# Picking a stabilizer



## rock monkey

there's really no 'one size fits most' thing in stabilizers. you have to literally try until you find what works for you. some will prefer the carbon rods, others the aluminum tubes. me, i like the feel from my AEP that i cut down from 36". ive shot a vibracheck carbon and just didnt like it. i started to see a crack develop in the carbon tube at the bow end and i put it in the trash. are all carbons built the same way? probably not. but i just didnt have a favorable experience.

ask the target shooters at the range if you can try theirs. ask them what they like/dislike about their particular setup. if you get a generic, vanilla statement of 'because its what the winners shoot', move on.

there are many variations of a theme with stabilizers. you have the Beiter rod style with an incredible range of tune-ability. AEP makes some really and as tune-able good products. cant go wrong with b-stinger or doinker. there are many other smaller named stabilizers that are copies of others. just look at the Lancaster selection. Cartel makes some really good equipment, the South Korean Olympic team can attest to that. Fivics, i dont know anything about. Genesis Archery out of WA state makes some nice rod style stabilizers. I know in the northeast, Beiter is quite popular.


case in point.....

me, when i started shooting, jennings what the king and stabilizers were, 'crude'. a tapered aluminum tube you put weight on the end. how much weight? up to you. today, you have infinite options for setting up a bow, adding mass weight and balancing. some design characteristics are better than others in bows.

i went from my 'tried and true' old school weight on the end setup to a modern, balanced setup. it drove me nuts. my scores suffered, i fought the bow, the weight fought me. i just did not like what i was feeling. i finally took it all off, put 5.5oz on the end of my 32" stab and an ounce in the end of my offset bar and slowly bled out all the bad. not all of my 'issues' were caused by the stab setup. there were other things from the uber-web that polluted my mind.

helping teach a class and stepping the kids thru a shot process got me to reflect on mine. i found things that shouldnt have been there. made the change, ingrained the change, and i'm pleased with my progress again.


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## Kade

Really many things kind of go into those. Most of them have come from trial and error or testing over the years. 

Length is totally a personal thing. I won't shoot a rod shorter then 33" if I can help it. I have in the past without issue but I have to shoot more weight on the front bar then I want to, and I can't rest the bow on the ground with a shorter bar. I also hold steadier with a longer bar.

Diameter, smaller is pretty much always going to be better in the wind. You don't need a pencil size diameter, but I don't want a giant diameter rod either. In most cases there aren't a lot of big stabilizers on the market really. So whatever will pretty much be ok.

Alum vs carbon. Carbon reacts better, feels better and is lighter. But carbon is more expensive. I won't look at an aluminum rod. 

Really you just need to pick just about any rod from B-Stinger, Doinker or one of the other good companies and set it up to work for you. Your not really trying to balance a bow when your setting up a stab setup. Your setting it up to enhance your ability to hold steady. The bow is going to be balanced when your done no matter what if done right. But if you balance the bow at rest your bow will balance fine but it's not really going to be setup too the shooter at full draw which is how you want it. 

Weight is a personal thing also. The bow and stab your shooting have zero to do what your going to need, by that I mean that it doesn't matter if your shooting a Vantage Elite or a Matrix. There isn't a weight that works with each bow. Stab length will play a roll though. If your using a shorter rod your going to generally need more weight then with a longer rod. For example I played with several different length B-Stingers last winter. 27", 30", 33" and 35". With the 27" rod I needed about 9-10oz, the 30" I used around 6-7oz, the 33" I use around 4oz with the 35" I used 3oz. You really just need a handful of weight and put it on the bar and try it. If it's too much take a little off. If it's not enough add a little more. 

When it comes to a side bar it is VERY important to have a solid mount. You don't want something that is flimsy and you don't want anything that is not adjustable.

I currently shoot B-Stinger bars. 33" front bar with 3-4oz and a 12" side bar with 17/18oz.


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## MC Racer

I had 3 stabs.gave to me the other day and try them.
First stab. was a Cartel,carbon-alum,30"long with no additional weight added to it.It pointed and balanced good but at the shoot it felt like a wave starting at the end of the stab.and ended in my shoulder.
Is this feeling a product of the stab. not being stiff enough?

Second stab. was a Vibercheck,all alum.,30" in length,no additional weight added but it had a weight that was inserted in rubber or some kind of silicone.The balance didn't feel right but no wave feeling or vibration.

Third stab was a Vibercheck,all alum.,24" in length,no additional weight added,but was larger in diameter then the first one and no weight inserted in rubber or silicone.The balance was good and pointed good but makes my sight bar and scope buzz.Is the buzz because the stab. is to stiff,and will this vibration brake my sight over time.


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## SEC

Like Monkey and Kade said...pick a good stab company and then work on balancing to you.
If you see a previous question posted by me...it was for a link to an article on setting up a stabilizer system. It has formulas and suggestions and all sorts of stuff. Some will work and some will not, but it is a good start.

Like you MC, I am starting over with my stab setup. I picked Doinker Fatty front and a Fatty side rod. Now I am working on the weighting of the two of them. I started with six ounces out front and twelve on the side...oof, too much, and then shot a round indoors. Now I am changing weights little by little and round by round until I will finially get what I like. I am confident with my stabilizers, now I just need to tune the weights to how I shoot.


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## tabarch

I really don't think the brand means a whole lot, what is important is getting one that stabilizes your setup. Whether it is alum. or carbon is a personal preference but what you do length wise and wieght wise should be based on test results from shooting different combinations on your set up. You have to remember that the further out you put your weight from the bow the less weight you have to have to stabilize your bow.I just went to a 36" carbon stab on my bow instead of a 30" stab that I had been shooting for several years,I had to shoot a large amount of weight to even think about slowing the movement down with my 30" stab and by going to a 36" stab I have cut down on the amount of weight by 50% and I have far less less movement than I did with a 30" stab. I don't know what part of Va you are in but if you are in the Northern Shen. Valley area I would be more than happy to let try what I have.


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## super*

once i switched to carbon i will never go back. Im a staff shooter for bernie and i like his carbon bars. They a super stiff and affordible. The carbon doinkers are also very nice and stiff but they also help control some vibration. Carbon blades are the best in my eyes they are stiff dampon some vibration and minimize wind drift but they cost a pretty penny!


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