When you think of archery most people imagine the equipment is as basic as it gets - a bow and an arrow. This is true to a certain extent. Some of the equipment used in archery is well known and taken for granted, others are a little more mystifying for novices. The compound bow itself is an implement that everyone has a pretty good idea about, however the bow stabilizer is a piece of equipment that only the experienced archer will recognize. Basically, if you want to shoot accurately over a long period of time, the bow stabilizer is a highly recommended part of your equipment.

A stabilizer serves two main functions. Number one is to help keep the bow steady when lining up a shot. Number Two is that hand shock and vibration are reduced. I'll explain why this is important shortly.

Firstly we should examine what a stabilizer is made of so we can understand how it works. Before, bow stabilizers were simply metal tubes. Metal is a rather heavy material and although you want to add some weight, because this is what keeps the bow stable, you don't want to make it too heavy. So these days the body of the stabilizer is made from carbon or AMS (Alphamethylstyrene) plastics. Carbon is ideal because it is a durable, lightweight material that is also rigid enough to perform properly.

The reason to use a dampening device is to reduce vibration through the bow when the arrow is released. The stabilizer does this by directing the vibrations through its body rather than to the bow ends. The dampener will most likely be made of rubber although other vibration absorbent materials may be used. By putting the dampening material away from the end of the bow their effectiveness will be maximized.

The last device you’ll find on a stabilizer is a weight that sits right on the end after the rubber material. The purpose of the weight is to counterbalance the bow and it is this that keeps the bow steady when it is being shot. Aiming consistency is improved by the positioning of the weight at the front of the bow.

Stabilizers come in a variety of lengths. The stabilizer length you need will depend mainly on the type of archery you plan on doing. In general, the longer the stabilizer you use the more steady your bow will be and consequently, the more accurate you are likely to be. Long stabilizers are used by target archers. Bowhunters, on the other hand, use shorter stabilizers because of the conditions under which they will be carrying and firing their bow.

The shorter frames of hunting bows mean that a stabilizer that is too long is not required. Aspects of hunting such as the terrain being covered have an effect on the kind of stabilizer you use and long pieces sticking out from the bow would be more likely to snag and hinder progress and will make more noise. Similarly, any extra weight on the bow would be accentuated the longer the bow has to be carried to the point where it would become very tiring.

Finally, we come back to the issue of keeping vibration low. Any vibration experienced by the bow is going to be expressed as noise and when you are bow-hunting you are trying to be as silent as possible. Repeated vibration eventually shifts other components on your bow which will inevitably affect accuracy. When you shoot a bow only about more than half of the energy expended goes into propelling the arrow. The left over energy has to go somewhere else and that is to the only other thing touching the bow, which is you. The accumulated shock that is transferred to your bow arm during a long day of shooting starts to hurt very quickly leading to shaking and reduced accuracy.

It’s important to fit a stabilizer to your bow, but equally important is using a stabilizer that suits the kind or archery you will be undertaking. The kind of archer you are and your body type will also make a difference to the type of shooting you're going to use it for. Give your options some thought, look for quality and temper your decision with thoughts on suitability and you will be sure to be shooting quietly and accurately.

There are many archery accessories for sale at The Compound Archery store from compound bows, armguards and stabilizers through to nocks, arrows and fletchings. You can find out about more archery accessories by visiting http://compoundarcherystore.com

Article Source: http://www.articleset.com