Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

I was wondering what everyone's opinion was of bows that do not have cable guards, like the Martin X System and the BladeRunner Bow? Is this a good idea for a bow design? What are the problems with these type of bows?

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

[:'(]

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

LOL [:'(][:'(][:'(]

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Ok, can I ask the reason for all the [:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(]'s? LOL

I'm serious guys...I have an idea for a bow design, and am trying to do a little "market research" to see if anyone would even be interested. I don't want to waste a bunch of money on patents and prototypes for something no one would buy.

What don't you like about the design of these bows?

My design would have no cable guard, and only the string passing axel to axel...similar to the Bladerunner, but a whole lot simpler.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

In my opinion a cable guard is just a necessary evil. If you could get rid of it without sacrificing anything else it would be great. I don't know how it could be done. But I keep looking at my bow and thinking that having those cables pushed out of the way causes problems like cam lean and friction from the cables having to be run on guides and such. Not to mention that the cable guard gets in the way sometimes. As far as the shoot through riser that seems to be more trouble than it's worth for a hunting bow. Loading arrows would be a pain. But I'm open to new ideas as long as they are a undeniable improvment.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

i would like to see a pic of a shoot thru bow ive never seen one i dont think

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

heres a shoot through for you viewing pleaser

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

That pic is not what he is referring to. If you look at the mechanics of a bow, you would see that shoot thru cable designs actually do something very good, they eliminate torque on the shot that is caused by the cables being wrenched over to one side to make clearance. If you look at FITA, or spots competition where ultimate accuracy is key, you will see a lot of people shooting shoot thru cable systems. As a matter of fact, the majority of the guys that placed last year at the New York State FITA championship were shooting Martin's with an X system (at 90 meter targets). Some will even customize a system for a non shoot thru design bow (like dean pridgeon and his hoyt) because of these benefits.

Yes, they are a solid design worth looking at. They will produce a bit more hand shock than a non shoot thru design however the benefits are well forth if for a lot of people. That hand shock can be eliminated most of the time anyhow with modern dampening accessories like doinkers, sims,etc.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Here are pics of an X system on the new Rytera Bullet X.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Thank youRick James!

That is exactly what I meant by shoot thru and the X-system. I'm glad you put up the pics, because I'm running dial-up right now...and it just wasn't happening for me.

Here is a link to the BladeRunner as well...I'd put up the pic, but I'd still be here two days from now.

http://www.africasbowhunter.co.za/bladerunner.htm

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Hey Rick,

Is that your bow? If so...do the cables on the left side contact your forarm when shooting?

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Nope, not mine. Just a picture I was able to find on the net. I have shot X system bows by Martin considerably though, I live very close to and personally know Jim Despart who has won in vegas, NFAA indoor and outdoor nationals, etc. He is the inventor of the X system and co-owns the patents with Martin on them. It really is a great system, if more people had exposure to other types of competitive archery such as indoor spots, outdoor FITA, and field archery they would see these types of systems more often.

I am not familiar with the bladerunner system. I would be curious to see one up close though. My initial impression is that there is a LOT of moving parts on it, but it may be a great setup?

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

i build a fair number of strings for them, and the folks tell me they are great, but a bit noisy ('x' system), and wouldn't be the best for hunting because of it (something about cable slap). is this true?

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Well what they are saying is probably true of the longer target models (such as sceptor, shadowcat, etc) they do sound a bit like a banjo. However with the shorter ATA models the noise isn't as bad and can be tamed down quite a bit to an acceptable level. Add in the fact that with Nitrous X cams (by far their best cam system) youcan throw the cable rod on the bow and use a regular cable setup as well, and that you can swap back and forth between and X system and regular system now the bow becomes more attractive to swap back and forth between hunting/competition.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

BB, take a good look at the left side cables on that Bullet. Most guys would have trouble shooting it without the cables clipping their arm. I say most guys because most are shooting too long a draw length and even the string slaps their arm. The cables are about an inch to the left of the string so you can imagine what problems are encountered.

That's not to say it's not a good system. I think it's one of the best cabling systems going as it does eliminate all torque in the bow itself. Pretty much everything, the rest, string and sight are right in the middle of the bow. All cam lean is eliminated also, something that isn't so for most solo-cam bows. Efficiency goes up due to less friction.

Yes, there is a little more vibration, but that is because the cables are not attached to anything that dampens them. I might have to try some Leeches or something on them and see what happens.

It's just more important to get the drawlength correct. I have two Martin bows with the X system and those cables just barely touch my arm sometimes, but I still don't need an armguard.And I don't shoot a bent elbow either. It's all in drawlength and proper grip (no-grip).

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

I don't see how you can shoot that without it hitting your arm regardless.

I also would not like to have to run my arrow between the cables in a hunting situation. Imagine if you had a Whisker Biscuit (and one that doesn't have QS) and this setup. You just missed a buck, and you want to nock another arrow....and you're peeing in your pants trying to do it!

When I decide I don't want a cable guard anymore, I'll get a recurve. :D

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

oh sorry I miss read that post [&:],and along with some others I have never seen one of these before,looks like a fantastic concept.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Trembow, You load it from the front and it's very easy as the cables are only a couple inches ahead of the string. And nobody shooting something as sophisticated as the X system will be using the OLD original Whisker Bisquit.

Ilike your first sentence. You don't SEE how to shoot it without hitting the arm. Don't just look. Try it and see for yourself.

Hey fellows, something else I did with my ShadowCat with the X system--my hunting bow. Where the cable guard rod fits into the riser is where I mounted my home-made STS. It also fits right between the cables.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

Very true.

Touche! I wonder if there's any dealers in the New England area.

My question however is what problem that I have now (whether I know it or not) would this solve for me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... but is it broke? :D

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

limb deflection induced by the cable slide.

RE: Opinions on shoot-thru style bows or bows without cable guards?
 

I really wish the mods would move this to the Technical section.

Trembow, www.martinarchery.com Check the dealer locator for one near you.

I'm not saying this is the best system for everybody. You know the old cliche. But it's always worth a look to see if you like it.