Bow Strings for Longbows and Recurve Bows

Traditional Archery Supply provides custom standard Endless Loop and custom Flemish Twist bow strings for longbows and recurve bows. Endless Loop strings include nylon serving. Flemish twist strings use high-durability braided serving. We also have pre-made standard strings to fit many bows.

Strings are measured either by AMO length or by actual string length. To get the AMO length of your bow, check its listed length and compare it by running a tape measure along the back of the bow, following the curves from string groove to string groove.

✶ Many vintage bows are shorter than their printed length, often in odd increments.

Types and costs:

• Endless Loop - B-50: $11.95
• Flemish Twist - B-50: $15.00
• Flemish Twist - B-50 + Reinforced Loops: $20.00
• Flemish Twist - Low stretch: $17.00
• Flemish Twist - Low stretch + B-50 + Reinforced Loops: $22.00

➥ Please contact us with your questions or needs.

Types of Bowstrings

Endless Loop

These are easily mass produced, and can be had for generally less expense. The strands are bound together by tight serving on either end.

The main advantages of these strings are that they come in clearly delineated increments of length and are usually less expensive.

Simplicity and low cost comes at the expense of range of adjustment, though: the serving holding the ends together may start to come undone if not properly done, or if the string is twisted too much and/or in the wrong direction.

As such, these strings are generally considered to be of a fixed length without any option for fine tuning. In addition, the nylon serving that holds the ends together wears easily if there is any slight bur or edge to catch on, causing the string to fall apart.

Flemish Twist

Flemish twist strings are very popular among traditional archers. These usually cost a bit more, as they are typically hand made.

The strands of are separated into two or three clusters, then twisted and braided together to form a double or triple helix. The tighter the weave, the better the string.
In addition, more layers of string material can be woven into the loop section of the string.
This improves the durability of the loops significantly, and also bulks up narrow gauge strings. Due to the twisted nature of this type of string, it can be twisted and untwisted to a certain degree to fine-tune the brace height of your bow and find the best spot.

The downside is that these strings tend to have slightly greater mass, which will reduce the speed of the bow by a small amount.

Bow String Materials

B-50

The standard material for bow strings, B-50 is forgiving to the bow and easy to work with.
It has moderate durability, prolonged by regular waxing.

Older bows mandate the use of this material, but it comes standard on many new bows to this day.

The material has a significant amount of stretch, requiring a notable break-in period.

It will often shrink when left untensioned for a long period of time, and will start to stretch again when put back to use.

Low Stretch

In the 90's, newer, stronger string materials were developed.

These materials have higher strength per strand, sometimes more than double that of the standard materials. Due to the reduced stretch provided by the material the string comes to a harder stop, delivering greater energy into the arrow at the peak.

The strings also tend to be lighter weight. Combined, they produce a significantly faster arrow speed.

It is important to note that this class of material can severely damage older bows, so it is imperative that the bow is capable of accepting low stretch strings.

We currently carry BCY's 425X and Brownell's AstroFlight.