What's a barebow stabiliser?
As many people will be aware a change was voted in by the membership which has banned stabilisers in the barebow class. Some people have expressed concerns about bow-shock caused by shooting without a stabiliser and has led to a discussion at Saturday's Committee meeting about what counts as a stabiliser.
When stabilisers were allowed there was no need to define exactly what constitutes a stabiliser, but now we need to consider whether weights and vibration dampening devices also count as stabilisers. For example, some products are sold primarily for vibration dampening but also provide stabilisation.
A common sense approach needs to be taken. If something provides stabilisation to a bow, then it counts as a stabiliser. As a rule of thumb the Committee has concluded that anything that screws into a stabiliser bushing on the riser of a bow (whether a take-down or one-piece) or screws into limb mounting points on a takedown counts as a stabiliser. Limb Savers, Bow Tunerz and other proprietary brands of vibration dampeners that glue or attach to limbs are not stabilisers and are permitted.
Metal risers are sometimes viewed as more stable because of their greater mass and some metal risers sold for barebow shooting come with built-in weights by the manufacturer. Where risers are sold with built-in weights as standard these are permissible. However, adding additional weights of any shape or size to a bow is not permissible - whether these weights are screwed on, glued on, taped on or fixed by any other means of attachment.
To make it clear having pressure buttons, arrow rests, bow quivers and even bow slings screwed into bushings on a bow is allowed. But if it is apparent that any attachment is being adapted to provide stabilisation then that is breaking the 'no stabiliser' amendment.
Advice which has been passed onto the committee by Hoyt is that their recurve bows can be shot without stabilisers as long as appropriate weight arrows are shot from the bow. Most manufacturers specify minimum weight arrows and the existing NFAS Safety Rules recommends that archers follow these manufacturer's minimum arrow weights.
NFAS Committee, 27th Mar '10
