# New Hoyt Buffalo & Bow Tuning - An Adventure Guide



## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

Great shot of the bow after tuning w/some 3555 Goldtip arrows. I ordered Easton Flatline w/500 spine to use with this bow - should be here next week. I just had these Goldtips laying around.









To do: O-rings for limb bolts, moleskin for limbs, string dampeners. 

I. Love. This. Bow.

Thought I would share


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## MiStickSlinger (Mar 15, 2013)

nice, did you buy it off the shelf or did you order it? and if you ordered it how long did it take to come in? I ordered mine before Christmas and was curious about their turnaround time


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## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

Ordered mine this Monday. Lucked out and found one at Lancaster website on sale ($100 off) in the exact same draw weight and finish I wanted.


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

Nice looking bow...:thumbs_up


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## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

Easykeeper said:


> Nice looking bow...:thumbs_up


Thanks!


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

The Buffalo is a nice bow, I had one for a while. I like to shoot off a rest and change limbs too much so I went ILF and sold my Buffalo.


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

Good you got it shooting well so easily. I do the O rings myself and think it helps but try it without them to see if you need them. I also wrapped my loop tags with wool yarn and got rid of the limb pads under the string. They kept bunching up and shifting. I use homemade woolies too. Very quiet bow.


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## Cwilder (Jun 4, 2006)

Very nice. Where do you put the o rings at


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

Bowhunter n MD said:


> Very nice. Where do you put the o rings at


On the limb bolts between the bolt and the limb as a shock absorber.


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## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

Did a few more things today

Attached moleskin at the tip of the limbs to help silence the bow









Attached a Mossy Oak bow sling to the bow


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Attached an additional nocking point to the string to ensure correct arrow and finger placement









After shooting and playing with the tiller a couple of hours, I finally got it tuned properly for a 3-under shooter. You can see how even it pulls now. The bottom tiller is set at about 1/4" longer than the top to compensate.










I still need to attach cat whiskers. I attempted to do it today with some dental floss in a constrictor knot. Seemed like it went on fine...then I went out and shot it and they exploded everywhere. Waste of $5! Going to try again tomorrow with either serving string or cable ties.


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## wseward (Mar 7, 2013)

Congrats on the nice new bow.


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## Greenjoytj (Aug 10, 2013)

i use BCY fibres "nock point and serving thread" in red colour to tie in rubber cat whiskers with two side by side constrictor knots, its superior thread for the job.

Be careful pulling off the OME rug rest from the handle shelf, I tore off a thumb nail sized pice of the bows black paint off the shelf of my Buffalo.
In the future if I need to replace the rest I'll soften the tape glue bond with zippo lighter fuel as I peel it back. 

Notice on the limbs at handle mating surface there are 4 clear plastic dots about ¼" in diameter . They are an anti scuff / cushion pad I think . Anyone ever seen these dots available for sale as spare parts?


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

The only other thing I do to mine was to glue deerskin to the paralever so the limb was cushioned from the metal a little. Homemade woolie silencers work great and a skien of wool yarn will last a lifetime.


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## AReric (Mar 6, 2010)

:thumbs_up


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## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

Ok I got the whiskers down - what a journey it was to learn this from scratch. I bought 3 colored whisker strips as seen here:









Fold length ways across the string. Tie with bow string serving (so much better than dental floss lol). Tie first with a constrictor knot followed by 2 overhand knots. Cut excess string to 1 inch, then burn off with a lighter. 









Put just a dab of fast dry glue on the 12" mark of the string (personal preference). Run the knot up and down it a couple times and leave it. This ensures the whiskers don't move up and down when shooting the bow









Took it out afterwards and shot about 30 arrows. Here's what they look like. Beautiful if you ask me! I trimmed them a bit, but not a whole lot. I actually like the look of them, so I don't mind them being a little bigger. Some guys like them smaller.









And here's an updated shot of the bow after all of the tuning/addons









Have I mentioned I LOVE THIS BOW? :-D


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## Altiman94 (Jun 11, 2007)

I had the same bow in 50# for a while and it's a great bow. What's your plans for a quiver?


