How often....unstringing

[JamesKerr]

I unstring my bows after every shooting or hunting excursion, whether it be 15 minutes out in the yard or a 3 hour sit in a stand. I don't like the idea of there being tension on my limbs all the time.

[WidowEater]

Ill beat this dead horse with some anecdotal examples.  

I had a Black Widow MAIII I bought used from the original owner of 10 years.  He said he kept that bow strung the ENTIRE time.  Never once unstrung it.  I had it for two more years and never unstrung it either.  It had stayed strung for 12 full years until I sold it and shipped it out in 3 pieces.  I worked at an archery shop at the time and I put that bow on the scale and it showed 45# at 28" and 51# at 30"  It was rated at 50#@30".

I have kept my Liberty English strung for the 4 years I have had it (except for the 18 hours it was unstrung while I was moving) and I put that on a scale the other day and it weighed in right at its rating of 53#@28".  That is a straight limbed longbow too.

Yeah, for my money, Im keeping them strung.  Unstringing is wayyy too much of a pain and a risk with the results Im seeing keeping them strung.

Now I have a NM Shelton.  Im keeping it strung too.  It already has some string follow.  Why not a bit more.  

I shoot often enough to justify it though.  At least twice a week and usually every day.

Plus I will be shooting this new NM a lot too.  It might replace my English.

[Gdpolk]

I unstring mine every time.  It's too nice to risk and only takes a second.  I also wipe the dust off my arrows and bow before putting them back in their corner by the night stand.  To clean my bow, all arrows, and unstring my bow may realistically take 2 minutes combined.  Restringing the bow may take an additional 15-20 seconds at the beginning of an outing.  That's not much of an inconvenience in my mind to keep my gear well maintained.

[Orion]

As you can gtell from reading these responses, and the responses from the four threads that rastaman pulled up, about 50% leave their bows strung, about 50% unstring them.  Do what you want.  I unstring mine when not in use.

[Hoyt]

I shoot twice a day..sometimes 3 sessions. I figure there's more chance of limb damage stringing and unstringing..4 to 6 times a day, than leaving it strung...I use a stringer.. So I leave the bow I'm shooting regularly strung.

[Bldtrailer]

Ok does it matter what kind of string you have on the bow? My Fast flight bows (Blacktail/Stalker/predator) I leave strung, but my older bows Dale Dye and such that take B50/55(creeping strings ) I unstring. Does the string make up matter when leaving a bow strung?

[Brock]

not sure why it would matter....a B50 will only stretch so much...it is not unlimited in this ability.  Once it is broke in and stopped stretching it is good.  

LIke mentioned...if it has been proven leaving them strung causes no damage in of itself....and you shoot every day or a few times a week...why risk anything with unstringing the bow each and every time you want to grab it for a quick shot in back yard?

In the end...do what you like.  I dont dust my arrows, dust my bow, dust my quivers...I use them...they are tools not items to display for the envy of others.  I could care less what anyone else thinks of them...and dusting your equipment seems extreme when you just put them back in the corner.     Shouldnt they have a special place of honor?

anyhow...leaving a glass backed bow that is being shot will do nothing to it of itself from being left braced.  I have seen many damaged through stringing and unstringing....so just saying.

If not being shot...or selfbows...they are unstrung.  Right now I have my Habu strung...has been since May when I put away my Robertson from turkey season and decided the Habu would be my deer bow this year.  Last year it was my Jeffery that stayed strung from February through December.  Still pulls 60# @28 and had her since 1992.