(An article by Damien Gay)

When you think of archery I would suggest most of us imagine the equipment as simplicity itself – a bow and an arrow. To a certain extent this is true. If you simply want to take an arrow and fire it from a bow, these are the basic pieces of equipment you will need. If you want to fire that arrow accurately and be able to continue to fire arrows accurately for any length of time, one of the pieces of equipment you will need is a stabilizer.

A stabilizer serves two main functions. The first is to hold the bow steady and more stable, hence its name. From this comes a secondary advantage with using a stabilizer and this is that it reduces hand shock and vibration. I’ll explain why this is important in just a moment.

Firstly we should examine what a stabilizer is made of so we can understand how it works. In the past they were metal tubes. Metal is a rather heavy material and although you want to add some weight, because this is what keeps the bow stable, you don’t want to make it too heavy. So these days the body of the stabilizer is made from carbon or AMS plastics. Carbon is ideal because it is a durable, lightweight material that is also rigid enough to perform properly.

A dampening device allows the stabilizer to perform its second function, that of reducing the vibration through the bow from the force of releasing the bowstring. The dampening device will most likely be made of rubber although other vibration absorbent materials may be used. By positioning the dampening material away from the end of the bow their effectiveness will be maximised.

The final device you will find on a stabilizer is a weight which will sit right on the end after the rubber material. The purpose of the weight is to counterbalance the bow and it is this that keeps the bow stable when it is being shot. With the weight sitting at the front of the bow consistency in aiming the bow is made easier.

When deciding on which stabilizer to use you will find that they come in a variety of lengths. The length of the stabilizer you need will depend considerably on the type of archery you plan on doing. In general, the longer the stabilizer you use the more steady your bow will be and consequently, the more accurate you are likely to be. Target archers use long stabilizers. Bowhunters, on the other hand, use shorter stabilizers because of the conditions under which they will be carrying and firing their bow.

The shorter frames of hunting bows mean that an overly long stabilizer is not required. Considering some of the terrain you may be covering, long pieces protruding from the bow would be more likely to snag and hinder progress as well as make more noise. Similarly, any extra weight on the bow would be accentuated the longer the bow has to be carried to the point where it would become extremely tiring.

Finally, we return to the importance of reducing vibration. Any vibration experienced by the bow is going to be expressed as noise and when you are bowhunting noise is one of your worst enemies. Vibration will also cause movement in other components on your bow which will inevitably affect accuracy.

Not only is it important for your bow to be fitted with a stabilizer but it is important to have one that suits you, your bow and the type of shooting you’re going to use it for. Take a measured approach, look for quality and temper your decision with thoughts on suitability and you will be sure to be shooting quietly and accurately.

The Compound Archery Store has a range of major archery brands to choose from specialising in compound bows as well as all sorts of accessories including a full range of stabilizers

What Advantages do Composite Bats have over Aluminum Bats? And are they worth the extra cost?

Composite bats do offer distinct advantages to aluminum bats but they will certainly have a shorter life as they can, and probably will, break. They’re also much more susceptible to the cold.

All bats warn you to not use them when the temperature is below 50 degrees. For aluminum bats it’s just a safety valve for the manufacturer. For composite bats it’s the real deal.

- The Swing Weight is More Easily Controlled: The closer the bats balance point is to the handle; the easier it is to swing. Composite bats make it easier to shift mass around from barrel end to handle to control the location of the balance point and thus the swing weight.

- Bending Stiffness May Be Tuned: Higher bending stiffness means that the frequencies of the bending vibrations for the lowest bending mode fall into the range where the hands are most sensitive to vibration. Composite materials, however, give the manufacturer the option of lowering the bending stiffness of the bat, without changing any of the stiffness properties in the barrel which affect performance. This means that one might be able to design a bat which would “feel” better or sting less by adjusting the bending stiffness.

- Trampoline Effect May Be Tuned: Composite materials have a distinct advantage over aluminum in that they are anisotropic, which means that the elastic properties of a composite material are not the same in all directions. The stiffness in the longitudinal (along the length of the bat) and circumferential (around the barrel of the bat) directions can be modified pretty much independently of each other. This means that you can make the barrel of a composite bat soft while still maintaining the stiffness in the handle.

- Bending vibrations Are More Highly Damped: The damping rate dictates how quickly the amplitude of a vibrating object decays. The damping values for all-composite bats or bats with composite handles are at least twice as high as aluminum bats, and some composite bats have as nearly 10 times more damping than aluminum bats. This is partly why composite bats are advertised as having a “more forgiving sweet spot.”

- No “Ping” Sound: Oddly enough kids have become so accustomed to hearing the ping their initial thought is this bat sounds like wood. Hence they think it has no pop. Don’t be fooled. Plus the sound will remind the “old-timers” of their youth baseball days.

For a detailed, in-depth analysis click here Baseball Bat Reviews. I hope this helps.

http://www.baseballbatreviews.ruqqa.com