Posted: 9/7/2010 4:02:23 PM EDT
 Just bought a brand new bow a month ago, went out shooting, had some really nice groups, and it seems to good. I hit one of the arrows and crack the nocks (I didnt notice), loaded the arrow, pulled back and just a hit the release the arrow dropped, and BAM, sent my peep sight flying right of the string... I panicked, of course.. Looked the bow over, and seemed ok. Took it to the local bow shop, the guy said, it looks to be ok, string was in good shape, cams were straight and no visible fractures or cracks. Took it out shooting again seemed to work fine, however it seems louder, and easier to pull back, should I be worried? or is my mind just looking for something to be wrong because of all the horror story's about dry firing? feel free to share you dryfireing sucsess or horror storys as well....
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You're probably ok. I believe most modern bows are ok with one or two woopsies and even more. Especially if it's a single cam. I have a PSE Brute at 70# that I have done it to at least three times. The worst damage was a broken cable guide one time.
As is suggested, I disassamble the bow and look over the limbs for hairline cracks or delamination. Especially around the axle holes. You can rub a q-tip or cotton ball across the limbs to help find any cracks. Also check the riser for trueness and any cracks. Then take each cam axle and roll them across a glass table to make sure they're not bent. Check your string and cable completely. Look very carefully for any cuts. Draw the bow and check for cam straightness. It might be easier to pull back because you are developing your muscles. Either that, or the guy that looked at it didn't set it back to your draw weight. You have to back off the limb bolts (decrease draw weight) to press a bow to disassemble it. He might not have set it back. Check your tiller to make sure it's even. I also write down the distance from the string to a point on the riser (when it's set at that exact distance as before, it's at the same draw weight it was before.) |
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I would check the limbs for fine splintering, measure the axle to axle length/brace height, and check to see if your poindage changed since before the dry fire. Run a pair of nylons or cotton balls over the limbs.
What kind of bow? Some bows you can get away with that, other bows mean you're screwed. |
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I would check the limbs for fine splintering, measure the axle to axle length/brace height, and check to see if your poundage changed since before the dry fire. Run a pair of nylons or cotton balls over the limbs. What kind of bow? Some bows you can get away with that, other bows mean you're screwed. Martin cheetah.. there seems to be a few breaks in the cammo pattern, at fist I flipped out, but they seem to only be scratches in the laminate, as they are all over the bow, (in places that wouldn't be effected)... I ran the cotton ball, no snags. Every place that I though had a crack I ran a needle across, and scraped some of the finish off, and there was no crack or scratch that went past the cammo, so I'm assuming I'm ok.. The bow shot the same as is did prior, groups were tight, and as the other poster stated its quiet possible my muscles are getting used to weight, ( season right around the corner so I'm shooting just about every day).. I ran about 75 arrows through her after I got back, and she seemed solid, is there anything thing else I should be aware of? I'm just worried that It may blow up mid season or something....[://.. I'm so pissed right now, this bow has less then 200 arrows through it and 1 dry fire already.... |
should be okay. Hoyt test-dry fires thier bows a shit ton to make sure the design is tough. Im sure a main brand like a martin will be fine even after a couple dry fires. That said I would still check it over, no doubt. But since you did, reset the draw weight and your in business.
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Friend of mine dry-fired my old Martin youth bow when i was 13 before i could stop him and it shattered a limb, but didn't leave a scratch. Years later i learned real fast that carbon arrows were too light for the old Martin Firecat (70lb, 30in draw), shot half a dozen and popped the string on the next shot, leaving a nice little whip-welp across my forearm...  |
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there seems to be a few breaks in the cammo pattern, at fist I flipped out, but they seem to only be scratches in the laminate, as they are all over the bow
That's just the way the camo finish is put on; not a problem. I never noticed them before. So when I stumbled across them naturally I lost my mind. Every little scratch, or seem in the pattern looked like the end of the world. I tried the cotton balls, and scraped a needle across any seem, or scratch, and its only in the finish. I'm assuming that if there was a spilt, A. it would run parallel with the limb, B. It would start either in the fork, or near the Axel (weakest point), and C. I would be able to catch a needle or cotton ball in the crack.. Last thing I need is the bow to brake mid season when I'm drawing down on a deer.. |
This thread reminds me of the time I stopped in a tiny archery shop that a guy had in his garage years ago. I can't remember what I went there looking for, but it wasn't to buy a bow. The guy kept hounding me to check out some super-duper, funky-colored bow that he had hanging on the rack. I declined numerous times, and he kept saying, "Oh, come on. Draw it back once." I got tired of hearing it –– you know where this is leading  –– so I yanked it back to full draw. When I went to let it down, the string slipped out of my fingers and BAM!!! It sounded like a rifle went off, and the string was suddenly all fuzzy like a caterpillar. 
