Recurve Strung Backwards

[IndianaBowman]

Walked in when one of my kids was watching Disney's Jonas and they were talking about sports in school and there was an archery target with a recurve strung backwards. Just thought it was funny and really a shame that out of all the people and actors that had to make the show and no one noticed it was strung backwards.

[Predator Man]

I got a bear 62" fiberglass bow from the girlscout ranch across the street from my grandpa's that they were throwing away.  They gave me a package with it that included 2 kids arrows and the string.  The string was so short that the bow had over a 20" brace and looked like it was at full draw when strung. I promptly unstrung it and made the proper string for it. Its 30@28 and my girlfriend loves it.

[Chuck Jones]

I sell many bows through our internet site, and even though we put an instruction sheet in with the orders....Hardly a week goes by when I don't get a call or email from a buyer, saying we sent them a left handed bow when they ordered a right handed bow. The instruction sheet even has pictures showing a properly strung right hand bow.

I always start out by asking, "is it possible the bow is strung backwards?". Some say, "how can it be a right handed bow? The arrow shelf is on the left side!

[K. Mogensen]

When I was younger I would make bows out of tree branches and twine. I always had the arrow on the right side just because that's always how they shoot in the movies. It wasn't until a couple years ago when I started that I realized how wrong I was.

[IndianaBowman]

Predator that is hilarious! I got the visual and laughed out loud!

Chuck, reminds me of one of the most common help desk questions "is it plugged in"!

[Bowferd]

Everytime I search the net for bows for sale I'm amazed at the amount of pictures, when requesting them, where the bow is strung backwards.
The auction sites are notoriuos. But amazingly, I've purchased some awful fine bows from sellers who have no idea.
Usually they admit that they have no knowledge of the subject.
Not only have we all seen bows strung backwards but also where the seller is advertising the bow as right or left handed when it is actually just the opposite.
Excellent condition is another subject.
One guy told me the limbs seemed twisted, it was an old Browning recurve in excellent condition.
In many cases I will do my goodly deed for the day or week. I email them and try to help inform them of thier mistake. I also offer to help with any other questions they might have invoving archery.
100% have returned emails and thanked me for my consideration and help.
All good deeds will be rewarded. But I'll be the first to admit that sometimes thinking about some of these things bring tears of laughter.

[Chris Shelton]

that is really bad, it is something like 250 bucks for a inhouse edit for a mispelled word, that should be no different.  Suppose they figured no kids would recognize something like that?

[Grey Taylor]

I spoke to a woman at a shoot one time who told me about receiving her new/used recurve in the mail. She took the already strung bow out of the box and then carried it crying down to the neighbour who was introducing her to traditional archery. The bow just didn't look right, didn't feel right, the handle was on the wrong side, the string was slack... she was crushed that her first bow was so messed up.
When her mentor was able to stop laughing he put the string on the right side of the bow and all was right in her archery world. She laughs about it now.

Guy

[LC]

Well back in the day, say 30 years ago, my mentor insisted on stringing it backwards while being stored to keep opposite tension on it. Of course nowadays I know better and leave mine strung (the correct way) all year long.

[greywolf63]

If it was not for my husband I would not know anything about bows. I'm glad that he has taught me so I would never have too be imbarassed like that.

[muley40]

You can always see some strung backwards on ****,

[2fletch]

About 10 years ago I was at the local flea market and was carrying around a recurve that I had bought there. A guy came up to me to look at it and said that he had several that he had bought there over the last few months and that he might be interested in selling them.

 An hour later we were at his house looking at them and agreeing on a price. They were all strung backwards, but then a lot of people do that for storage. After money had been exchanged, he picked up one of the bows and started to draw it back. I stopped him before he hit full draw, and he got a puzzled look on his face. Then I strung the bow correctly and handed it back to him. He looked at the bow, and then cautously drew it back, muttering under his breath something like "Well I'll be d#@%d." Apparently he had been trying to shoot these bows strung backwards.        

While I was in the service (1961-1965) a friend of my younger brother saw my favorite bow (a laminated all bamboo bow) stung it backwards, and then pulled it to full draw. As you might expect, it flew apart. Gosh, I wish I had it back.

[frank bullitt]

Funny, I saw an episode of Andy Griffith a couple weeks ago. The show title was "The Swinger", in color, Aunt Bee is spending time with a new beau.

In a clip, on a date, it shows her shooting a bow, looks to be a Ben Pearson, and strung backwards! She shoots,and scores in the gold!

Yeah, Those prop guys need educated!  

Great to see bows though, in any show or movie these days!  

[George D. Stout]

That's how an awful lot of folks stored their bows.  They don't shoot them that way, they store them that way, and it doesn't/hasn't hurt the bows.  

Now when you see some moron shooting one that way, then it's time to speak up about it.

[Jeremy]

Originally posted by George D. Stout:
That's how an awful lot of folks stored their bows.  They don't shoot them that way, they store them that way, and it doesn't/hasn't hurt the bows.  

Now when you see some moron shooting one that way, then it's time to speak up about it.

Yup.  With the vast majority of recurves there is almost no tension on the string when it's on backwards.  Just enough to keep it there to prevent it from untwisting.  My dad still stores his that way... been that way since '66 and still shoots fine.  Now if only he had used a stringer...

[CLOVIS]

Thought I had seen everything but. I sold a 3 pc. takedown longbow to a grown man that had no idea what he was buying so I strung the bow and gave him some general instructions no how to shoot it.
About 3 weeks layer I saw him and he told me that I had sold him a bow for a  lefthanded shooter. He had the bow with him and handed it to me and said see. It was strung backards and he and his 14 year old son had been shooting it like this and said it was not very fast. Hard to keep the arrow on the shelf and the grip was not very comfortable. I strung it "the correct way" and told him to just leave it this way and it will be ok. I guess it worked out because that was 10 years ago. You just can't make this stuff up.

Crow Creek

[Earthdog]

We had a guy selling a recurve on a local auction site an the pic' showed him at full draw with the bow strung back to front.
In his blurb about the bow he said he'd taken several deer and goats with this bow and it was a straight shooting demon.
In the Q and A section somebody suggested out he might just be making things up just a little,and pointed out why.
The bow was withdrawn that day and never reapeared.
I think he found or was given it stored that way an thought that was how it was shot,,LOL,,poor bugger.

[RGinWY]

Back in'61 I got my first store bought bow and shot it strung backwards for a year, course I was 6 years old and it was the best shootin bow me and my friends had ever seen. Broke the string so my father took me to western auto to get a new one and the guy there strung it right. I guess its true, a little knowledge is dangerous.

[K. Mogensen]

Man I got thinking about it started wondering, how do you even string a recurve backwards? Yeah, probably a stupid question but I got looking at mine and was just thinking that it wouldn't even look close to ANY bow I've seen, even in childrens books. It would be way to curvy in the ends. I just don't see how. I would think the string grooves would be a dead give away...