Clueless about Fastflight!

Witchie Poo Cat

New member
Hi Guys

Could you please help. I keep hearing that a fastflight string on my bow will help me achieve longer distances with my new arrows (did I mention before Ive got lovely new arrows? :cheerful: )

Ive done a search on the forums but cant quite find the information Im looking for. The question is that these FastFlight strings dont seem to be actually called that when you look in some of the catalogues. Could someone explain to me what strings equate to fastflight and how many strands etc I should be looking for.

Im using a 68" bow with 24lb limbs but only pulling 22lbs with 26" draw (so far).

At the moment Im using a 12 strand Dacron string but to be perfectly honest with you guys I dont really understand the finer differences between string types, number of strands etc.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

Thank you!

Witchie Poo Cat
 

clickerati

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
There is a wealth of knowledge on the internet. I like this site about string making. There's a good section about materials, determining string length and strands, and how to make a string if you're so inclined.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
WPC In a nutshell, some materials stretch more when they are used to shoot arrows.If they stretch as the poundage on them goes up, the bow is less bent at full draw. This gives a slower launch. Some materials are heavier so they are slower at launching arrows. Some materials are stronger so you need less to make a string and could be lighter and quicker as a result.
Fastflight is fast for the reasons I have mentioned. Little stretch, strong, light weight. At the moment there is very little Fastflight around but there are others that are similar for similar reasons.
There is a downside to fastflight and similar. On some all wooden bows, the shock of the string returning to rest, with no stretch in it, can cause damage to the riser and possibly the limbs. Dacron is more stretchy so it soaks up some of that shock. It is normal to use dacron on beginners bows. (all wooden risers)
 

Robert

New member
Ironman
Witchie Poo Cat said:
Hi Guys
>>snip

Im using a 68" bow with 24lb limbs but only pulling 22lbs with 26" draw (so far).

At the moment Im using a 12 strand Dacron string <<snip>>

Witchie Poo Cat

Well I was shooting a 12 strand dacron string on a gm with 34lb limbs (holding 32) and it made my xx75 1616's act weak as it was so fast. I have now switched to a 16 strand fastflight(or equivalent!) string and this has slowed the bow down enough to get the arrows to tune.(using a single floss nocking point at the moment)

It might be worth borrowing a string from a friendly archer and seeing what the difference is (Thanks Robbo !) particularly with a bareshaft test.

As far as I can tell the 16 strand FF string is quieter, more forgiving and now the arrows are not being wrestled into line by the fletches I dont anticipate any radical change in sightmarks.
 

Witchie Poo Cat

New member
geoffretired said:
There is a downside to fastflight and similar. On some all wooden bows, the shock of the string returning to rest, with no stretch in it, can cause damage to the riser and possibly the limbs. Dacron is more stretchy so it soaks up some of that shock. It is normal to use dacron on beginners bows. (all wooden risers)
Im using a Hoyt Gold Medalist riser with Challenger limbs so no worries about the wooden bow thing.

Im probably just being a bit thick here, but Im still none the wiser as to my original question! Ive noticed that people are telling me to get fastflight but I cant get ACTUAL fastflight but there are similar strings. What I need to know is what strings are similar to fastflight, what names do they go by?

I also need to know for the arrows(1716 spine 28")/poundage Im shooting (22lbs), and the distances I want to achieve (60 yards+) what combination of fastflight/string strands would be best suited? I seem to remember someone (think it was dave) suggesting that perhaps a 16 strand would be the best way to go but I dont really understand how this impacts on the performance.

If someone could give me an idea of the names of strings Im looking for and also how the different strand combinations would affect the shooting of my light arrows from a low poundage bow.

Sorry, hope this makes sense, Im still stressed out about my broken TV!:melodrama

Thanks!

