you see most or even all professional target archers use a bow stabilizer. Basically, a stabilizer would be mounted to the rise back where you would screw it into a threaded accessory hold which is just below the grip.
Generally, bow stabilizers perform a variety of different functions. First, they absorb vibrations after you shoot which reduces the amount of shock that is felt on your hands. Second, a bow stabilizer makes the bow quieter. Third, it helps to keep the bow balanced by adding weight right below the grip because weighing down the bow helps it to stand up straight. This is important if you want to shoot consistent and accurate shots.
Table of Contents
5 Reasons Why You Need A Bow Stabilizer (If You’re Serious About Archery)
After showing you a general idea, here are 5 reasons why you need a bow stabilizer for your bow!
#1 Increase the stability of your shots
Stabilizers add forward weight to your bow which balances the bow in your hands. The additional mass would absorb some of the vibrations that is produced by shooting the bow. This is the real value of stabilizers, which is adding weight to the bow. Basically, they are like barrel weight in a riffle where the heavier the barrel weight, the more likely it will stay on your target.
The benefits you can get from a stabilizer would be more apparent if you shoot in places with stiff wind. Also note that you may need stabilizers with a certain length and mass for it to actually do its job, which is stabilization.
#2 Make your shots more accurate
The effect of making your shots more stable is that your shots would be more accurate. However, this would only be more apparent if you shoot long-distance. If you shoot 50 yards as compared to 20 yards, you can see that a bow stabilizer can help you to ensure that your “misses” do not drift too much. Your shots without a bow stabilizer would tend to drift slightly more than with a bow stabilizer.
Therefore, when you are hunting from a tree-stand or you are making long shots, you need a stabilizer to maximize the consistency and accuracy of your shots. Removing mass weight from your bow will tend to decrease accuracy since it would be harder for you to hold it steadily, it will also increase hand shock and vibration.
#3 Absorbing the vibrations from shooting
Vibration usually happens in your hands as you release your arrow towards your target. Vibration occurs as a result of tension of the bow string, where when you release your arrow, the energy is discharged from the arm guard area and this would render vibrations to occur.
A bow stabilizer would absorb a portion of the energy in two situations, when the bow is drawn backwards and when it is released. Hence, vibration would be reduced, and you can save your hands from being sore! This would inevitably lead to noise reduction which is really important in hunting and would be explained further below.
#4 Noise reduction which helps conceal yourself
You would want to give importance to noise reduction when you are hunting to increase your chances of success! After treading a path and following your game successfully, you do not want to scare it off because you were too loud. A whitetail especially has keen senses of hearing, if you are not careful, it may drive it away.
Do remember that a steady target would be easier to shoot than a moving target. Alerting the buck would bring you to a massive disadvantage to make a clean shot. This is because it is not easy to hit vital parts of your game when it is not moving, what more when it is moving! This would also be a more humane way of killing as well which you may want to consider!
#5 Helping you to control your torque (rotation)
When discussing about rotation, the right quantity is termed ‘moment of inertia’. This ‘moment of inertia’ is a small weight rotated round an axis. The rule of thumb is that to cut rotation with minimum weight, you can use small weights on long rods.
Usually, long and narrow objects like a bow riser would have small moment of inertia where small forces will cause large rotations about that axis. The size of the stabilizer would have different effect on the rotation. Understanding this can help make your shots more accurate!
How To Choose The Best Bow Stabilizer
After understanding the benefits of a bow stabilizer, you need to have an idea of how to choose the most suitable bow stabilizer for you. Usually, if you are shooting short distance such as no more than 20 yards, you may prefer a lightweight stabilizer. However, if you love to shoot long distance, you may need a 30-inch stabilizer to help coup with the shock you place on the string.
An important information to note is that the longer the stabilizer, the more it will resist the bow torque. This would inevitably make your aim to go more steadily. Another important factor you need to consider is that you need to pick the ‘correct’ stabilizer to get the benefits from it. Different types of stabilizers such as the ultra-lightweight stabilizers, a middle-length stabilizer or a 10 and 12-inch stabilizers all serves different purpose in different situations.
By understanding how to choose the correct bow stabilizers and knowing the benefits of it, I hope it would be helpful for you in making better shots! If you have any other tips or ideas you would like to share, please comment below!
More useful archery Blog articles
Enjoying practicing archery? Take a look at some of the most popular archery blog articles below. Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to never miss on the next guides and the best deals!
Did you enjoy this article?
We hope you enjoyed reading this archery blog article and that you found it useful. If you have any suggestions or comments, do not hesitate to get in touch.
If you liked this archery blog article, why not share it on your social media to let your friends and fellow archers know!