I apologized to the guy and offered to pay for the damages, but he said, "Hey, it's my fault. I kept hounding you about drawing it back." I was never so embarrassed in my whole life, and wanted to crawl into a hole and cover myself up.
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| Do we all agree that if I was able to shoot over 50 arrows through it post dry fire, with no hiccups, the cams look straight, and no visible cracks of fractures that I did not damage my bow? Or should I continue wearing my paintball mask and heavy carhart jacket while shooting it?? (my neighbors all ready think in crazy I'm sure this isn't helping) |
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Do we all agree that if I was able to shoot over 50 arrows through it post dry fire, with no hiccups, the cams look straight, and no visible cracks of fractures that I did not damage my bow? Or should I continue wearing my paintball mask and heavy carhart jacket while shooting it?? (my neighbors all ready think in crazy I'm sure this isn't helping) They all have the potential to come apart at any time. I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point. |
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When I went to let it down, the string slipped out of my fingers and BAM!!! That's how it gets a lot of people. You let it down past the let-off and it suddenly hits that peak draw weight and yanks the string right out of your fingers. Especially if you weren't expecting it. So they say never draw a bow back without an arrow nocked (just the shaft will do). |
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Do we all agree that if I was able to shoot over 50 arrows through it post dry fire, with no hiccups, the cams look straight, and no visible cracks of fractures that I did not damage my bow? Or should I continue wearing my paintball mask and heavy carhart jacket while shooting it?? (my neighbors all ready think in crazy I'm sure this isn't helping) They all have the potential to come apart at any time. I wouldn't worry too much about it at this point. That's reassuring  , haha every time I pull the string back I feel like I'm yanking the pin on a grenade.. She still shoot good, despite my lack of confidence...
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| I think it will be fine just keep a check on the limbs and squareness. Several years ago when McPhearson bows where big we had a guy dry fire one and it exploded, he had fiberglass splinters in his face and arms, there are splinters in the ceiling tiles to this day. |
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4 years ago with my first bow, Fred Bear Element, i brought it work to show the other bow hunting fellas and the first guy that looked at it, and asked if he could draw it back...I said OK knowing he was a long time bow hunter...sure as shit...drew it back and BAM dry fire....guy was embarrassed and felt really bad....offered to write me a check right there on the spot so I could go buy a new one.
However i told him to hold off and i would take it in to the dealer and have it inspected before I took his money. Took it in, the store had it for a day or 2 and they said everything checked out ok and gave me some paper that said it passed all these certian checks...shot the bow many times after and in fact took my first 2 Whitetails with it last year. After I got that piece of magic paper I never really gave it a second thought |
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4 years ago with my first bow, Fred Bear Element, I brought it work to show the other bow hunting fellas and the first guy that looked at it, and asked if he could draw it back...I said OK knowing he was a long time bow hunter...sure as shit...drew it back and BAM dry fire....guy was embarrassed and felt really bad....offered to write me a check right there on the spot so I could go buy a new one. However I told him to hold off and I would take it in to the dealer and have it inspected before I took his money. Took it in, the store had it for a day or 2 and they said everything checked out ok and gave me some paper that said it passed all these certain checks...shot the bow many times after and in fact took my first 2 Whitetails with it last year. After I got that piece of magic paper I never really gave it a second thought I need me some magic paper, my confidence in my bow has been slightly lowered since the "Incident" as I'm now calling it.... |