Woody Sanford

I'm sure everybody knows by now I can't leave well enough alone.

Out of the box the Jackal shoots the factory shafts excellent. Bullet holes in paper and broadheads fly well. I got a tone of different carbons and aluminum shafts and the results were suprising. The new Laser IV's and Armid KV's were weak at 22" and 2219's were also at 20". Both tearing high about an inch at about 4ft from the paper and would cause broadheads to plane low.

No problem I cut some Laser IV's at 20 and rocked on with them and the factory shafts. Well with all the messing I've done with the bow, none of that had changed...until tonight.

Or last night rather. I decided I would re-do the string silencers on the main string. This time I doubled up on them and moved them in a little closer. Now I'm using the yarn ball ones, because they are the lightest. To my suprise the shafts that shot perfect were now shooting low left by an inch at 4ft from the paper.

I re-cocked and the shafts that shot weak before now shot the cleanest, most perfect bullet holes through paper. I tried everything I could think of with the left part of the tear but I'm just going to go with one side of the rail would have to be dominant as they couldn't be perfectly equal on any bow. With the nock riding the rail so hard on the stiff shaft any difference would show itself.

It's perfectly logical to see adding weight to the string effect spine and it most likely slowed things down, how much I'll check when it gets day light. But this is just a little bit. It was suprising how little it took to get this much of a change in spine and flight out of the bow. Doubleing up on the yarn balls still weighs less than adding the bow jacks if one was to.

Now I couldn't really tell you if quieting the bow down is even worth it for hunting yet. It might not prove to be worth while but just adding a little to the string can make a big change and really effect broadhead flight. Anyway, just food for thought that might save someone a head ache if they added something and then found their shafts shooting bad.

On another note, everything I've shot out of the Predator has proved to be weak. I might add the weight and see if the same holds true on it just for giggles. Might turn it from a 375 bow to a 360 bow but it would be nice to know if adding string weight is a method of bringing in spine for better flight on weak shafts.

Well, Just another update and something to drive a certian rep crazy. I'm sure taking the whole thing apart is a no no but I had to do it. Before attempting such a task you first have to take the "Redneck Engineer's" pledge.

"I _____________ Do some what pledge, on what is left of this beer. That if I screw this up I will just go buy another and be happy about having spare parts, maybe even brag about it on the internet. Amen.

I noticed that I could push down on the back of the rail and it would push the "Fore end" cap out and same the other way. So of course, even though there was absolutely nothing wrong with the way the thing shot, I couldn't let it go and had to look see.

There was a burr on the rear post that made it a bit long. After some carefull measureing (used a feeler guage and eyeballed it) I milled off about 11 thou and shazam! man fit like a glove. So I thought to myself hey I'll bed it back in with some blue RTV that was sitting on the bench next to the duck tape from helping the neighbor fix his lawn mower.

I'll tell ya, the only noise I can hear when this thing goes off is a pop of the string. It quieted it down a lot. Makes sence though having the two parts smacking together. I must have done something right though. My scope was still on dead to squirrel favors. Took two shots free hand standing (Did have the sling wrapped around my arm though) and same holed it and ruined the fletching on another arrow in a bag target and before that the arrow did shoot a perfect bullet through paper. I had to go to another to shoot a broadhead though after screwing up the first.

Also, while I was in there I did shim the trigger with axel shims and took the play out of it. A WARNING here, don't get it to tight or the trigger will not return properly and the safety will not enguage properly when you cock it.

I am NOT suggesting or recommending anyone else do this. I just know there are others out there like me that can't let thing go and have to meddle with them.

While I was in there I got to feeling even more confortable with the bow though. The rail isn't some cheap flimsy thing. Its pretty dang stout. I didn't mess with the trigger mech/box at all but I did stick my finger in there and wiggle it around a bit. I was happy to see how stout the safety was and how it totally covers the trigger sear. The whole thing is pretty dang rugged.

Again, I'm not suggesting to do this. If something wiggles I gotta find out why unless its a worm, then I just through it at fish. The more I mess with it (Even when I'm not supposed to) the more I'm liking the Jackal. To field strip and put back together and the scope still be on was pretty sweet. I have some new targets in, so I have a new range to build then I'll shoot some video.

Almost two weeks ago I recieved a Jackal and thought I would post up the progress. Needless to say I understand why this bow has a following and the dang thing just keeps growing on ya.

First I just shot it plain out of the box and was suprised at not only how well it shot accuracy wise but how good the arrow flight was. I have been working on a arrow spin project for work on crossbows and this one is matched correctly right out of the box. The arrows are spined right and will shoot a bullet hole through paper coming out of the bow. More on spine later.
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The factory arrows come in right close to 440 grains and out of this bow shot 306.
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Things were going to well and it was growing on me fast so I thought I would take a stab at how quiet I could make this thing for hunting. So I added a Bowjax kit and some fuzzy yarn balls and only lost 3fps, dropping it to 303fps. I also wrapped the exposed portion of the stirrup and it did take a "Tang" out of it.
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It took quite a bit of sound out of it and it was enough that I robbed the scope off my Vision 175 because at this point I was taking to the Jackal a whole lot more than the Vision and wanted to shoot more than just the three marks of the three dot scope that came with it. It was quieter, faster by 13fps and just shot better and was a TON less maintenance. In fact I've got over 200 shots on it now with no sign of center serving wear to speak of.
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I even marked the cams with a silver sharpie so I could tell if a cable or string stretched and if so which one but it hasn't moved since before the first shot.
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I started getting same hole shots with a rest even at 40 and ruined the fletching so I refletched with 4" feathers and because of some other tweaking I'm sitting right at 306 again with the re-fletched factory arrows.

So I started messing with some other shafts to see what I would get. 2219's were to weak, they come out tail high and would plane downward with broadheads. Tried some 22" Armid KV's and they too were weak. I had just got a doz. Lazer IV's for the Predator to shoot but they are a tad weak in the bow so I thought I would try them and they too showed to be weak in the Jackal. So I cut 6 down to 20" and BAM, oh baby they come out of that bow so perfect and will even shoot large broadheads without planing. I shot mostly the Snuffer SS which is a bomb proof scaled down version of the Rothar Snuffer. Man was I in heaven here.

The factory shafts fletched with feathers shoot the SS's like darts and right with filed tips and tight at 40. The lazer IV's cut down to 20 are scary tight and I wouldn't shoot more than one head at the same bull with a rest at 40-50 yards. The Lazer IV's weight 520 and the bow is so quiet, I think its going to be first in line for hunting season.  

Its shooting 282 with the 520 grain arrows and is just so dang accurate and so much quieter its spooky. Just for some perspective, I lived in AK for 20 years and took several moose, a couple griz and a bunch of bears and caribou. All with much less equipment. I would not hesitate to hunt any of them with this bow, even bison for that matter. I've always been a heavy arrow guy but never had something over 500 grains going as fast as 280 for hunting any of those animals. I'll likely re-fletch with feathers when I same hole these and that will put me clost to 500 and 290fps but that isn't enough to change anything.

My scope marks are not on the money for every ten yards but I can live with that just knowing what they actually are. So far I'm tickled to death with this thing and it just keeps getting better as I go.