If you've been shopping around for archery equipment, you will have come
across something called ILF. It's used in descriptions for limbs and for risers.
ILF stands for "international limb fitting". It's a system that refers to the way that
limbs are mounted onto risers. Basically if a riser is described as ILF, that means
it's compatible with any ILF limb. For example this Win&Win InnoCXT is
ILF compatible. That means I can use these Inno EX Power limbs, or these Kaya Stallion limbs.
Basically I can borrow any set of ILF limbs and put them on my riser.
If we take a closer look you can see how the limb pocket is designed. Although different
manufacturers have slightly different limb pockets, the way the limbs sit into
the riser is exactly the same. To demonstrate this my coach took his
1980s Hoyt Gold Medalist and borrowed my Inno EX limbs and put
them on, and it worked just fine. As a modern-day archer buying equipment in 2015,
this has become the norm.
ILF isn't anything special anymore. A lot of features that we've become used
to are things which are just there, but it's nice to take a look back to see
where the system came from and why it's an industry standard today. The system
was developed in 1985 by Hoyt Archery. Back then it was known as the
HDS or Hoyt Dovetail System.
Back then many bow manufacturers used their own proprietary
systems, which is why today many of the entry-level bows only use their own
branded limbs, but Hoyt's system stood out and was admired by different bow
manufacturers with simplicity of the system.
It was really easy to connect the limb to the limb pocket. It was easy
to click in, it was easy to adjust for draw weight and tiller and alignment and
there's no twisting involved, and there are no tools required.
One of the biggest advantages
that we take for granted today is how easy it is to tune a bow. ILF risers can
adjust the draw weight of the limbs to within five percent higher or lower of
the stated draw weight.
This is a vital advantage for archers as this allows an archer to adjust the
poundage to suit their needs and to get a finer tune with their equipment so that
arrows come out as nicely as possible. This innovation from Hoyt is a reason
why the system is now universally used in limb and riser designs.
Today, archery is much more accessible and easier to purchase for. You know you can use almost
any limb with any bow. That level of interchangeability gives you far more
options based on your performance needs, your shooting style, or your budget.
It's common, for example, for a new archer to buy a good ILF riser and cheap ILF limbs
with the intention to replace them later on once they've grown into their
archery style. The short and sweet answer to the question "What is ILF?" is that it's
a universal pocket system that allows you to use most limbs with most risers.
However, sometimes people do have a different understanding of ILF and
use the term ambiguously. The most common misconception I see is when people mix
up an ILF bow with target bow. For example, someone might be thinking of
buying a Martin Jaguar, and then someone tells them they should buy an ILF bow.
This can be confusing because these people are usually referring to the
sports style target bow.
Note, however, that not all target bows are ILF, and not all ILF bows are target bows.
While the vast majority of target bows now use ILF, there are still a
number that don't. Some of the cheap lower-end models might only use their own
proprietary limb systems, but the most notable exception is the Hoyt Formula Series.
The Formula bows and limbs can only be used with each other.
Hoyt claims that their design offers
better performance for several reasons, and I'm not in any position to judge
whether it's true or not. If you're looking at buying a Hoyt bow, but you don't want to use
the Formula system, most Hoyt models do have an ILF version, such as the Grand Prix series.
There are also numerous traditional and hunting bows, that aren't target bows, which use ILF.
For example, Sky Archery make several models such as the Sky TDX, and
Lancaster's TradTech series features small-sized traditional bows that are
ILF compatible. You can see how suggesting that someone buy an ILF bow
can be confusing if you actually meant a target bow. So remember ILF is most
accurately used to describe the limb pocket system. That's how the limb fits onto the riser.
All ILF risers can use any ILF limb.
However not all target bows are ILF, and you shouldn't use it to describe a
generic target bow. Hope this clears up a few things.
This is NUSensei, thanks for watching, and I'll see you next time.