"What is that thing sticking off the front of the bow?"
"What is this bar thing that came in the box with my bow?"
I have heard variations of these questions asked on more than one occasion over the years - any archery tech or industry professional would most likely say the same. It is a repeated and common question when introducing someone to the sport of archery for the first time. Regardless of how you might answer, there is generally the inevitable follow-up, "Do I really need one?" Well, that's the question, isn't it? That is what we are going to explore.
In short, the answer is no. You do not need a stabilizer in order to shoot your bow. Your bow, regardless of style or design, will launch arrows regardless of you utilizing stabilizers or not. A better question to maybe start with is, "What do stabilizers do?" Once you understand the use and importance of various stabilizer setups, then you will start to see which direction you might take in using them for your bow. Stabilizers do quite a lot for our archery systems. Chief among those is, well, stabilizing. Stabilizers combat torque that takes place at the point of release. The more weight that is farther out in front of your bow, the more the stabilizer will resist torque. PJ once used this analogy to explain this:
Think of it this way. Stand with your arms at your side and twist your waist. There’s no resistance. Now hold a broom by the handle out in front of you, with the stick parallel to the ground, and twist at the waist. The broom will resist the twist.
He is, as per usual, correct. The added weight and length the broom provides away from your hips resists that twist. That is what stabilizers do to your bow when you fire an arrow - it resists the twist. Another major part of that stabilization, besides just fighting torque at the shot, is calming your pin float. Much like it resists torque at the shot, keeping weight away from the riser will also steady your scope and provide a much smoother aiming experience prior to the shot. In addition to the actual 'stabilization' aspects of your stabilizer, they perform other key functions as well. Stabilizers absorb vibration at your shot which reduces hand shock and deadens the noise from your bow. They also balance the bow itself - keeping more weight below your grip keeps the top of the bow pointing up and enhances consistency and precision.
Now that we've determined what the basic benefits of stabilizers are, you might be starting to wonder, "Why do they come in so many sizes?" Well, like with the broom example earlier, adding weight away from your bow enhances stability, so it would stand to reason that adding weight farther away from your bow would increase stability even more. Some professional archers use stabilizer systems in excess of 30" off of the front of their riser, but if you are a hunter or just value mobility, then you are not going to end up with a 30" stabilizer. The sweet spot between performance and application determines your stabilizer length and weight.
Most often, you will see anywhere from 6" to 12" stabilizers on hunting bow setups. The shorter end of the range might be used when hunting from a treestand or from a blind on the East coast where maneuverability is paramount. Those longer 12" stabilizers would be more useful when your hunt takes you out West and you find yourself needing to take 60 yard shots at elk in the high country. There, stability is more important than maneuverability, whereas back East, keeping it close and tight can matter more. The amount of weight you add to your stabilizer also needs to be taken into consideration, as you don't want to weight down your rig too much when you need to hike deep into the woods. When compared to Olympic recurve archery or target compound archery, those 6" stabilizers are rarely seen, if ever, outside of specific 'bowhunter' competitive classes - the National Field Archery Association limits stab length to 12" and below in its bowhunter classes. These shooters don't have to climb treestands or fit into ground blinds. They will often use those 30" stabilizers I mentioned above to maximize their balance and stability - they provide the highest levels of both balance and stability possible, so it would only make sense for competitive archers to utilize the advantages they bring.
When diving into stabilizers and stabilizer setups for the first time, you might take notice of some archers running anywhere from one to three stabilizers (or four, I'm looking at you, Mr. Gillingham). Those stabilizers that stick off the bow and point back towards the archer are referred to as 'side rods.' They are oftentimes shorter, but they function in much the same way as their longer, forward-facing counterparts: balance, stability, dampening, etc. Not everyone needs to run side rods on their bows - I know many hunters that don't - but if you are chasing absolute precision and balance then they are something you'd want to experiment with. Hunters may run a shorter side rod in the pursuit of counteracting the weight of their bow-mounted quiver and sight. Target archers might do the same - offset the weight of their elaborate and sometimes heavy scope systems - by running one side rod as well, but they often run two side rods, one on either side, in order to achieve the closest thing to a purely balanced bow that they can. Adjusting the position, length, angle, and weight of these ride rods incrementally ensures a bow that balances well for you, within your application, and on your setup.
