New purchase - sound dampening?

[Tom]

Crossbolt, yes you can dampen the sound coming from your crossbow, but there is a TRADE OFF. Anything and everything you add to the limbs or string to help reduce the viberation makes the bimbs work harder. Your pulling more weight with the limbs.

Prime example is shoot your bow with a regualr weighted arrow and then use a much heavier arrow, it will be quieter but you will loose arrow speed. In My Opinion, arrow speed is more important then noise reduction of the bow becasue you WILL NOT BE MAKING THE ARROW QUIET therefore there will still be noise that the deer can react too. Arrows are unbelievably loud.

This is why most crossbow shooters put up with the noise and accept it for what it is.

[Crossbolt]

I agree completely...that stuff installed on the limbs or string will slow the bow down...which is why I'm suggesting a solution that places nothing on the strings or limbs either one to slow the bow down.

The string isn't adding any new acceleration to your arrow after it passes its resting point anyway.

I'm at [email protected] so send me your email address and I'll shoot you a pic of what I installed. It just plain works, and the results are similar so far with the more expensive STS system that I am now testing.

I've tested my results with the stops on and at the same yardages with them off; my bolts hit at the same POA with or without the system installed and in fact may be a bit more accurate with the stops on the bow than without them installed.

The stops can be shortened also to the lowest brace height possible without the usual increase in shot noise from the string slapping the limb faces and riser block, which is one more reason I think makes them a great way to go as an alternative to putting stuff on the strings or limbs.

However, it is a free country and opinions do vary!!!

Regards.

[crazyfarmer]

i know the 440gr bolts make a thump sound compared to the WACK sound of the 350gr ones

I added the dual stablizers to mine and it decreased sound a tad, but whether it was worth the weight and added bulk i dunno

[buckbuster]

Welcome to the forum, theres really nothing you can do to silence your crossbow, also it can slow down your speed.
Im also from Georgia!! Cedartown, south of rome!!!!!!!!!!

[ComfyBear]

You're never going to make any crossbow quiet. They are noisy by nature. Using the DP bars does reduce the vibration and resonation a bit, without affecting speed.

If you wish to reduce the noise a bit further without reducing fps, you can add a couple of those sticky rubber strips around the sides of the stirrup, that's correct the stirrup. The rubber strips will stick fairly good, but if you want to secure them even more, you can wrap some black electical tape around them and they definitely will not come off by accident.

You can test it for yourself. If you tap the stirrup with your finger, you'll notice that it vibrates and resonates, however if you stick those rubber strips and tap it again, you'll notice that both the vibration and resonation is eliminated. If you would like to reduce the noise a bit more, you can order, for a few hundred dollars, one of Mark's custom wooden stocks, it will also deaden the noise a bit more.

These solutions will make your crossbow somewhat quieter, but they will also lighten you wallet, and in the end your crossbow will not be as quiet as a compound vertical bow.

[Crossbolt]

Hey Comfybear,

Never and any are big words there...are you sure you've tested everything?

To restate a bit more clearly, my system doesn't attach to either the limbs or the string so it doesn't affect speed. My tests haven't included the Flemish strings yet, but I have tested low brace height with 360g arrows and having the old big Limbsaver Oreo cookie type split limb bumpers attached to brackets on your riser block so that the string ends up resting against them does indeed substantially reduce both your shot noise and vibration without affecting the speed versus just letting the string smack the bare aluminum and limb faces.

I'm not sure how to upload a picture for you without also dropping my firewall so if you send me an external email address I'll shoot you over a picture of what I'm describing. It does indeed make an audible improvement allowing you to shoot low and fast without the usual increase in noise that is associated with the low brace height.

Quiet depends on your definition of the term, but compared to a bare Exocet 200 with just DB's on it my system is noticeably quieter.

These bows have other problem areas that emit noise, hollow rail, plastic stock, and noisy trigger lock mechanisms just to name three but at least my system eliminates the string slap and also a noticeable portion of the shot vibration as well.

BTW, the easier way to insulate the stirrup I've found is to use SVL Insulation Wraps. No adhesive is needed and they do a good job of protecting the finish. They can be wrapped around the quiver bracket also, and the Horton Limb Patches can be slapped on the sides of the rail and/or the buttstock also to deaden some of the sling swivel rattles too.

None of these will affect speed.

Hope this helps.
Regards.

[ComfyBear]

Crossbolt, I'm not saying that it's impossible to make a crossbow quieter, I'm just saying that it can't be made totally quiet.

Like you stated there's several variables which make crossbows noisy; such things as plastic stocks, hollow rails, string vibration, to mention but a few.

The laws of physics state that for every action there's an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, "to pay Peter you have to rob Paul", "for every pro there's a con"; everything comes with a price.

In the end, since there's no utopian solution, folks have to determine what for them is the lesser of all evils and more important to them.

[grandtrout]

I think Crossbolt might be onto to something here. It's the first time I've heard talk of a string stop system attached to an excaliber. Maybe a member can get those pictures & post them. Mathiews compounds use a string supression system & it works well in both reducing noise and vibration. Why not do it with an excal? Could save on string wear to by preventing the string from crossing from rail to riser? Noise reduction does not help improve your chances of killing a deer inside of 30 yards - but for me this acounts for only one or if i'm lucky two shots a year. I like to use by bow year round and a quiet, damp bow is just more fun for me to shoot!

[Crossbolt]

Folks, I'll make a set of them for anyone for $50 labor & parts plus the cost of a pair of standard Limbsavers and postage to your door.

It'll take me a few days to make each pair part-time since I'm grinding them out one at a time in my basement, but I'll fill your orders as I am able.

They work well enough on my Exocet 200 in fact that I'm toying with the idea of welding brackets up for four and having two on either side rather than just one to see if it gets even quieter since I could do that and still be close to the weight of the STS version since mine use a lot less metal.

STS's bumpers have too much aluminum and too little rubber in my opinion. I have a set here, but they don't work as well as the Limbsavers units. To arrest the vibration under this much tension there needs to be as much rubber surface contacting the string as possible, and then by isolating the brackets as well with rubber material under them where they attach it adds a bit more isolation and ensures that they do not damage the bow finish.

All of the riser slap and limb slapping is gone with these and also a major percentage of the buzz on the rail leaving only the other rattling parts to make noise during the shot. The bow is noticeably deader at the moment of shock.

There's also no more guessing at where your brace height is, was, or should be since this gives you an immediate visual reference and also insures a bit more consistent brace height over time.

This is your chance to shoot low and fast without the usual increase in noise or vibration...and no loss of speed...I even think my bow is a bit more accurate with them on there...probably since it is noticeably deader during the shot so I may hold a bit better because of it.

Now maybe someone can invent some sort of liquid oil dampener to go inside the voids in the forearm and/or grip and mounted inside of some SVL material as well to kill the shock waves going through that plastic stock even more while still saving the sneaky camo stock to hunt with...eh...???

I've got a suspicion that my dampeners on a bow with a laminated wood stock would be a pretty sneaky hunting rig... :^)

Best...