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## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

Altiman94 said:


> I had the same bow in 50# for a while and it's a great bow. What's your plans for a quiver?


This bow will be used strictly for hunting and target practice, so I'm going to buy the specific mounted quiver for it to store about 4 broadhead arrows while hunting, and a nice side quiver for target. I own a cheap Allen Company side quiver now that clips to my belt and does just fine. 

The bow quiver for the Buffalo is a specific one according to Hoyt. I'm sure I could make another one fit, but I like the idea of getting the intended quiver, seems like it runs about $100 most places.


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## droptine11 (Jul 20, 2012)

I have one in #50 and with the camo limbs but absolutely love it. I definitely recommend getting the buffalo quiver it hugs tight to the bow and fits snug.


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## ablain (Jun 19, 2012)

good looking bow man, if only i had the cash to snag a 45lb buffalo. i have only shot one and loved it even though it had 60lb limbs. didn't notice any severe stacking which made it enjoyable even with it being over weight for my general set up.


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## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

I trimmed some rubber washers and put them under the limb bolts









A shot of the bolts with the limbs attached









Ended up attaching new whiskers - I find that an constrictor knot and 3 overhand knots with string serving is best. Burn off excess with a lighter. Keeps it on there tight. Went with white/brown/black here, better fit for the snowy season anyway 









I removed the stock calf hair arrow rest, and replaced it with bear hair. Calf hair feels cheap to me - happy with the results. Just a personal preference thing.









My dog eagerly awaiting to go outside and shoot with me


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## wseward (Mar 7, 2013)

I would guess that the rubber washers may not work that well, as evidenced by the cracks, and could cause problems for the limbs. Have you checked for twist in the tips? 

Good luck with your new bow.


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## esper2142 (Oct 20, 2013)

Nah those aren't cracks, just scissor marks from where I cut them into shape. They actually work quite well!


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## Mickels (Aug 12, 2009)

nice


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## nw.primitive (Jan 11, 2012)

The homemade rubber washers on the limb bolts -- is this a common thing to do? I have not seen it before.


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## ranchoarcher (Sep 26, 2013)

Having to fabricate items like rubber washers to quiet a bow is a bit extreme. It will invariably throw off the bow limbs direction of travel during release since they can not be made precise enough on the kitchen table. Nor are they designed to stand up to the pressures of a bow's limb. Might even lead to a failure if one of those washers collapses, breaks apart, or falls out in pieces. I tried something like that and took them back out after one shooting. The limbs jump out away from the limb bolt during release which creates that thunderous noise to begin with. The only (safe) cure is to shoot heavy arrows. 10gpp is probably a safe bet.


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## tartop (Oct 20, 2011)

Nice bow! 

There are as many techniques for tying whiskers as there are archers. This method works well for me. 

I use a constrictor knot. I lay down 4-5 wraps around the bow string. Then wrap the whiskers around the bowstring. Now give 4-5 wraps around the whisker bundle. Then fold the "downstream" side of the bundle back over the "upstream" side to expose the bowstring and follow up with 4-5 more wraps. Then pull the tail through and tighten everything nice and snug. I like to use braided dacron fishing line. Spider wire or fire line in the 30-50# test range works well. Don't over tighten as you can cut your bowstring.


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## anotherhassel (Aug 18, 2013)

I have this bow in 45 lbs I love it!!!


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## mursedan111 (Apr 1, 2012)

I love my buffalo... best shooting bow I own


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## mspaci (Oct 29, 2007)

would like to try one some day, still shooting my quinn for now


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## pulsarian (Apr 24, 2014)

Hi,
Great looking setup!
Ordered the same bow last week with 40# limbs (can't wait!), just wondering, when tuned, what is the actual draw weight of the bow? is it much more than the 40# at 28"?


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## Abdiel777 (Nov 18, 2010)

Bringing this thread back up. I'm loving the Buffalo I just got used. I'd like to hear some thoughts on quieting it down and arrow tuning. I'm mainly concerned about string noise. I'm using Limb Saver string leeches. Helps a bit... but it's still a loud shooting bow. I'm also curious if people have tried Astroflight string on it? I've found that material is naturally quieter. Lastly which quiver works best?my Buffalo is 50# 60 AMO. Thanks!


