Drilling hole in side of Riser
 

I know this is risky. I just want to see if anyone has ever done this. I have a 1996 Hoyt Raptor bow. I'd like to add a Vibekiller side mount string dampener to dampen the string vibration. I do not have any rear stabillizer holes in my Riser. The onlty rear facing hole in my riser is an offset hole used for the cable dampener slide thingy. My riser is not machined. It is either cast Aluminum (likely) or cast Magnesium (doubtful.) There is a lot of metal on the lower riser area. I think I could successfully drill at 1/4" hole using a drill press, through the riser with no ill effects. What do you think? Crazy? Dangerous? Do-able?

RE: Drilling hole in side of Riser
 

Yes, yes, yes. Remember that the 1/4" hole is going to remove closer to 7/16" of metal by the time you thread it. Cast aluminum risers are pretty rare birds since they are exceptionally heavy. If it is cast I'm betting it's magnesium. If you don't know what you're doing when you go to thread it, take it to a machine shop. The last thing you want to do is bust off a tap that big in your riser and aluminum and magnesium tend to grab taps pretty hard if you don't go slow and clear often. That's one reason why some of the manufacturers insert a threaded steel bushing rather than threading the riser itself.

Personally I'd get one that either side mounts or mounts to an adapter in the front stabilizer hole. I'd leave the riser alone. (Unless you've got a "friend" that you don't mind getting rid of that will test shoot it for you a few times afterwards.)

RE: Drilling hole in side of Riser
 

Drilling anextrahole in a cast magnesium riser is going to really put a weak spot in the riser.I am a tool maker by trade and I probably wouldn't do it.

I have seen magnesium risers break in half without extra holes being added.;)

With that being said,you should have a competent machine shop look at it and see if the area you want to add a hole to would be thick enough to handle the stress after the hole would be installed.

RE: Drilling hole in side of Riser
 

Good advice.

I've drilled holes in customers aluminum bows after making them sign a waver. Seriously. I hate magnesium riser bows... make me nervous. I've seen too many with warped risers... and sadly almost all of them were due to archery "pro's" incorrectly pressing them.

I've built a few of those STS/vibe-killer whatever arms into bows directly. I did one last week on a PSE whitetail obcession or whatever that super short 8" brace bow they made a couple years ago was. Took a Cobra cable slide bar that was threaded to the same pitch as a stabalizer... took a standard tap for the same pitch (every archery shop will have one) and drilled a 17/64 hole as listed on the tap.... a little oil... tap handle... hacksaw off the extra bar... round off the edges on a grinder.... rubber cap on.... bow is 3x quieter.

RE: Drilling hole in side of Riser
 

How about a front mount to eliminate the potential pitfalls associated with drilling.

http://www.stsarchery.com/front.html