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Which is more important...

1879 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  bigbird1
ATA or cam timing between the dots and why?
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I'll guess cam timing. If the cams are out of time I'd think the bow would be very erratic where it shoots. And it should have a heck of a recoil too.
In regard to a Ravin, it depends on what is most important to you.
ATA:
A longer ATA typically implies you are not fully utilizing the strength of the limbs.
IE. you will sacrifice some speed.
A shorter ATA implies you could be over stressing the limbs especially when leaving the bow cocked for a long period of time like when hunting.

Cam Timing:
Correct cam timing is not as important as cams being in synch in my opinion.
But assuming the cams are synched, Under Rotated cams (cables crossing at rear dots or further back) implies less speed. IE. total cam rotation from brace to fully cocked will be reduced.
Over Rotated cams (cables crossing at front dots or further front) implies more speed. However the down side is the bow could be more sensitive to cam synch issues.

My preferences are I want the ATA to be between 10.5" and 10 5/8".
I want the cam timing to be cables between the dots but it doesn't need to be in the exact center as long as both cams are still synched.
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Just to be clear, "front" dots are the ones closest to the string, correct?
Front dots are closest to front of bow.

Cam synch more important. But synch based more on limbs at full draw. So possible to have synch a tad off to go with stronger/weaker limb.

ATA not important. Speed really.
Don’t want overly short though, harder on limbs both uncocked and cocked.

Imo running a little long when practicing not a bad idea in off season. Like a 1/16” long ata wise. String and cables will stay put better overall too.

Someone should crony a bow set perfect and then let ata out 1/16” and see how much speed is lost.

Resynching cams with a string on bow that has been shot is a no no imo. Can make for some accuracy issues. As nock point will change and nock point could be made wider allowing tail of bolt to wander at discharge of bow.

I encourage folks to learn how to reserve center serving on strings. Not that hard. Can save you some loot and time in the long run. Gotta use care removing serving (getting started) so one doesn’t damage string. I use Fiskar small scissors.
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I purchased a new R-10. Out of the box the string is directly over the front cam dots. I shot it about 10 times thinking it would come back in time. It has not. The string is in the same place. Accuracy seems to be consistent but I need to spend more time with it to confirm accuracy.

Should I be concerned about the timing?

Is this a warranty issue?

Thanks!!
If the string is directly over the front dots on both cams you should have no problems
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I purchased a new R-10. Out of the box the string is directly over the front cam dots. I shot it about 10 times thinking it would come back in time. It has not. The string is in the same place. Accuracy seems to be consistent but I need to spend more time with it to confirm accuracy.

Should I be concerned about the timing?

Is this a warranty issue?

Thanks!!
It's certainly no warranty issue and I agree with Fletcher in that this is not a problem. I'm sure your cables will settle in and stretch after shooting your R10 some. Hence, your cams will most likely rotate outwards a little which will move the cables closer to centering the dots.
If I worked for Ravin, I would certainly recommend all crossbows be shipped set up this way. But you do need to keep an eye on your ATA measurement over time because the cables and string will most likely continue to stretch.
If it drifts over 10-5/8", it might be time to invest in a press and read some of the great posts by Riflenut on how to twist up your cables and string to get your R10 back in tune.
When it's time to replace them, consider purchasing a new set from someone like Archery Shack strings. Their cables and string are pre-stretched before being served so they won't require as much attention once installed.
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Bigbird, where are we at in terms of BAS strings for the faster R20 s it has to do with the issue of cables and strings breaking a while ago. I trust that issue is resolved? Can you speak to that? Can we feel confident in putting them on the R20 (and r26 and 29 as well)? I have been following Riflenut and his string and cable testing but have not noticed anything definitive yet. Just wondering.
My take on the 20 strand cables and string archery shack is making.
This based on what I have witnessed on R29.
Judging based on what I have witnessed with oem cables and string on R29 and R20 and R9.
These 20 strand cables definitely much better.
Folks can go back here and see the cock time I have on my R29.
Some of the cock time was when ambient temps were high for deer hunting too.
I would say it is highly likely one would notice substantial cable stretch before a cable let shoot go. And a person may try and twist up for ata/timing correction and these extra twists will increase odds of cable breakage.

I have great confidence in the 20 strand cable setup and archery shack string.
About all I can say.
I have not shot the 20 strand cables along with string setup a gazillion times on my R29.
All my Ravins will have 20 strand cables on from here out. All already have 20 strand cables installed.

Btw, I also have a set of 22 strand cables. I have not installed yet. I have them. I won’t play with the 22 strand just yet. The 20 strand cables are doing so well.
The 22 strand cables may or may not work. I can definitely tell they are quite a bit stiffer than the 20 strand cables.
Down the road I may try and install and give some feedback.
I bought the 22 strand cables btw.
Depending on what Ravin does in the future with their bows, the 22 strand cables could come in handy.
Pure speculation here though on my part.

I will more than likely be taking down a few of my Ravin bows for off season.

Really like the 20 strand cable setup.
Upped my overall confidence with my R29 big time.
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Bigbird, where are we at in terms of BAS strings for the faster R20 s it has to do with the issue of cables and strings breaking a while ago. I trust that issue is resolved? Can you speak to that? Can we feel confident in putting them on the R20 (and r26 and 29 as well)? I have been following Riflenut and his string and cable testing but have not noticed anything definitive yet. Just wondering.
Iowaguy,
I'd say Riflenut has conclusively proven that the 20 strand cables are certainly adequate for the R29.

We might need a volunteer to see if they are as adequate for the R20 but I really doubt an additional 1/2" of power stroke would require a 22 strand cable. I personally am still using the 18 strand cables on my R10 and continue to be very happy with them. I went the whole hunting season and never adjusted a thing. Although I certainly didn't hunt as much as Riflenut, I probably hunted at least 30 times with my R10 cocked for around 3 hours on average.
In fact, I've got 2 sets of new 20 strand cables I've never even used because I hate to fix what ain't broken. I've been meaning to call Jeremy and chat a little but have been kinda busy lately.

It seems to me that it makes the most sense for Archery Shack to settle on the 20 strand cables for all Ravins, If anyone has a problem with that, I'd appreciate some feedback.
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