Best Recurve Bow String Silencers

String silencers can be a great addition to your recurve bow, but they aren’t always necessary.

In this article you’ll learn what string silencers are, why they’re important and what kind you should use.

Let’s dive in!

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What Are String Silencers?

String silencers are pretty much what they sound like…

They’re different things you can put on your bow string to help make your bow quieter when you shoot.

The downside to string silencers is that they make bows quieter by absorbing and redirecting some of the energy from the bow string…

Which means there’s less energy going into the arrow, so it shoots slower.

This isn’t the end of the world, but it does mean if you add string silencers to your bow, you’ll have to re-adjust how you aim.

So it’s usually easier to decide if you want to use them when you first get started so you aren’t having to adjust as much.

Why String Silencers Are Important?

String silencers are really only important for bowhunters.

There isn’t much benefit for using them in target archery.

In bowhunting, animals can do what is known as ‘jumping the shot’ or ‘jumping the string’, where they react to the sound of the bow before the arrow gets to them and either dodge it completely…

Or more often than not, move to where the arrow hits them in a less than lethal spot.

Because string silencers make the bow quieter, it makes it less likely that an animal can jump the string and less likely that a hunter wounds an animal instead of making a lethal shot.

But since the string silencers take energy out of the bow, most bowhunters will adjust by using a heavier draw weight or a heavier arrow to add more force on impact.

Types of String Silencers for Recurves

Fur/wool String Silencers

Fur and/or wool string silencers are the original style of string silencer.

This is what the hard core archers are going to put on their traditional bows.

You can find these in a wide range of types of fur, but they all work the same way.

The main downside to using this type of string silencer is that in order to install them you have to take your bow string off your bow and unwind it some, so you can thread the fur through the string a few times.

It’s not that big of a deal if you know what you’re doing but it can be a bit daunting for a newer archer.

Rubber String Silencers

Rubber string silencers are basically just a more modern version of fur silencers, but they fall into a couple of different categories.

The first category is usually called some sort of whisker silencer.

It’s a bunch of strips of rubber that are threaded through your bow string, like fur silencers, and then it looks like a poofy ball of whiskers on your bow string.

The other category is rubber string silencers that don’t get threaded through your bow string.

There’s all different shapes and sizes of these, but they are basically small chunks of rubber that are wrapped around the bow string and then through themselves to stay attached.

These are much easier to install because you don’t have to thread them through your bow string, but they are also easier to lose.

If you aren’t sure if you want to use string silencers, these are the type to go with because you can very easily remove them.

Limb silencers

Some of the noise of a recurve bow string comes from the string making contact with the back of the bow limb at the end of the shot.

This style of string silencer usually goes on the back of your bow limb and stops the string from slapping against the limb.

Some versions just go on the top of your bow string, but they do the job the same.

Best String Silencers for Recurve Bows

Mountain Man Beaver Balls String Silencer

Of all the options for fur or wool string silencers, Mountain Man Beaver Balls are the one that stands out.

Archers have been using them for years and they continue to be one of the best string silencers for recurve bows.

The only downside with these, or any fur string silencers is that they aren’t 100% weatherproof.

In most situations, they will work fine, but if they stay wet for too long they will bunch up and stop working.

If you aren’t planning on hunting the pacific northwest or Alaska with your recurve bow then you’ll be okay using Beaver Balls.

TRUGLO APEX GEAR Doubledown String Silencers

The Doubledown string silencers are the best option for beginners or anyone who isn’t sure if they want to use a string silencer.

They are the easiest to put on and also the easiest to remove…

Which leads to their slight downside, they’re the easiest to lose while shooting your bow.

Whiskers String Silencers

This is a great option if you don’t want to worry about your string silencers working in different weather conditions or coming off your string when you shoot.

These whisker style string silencers are the most weatherproof and reliable for a wide range of bowhunting situations.

The downside is that they are the most complicated to set up and they will slowly erode from sunlight so you will have to replace them every year or two.

Gemilla Archery Bow Silencer Set

This is an interesting option because it is a set, so if you’re unsure which style of string silencer you want to use, this gives you multiple.

First is a pair of fur string silencers that you can thread into your bow string.

This is similar to the beaver balls, but it’s rabbit fur instead of beaver fur so it’s going to be less water resistant.

Next it comes with a pair of silencer strips for the back of your bow limbs.

And lastly, it comes with strips for you the shelf of your recurve if you’re not using an arrow rest.

Each of these is going to help quiet your bow, but I don’t know that you need all 3 at once.

You can test them all, but I wouldn’t use both the fur silencers AND the limb strip silencers unless you’re shooting a high draw weight and can afford to lose that much arrow speed.

That being said, you can use the arrow rest strips with either of the other string silencers.