Damn, it finally happened to me

[PrimitivePete]

I'm still in disbelief that it happened but I had a bow that due to a broken nock ended up suffering a dry fire. At first look nothing seems wrong, limbs were ok, bow was in one piece, I was feeling good until I checked the riser and found a jagged crack in the throat of the riser. So beyond being upset as I just got the bow and I was shooting it everyday. I know where I went wrong and I should of checked the arrow but I was like a kid in a candy store with a new toy to play with. I decided I have nothing to lose so I took out some sand paper and sanded it down where I don't see any crack lines, do you think it's ok ? I know I'll need to sand it some more and refinish it, is it possible the crack was shallow and in the finish ?
I'll post pics as soon as I can, otherwise I guess I have a refinish project on my hands

[Alexander Traditional]

I did the same thing on a bow. I took a dremmel wheel and went all the way down past any crack and filled it with jb weld,it's still going strong. It doesn't look very good though.

[McDave]

I know how disappointing this is.  Once years ago the same thing happened to me with a Black Widow I had bought used.  I was holding it in a loose grip and the nock broke when I shot the bow, and it flew out of my hand and the riser cracked on the pavement.  No doubt that it was broken in my case.

This was my first experience with Black Widow, and I called them for some general advice as to what I should do, other than shoot myself.  They said the riser couldn't be repaired, but they happened to have a riser on hand that they had custom made for a customer, but there was some kind of miscommunication and it wasn't what the customer wanted.  So they sold it to me for $100!  Needless to say they had a lifetime customer after that.

[Jegs.mich]

I lost my first longbow to exactly what you described. It was a 60# Garrison's half breed. I have not seen another one since, great bow too.

[Kirkll]

I just repaired a TD long bow that this very thing happened to.... A dry fire at full draw can fracture a riser as well as ruin limbs. Please do not continue to shoot it....

What needs to happen is to carefully unstring the bow, and  get it mounted in a vise on one of the limbs close to the riser just past the fades with rubber jaws or something that will protect the limbs.
Then carefully apply pressure in the opposite direction than it normally loads when drawing the bow..... If the riser is cracked deeply, it will open up and you can determine the damage done....If the riser comes apart, its toast....

Often times this can be repaired if its just a crack. Even if its cracked clear through the riser. It's kind of a tricky procedure, but with the unbelievable strength this modern CA glue has, Sometimes you can use a thin viscosity super glue and clamp it back together with good results...But of course your riser will need to be refinished when you are done.


Best option is to send it to the bowyer that built it and see if he can repair it correctly. Or to someone that is willing to do it for you.....   If i can be of service, let me know.....   Kirk

[LoneRanger]

I had a similar experience as McDave with Black Widow. I was heartbroken and then to my amazement they stood behind their product when they didn’t have to. Great company, great bows, great people.

I feel for you and hope it can be fixed. Broken nocks just happen.

[Stringwacker]

I'm 'that' guy. I can't remember exactly how many cracked risers on bows I've had over the years due to broken nocks. I would think four or five for sure....I think quite a few more than that. I used to buy bows in pairs:) That got pretty expensive.

I've had them pinned, glued, and replaced. The only thing that I'm confident of is the repair was never as strong as the original; at least in my experience. They usually came apart on the next dry fire. Nowadays, I just shoot the newer press in nocks like Easton Super nocks. I've only ever had one of those to fail and that wasn't the fault of the nock.

[PrimitivePete]

I followed Kirk's advice (Thank you Sir !!!) and she is a goner. The crack is deeper than what I thought and started to crack more.
In the dumps, this was a bow I had my eye on for over 15 years or so. You never see them up for sale or traded. When I got the trade offer I was super thrilled. It was a one piece recurve with static tips. A real modern take on the 50's recurve design. Damn damn damn.

[Kirkll]

Hey Pete,,,

If it’s still in one piece, and didn’t come apart on you. Email some photos to me at [email protected]  I’ve done some incredible repair work over the years. I might be able to save it for you….   Kirk

[katman]

Kirk repaired one for me, when I got it back could not tell it had been cracked.