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## kenn1320 (Aug 28, 2004)

I have a buff and it's awesome! Stock limbs and a string by SBD and it was quiet. I upgraded to uukha limbs and Oliver Stacy string and get a nice hum, typical of uukha limbs. If your limbs are smacking(went through that) your brace height is too low. I have beaver balls and wrapped my loops with wool yarn just cause that's what I do. Lol I had a Titan 2 and decided to sell it and keep the buff.


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## Abdiel777 (Nov 18, 2010)

I've been getting that smacking like sound on release the OP referred to. I've changed arrow spines and such. I get good flight... I just get a Lloyd smacking sound. I was thinking it was the arrow because of the spine but I went down to a 500 and still get it. Even with heavy arrows weighing in around 10 gpi. I am beginning to think it's that the limbs aren't seated or something. They click in, but ' flop ' until strung up. Once strung they are aligned. Should they seem vertically loose (moving up and down on the weight bolt)? Just trying to eliminate problems with the bow her before going arrow crazy... also the string send like a Cabelas ff... World a better material make a difference?


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## Abdiel777 (Nov 18, 2010)

My bow is 50#. I'm drawing to 27". The books are tightened Salk the way do I might be up to 51-52#. I use GT 5575 cut to 29" w/ 50 grain inserts and 175 points. Or I use 500 Axis Trade with 50 grain and 100 points cut to 29". I get a good match with the online cals. I get good flight. But I get that loud sound.


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## kenn1320 (Aug 28, 2004)

What is your brace height? These bows like to be in the 8" range. Stop cutting your arrows unless they dont tune with the point weight you desire to shoot. Longer arrows are more accurate. Carbons really stiffen up when you cut them. You can go to the hardware store and get some rubber 1" diameter washers that are 1/16" or so thick. Cut the center hole with sharp scissors to be about 1/2". Slip one over the head of each limb bolt, that will help with the slapping limb noise, but raising the brace height will fix it as well. What happens is the limbs need a certain amount of load at brace or they unseat under the head of the bolt and slap back. Set it at 8" and try it. IF its quiet, you can take 2 twist out and test it. You will find the sweet spot.


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## MM213 (May 29, 2014)

ranchoarcher said:


> Having to fabricate items like rubber washers to quiet a bow is a bit extreme. It will invariably throw off the bow limbs direction of travel during release since they can not be made precise enough on the kitchen table. Nor are they designed to stand up to the pressures of a bow's limb. Might even lead to a failure if one of those washers collapses, breaks apart, or falls out in pieces. I tried something like that and took them back out after one shooting. The limbs jump out away from the limb bolt during release which creates that thunderous noise to begin with. The only (safe) cure is to shoot heavy arrows. 10gpp is probably a safe bet.


I agree.
You really shouldn't have had needed to gone to that extreme and modify the washers, especially on a high end bow like a buffalo but to each his own.


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## Abdiel777 (Nov 18, 2010)

Anyone notice differences with string materials? I think it has standard ff 16 stand. Braced at 8.25". Shooting 9.5ish gpi arrows.


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## kenn1320 (Aug 28, 2004)

Rubber washers are extreme? lol Do you cringe at the manufactures recomendation to draw the bow about 2" and dry fire it to set the limbs after string up? Why anybody would buy a modern high end bow and purposely slow it down with 10gpp is beyond me. This isnt 1950's technology, they are warrantied down to 5gpp. As I said, raising the BH will eliminate the limb slapping sound, but some guys like to shoot a lower BH and the washers are not going to create a catastrophic failure.


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## Abdiel777 (Nov 18, 2010)

Today I played with tiller and brace height. I have yet to shoot it but I can tell it's alright better in how it feels drawing and seats in my bow hand during the draw cycle. Can't wait to throw some arrows tomorrow. Brace is way up around 8 3/4". Tiller is about 1/4" positive. Have a new Custom bow string on the way with BCY-X material. I'm thinking that it should all click into place this week.


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