Witchie Poo Cat
 

GreenSteve

New member
Hi WPC i went from a dacron string to a 16 strand fastflight and had a slight improvement but not enough so i went back and got a 14 strand fastflight which was better, after this i came across a mention of HNL strings
www.hnlarchery.com
from here i got myself a 16 strand Angel Majesty string
i believe the string is Angel Dyneema with Majesty servings and this certainly put some extra punch in my arrows
theres several types of strings to chose from on HNL and also theres some good descriptions of what the strings do, have a look there it may help :)
 

clickerati

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
Leighton owns HNL and he's on this forum. You could always pm him in case he doesn't see this thread.
 

Bald Eagle

New member
WPC, Hi, for a start you should have 66 inch limbs on your bow for your draw length! this would get you to 60 yards no problem with a 14 strand fastflight string. You may have to put .22 centre serving on so the arrow fits snug.
 

GreenSteve

New member
or if the arrows are still loose build up the serving under the nock with dental floss (as i have had to do) :cheerful:
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Seems I hit the nail with the hammer earlier WPC. Thumb nail at that!:thumbsdow
Fastflight was one of the newer strings. It was fast because it didn't stretch much and it was strong and light. Generally speaking, if it isn't dacron,the material in question will have similar properties to fastflight.There are several in the catalogues.
Strands is all to do with how thick the single strands are as they come off the spool.A fat strand will require fewer of them to make a string that gives a good fit to the arrow nocks. The catalogues usually show how many strands of that material will give that snug fit.
On a low poundage bow you could use fewer strands and make the string lighter. It will be strong enough not to break but it will shoot arrows faster;better sight marks.Use fewer strands and it will be thinner too so the serving needs building up to get the snug fit you want. It may effect the feel of the string too, so people with sore fingers may notice the thin string.
 

Witchie Poo Cat

New member
Thanks guys for all the info. The website link looks good, certainly one to remember when I get better at this sport and want to upgrade my kit.

Ive gone for a 16 strand fastflight. Im ordering hubby new arrows anyway so getting us both one.

As for the length of my bow, its absolutely fine and is a long story how I came to have 68" rather than 66" but thats a whole other thread! It works for me, thats all I care about!

Witchie Poo Cat
 

Bertie1

New member
Hi. I've been using Dacron for some time and am very pleased with my groups. I bought a fast flight string from Target craft just to try it out!(16 strands as opposed to 12) and my arrows were all over the place - so I quickly took it off and put my trusty Dacron back. Want to buy a fastfllight? (for 68")
 

Thunk

Well-known member
Ironman
WPC, most archery retailers sell fastflight strings. Fastflight is the name of the material, rather than a trade name for the string itself. If you are having troubles finding a fastflight string, it's for a very good reason. The material is what the suppliers of body armour to the US armed forces use for stitching, and as you may have noticed, killing people in foreign lands is a bit of a growth industry for the americans at the moment. Therefore the US military have bought up (requisitioned!) all the material, which is manufactured in the US.

If you need a fastflight string for a 68" bow, I think I might have one hanging around somewhere (I shoot a 70" bow). If you need it, pm me and I'll stick it in a jiffy bag.
 

dino1300

New member
The point with FastFlight, Angel, etc is not that they stretch less when you pull the bow, it is that they strech less when the string is supposed to be stopping and letting the arrow fly. If the string stretches past the resting point, then there is nothing to make the nock let go of the string, and the arrow is still attatched to the string while the string is slowing down.

This demonstrates what happens on release, although the clip is trying to show stability in the limbs. This is with a fast flight string.

http://www.win-archery.com/eng/limb_skill.htm

look for the bit ' Movement of tip is directly reflected on the movement of the string. String of WINEX does not hit the arm.'

With a dacron string, the arrow would carry on a little bit further before detatching from the string, as the string streches a little before reaching the maximum length under load.

Imagine the difference between what would happen to a ball in your car if you put the brakes on hard or REALLY hard.

But you have to remember that a FF string causes more shock in the bow, and a wooden bow will eventually fail due to these stresses.
 
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