What are the Best String Silencers?

Silence a string that makes too much of a zing with our list of the best string silencers! Noisy bowstrings aren’t great if you’re a hunter and they can be off-putting if you’re a recreational shooter too. You don’t want your bow sounding like some kind of badly tuned instrument! Fortunately the cure might well be simpler than you think. String silencers are relatively inexpensive and there are a few different styles, some easy to fit and some a little more involved. In this article we’re going to take your through all the different styles and we’ve put together a list of some of the best we can find. Take a look…

How to Silence your Bowstring

What makes a bow string noisy?

There’s a few reasons that your string may make unwanted noise. Firstly, you probably already know that if you vibrate a piece of taut string (like as a bowstring) it will cause sound-waves and you’ll hear them as noise. This is the principle that many instruments work on. With your bow however you don’t want the string to continue to vibrate after you’ve taken a shot.

If the arrow you fire isn’t heavy enough for the bow the force from the string will be too much for just the arrow and energy will be left to go back into the bow after you’ve fired. This will cause the string to vibrate back and forth and the limbs to flex and a twang! Now you’re never going to get a perfectly weighted arrow, but shooting an arrow that’s heavy enough for the draw will minimize string sound from your bow.​

Strings can also vibrate because of ​bow inefficiency. Just like you’ll struggle to find the perfectly weighted arrow for our bow, you’ll also never have a perfectly efficient bow. Inefficiencies in the bow design will cause some of the energy stored on release to be absorbed by the bow limbs and those limbs will flex and spring. That flexing and springing will also put energy back into the bowstring causing it to vibrate and make a noise.

Why do I need a quiet bow string?

Sound travels faster than even the fastest arrow from a recurve or a compound bow. If whatever you’re shooting at has ears it’s going to hear the sound from your bow just before your arrow strikes. If your target is a wild animal like a deer that lives or dies on it’s reactions then it may well ‘jump the string‘ causing you to miss. Hunters prefer quiet bows for this reason. 

String vibration means bow and limb vibration. Too much limb and bow vibration puts wear and tear on components and will cause them to fail much sooner than anticipated. One of the reasons you’re told never to dry fire a bow is because the limbs can’t handle absorbing all the energy from a shot without first releasing some onto an arrow. The same principle applies (at a much reduced level) to a vibrating bow. Cure it! Or it may not last as long as you’d envisioned without maintenance.

What does a string silencer do?

Essentially silencers are designed to absorb the excess energy in the string. Here’s a video to demonstrate the effectiveness of one of the most popular types of string silencer. This is shooting a Bear Grizzly 45# with brand new string with and without Beaver Balls installed and includes some useful comparison shots of the sound produced both ways. The difference is noticeable!

Alternatives and Additions to String Silencers

Install Limb Dampeners

As well as the string vibrating you’ll also find that excess energy from a shot is transferred into the limbs of both recurve and compound bows. People who fit string silencers will also normally look into fitting limb dampeners to complement them. We have you covered there too and have a sister article on the best limb dampeners which includes some useful tips, information and reviews on the top picks. Take a mosey over there after you’re done here.

Compound String Stops / Suppressors

Normally only found on compound bows, string stops or suppressors are usually mounted at the same level as the stabilizer and are there to ‘catch’ the string as it reaches the end of the release. We’ve a great article on the anatomy of a compound bow that details all the components including what a string stop looks like and where you’d find one.

Recurve, Compound and Crossbow String Silencers

You can use string silencers on anything you can fit them onto. They’ll help to quieten any string from any type of bow.​ The only caveat to that is that most string silencers (but there are exceptions such as the Apex which has easy install) require you to be able to remove the string from the bow in-order to install them. Take that into account before you jump-in!

Where and How to Install String Silencers

The best location for a string silencer on a compound bow is 2 – 3 inches from the tip, or where the cam meets the string. On a recurve, because the string is longer the best distance can be up-to 10 inches from the limb tip. But as all bows have different brace heights and AMO lengths you need to experiment with your bow to find the sweet spot. Don’t be tempted to install them towards the middle of the string or you’re going to just add drag to your string and slow down your string speed, and consequently your bow and shot speed!

Compound archers sometimes also install string silencers on buss cables, depending on the bow these can also be culprits for noise.​

String Silencer Reviews

Mountain Man Beaver Balls

Mossy Oak String Silencers

BowJax 1036 Ultra Jax II

LimbSaver Everlast String Leech

Carbon Express 57509

Apex Gear Doubledown

Anything to share?

I hope this roundup was useful and led you in the direction of a quality component for your setup. Please let us know if we’re missing your favorite and need to add it to this review, or if there​ are any aspects of any of the above we’ve not covered correctly! Either leave a comment or send us some feedback!