Stabilizers for Hunting Rig

[MathewsMan7]

So I recently purchased a 10-inch and 8-inch stabilizer, 7-oz’s of weight, and a Shrewd Atlas Side Bar Mount to put on my rig. Never shot with anything other than a little 6-inch cheap stabilizer out front. Was bored with quarantine and wanted to play around with stabilizers to see what it was all about...had no idea what I was doing, I might add, as far as stabilization went. Ironically, Levi Morgan put out a video on stabilizers like 2 days after I got mine. CHA CHING!

Got a chance over the last two days to play around with my setup following Levi’s process and without a shadow of doubt, it has helped my groups...it didn’t at first...I didn’t really get it right until this evening...once I finally dialed it in (for the most part) I got on target A LOT faster, got rid of the VXR wanting to hold low, and tightened my groups up noticeably at 20 yards (that’s as far as I got to shoot tonight before it got dark on me). I know millions of deer have been killed with no stabilizers...are they necessary? Absolutely not...do they make a legitimate difference inside of 20 yards? Probably not for most...

Playing with that back bar/side rod was cool because my bow always wanted to lean to the right as soon as I got to full draw just a little so it was something I had to consciously check before each shot...I guess my rest is bulky enough to affect the balance a little even though I don’t shoot with the quiver on...but I kept kicking that side bar out a little each time until it got to the point where as soon as I drew, it was perfectly balanced. Just one less thing to have to worry about shooting sometimes awkward shots out of the saddle. My bow also wanted to hold a little low—the pin would bounce a little out of the bottom of where I was aiming...i

With all of that being said, I’m very glad I gave them the old college try because I feel a lot more confident in my rig, and the way I shot tonight was really fun.

 

[MathewsMan7]

Didn’t finish my thought on the bow holding low...I added one ounce at a time to the back bar until my pin steadied on the target...completely got rid of the pin falling out of where I was aiming...pretty neat. Worth a shot if you’ve never messed around with stabilizers and are bored.

 

[TNbowhunter]

Thanks for sharing. I’m of the mindset that everyone should meaningfully practice longer shots than they plan to take on an animal so whatever shorter shot you get at a deer will feel like a gimme. Sure, getting your stabilizers just right and your bow perfectly balanced will probably make just a small difference inside 20 yards, but if it enables you to practice more meaningfully at 40 yards, then I’d say it’s totally worth it!

 

[MathewsMan7]

I agree...my groups at 40 have historically not been great, so I have got into the habit of just practicing 30 and in over the years...I’m excited to shoot out to 40+ tomorrow for practice sake. Can only make me better. The new stabilizer setup should help.

 

[TNbowhunter]

My goal is always to have my bow more dialed in than me, meaning I want my skill to be the limit on my accuracy/range, not my bow’s tune or setup. I flirted with being on the “wrong” side of my goal last year at 50-60 yards when I was practicing a ton but didn’t know much at all about tuning, but now my bow is way more accurate than its user!

 

[MathewsMan7]

That’s a good way of looking at it...I wholeheartedly agree!

 

[Mackerel]

If you ever get into the 3D world and dive down the rabbit hole of playing with stabs, you’ll see how they can make a WORLD of difference. I practice out to 80+yards during the 3D season and it’s incredible how steady you can become with properly adjusted stabs.

 

[Gator]

Thanks for sharing. I’m of the mindset that everyone should meaningfully practice longer shots than they plan to take on an animal so whatever shorter shot you get at a deer will feel like a gimme. Sure, getting your stabilizers just right and your bow perfectly balanced will probably make just a small difference inside 20 yards, but if it enables you to practice more meaningfully at 40 yards, then I’d say it’s totally worth it!

I'll start with yesterday at 3pm, this bow wasn't even sighted in for 20 yards but by 5pm, we were back at 80 yards slinging arrows. In this pic I was still shooting left which was corrected. Also did a lot of speed checking at different arrow weights (helps to have a buddy that can bring 300 arrows with him)

 

[Gator]

Didn’t finish my thought on the bow holding low...I added one ounce at a time to the back bar until my pin steadied on the target...completely got rid of the pin falling out of where I was aiming...pretty neat. Worth a shot if you’ve never messed around with stabilizers and are bored.

I can see this helping and it's something I struggle with. My pin loves to float just under the target

 

[MathewsMan7]

I can see this helping and it's something I struggle with. My pin loves to float just under the target

Yes, it’s real. My form isn’t perfect, so I know that’s where most of that issue lies, but the stab setup helps it for sure