If you’ve been in the world of archery, then you must have come across the term ILF. For you to be able to succeed in archery properly, you must know about all the important terms and techniques used. Therefore, today we are here to explain to you what does ILF bow means.
ILF stands for international limb fit, a standardized system that allows archers to mix and match risers and limbs of different brands. In this article, we will be exploring the purpose of the ILF bow, adjusting and assembling ILF bows, and much more.
What Does ILF Bow Mean?
So, what are ILF bow limbs? As we have mentioned before, ILF stands for International limb fitting. A lot of bows that you will find in the market have a take-apart design where bow limbs are attached to bow handles by using a fitting.
Brands sometimes make the limb fitting different for every model of the bow that they produce, which is very inconvenient.
However, with ILF, you will have the liberty to use bow handles and limbs of different brands together. This is a great feature for archers because they can customize their bows according to their comfort. Thus, this will help them improve their performance.
Since with ILF you will be able to build your bow with a handle and a limb, you can build your bow to make it look nicer. This also allows for archers also customize their bow according to their budget, so entry-level bows can become much more affordable with this.
Due to the adjustable tiller that comes with ILF risers, you can modify to 3 under, split-finger, or even fixed crawl so that your bow responds to the requirement of any type of shot.
The weight and length of the bow play a key role in the comfort of the archer, and thus the performance of the archer. With an ILF bow, you can switch your risers and limbs to construct a bow of the perfect weight.
Shooting characteristics widely differ from archer to archer, so having an ILF bow will let you have the flexibility to create a bow that fits your needs the best.
Assembling and Tuning an ILF Bow
The process of assembling and adjusting an ILF bow may seem complicated to many, and without guidance, it can actually be quite a challenge. To make your life easier, we’re going to guide you through all that you will need to do for assembling
Assembly
Before we get into the adjustments of ILF bows, let us take a brief look at how to assemble ILF bows. The very thing you’ll have to do for assembling an ILF bow is snap the limbs into place.
If you do it correctly, then you’ll hear a click. After that, take a bow stringer to string the bow. Stringing the bow may seem complicated to some, so we will take a look at that later.
Next, you will have to measure the brace height and then check if the measurement is correct or not. If you see that your brace height is too short, then you’ll have to string the bow again and create some twists to shorten the bow. Although applying twists shortens the bow, it increases the length of the brace height.
Then, check whether the top and bottom tiller measurements are equal or not. In our next section, we’ll be discussing more on how to adjust your ILF bow. The next step is to check for the center alignment of the string. This means checking whether the bowstring is straight on the limbs as well as the riser.
Take a freehand leveling kit to check whether the bow is completely level or not, this step is actually quite simple. For the final step, you just have to install your nocking point, which has to be 1/8th of an inch high off of level.
Adjustments
There are quite a few adjustments that you will have to make to make the most out of your ILF bow. While you can mix and match limbs and risers, sometimes some fine-tuning is necessary.
To get the proper alignment of your bow, you will need to adjust the lateral limb adjustment screws to fine-tune the position of the dovetails. Continue adjusting the screws until the limbs of the bow are perfectly aligned.
As we have mentioned before, ILF risers have an adjustable tiller that can be modified. Tiller adjustments will vary depending on whether it is 3 under, split-finger, or fixed crawl.
For 3 under tillers, adjust the tiller bolts, and fix the screws in such a way that the shortest distance between the riser’s bottom and riser is the same as it is at the top. For split-finger tillers, you’ll have to make sure that the distance at the top is 1/8″to ¼” higher than it is at the bottom.
Finally, for a fixed crawl tiller, ensure that the shortest distance at the bottom of the riser is 1/4th of an inch higher than it is at the top.
How to Measure an ILF Bow for String?
If you’re a beginner, then this question may be running through your mind, but you’ve been too shy to ask it. To understand what length of bowstring you need, you’ll need to measure the length of your bow.
Measure the length of the ILF bow limb, and measure the length of the ILF riser. Subtract 5″ from the riser length to find the bolt pattern. Then, multiply the length of the limbs by 2 and add it with the length of the bolt pattern to find the length of the bow.
Measuring the bowstring length is quite simple. There are two methods, but we’ll be just showing the more accurate manual method. Position a measuring tape from one end of the string groove to the other and mark those points. Then simply calculate the distance between the 2 ends to find the bowstring length.
Final Words
A bow can be much more complex than what a lot of people may think. Hence, it is completely okay to feel confused and wonder what does ILF bow means. We have tried our best to explain to you what an ILF bow is, and we hope you have understood our explanation clearly.
If you still have further questions regarding this matter, then please feel free to drop down your queries in the comments section below!
We are OutdoorLoops , a group of outdoor enthusiasts who love the thrill of the hunt. We believe in preserving our natural resources and we enjoy spending time outdoors with family and friends. We are passionate about the outdoors and the experience of hunting. Our goal is to provide an enjoyable and educational hunting experience for our guests.
More Posts