Twisted limb????

[archer66]

My 66bear kodiak mag appears to have some twist in the upper limb.  When I draw and let down the string doesnt settle into the groove on its own.  The twist is noticable at full draw if I stand and watch someone else draw it.  I am getting good 4 inch or better 15 to 20 yard groups  with it.  What do you folks think I should do?  Get a different bow or keep shooting?  Will it get worse?

unstring it and heat the twist with a hair dryer and twist in opposite direction and hold till it cools off some, thats how i do it...

[Shawn Leonard]

Keep it strung and while holding the string in place, twist the opposite way of the twist. You can give it a good twist just be careful,leave it strung and repeat again in a few hours, do this a few time over a couple days and it should straighten it out. Guys say to warm it under hot tap water(not to hot) which you can, but Norm Johnson from Blacktail bows told me it is not nececsary as fiberglass has a memory and it should return back to its original form after a few tries. Shawn

[archer66]

So this is normal....i just got the bow so I dont know the cause?  Is this something I will need to do periodically or do you think a one time deal as long as I dont let it happen again?

[yaderehey]

Well, it's only normal if the limb gets torqued wrong, usually by improper stringing.  Once you get it back it should stay and not need any further work.  Use a good bow stringer.  I will say I had an old Shakespeare Necedah with a twisted upper limb and I worked it and worked it without heating and it always returned to the twist after a few pulls.  When I heated it under hot tap water and countered the twist and then while still holding under the water turned the water to cold it has stayed put(you'll need help changing the water as both your hands will be tied up with the limb).  Most peoples house tap water is around 110 degrees and few seconds under that should not cause delamination problems.  I also think it doesn't hurt to let it stay strung awhile after you get it straight to let that memory take over again.  Good luck!

[Orion]

Not necessarily normal, but fairly common on older bows.  Usually caused by improper (step through) stringing and/or improper storage (stood in the corner on one limb for a long time , etc.)  I've always straightened limbs with the bow unstrung.  While it's possible to do it with the bow strung, if you do it way, you fight the extra tension on the limb from it being strung.  More difficult to bend and hold in position.  

[archer66]

Ok....another question....I've been told it's ok to leave it strung all the time if it's stored properly.  Is this correct?

[Shawn Leonard]

Yes, leaving it strung is fine, actually best if hung properly. Norm told me and I have done it quite a few times, to do it with the bow strung and leave strung. You want the tension of the string when doing it withour heating it. I actually was on the phone with him when I first tried it with a bow he had made and the original owner got the twist in it by leaving it standing in a corner unstrung. I was worried at first and he told me to give it a good twist, said if the limb broke or delaminated he would make me another pair for free, that is how confident he was. Shawn

[archer66]

Thanks...I worked with it a bit and it's currently straight.  The bend comes back after a couple draws but not as severe.  I'll keep at it and hopefully I can make it true again.  

Really am enjoying shooting this bow...can't wait until the Missouri bow season starts...I'm going to shoot my first TRADITIONAL deer this fall.

[shoothathang]

Leaving a bow strung is OK,but it's like having a loaded gun laying around.Keep it away from children and archery ignorant friends that might dry fire it for you.

[Orion]

Archer66:  You may have to overbend it a bit.  When you bend it initially, you bend it past straight to account for some springback when it you let it go/when it cools.  May just need to bend it a little further in the opposite direction than you have been.  A little scary, but that's usually what it takes.  Good luck.

[archer66]

Thanks for the great comments everyone...I'm just thrilled I can hunt with it.  Since it's my birth year bow it is eventually going to be part of a display but first I want to get some blood on it!!!

[wahoo]

I have a couple bows with twisted limbs and I just twisted in the opposite direction and left them strung. Every time I walked past them I would twist them again count to 20 and walk away. I left them strung for 2 wks straight and I am now shooting them.

[George Vernon]

Black Widow used to have a couple of pages devoted to maintaining limb straightness in their owners manual.  They only thing they add to the instructions others have shared is to hold the string in the string grove with the thumb of one hand while twisting the limb tip in the direction opposite the twist.

[Sharpster]

Originally posted by Shawn Leonard:
Yes, leaving it strung is fine, actually best if hung properly. Norm told me and I have done it quite a few times, to do it with the bow strung and leave strung. You want the tension of the string when doing it withour heating it. I actually was on the phone with him when I first tried it with a bow he had made and the original owner got the twist in it by leaving it standing in a corner unstrung. I was worried at first and he told me to give it a good twist, said if the limb broke or delaminated he would make me another pair for free, that is how confident he was. Shawn

I had this issue with an older Super-K a couple years ago. Shawn gave me the same advice which I followed (no heat) and now the limbs on my Super-K are perfectly straight. Thanks again Shawn!

Ron