bow strings

[2BLADE]

i wanted to buy a new string for my recurve what are the pros and cons of dacron and flemish. Thanks

[stikshooter]

I like flemish twist strings,because I think they look cool.Dacron is allright,but it does stretch quite a bit.I sometimes prefer dacron over FF on some of my bows just because it is not as noisey.You do need to use dacron if your bow tips are not built up for FF strings

[LostHawg]

Dacron is a more forgiving and quieter string. The flemish twist is more reliable than a continual loop in that if you cut a strand or a strand breaks the string will continue to function without being a hazard. The continual loop stands the chance of coming unstrung and is held together only by the serving. BOTH are tried and proven strings though.

[Texas5o]

Dacron is also quieter, even though it does stretch quite a bit more than some of the more modern string materials and you will loose a few feet per second (as if that matters). I prefer quiet over fast anyway and like hunting with dacron. As was stated before, make sure your bow is made to handle fast flight, if you go that route, or you stand a chance of cutting the tips off the bow.
I like the flemish twist strings because I can make them myself.

[Flint knapper]

Heck, build your own!

[Birddog]

I use dacron on all my bows,but they are all old and not made for FF. I have the jig and lots of b50 so thats what I make...

[Bill]

I think you're comparing 2 different things in saying dacron vs. flemish.

Dacron is the actual string material, and is pretty-much the standard for recurves except if the bow is designed for shooting with a fast-flight type string. At minimum the bow tips need to be reinforced and build for fast-flight. A bowyer in my club said "if" I wanted him to re-tip my recurve to be able to use fast flight he could, but he asked me "why"? All things being equal, the bow will shoot faster with fast-flight (if it's meant for it and does not blow up).

Flemish-twist is a string construction technique, so instead of serving the ends to go over the ends of the limb tips, the string is "braided" instead and does not use serving. The top target archers all use a served string, but I like how the flemish twist looks, and besides I learned how to do it.

I have flemish-twith strings in both dacron (Red Wing Hunter) and fast-flight (my longbow built by a local bowyer with reinforced tips.

[Restless]

There was a good write up in TB. mag. a few months back that compared the two most common string materals dacron\fast flight. And the fast flight was only 5 to 7 fps faster and it seems to be much harder on bows, so why use it? Based on cost alone you can make twice as many strings for the same money if you use B50.

[duck'n]

I have a Sarrels Teton that I just couldn't get as quiet as I would like with the D-97 strings I had made for it. One day while shooting with Kevin Breaux, we put his B-50 string on, got the brace the same and Wala! He has since made me a string for it out of B-50 and that is what is currently on the bow. I would like to find the time to experiment with more silencers but for now, the bow is as quiet as it is gonna get for a while. Before switching I played extensively with arrow weight and brace height to little affect. I tried rubber cat whisers, woolie whispers, and beaver balls on the string. The only silencer I have yet to try on my list is the Hush Puppies. I have also since been told you can split the silencers or use two which helps. It was just easier to go to a B-50 string for now...and it made the difference.

By the way, this is in no way a slam on Sarrels bows. My first Sarrels was a Sierra and it was VERY quiet with the D-97 string it came with. I even shot it some with no silencers and was amazed. Some bows are just a little noisier than others regardless of the bowyer...at least that is my opinion.

[kirkw101]

also the FF string is smaller in diameter vs. dacron so if you go with FF more than likely you will notice aroow nocks a tad loose on the string. be sure to check that at home before you go afield.

I have always liked dacron over FF. I main shoot a damascus glove(very thin) FF hurts my fingers more than B50

kirk