Hunting Focus
Now that you have a general idea what stabilizers can do for your setup, it is time to consider what your needs might be. As it is when choosing a new bow, you might need to experience the differences between various stabilizer orientations - both on the range and in the field - before deciding where to go. There is a lot to consider. Do you want to prioritize silence and mobility for stealthy, short-range bowhunting? Are you looking at reaching out a little farther and need to steady that pesky pin float a little more? How far are you willing to hike with a bow that might weigh a bit more than you'd like because of extra stabilizer weight? Do you need to offset the weight of a heavy hunting sight and quiver to combat the torque that comes with that? How is your stance different on the ground compared to in a stand or saddle?
Based on your requirements, you can go a few different ways. If you want to focus on keeping your bow quiet and light - or if you just generally have a smaller A2A (axle-to-axle) bow - then a shorter, dampening style stabilizer might be your choice as your only stabilizer. Options such as the Axion SSG, the TruGlo Deadenator, and the LimbSaver S-Coil Pro would fit this category.
If you are going to design your system around balance and stability - or if you have a longer A2A bow - then a longer front bar and a side rod might be the way to go. A 12" front bar, coupled with a 6" side rod and applicable offset mount would allow you to fine tune your weight and balance positioning while reducing pin float. Examples of each of these would be the Bee Stinger 12" Microhex, 6" Microhex, and adjustable side bar mount. This system includes adjustable weights for each stabilizer and, along with the adjustment on the offset mount, will allow you to balance your bow exactly how you will need it balanced in the field.
Check out this video PJ made in 2016 as he takes to the field to explain these concepts.
Target Focus
Trial and error. Trial and error. Trial and error. That is the way when it comes to competition archery. Every archer and every bow - and every combination of archer and bow - is going to shoot differently. This is where incremental adjustment and, yes, trial and error come into play. Your sight, your riser, your strings, your grip, your release, your tab, your rest... everything is going to affect your hold, your aim, your balance, and your shot. Because of this, you will need to experiment to find the best setup for your - whether that be two, three, or even four stabilizers in any number of orientations and lengths.
You will experience a certain level of pin float - the movement in your pin when at full draw - regardless of your setup, so you need to build out weight distribution to effectively combat that without making your setup too heavy to handle consistently. You also want to make sure your stabilizers aren't forcing the bow to 'drop' or 'rise' when at full draw, which can put unnecessary pressure on your hold and lead to fatigue and inconsistency. Considering noise does not play a part in competitive archery, you will find that target stabilizer setups focus much more on balance and stability over noise-reduction like in the case of hunting bars. Vibration deadening is helpful in both instances, though.
Another aspect to consider - one that hunters might refer to as 'buck fever' in their field - is the pressure of the lights. It is all well and good to know your hold and balance for when you're shooting alone at home - your heart rate will be slow and you'll most likely be relaxed. It is another thing entirely when the lights are bright, the cameras are on you, and faces are staring you down. You might very well draw, aim, and hold differently in these moments. This is what pro archer David Houser had to say when faced with the question of whether the pressure forces his setup to change:
Absolutely! Everything is easy in the comfort of your home range without any pressure or high stakes. Many things react differently when you get nervous. For example, in practice I would always run a 1:4 weight ratio on my stabilizers. Under pressure, I tend to see more movement in my sight picture, and in order to slow down that movement, I adjusted my stabilizer weight set up to 1:3. I use my findings from tournaments to make small adjustments to make my bow perform as well as possible under pressure.
