Dry Fired Bows

[Muleyslayer]

I just did the exact same thing while drawing the bow the arrow was pulled off the string but inbetween my fingers and I fired it, twice I did that. The bow seems o.k. I sent the string to a pro here on tradgang to reserve it with some thicker serving because the nocks were just to loose, don't want to do that again.

[Keefer]

I didn't have a dryfire but this past fall my Dryad Hunter exploded on me as I was coming to full draw...I just shot one arrow and started drawing for my second shot and Snap,Krackle and Pop...I was smacked in the forehead at about 3/4 draw...My lower limb had a very small pin knot that worried me from day one and I probally got a good 2000 shots out of her before it blew...Anyway it can scare the life out of you either way if it was a dryfire or just a fracture....I would go to say most bows will withstand an accidental dryfire with todays glues and limb makeups...

I had a friend that shot a Redwing Hunter, when we would go to the area shoots, if he thought he would lose an arrow on a target he dry fired his bow at that target.  He would dry fire at a passing bird or anything else.  He always tossed his bow out of his tree stand. His bow finally died when he left it lay in the back of his pickup on a hot day strung.

[MarkE2006]

Originally posted by pavan:
I had a friend that shot a Redwing Hunter, when we would go to the area shoots, if he thought he would lose an arrow on a target he dry fired his bow at that target.  He would dry fire at a passing bird or anything else.  He always tossed his bow out of his tree stand. His bow finally died when he left it lay in the back of his pickup on a hot day strung.

If I knew someone like; I would'nt let him near anything of mine.

[Chuck Hoopes]

Iam sure your bow is just fine.  Over my life time of shooting (40yrs.)  I have had the unpleasant exp. many times w/ many diff bows--usually casused by nock breakage.  Point is - never had a bow effected by it.  Its definitly something you want to avoid, but these bows are a lot tougher than they are often given credit for.

[vtmtnman]

I was shooting at a 3d shoot one time and I had a 70's bear grizzly.I had one arrow that had a loose nock.Well I went to shoot and the arrow slipped off the string just as I released.Nice loud pop but no damage to the bow as far as I can tell.She still shoots fine.If it was one of my customs my reaction would have been ALOT different.That's why now I use snug fitting nocks.I like a nice authorative click when I nock an arrow so I know it's on there.

I did have one bow delam on me after the string broke.It was a Pse Impala.I always used endless strings on it so the serving was there to protect the loop from the poorly cut string grooves in the nocks so I never noticed it.I had a flemish string on it and it cut the loop.My buddy was outside shooting it and I was inside when it happened.I tried to file and clean up the nocks but it kept cutting into strings.

That bow was junk from day one anyways,should have never bought it.There wasn't even any finish on the limbs,or sanding the saw marks out of the sides.I noticed the limb had delamed at the fade so I tossed the limbs.

[Osage61]

Glad to find this posting !!  My son's friend was trying my son's Kohannah Kid's Osage Longbow. I heard this terrible,un-nerving twang and looked over to see the friend looking down at the ground at his arrow laying there rather than down range. Arrow had slipped off just before or at release resulting in the dry-fire. I almost passed out because I was the one who loaned the bow to the kid to try, without my son's permission!!!  Checked it for damage and we continued firing it..no apparent issues, but what a sick sound and feeling. Thanks for all the postings that kind of take the edge off of a full blown panic based on an accidental dry-fire.

[Steelhead]

Shouldnt be a problem.I have never had a bow damaged from a dry fire.


Its a good idea to check the glue lines in the riser and limbs after it happens though just to make sure everthings tight.

[Konrad]

This conversation about dry-firing a bow points out safety issues we should all be reminded of:

A: Worn serving material will produce a loose nock fit and promote an arrow falling off of the string.

B: Damaged and/or worn nocks produce a loose fit and will also promote an arrow falling off of the string.

C: Either of the above degrades accuracy due to erratic nock/string tension. Accuracy in this sport is about consistency, if nothing else.

Inspection of the arrow after EVERY shot is essential for safe operation. Nock-end damage, shaft damage, tip damage can all produce unsafe shooting conditions.

If you have a group of arrows that are used regularly for practice, the nocks should be replaced annually to assure proper string fit. I have found that in many cases, re-nocking annually also brings up the subject of re-fletching (how did they get so tattered?). With a modest investment, a degree of customization and independence from retail outlets can be gained by fletching your own shafts.

