How to Balance a Bow with Stabilizers

As your archery skills improve, there will inevitably come a time that you’d feel you want to be in full control of your shooting. At no single point will you ever feel that you are a perfect shooter, so, to be fully in charge of your shooting, you must concentrate on the bow setup.

One of the most important things to do is to balance your bow. You can do this using a stabilizer. Once you stabilize your bow, you’ll be able to get the perfect shots that you’ve been dreaming about.

Read ahead to find out how stabilizers can improve your shooting experience.

Balancing Your Bow Using Stabilizers

If you want to balance your recurve bow for hunting with a stabilizer, follow the steps below:

Mount the stabilizers on the riser of your bow:

Mounting stabilizers aren’t as easy as it sounds. Make sure you use a rubber-like material to separate the rod from the weights you’ve put on the stabilizers. This will help in dampening any vibrations the stabilizers may cause.

If the vibrations aren’t dampened, you may experience some faulty movements when shooting, and this will make you miss the target. Stabilization also helps you get the flexibility you need by making it easier for you to carry the bow.

Stabilizers come in different shapes and forms:

Normally, stabilizers are heavy. When you fit one on your bow, you’ll feel some remarkable change in weight. Some stabilizers have pistons on them to help with dampening vibrations. Some also come with oil bladders for the same purpose.

What you have to remember is that having more weight doesn’t translate to higher accuracy. Your accuracy will largely depend on your preferences, experience, archery, expertise, and style. And when it comes to picking the right stabilizer, focus on a balance can make you feel comfortable shooting. This will help you focus on the target.

Use the trial-and-error process to pick a stabilizer:

There are no hard and fast rules in choosing stabilizers. The perfect stabilizer for one hunter may not be perfect for the other. To get a perfect balance for your bow, you must consider stabilizer variables such as the types, shape, and weight. Get a feel of how the bow feels with a stabilizer and how it affects your sighting. By trying different stabilizers, you’ll be able to identify the ones that suit your needs.

Why You Need Stabilizers

Why do more weight and vibration dampening matter? Basically, stability matters in all activities and archery isn’t an exception. For you to make perfect shots, your bow should be stable.

If you are to make several shots, your accuracy will be compromised if your bow isn't stable. All the vibrations and movements will not allow you to shoot accurately. That’s why you need to add stabilizers. By eliminating vibrations and providing you with a tight grip, your muscles and mind can easily focus on your target.

Note that stabilizers are part of your archery equipment, and they don’t define who you are. Your confidence, archery stance, and shooting style matter most. These pieces of equipment only help in improving your accuracy. Knowing that everything depends on you will help you find the perfect balance your bow needs and how stabilizers work.

Getting the Balance Right

You need to understand why stabilizers are necessary for your shooting. Let’s break down the concepts around stabilizers to help you understand why you need them.

Know What a Stabilizer Is

A stabilizer is that piece of equipment that absorbs vibrations that occur when an arrow is shot. It helps in keeping your bow stable so you can shoot with no or minimal vibrations.

By reducing these vibrations, stabilizers lower the shock you’ll feel on your bow grip. You can achieve a better balance by adding more weight to your bow. However, you don’t need to make the bow too heavy to carry.

Where Stabilizers Are Fitted

If you check your bow carefully, you’ll see a hole just below the grip. This hole is referred to as an accessory hole, and it where the stabilizers get screwed.

The role of front rods

The front rods are meant to offer resistance to rotational and transitional movements. This means you can use them to reduce the backward movement of your bow as you shoot. They also reduce the chances of your bow rotating around your grip. All these functions improve the stability of your bow.

The role of the side rods

The side rods also offer resistance to rotational movements and reduce vertical tilt. As you shoot your arrows, your forearm may twist and make you miss the mark. This is what the side rods prevent. They also help in balancing the weight of the front rods, so the front rods don’t cause any instability.

Apart from the front and the side rods, your bow should also have some rods extend backward. These rods also help balance the weight added by the front rods. If you had the front rods only, your bow would tilt forward, and you'll find it hard to shoot at a target. To bring a balance, the rods that extend backward must be added.

What You Need in A Stabilizer

Now that you know what stabilizers are and how they can help with your archery, the next step is to choose the right stabilizer. Some factors you need to consider include:

Material

The material used to make a stabilizer determines how effective it is at dampening vibrations and sound. Most archers prefer rubber over gel and sand.

Weight

Check the stabilizer’s front end to gauge how much weight it will add to your bow. Choose a stabilizer whose weight can provide the best stability.

Length

The length of a stabilizer is important in determining its usefulness. The longer a stabilizer is, the better it is at enhancing stability.

Is The Stabilizer Customizable?

A customizable stabilizer is better than one that's not customizable. You can adjust a customizable stabilizer to fit your needs.

Final Words

Balancing your bow with stabilizer is essential to boost your overall performance. With the above tips, I hope it will be easier for you to do that without issues.