# ILF questions



## dgmeadows (Feb 1, 2011)

I recently got a PSE Sierra Hunter -  I understand the Sierra was PSE's high end olympic style recurve a few years back, but they made a model in their "brush camo" & added the "Hunter" to the name...

As a long-time compound shooter, I like the extra weight of the riser and the adjustment the ILF limbs offer over my more traditional Quinn Longhorn TD.  My Sierra Hunter is 55#, but I am shooting it with the limbs backed up a little at about 52#.   With a simple plunger-rest, this thing zips 2213's with 125 grain tips right where I point (I know, those are lighter arrows than most trad guys would recommend, but they fly straight and fast out of both of my recurves.)

Anyhow, here's my questions - how do you measure the riser to determine the riser length ?  Is it from bolt hole to bolt hole in a straight line, or following the curve of the riser, or what ?  

Also, most ILF limbs are labeled "short, medium or long"... is there a standard length for S, M & L, or does each manufacturer have their own length standards ?  It is odd to me that they don't just say "18", 21" & 24", or whatever the actual lengths would be.

Just curious in case I decide to experiment with some other limbs, or want to buy some back up limbs for it.  It is a 62" AMO bow now, and I wouldn't want to go much longer or shorter.  The draw on it now is really smooth with no stack at all - not sure who made the limbs, but they seem very nice.

Thanks for any insight.  I am really enjoying the bow and looking forward to doing some hunting with it and was thinking about taking it to some trad 3D shoots when I am not doing compound ASA shoots, but I hear some of the Trad 3D shoots won't allow this bow either due to the metal riser &/or elevated rest   some folks are just picky I guess


----------



## RogerB (Feb 1, 2011)

dgmeadows said:


> I recently got a PSE Sierra Hunter -  I understand the Sierra was PSE's high end olympic style recurve a few years back, but they made a model in their "brush camo" & added the "Hunter" to the name...
> 
> As a long-time compound shooter, I like the extra weight of the riser and the adjustment the ILF limbs offer over my more traditional Quinn Longhorn TD.  My Sierra Hunter is 55#, but I am shooting it with the limbs backed up a little at about 52#.   With a simple plunger-rest, this thing zips 2213's with 125 grain tips right where I point (I know, those are lighter arrows than most trad guys would recommend, but they fly straight and fast out of both of my recurves.)
> 
> ...



ILf risers are measured from the end of where the limb rocker will contact the riser to the end of where the limb rocker will contact the other end of the riser (where they contact with bow set at minimum weight). Or approximately bolt to bolt plus 5 inches. Now this is not an exact measurement "and" is seldom an exact number of inches (a riser that is actually 20.5 inches, will be called a 21 inch riser)
As far as short, medium and long limbs, yes there is a standard, and it is not the length of the limbs, it is the length of bow the limbs will make on a 25" riser. Shorts will make a 66" bow, mediums a 68" bow and longs a 70" bow (as I said on a 25" riser).
The riser you have is probably a 21" riser and with short limbs, which makes a 62" bow (your draw length must be 28" or less since you are have no stack issues). If it is a 19" riser you have medium limbs.
When you say some Trad shoots won't allow the bow because of the elevated rest (the only thing you mentioned that would disqualify in some shoots), they will allow you to shoot, they just will not allow you to turn in a score for the competition. I know of no shoots that will not allow metal risers, I shoot them all the time.


----------



## Jake Allen (Feb 1, 2011)

RogerB knows his ILF's, Metal Risers and Warfs 

A 2213 is a good arrow; 10 grains to the inch.


----------



## dgmeadows (Feb 1, 2011)

Thanks for the good info Roger B... I will measure the riser and see what I got....  I am likely drawing right around 28", maybe a hair below.  I use the 27.5" setting on my compounds with D loop and using a back tension T handle (short hinge head) which puts the bend of the string right on the jawline below the corner of my mouth.  On the recurves I use a glove and corner of mouth anchor point, so the string bend will be just a small bit further back than the compound measure.

Thanks for the affirmation of my arrows Jake... most trad guys seem to frown on any aluminum that doesn't end in --16, --17, or 18, but when I got my Quinn, the 2213 was right in the middle of the recommended range on their webpage, and I had some of those hanging around...


----------



## SOS (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm glad you've got the plunger and elevated rest thing figured out.  I tried and it was way too many variables to adjust.  A fixed rest and adjust nock height and dynamic spine was all I could manage.  Maybe I was never good enough to be able to discern the subtle differences.  What ever you shoot...have fun and hunt hard.


----------



## johnweaver (Feb 2, 2011)

And so the addiction begins!


----------



## Fatboy (Feb 2, 2011)

I have a PSE sierra ilf riser.The one I have is 23".They probably put extra short limbs on it to make it a hunting bow.Not really sure but companies have been known to do that over the years when making a hunting bow out of an ilf riser.


----------