A good starting point for recurve target archery would be a front bar, v-bar, extender, and two back bars - various people will recommend different starting points, but this is a common and neutral place to start. The WNS SAT Stabilizer and two Side Rods, along with the WNS SAT extender and WNS SAT V-Bar would be a great beginner recurve setup setup as they include the option for customizable weights, have a built-in damper on each stabilizer, and the extender will get your v-bar mount away from your riser.
The starting point for compound target archery looks relatively similar, except this time you will be utilizing an offset mount and one side bar. The Bee Stinger Competitor 30", Competitor 12", and Adjustable Side Bar Mount would all be nice starting points, here. Make sure to pick up some Bee Stinger stabilizer weights when checking out those bars, too.
For both, make sure to use the formulas in the "length" section below before making your starting setup decisions.
Watch part 1 and part 2 of David Houser's "Ins and Outs of Compound Bow Stabilization" series below for an in-depth look.
The Extras
A stabilizer system incorporates more than just the stabilizer bar itself: standard dampers, bushings, weights, bolts, offsets, v-bars... tuned mass dampers? These are all either necessary or potential parts of a stabilizer system. Let's go over them really quick.
Damper: A vibration/shock-absorbing piece that often threads onto the end of a stabilizer, is built into the stabilizer system, or fits around the outside of the stabilizer bar. It is often made of rubber or another proprietary damping material.
Bushing: The threaded holes in your bow riser that accept the threaded rod of your stabilizer - aka the stabilizer mounting point. These appear in two versions: the more common 5/16"-24 and the less common 1/4"-20.
Bolt/Rod: The pieces of the stabilizer that thread into your bow riser and that are also used to attach stabilizer weights in many cases to the end of your stabilizer. These also are usually found to be 5/16"-24 while 1/4"-20 is less common - the same as the bushing above.
Quick-Disconnect: These are small pieces that fit between your stabilizer bushing and your stabilizer. They allow you to quickly and easily remove stabilizers from your bow for transport without having to unscrew the stabilizer the whole way each time.
Weight: These are added onto the end of your stabilizers to help steady your pin float and balance your bow. They, much like the bushings/rods are most commonly attached via threading the weights to your stabilizer using 5/16"-24 and 1/4"-20 rods, but proprietary weight systems such as Mathews and Hamskea exist, as well.
Offset Mount: Used on either the front or rear bushings on your riser, an offset mount is used to attach a position-adjustable side rod to your bow to control weight distribution and balance.
V-Bar Mount: These can be fixed or adjustable in nature - can be mounted on the rear bushing, front bushing, or with an extender - and are used to attach two side stabilizers on either side of your riser.
Extender: Used primarily with recurve setups to move the offset or v-bar mount farther forward. This shifts the bows overall center of gravity forwards, and improves post-shot follow-through.
Tuned Mass Damper: A new style of stabilizer on the market, these utilize the tuned mass damper system most commonly found in tall architecture such as skyscrapers to negate ambient movement. This was brought to market with the ACU Archery S.O.S. stabilizer system.
The Testing Process
You can use these steps as a basic guide to setting up your stabilizer system. This is not the only way to go about it - some coaches and pro archers might have a different approach - but this will certainly get the job done.
Step One: Begin by putting your front stabilizer on your bow. If you are testing and setting up a recurve for target, include the v-bar and extender in this step as well - just don't add side rods just yet.
Step Two: Shoot a few rounds with just your front stabilizer on the bow. Pay attention to how your bow feels before the draw, during full draw, and at the shot.
Step Three: Begin to add your side rod or rods and shoot a little bit more to see how they affected your draw and shot compared to without them.
Step Four: Check your bows balance at rest. Hold your bow in your hand as though you were going to shoot, hold it out in front of you, and see how it tilts on its own. Ideally, as a starting point, you'd want your bow to sit upright or tilt slightly forward at rest.
Step Five: Begin to change your side rod(s) angle and weight until your bow achieves a balance close to the one described in step four.
Step Six: Fine tune your weight distribution through adding and removing weight at the end of your front rod and side rod(s). Extra weights can be found on our site HERE if you need them.
