String height ??.still looking for info on Proline/darton/winchester/great lakes xbows..checking forum..I am learning quite a bit. I shimmed my riser so that the string sits 1/64" above track . After reading forum and visiting a local shop noticing string location I found most strings rest directly on track..any rules regarding placement?? 64

buy a used bow and learn alot.....

Where did you get your info to shim so the string is above the track or commonly know as the rail? Only reason I ask is I have never heard of this being done intentionally. A few guyshave came in here and said they have had problems shooting and the string not being firmly on the track has been identified as one of them. Did you get this from someone with experience in your CB or just a idea that someone came up with trying to offer assistance? If the string is up, this can cause the string to jump over the arrow when shot.

I have a history of asking why ! I'm new to xbows.8 days experience. My used bow had the string about 1/8" above the rails , thats with riser firmly held in place. The top of the nock and the top of the string were on the same plane. I shimmed it down to just a paperthickness above the barrel. If you are just above the barrel you can measure..if you contact the barrel you have no idea of what downward pressure is exerted on string. When I shot the bow with the original clearence it shot very well....maybe it will shoot better. I like the technical side of things...help me continue this forum......???how long should bolts be , how far past the rail ?? 64

IMHO, length is not as important as over all weight. I've found 20" to work best in my Excals, had some 18" made up and accuracy suffered.don't know beans about your bow, but would think you would be ok w/ 20" about 420 gr minimum.

edited to add: all the xbows I've seen have had string tight to rail. Don't thiunk you will gain anything useful by shimming yours off the rail, but just my opinion, nothing more.

Don't you think that tight against the rail will increase serving wear and increase friction to slow string speed..again...theory...are there any firm rules...Why is the sky blue ?
64

Well one firm rule that seems to be the norm for CB's is string tight to rail, yes it causes serving wear and may slow the CB down. Why? I am not sure of totally why of all the reasons but one is the string jumping over the arrow onthe rail. That is one reason why the diameter is critical on the CB. You said it was originally about one1/8 over rail and you shimmed it down, I would say you went in the right direction. Sorry there is not anyone in this forum that is wise to your CB and can be of a firm help. But all the CB's that we see are firm to rail, and made that way. I think Bear archery made a CB that had a large gap and used a full nock set up on its arrows with a fork style rest, not sure if this is the design you may have since it had a 1/8' gap.

Okay..in the last four days I checked at least 14 different crossbow at three different large Outdoor stores. They came from five different manufacturer...Stryker , ten point , horton , easton outfitters(the current new version of my Proline) and barnett...seven of the ten..the string did not contact the rail , half the ten points didn't.ON the two Stryker ; one was loose against the rail and the other was so tight that you could see the bend in the string...This does not make engineering sense....
are there any crossbow designer out there??.....64

I am no engineer but I know that when a skipping rope smacks the ground it bouces up and then back down again. The Excal string is released from the top and would want to act like a skipping rope. I believe the tension against the rail prevents this.
While we are at it why do engines turn clockwise when viewed from the from of the car?

Cause there be more right handed folks than left when they was designed!

Mike, I'm not telling yet but you are amazingly close! Hehehe!