Re-serving a string is one of the easiest (and most satisfying) bow maintenance tasks to learn. The materials and tools are inexpensive and you can control the quality of serving yourself by specifying the diameter, type and tension of the serving material(s) rather than being at the mercy of an unnamed archery technician.

Practicing archery is not just about the physical technique of shooting arrows. It encompasses every aspect of delivering the shot.
My arrows are a very personal thing to me. In most cases I believe the arrow to be more important than the bow when it comes to accuracy.
The arrow is the extension of my will.
The bow is the platform from which I project my will.

All that being said, NEVER allow a stranger unsupervised access to your weapons.
Ugly things can happen in the twinkling of an eye!

PS   Some of the “modern” archery manufacturers subject their bows to 1,500 dry fire events during durability testing.

[tlsharb]

Guess I'm in the minority on this one. I dry fired my Quinn Longhorn a couple summers ago just a week before I was leaving to hunt in Utah. The actionwood split all the way up the riser. When I called David Quinn to see if I could get a new riser (quickly), he just couldn't believe it split. Said he had seen limbs blow apart, but never a riser. Had to use a backup bow for the hunt, but David did a great job building me another riser.

[Osage61]

Konrad; that was a lot of really good information! I recently went to a 16 strand 8125 bowstring and my wood arrows with traditional 11/32 nocks fit loosely. Should have had a double helping of serving at the centre. The arrows don't fall off when allowed to hang on their own, however it is a looser fit than my 16 strand Dyna-97 string so maybe I'll have it re-served. I'll check my little guy's nock fit for each of his arrows as well just to be sure. Can an extra (double serving) be done on my current serving or does the double serving need to be done at time of string construction? Again thanks for all the info.

[Konrad]

Originally posted by Osage61:
I recently went to a 16 strand 8125 bowstring and my wood arrows with traditional 11/32 nocks fit loosely. Should have had a double helping of serving at the centre. The arrows don't fall off when allowed to hang on their own, however it is a looser fit than my 16 strand Dyna-97 string so maybe I'll have it re-served. I'll check my little guy's nock fit for each of his arrows as well just to be sure. Can an extra (double serving) be done on my current serving or does the double serving need to be done at time of string construction? Again thanks for all the info.

BCY Fibers’ serving materials (one of the best quality manufacturers) come in sizes ranging from .014 to .030 inch diameters.
I have no personal experience with “double serving” except at the beginning and end of the job.
My understanding of good string tension is:
With the bow horizontal and the arrow hanging downward, a moderately sharp tap on the string about four inches from the nock should dislodge the arrow.

Some folks prefer a tighter fit for hunting. I prefer an easy “snap” fit that still retains the arrow well and keeps it from sliding easily vertically along the string. A little experimentation will give you a better idea of what is too tight and what is too loose.

It is known that too tight a fit will adversely affect accuracy.
We definitely don’t want too loose a fit.

I know it’s a poor answer to your question; however as in many things archery, experimentation will provide your answer. Make sure to document your testing and impressions for future reference. Compiling data like this can get confusing quickly if you have a memory like mine!

Your technician may be able to help you arrive at a quicker solution and then all you have to do is duplicate his tools/materials.
Using his guidance/suggestions on materials during trials will speed up results although your supplying the labor during the experimentation process will provide you with valuable practice.
You will find it is a surprisingly easy skill to acquire.

Good Luck1

[Mack Marine]

When it happens, right away there is a sick feeling. I have had it happen one time, nock had a hair line crack in it. Bow is fine has had thousands of shoot since.

[Over&Under]

Konrad only has 14 posts...Who else besides me votes that he should post more often?  LOL

Some great info in those posts, I know I learned a thing or two.

[Johan van Niekerk]

I double serve all my string centres regardsless of other factors. I find a thicker centre serving "rolls off the fingers" better. This gives me a much crisper release and lessen the effect of spine to a certain degree.

You can add an extra layer of serving at any time. I prefer to replace the entire serving though. I don't cut the bottom layer and the serve again, instead I just loop back and continue with a second layer.

[Johan van Niekerk]

Oh, I forgot to mention...the double serving 9/10 times end up too thick so I pinch it a bit with a narrow mouthed pliers and then "lube" it with string wax. A coupla 100 shots and its perfect  

[Osage61]

Thanks for the tips guys!  All good information. I'm taking my 8125 in for a double serve; getting one more made up with 12 strand, padded loops to 18 strand and double serving the centre. Then back to the range to see what's what!! This single serving on the 16 strand 8125 is not good as my arrows are falling off when the bow is held horizontally. Like that 8125 string material quite a bit. Anyone else use it?