Mathews Proprietary Bridge-Lock System:
If you're looking through the best-selling stabilizers on the LAS website - the site you're currently on - and you noticed some strange, skeletonized-looking stabilizers that don't have threaded bolts on either end, and you were wondering what they were, then keep reading. Those belong to Mathews' line of Bridge-Lock lineup of stabilizers that are connected to Mathews risers via machined slots. They are then locked down with riser screws to keep them tight and in place. Because of their slotted-style design, you are able to adjust the length of these stabilizers on the fly by moving them in and out of the riser and tightening them back down on their indexed lockdown points.
Length - Competition Specific Formula
Choosing the correct stabilizer length is essential in the pursuit of maximizing your shooting performance. If your stabilizer is too long for you and your bow, it might end up feeling heavy, slow, and just not generally responsive the way a tuned setup should be. Having a stabilizer that is too short for your setup will result in a shooting experience that feels overly responsive leading to an unstable draw, hold, aim, and shot. The stabilizer experts over at RamRods Archery recommend finding your ideal front stabilizer system length by taking your height in inches x 0.48. This would mean an archer that is 6ft tall (or 72 inches) would need a 34.5" overall system - by 'system' I am referring to everything between your riser and your end weights: stabilizer, v-bar, extender, quick-disconnect, etc. A similar formula is recommended for side rods. Take your height in inches and multiply it by 0.2. This would mean the 6ft archer would need 14" side rods as a starting recommendation.
Weight
Weight is a result of personal preference and shooting style coming from many factors including bow mass weight, shooting volume, shooting style, bow reaction, draw weight, and various other forms of personal experimentation. There is no one set formula to determine the stabilizer weight that would be optimal from person to person. This plays off some of the parts of the length section above, as adding more weight can make your stabilizer softer, while removing weight can make it stiffer. You want to achieve a level of weight distribution that allows for a balanced bow, that slows your pin float, that doesn't put harsh stress on your shoulder, back, and arm muscles, and that deadens your shot without feeling too 'mushy.' One thing that also needs to be taken into account is your draw weight and length. If you have a longer draw length and shoot at 70lbs of draw weight, you are naturally going to need a higher mass weight stabilizer to balance out the torque you inflict upon your setup - a shorter draw length archer shooting 45lbs will not require as much weight to balance their hold. Your shooting style also plays a part in your weight additions, as this can affect how responsive and quick you want your bow to feel when aiming. Two archers with the exact same setup might use vastly different mass weight on their stabilizer systems if one shoots with a slow, methodical process and the other has a snappier, rhythmic shot process. Lighter weight is easier to correct quickly, while heavier weights will allow for stability during longer holds.
Wind Efficiency
Wind efficiency is exactly what it sounds like - it is how much or how little wind will affect a stabilizer during your shot process. Some stabilizers are ported in order to fight against the wind, while others are designed with smaller total diameters in order to stay stable. Generally speaking, wider diameter stabilizers will be able to stay steady and hold more weight farther away from your riser, but this will come at the cost of width and a lower wind efficiency. This means the natural elements will be more likely to affect your hold in less-than-perfect conditions - having a wind efficient stabilizer guarantees you have a distinct advantage in adverse conditions. Finding the middle ground between wind efficiency and weight capacity is a must in order to optimize your system.
Stiffness
Multiple factors affect stiffness in a stabilizer: material quality, diameter, end weight, construction, length, and geometry. The construction of your stabilizer - as in whether you choose metal or carbon - will affect the stiffness of your bars. Carbon is going to be naturally stiffer than their more budget-friendly aluminum counterparts. If you choose carbon, the actual quality of that carbon layup is also going to affect your stiffness. The tighter your carbon is woven and laid to form your stabilizer bar, the stiffer that stabilizer will inherently be. The diameter of your stab will increase or decrease your spine or stiffness - a thicker stabilizer will naturally be stiffer than a thinner one made of the same material. Much like with arrow spine and point weight, adding more weight to the end of your stabilizer will weaken its dynamic stiffness - removing weight from the end will then strengthen its stiffness. The same comparison can be used for length - the shorter your stabilizer, the stiffer it will be, just like with arrow spine. You want to determine the sweet spot where your stabilizer is string enough to support your desired end weight, but soft enough to still absorb vibration at the shot.
