Browning Nomad I Help

[Christov]

Hi guys, this is my first post. I decided to buy my first traditional recurve, so I picked up a Browning Nomad Stalker online. I have been shooting a Martin Jaguar with a whisker biscuit at 50lbs. I wanted to go with something shorter to fit a ground blind. At 52" amo the Nomad is perfect. When I got the bow in the mail I noticed something weird on the bow belly. There is raised "bubble" looking spot on it about 2-3 inches long under the finish. Is this normal or is starting to crack or delaminate? I haven't got a string for it yet so I haven't shot it. Is it safe or is this thing going to explode? I hope i didn't just waste my cash on this thing. Thank you for any help.  

[TonyW]

If the seller deceived you and you are not satisfied - return it for a refund.
If you bought this on TG classifieds, this would not happen.
A lot of people buy old bows to flip them - they will shine 'em up and sell them for a quick buck.
Can't tell anything from your pic, and anybody that tells you it is safe or unsafe without holding it in their hands is kidding you.

[Christov]

Have you ever seen one do that? Any idea what happened?

[TonyW]

Contact the seller - ask him about the bow. Does he have any idea what happened? Did he ever shoot or string it?

But if you really have seen enough to trouble you - get a refund. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Christov]

I showed it to my brother and he is pretty sure that is over spray from clear coat. It does look like it had a run and somebody didn't sand it. Somebody probably refinished it and missed a spot sanding or something. Like I said, I'm a nube!

[Horney Toad]

looks like a little ding, shouldn't be a problem.

[TonyW]

Good thing your brother knows about refinishing bows. If he knows about overspray and clear coat, he also might know about smooth-on and how people can cover over damage. Plus some bows have been left in hot attics or otherwise abused other the decades. Sounds like your brother has held this bow in his hands and checked the tips and the other 95% of the bow.

When your brother strings it up and shoots it, he will be able to check for limb twist and any other problems. Does he have a bow stringer?

I will never forget an old Pearson Mustang I bought off the net. It looked fine until I put a string on it, then the limb twisted like a wet noodle. No problem with the finish, but the bow was kaput.
 
One picture of 5% of a bow is hard to judge. Good thing is, most people are honest when they refinish and flip bows. Most, not all.