by LBR » Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:40 pm
There are tons of old wive's tales that are based on nothing but opinion and imagination...and there are tons more of actual observations that are very honest but aren't exactly accurate due to tons of variables...and now and then you'll run across the truth. Very little is set in stone. What's even worse, a lot of the fairy tales are purported by bowyers and shooters that should know what they are talking about, but don't.
Variables include bow design, draw length, draw weight, string material, strand count, string construction, serving type, serving size, serving length, tuning, nock fit, silencer type, silencer placement, your release, how well the arrows are matched to the bow, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.
Strings are my "thing". Not that I'm any kind of expert, but I have tinkered with them more than most sane people. Like most things in this sport, the more I learn the more I realize how little I really know.
For the record, I don't care for low strand count (skinny) strings. I've never found any real gains with them--performance, hand shock reduction, or noise--and you loose a lot of what makes HMPE great--that being durability, lack of stretch, and lack of creep.
I do think string material is a big deal, at least when comparing dacron to an HMPE material. I could really care less about a few fps--I'd shoot the HMPE materials if they were slower. I like the reduced shock, reduced stretch/creep, increased durability, and increased consistency. I like Dynaflight '97, Formula 8125, and 8190. Accuracy is in the shooter--get everything right, the arrow will go where you point it.
Chad