Top Gear For Quieting Your Bow

January 04, 2011

Here's a look at some of the top stabilizers and silencers in the marketplace today.

By Brian Fortenbaugh

Apex Gear's Attitude Stabilizer ($27) weighs 4 oz. and measures 4.8" in length. Made of molded rubber with a soft coating, it combines a "wave" design with an "echo" chamber that work together to dampen vibration and noise (Apex Gear, 1-888-8-TRUGLO, www.truglo.com).

Bowjax's Magnum Rizrjax Dampeners ($24.99) attach on either side of a bow's riser, top and bottom. Their six arms vary in length to react at different frequencies, thus shortening the duration of vibration. Molded-rubber balls at the end of each arm "rebound" to further quiet your bow (Bowjax, Inc., 208/762-3692, www.bowjax.com).

Doinker's Chubby Hunter Series Stabilizers employ the Doinker Supreme dampener, made of the company's ITP (Interrupted Transfer Polymer) material built directly into the stabilizer's end cap. The 3.25" CS3 ($26) weighs 5.2 oz.; the 4.75" CS5 ($41), 6.3 oz.; and the 6.625" CS7 ($51), 6.3 oz (Leven Industries, 818/700-2899, www.doinker.com).

Fuse's Carbon Blade Hunter 8.5 Stabilizer ($109.99), constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, has an aerodynamic shape that reportedly creates up to 70% less wind drag than ordinary stabilizers. Add Fuse's vibration-damping technologies and you have a stabilizer that will help you shoot more quietly -- and accurately in harsh weather (Fuse Archery, 801/363-2990, www.fusearchery.com).

Mathews' Monkey Tails ($2), standard on the company's Z7, will work on any bow to eliminate string and cable noise. Four of these little dampers in place will reduce arrow speed by a miniscule 1-2 fps (Mathews Solocam, 608/269-2728, www.mathewsinc.com).

NAP's Blackjack Stabilizer ($29.99) is 5" long and weighs 9 oz. Its ribbed outer sleeve cuts bow noise and recoil by 75%, resulting in tighter groups and fewer animals jumping the string (New Archery Products, 1-800-323-1279, www.newarchery.com).

Norway's StringTamer GII deadens string noise, reduces hand shock, and eliminates the need for string-mounted silencers. The front-mounted model ($64.95) adjusts from 6"-11"; the rear-mounted version ($54.95) works with brace heights from 4½" to 81„8" (Norway Industries, 1-800-778-4755, www.norwayindustries.com).

Octane's 7" Stabilizer ($59.99) has diamond-shaped cutouts on the outside that dissipate any vibration not absorbed by the inner dampening material. A rubber bellows on the end acts like a piston to further squelch vibration and direct movement toward your target (Octane, 541/284-4711, www.fuelthehunt.com).

PSE's Pete Shepley Signature Series Deuce Stabilizer ($58.99), at 8" and 9 oz., reduces vibration and noise courtesy of two internal damping rods suspended in a rubber compound (PSE, Inc., 520/884-9065, www.pse-archery.com).

Trophy Ridge's ShockStop Lite Stabilizer ($19.99), at 5" and 6.3 oz., minimizes vibration and noise while balancing your bow perfectly for steadier aiming. It's constructed of black, shock-absorbing rubber and comes with a braided wrist sling (Trophy Ridge, 1-800-694-9494, www.trophyridge.com).

T.R.U. Ball's Spyder Speed Silencers ($19.99) attach to your bowstring via the company's TBAL speed enhancers. With these affixed, Speed Silencers reduce string noise and can reportedly increase arrow speed 1-15 fps, depending on use and your bow's cam style (T.R.U. Ball, Inc., 434/929-2800, www.truball.com).

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