If you’re a newer archer, things can sometimes seem complicated and overwhelming. It’s easy as a beginner to have what seems like a million different questions about archery. One of the most common questions is:
What’s that pole coming out of the front of some people’s bows?
Well, they’re called stabilizers, and if you’re asking the above question, you’ve probably recently seen archers either shooting target archery or field archery.
Maybe you watched an archery tournament on YouTube, or you might have caught some Olympic style archery on TV. Either way, after first seeing people with stabilizers, new archers often wonder if they need to get a stabilizer themselves.
Should I Be Shooting With a Stabilizer?
The long and short and simple answer is no. You don’t need to have a stabilizer to shoot any type of archery, however they are preferred and commonly used in certain types of archery and for certain specific purposes…
So should you get a stabilizer for the types of archery that you shoot? Well, read on and we’ll cover the basics and see if a stabilizer will fit in with the types and styles of archery that you personally shoot.
There are some advantages to shooting with a stabilizer, especially for certain types of archery. As I mentioned before, you’ll typically see a lot of stabilizers in use in both target archery and field archery.
It’s not that they can’t be used in other forms of archery, they certainly can be, but they’re not really needed as much in some other forms of archery. For instance, you don’t need a stabilizer for 3D archery, casual shooting, bowhunting or traditional archery.
Some archers shooting those types of archery may still use stabilizers, while some won’t. It’s not only down to personal preference, but the use of a stabilizer may or may not be allowed in the rules of 3D archery and other types of tournaments and competitions.
Also, stabilizers are very useful when shooting longer distances (as in target archery) – but may not be needed at all when shooting shorter distances (as in 3D archery and bowhunting).
You don’t generally need a stabilizer for stump shooting, backyard shooting, shooting in local tournaments, 3D archery or closer range hunting. But if you’re looking to go pro and start shooting in large national tournaments, a stabilizer might just be right for you.
What Should I Look For in a Stabilizer?
Simply put, all stabilizers pretty much do the same thing: Stabilizers cut down on the vibration when you release your arrow. They also serve to stabilize your bow by increasing it’s inertia.
Some bows, when shot without a stabilizer, will seem a bit unstable or shaky when you’re trying to aim them. This makes it much more difficult to hold your bow steady and keep it on target. Also, when shooting that type of bow – you’ll definitely feel a lot more vibration when you do release the arrow.
Most recurve and compound bows these days will efficiently launch an arrow with plenty of force. That being said, even modern bows are by no means 100% efficient. That means that no matter how well designed, engineered and produced the bow is, it still can never use one hundred percent of the bows stored energy once the arrow is released. This causes a lot of wasted energy, which turns into run off energy – which leaves the bow in the form of vibration.
A stabilizer can help to keep your bow better balanced due to the weight added below the bow’s grip. The extra weight on the lower half of the bow causes the bow to stand up straighter, which aids in your accuracy. It can also help to keep your sight steady while aiming the bow.
When properly installed, a stabilizer can help to reduce bow torque. When you release an arrow, your bow’s riser torques when the energy travels through it. When a stabilizer is used, the extra weight on the lower front of the bow cuts down on this effect dramatically.
You mount the stabilizer on the riser back of the bow, using an accessory hole that’s usually located under the grip. These days, pretty much all of the modern recurve and compound bows are manufactured with an accessory hole.
Stabilizers Can Help To Prevent Injury
The vibration caused by a bow is typically a large amount energy and force released at once. That could cause injury to an archer, especially with repeated shooting.
In some extreme cases, too much shooting could potentially cause an archer to develop tennis elbow, tendinitis and even carpal tunnel syndrome.
With the need for constant practice in archery, this means that an archer is exposed to more and more of these strong vibrations, which are capable of causing injury. With a stabilizer though, an archer can much more safely practice archery for prolonged periods of time.
By using a stabilizer when shooting the vibration and excess energy released by the bow will leave the bow quickly, resulting in it not only being more comfortable to shoot – but with less chance of injury as well.
A Stabilizer Can Help with Your Aim
Using a stabilizer can also make it easier to aim, allowing you to keep the target in your sight much easier and for longer periods of time with less effort.
This is due to the simple principle of inertia, which is the law that says that an object at rest will tend to stay at rest, while an object in motion will stay in motion.
In archery, the mass of your bow will slow down the rate of movement in your bow arm when you’re holding the bow on target. This means that with a stabilizer you can keep the bow on target, with the target in your sights for longer periods of time without causing strain to your muscles.
If you’re new to using a stabilizer you should experiment with different weights and lengths of stabilizers before deciding which type to buy.
Some archers will prefer their bow to be more front heavy, while others will prefer a more neutral distribution of weight.
Most archers who are new to using stabilizers will just use whatever the other archers at their local club or archery shop are using. Instead, shoot with a few different types of stabilizers to see which works best for shooting style.
An archer shooting 3D archery will generally want a different setup than an Olympic target archer. It’s easy to customize weights and stabilizers these days, so play around until you find what setup tends to work best for you.
Should I Use Side Rods with a Stabilizer?
This is another thing that’s down to personal preference, side rods can help to balance your bow by adding a little weight behind it’s riser.
If you’re shooting a compound bow with a quiver mounted on it, using a side rod will counteract the added weight of the quiver and help to balance out the bow.
Target archers will often shoot with at least one side rod, and sometimes two. Because it’s quite common for most target archers to use stabilizers as well as sights, target archers often need to use a side rod or two to balance out all of that extra added weight.
Should I Use a Stabilizer for Bowhunting?
Simply put, if you’re bowhunting on foot and tend to shoot at distances of forty yards or less, you shouldn’t really need to use a stabilizer. If you do, it would probably be a pretty lightweight stabilizer if at all.
At shorter distances, you might want to use a stabilizer if you’re either shooting an ultra light bow or bowhunting in very windy conditions.
If you’re shooting at distances of fifty yards or more, you may want to use a stabilizer. It’s down to whether or not you prefer it, and if you find that it’s giving you more accuracy.
One myth is that a stabilizer can cut down on bow string noise or even silence it altogether. That simply isn’t true, while it may reduce the bow string noise in some setups, it’s usually a small amount – if at all. If you really want to silence the noise from your bow string, you should pick up a couple of these – they’re made just for that purpose.
The reason you would want to use a stabilizer is because they add weight to the bow which helps to balance the bow, reduce excess vibration and make it easier to aim. However, when you’re hiking through the woods and trying to drag your gear through thick brush, a long stabilizer sticking out from your bow could be a real pain.
You have to decide if the benefits that you get from using a stabilizer are worth the hassle of bringing it along with you when you’re bowhunting. It all comes down your personal preference.
Basically, a stabilizer is there to improve your accuracy. So if you’re shooting from places where you’re not restricted by space like a blind or tree stand, a stabilizer might work for you. But when you’re hiking through thick brush or other situations where you’re either cramped for space or constantly on the move, you may want to leave your stabilizer in your archery bag.