twisted limbs on recurve/need some help

[Gunnar Mullins]

So a i just received a beautiful vintage Ben Pearson recurve as payment for helping a family friend move out of his house.. It is 41 years old but in pretty darn good condition. Apparently it hadnt been strung or shot in over twenty years.. unfortunately it had been leaning against the wall for all of those years so the lower limb is pretty bent, i'd say its off of where its supposed to be by about an inch to an inch and a half. the upper limb is also slightly bent although not nearly as much.. the limbs are bent in the opposite directions though so i thought that maybe that may help (my logic is that they would meet in the middle kind of thing-lol)
Now the professional at my trad. archery shot looked at it and said it was shootable and i have been shooting it for the past 3 days.
I have been getting better with it and i think with enough practice i will be consistent enough with this bow to hunt elk in september.
But i am a little concerned because im not quite getting the groupings that i know Im capable of with other bows. the arrow is flying nice and straight, no fishtailing or wobbling.
The string does align back into its grove after every shot.
I was wondering what you guys thought about this. Will i be able to figure this bow out well enough to hunt, or do bent limbs equal inconsistency? Im not new to traditional archery, Im just young and am not as knowledgeable as some of you more.....experienced archers... lol!
Any info is well appreciated!!
thanks guys!!

[bolong]

There was a good article a few months ago in TB Magazine that showed how to straighten a twisted limb. You use heat ( hot water or blow dryer) to heat the limb and twist it back. Hope this helps, I've never had to do it, I'm sure there's others that can give you more help.

[Orion]

There's a good chance you can straighten the limbs.  Just grab a limb where it's offline and twist it in the other direction, twisting a little past center to allow for spring back.  String the bow, draw it and let it down gently to see if the string is tracking where it should.  Repeat as necessary.  Some people do the twisting with the bow strung.  You can also use heat to warm the limbs in the affected area before twisting them back into position.  A hair dryer works well for this.  It's not a good idea to hold the limbs over steam or immerse them in hot water.  If the finish is cracked anywhere, water will get in and swell the wood starting a delamination process. Dry heat is the way to go,but don't overheat the bow.  If you get the bow hotter than the temperature at which it was glued up, it could delaminate.  Delamination is always a danger, but I've straightened a lot of limbs on older bows and haven't had one delaminate yet.  Good luck.

[Gunnar Mullins]

thanks guys, i think im gonna try this

[Gunnar Mullins]

but im also wondering that even if i cannot straighten the limb, can i still get consistent shooting from this bow?

[Looper]

I personally wouldn't shoot one with twisted limbs.  You're risking have the limbs break or the string coming out of the groove. I can't imagine you'd be able to get good arrow flight.  If you're hesitant to try and straighten them, I'm sure someone on here would be able to help you out.

[Gunnar Mullins]

well i thought that would be the case, but Ive had to have given it at least 300 + shots by now with no problems.. the arrow flies straight, no wobbling or fishtailing.. the string is fitting right back into the grove after every shot..
Im really having no problems with it.. so far..
Just working on the accuracy

[d. ward]

just grab the twisted limb and twist it the oppisite way and hold it for about 20-30 second.You may have to repete the process 5-6 times but it should be fine.I would NOT use any heat to straighten a laminated bow ever.They were laminatined using heat and will delaminate just as easy appling heat bd

[ksbowman]

Bowdoc is right on as usual. Don't use heat if at all possible. Just twist it at room temperature. It's amazing how much force it takes some times though and hold it as long as necessary for it to stay. I've done it several times on one bow I have that likes to twist when left unstrung and stored correctly.  Ben

[Jake Diebolt]

Do you do this when the bow is strung or unstrung?