Underside
I added a handle by using an old stabilizer from my compound bow and a new bolt, which goes through the NGSS and the riser. I decided to remove my GroundPounder quiver assembly. Probably go with a hip quiver instead. But I am keeping it in case I change my mind again. I used one of the extensions, inverted, for a vibration attractant and dressed it with two bowjax deadeners.
The bow feels great when I shoot it, nice thump. No need to do anything else to reduce vibrations- but I might. I want the bow to loose it's vibrations, not it's speed.
The exotic BOO string looks nice I think. Go Gators.
The real deal on this handle is that it allows me to offhand shoot with amazing accuracy. I set the sling a little shorter, and cock my elbow in it. The handle is offset and I like that fact. It wouldn't be as steady if it were centered.
My accuracy offhand has improved immensly. The bow is less awkward, cumbersome, and unweildy. I am able to hold on target. At twenty yards and thirty yards, 2" circles are easy. At forty yards I was doing three inch circles, and better. I shot it at fifty yards, and feel confident that I could hit grapefruits pretty well at that long range. Biggest issue is arrows at this point. I broke my best arrow when I got confused and used the fifty yard reticle instead of the sixty yard one. My arrow fell short of the bag and struck the fence. I really liked that arrow, too.
I noticed that the trigger pull seems more controlled when I have the bow held solidly. I can hold on target, sqeeeeeeeze, stop.....reaquire target and squeeze again.
Couple of things here. There were no modifications made to the bow. Just added a screw that would fit the stabilizer. There is no force generated that could bend the riser, I was very worried about that. And lastly, if you do not have long arms, you probably won't be able to reach out far enough to access the handle comfortably. So consider that before you go doing all this.
I would think that 3D shooters would benefit from this modification.
It defintely improved my form, and I am very very pleased that I did this. I can also sling the bow over my shoulder upright, or better yet, upside down. I can insert either foot into the stirrup. Also, on the underside shots you can see where I have placed some rubber inserts. Where metal met metal on the stirup and the NGSS, I inserted a piece. I noticed, or think I noticed, that it acts like a lock washer and keeps the threads tight so they don't unscrew as badly.
You guys might wish to try the bowjax on the old NGSS nipple trick. I switched nipples for ones that are larger, then shortened the rod so that there was some space between it and the nipple, then slid the nipple all the way back to touch the NGSS. The string rests short of contacting and I have no issues. The bow ate my first set of nipples, so I figured to try them this way instead. Recently, I saw another post where others do the same and that warmed my heart.
Wish i could find a big old piece of rubber to use there. More = better.I also found a Sims Limbsaver recoil butt pad on sale and slid it on to act as my extension. Also upsized the foam diameter of my cheek piece and enjoyed that too. Both allow me to more comfortably assume a correct position with respect to my eye allignment with the scope. Which is a Hawke SR reticle. Another thing I did was disassemble my rope cocker. One side didn't spin as easily as it should and was wandering away from the rail during cocking. I filed it as was suggested here, and now she spins nicely. Thanks for the info on doing that, much appreciated.
Once i got used to shooting this bow, the best improvement to accuracy was learning consistancy of cocking and trigger pull. I developed a routine and that has paid off and boosted my confidence level.
BTW- my chances of whacking my thumb are now zero.
If you need help doing this, let me know. I would like to see someone else give this a try so that I can learn some more.