FAQs
Q) What is the difference between aluminum and carbon?
This one is pretty easy. Aluminum is generally a more budget-friendly and heavier stabilizer when compared to carbon - it also absorbs vibration much less effectively. Aluminum has it's place for entry-level setups but falls short when more vibration control and more end weight is needed to balance your hold.
Q) What length stabilizer should I start with?
A) That entirely depends on you, your bow, and your application. If you are hunting with a 29" bow, you might only need a 4" or 6" front rod on your setup, or a 8"/6" front/side stabilizer combination for increased balance if necessary. If you are shooting a 33" hunting bow, then maybe a 6" to 8" front bar would suffice, or a 10"/8" front/side stabilizer combination. On the target side of things, scroll up to the "Length" portion of the article to see what might be best for you - it is all broken down for you. Just remember that it does all come down to the shooter and the bow, though, so you might not fit perfectly into these categories.
Q) Why does stabilizer stiffness matter?
A) A stabilizer that is too weak for your setup may cause an unresponsive hold, might enhance small movements, and will increase resonance and vibration during and after the shot. A stabilizer that is too stiff for your setup will increase micro movements in your aim, and will greatly decrease quality of the post shot feel while not effectively dampening shock.
Q) How much weight do I need?
Weight is where you fine tune your stabilizer system. Our customer service experts recommend beginning with 2 or 3 oz on the front bar and double to triple that weight on your rear bars for a hunting setup. For target, you can start with 5oz up front and double that on the back bars. Some end up using less than that recommended starting point, and some end up using much more. Weight is truly a person-to-person determination, so you will need to experiment to find out what works best for you.
Q) I hunt - do I need a side bar?
Side bars are recommended to balance an unbalanced bow. If you have a generally balanced hunting rig, don't ever shoot with the quiver attached, and use a shorter hunting bow, it is likely a shorter front bar would suffice for you - enough to slow the pin down a bit and absorb vibration. If you're shooting longer distances - such as out West in open country - and you use a 34" A2A bow with your quiver attached, then you should seriously consider using a side bar on your setup.
Q) Why would I use angled mounts over flat ones?
Using a stabilizer mount that angled your bar downwards effectively shortens your stabilizers length from your riser, lowers your bow's center of gravity, and allows you to reap the rewards of a longer rod without giving up the balance and vibration control that would be lost with a shorter bar.
Q) How do I know if my stabilizers are working?
Once you have your stabilizers setup, I encourage you to shoot at a distance that is moderately challenging compared to your average shot distance. Shoot, and try to pay attention to what your pin and level tendency is during each draw and hold. You want your side rods to achieve a level hold without too much effort output to keep it straight. You want to achieve a tight, controlled float that always naturally wants to return to your target on its own. This allows you to trust that the pin is constantly coming back to the middle while moving so you can maintain the timing in your shot and eye focus on what you want to hit. If the pin dips or jumps and you have to fight your pin to get back to center, you are changing your shot process and timing to get that pin back to where you need it to be - change your weight distribution or length on your front bar to see if you can achieve that small float in all directions at rest.
Conclusion
While recommendations and formulas are readily available and often come from a place rich with experience and love for the sport, it is always only going to be you that ultimately determines what stabilizer system works best for you and your setup. No one shoots the same, looks the same, or has the same bow. Stabilizers, mounts, weights, and all the rest of it are exceptional tools that can be utilized to get the absolute best out of both yourself and your bow - just know that your pins are never going to truly be still, no matter what you do.
Check out our comprehensive stabilizer page here to look through all that we have to offer.
