Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting ILF guys?

Anybody here shooting an ILF setup? I’m curious but I know almost nothing about them.

I’ve always been a diehard one piece bow guy. Part of my initial draw to stickbows over compounds was the light and handy aspect. For that reason I’ve never tried very hard to warm up to a takedown recurve with their more bulky risers. Now I have drawn a tag for a bow hunt several hundred miles from home and I’m seeing how much nicer a takedown would be to travel with. Likely won’t buy one in time for this trip but my curiosity is up.

Looking online there seems to be an unbelievable selection of risers and limb combos, I have no idea where to start. Anyone have any insight?

I too am interested in the ILF design. I'm concerned about noise issues with the design. The other design called DAS ? is supposed to be quieter ?

Years ago a buddy loaned me his ILF rig to shoot a little and it was fast and whisper quiet. I unstrung it not knowing the limbs came off after the string tension was released and I couldn’t get it tuned back up not knowing how to do it. I guess I should call him and chat him up.

Realize a bow bolt or other form of 2pc takedown would probably be best for my uses but I’m intrigued by some of the newer limb materials and styles. Might be fun to be able to mix and match to find what I like best.

I've got a couple ILF risers. A 17" Samick Discovery, and a 21" Hoyt Satori. My limb sets are all Samick R3 limbs from 30-45#.

Also a takedown recurve (Southwest Archery Spyder XL), and a few one-piece longbows.

The ILF are the loudest of the lot. They are nice in that you can have a broad selection of limbs from many makers.

I prefer the one-piece and regular bolt down three-piece bows myself, just because they are easier to make quiet.

My ilf is plenty quiet and spits a 600gr arrow at 180fps.

I normally hunt with a Toelke Whistler, but ran the ilf this year because I hurt my shoulder and the grip angle workes for me. There is no comparison in fit and finish when you place a hunting ilf next to a custom bowyer product....but they sure do bring a lot of options to the table.

I will say that I get along well enough with the ilf.

Details man details. Good shooting.

Jeez, almost forgot.

Uukha irbis #5528 limbs on a white feather lark 19" riser. I make my strings from 652.

Arrows are 340 spine centershot and are footed with 2" of 2117 iirc. I chose Simmons timber sharks this year and was very pleased with their flight. I passed up one too many elk to call the performance on game....but historically, they rock.

Makes a 62" bow drawing 57# at my anchor. I can hit an elk heart sized target much farther than I want to say.

Shot a few.
Didnt find ILF to be noisy.
However, the limbs were bottomed out or close to it.

Maybe theyre noisy when tbey aint cranked?

Much like any stickbow ILF can be quiet when you have a quality bow that is tuned properly. Messing with the brace height can change how a bow sounds and feels tremendously. What is extremely handy is that you can easily swap limbs around for different bow lengths and draw weights without buying a new bow (at least the riser). There are tons of used limbs available, allowing the tinkering archer endless hours of experimentation........and things to spend money on.

I've been dabbling with an ILF recurve on and off the past few years, but seem to go back to my one piece bows. I tend to prefer the lighter physical weight and as has been said, tend to be quieter/easier to make quiet.

ILF started for me when I got the itch to try carbon/foam limbs and Lancaster Archery was closing out some $500 limbs for half price. I added a 17" riser from Dryad to complete the bow. I do shoot this bow well - it's very consistent, but I'm struggling with a noise issue that's driving me nuts.

I have mixed feelings about ILF and not sure I'd go that route if starting from scratch. It makes sense to me in competitive archery where one might need to have multiple sets of limbs or replace limbs regularly. Not sure of any benefits in a hunting bow...

I’ve tried it off and on for the last couple years and have finally decided to give up on it. It’s to “fiddlely” for my taste and I have found them to be generally louder then my bolt down bows.

Depends on what length bow you want. There are hunting ILF recurve risers from 13" to 23"+ . ILF limbs come in three lengths: short, medium and long. You probably want to stay with medium or long limbs for smoother draws.

I have settled on a White Feather Lark 19" ( laminated) riser for my ILF set up. It feels and looks good. More importantly if shoots well. I used to own an aluminum Hoyt Excel 21" riser (sold it, never warmed up to it). I currently own an aluminum 23" Samick Athlete riser, and will be selling it too (don't use it). I like the 19" White Feather Lark the best for my needs.
https://www.alternativess.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/0056559.12.15148227293015733192/WFLARK

I use TradTech wood/glass "long" limbs from Lancaster Archery. Makes an amo 64" bow with a 19" riser. It is quiet, and smooth-dawing.
https://lancasterarchery.com/products/tradtech-black-max-2-0-glass-wood-recurve-limbs

Remember, you don't HAVE to go the ILF route if you want a takedown recurve. You can do VERY well with a non-ILF takedown recurve. I recommend The Spyder XL (amo 64", 19" laminated wood riser) from southwestarchery.com. About $150, and performs as well or better as bows costing 3x or more. I have done well with it in 3d competition.

The Spyder and Spyder XL bows are essentially a smoothed-out version of the 62" Samick Sage or 64" Samick Journey. The Sage/ Spyder starts to stack at 29". The Sage is " blocky looking", but absolutely functional. The Spyder (62" ) and Spyder XL (64" ) have the same riser, but is contoured-giving it a softer look. The Spyder XL's 64" amo length and 19" riser creates a very smooth-drawing bow out to 30" + draw lengths.. It is not only a low cost option, but one that will serve you well for many years. I have one, and really enjoy shooting it.
https://www.southwestarcheryusa.com/collections/all-bows

Buttstock, beat me to it - Alternatives.com is your friend!

I'm set to order the White Feather Lark 17" riser and two sets of Buck Trail branded limbs (30 and 45) made of bamboo and black glass.

My draw length on my John Strunk longbow is only about 26.5. I want a pure hunting and casual 3D bow. It needs to be ground blind friendly (short 60" will give a 58" bow).

An interesting chart to mull over...