Recurve or Longbow twisted limbs.

[ncsaknech1ydh]

I started shooting long bow limbs on my Lee risers this summer and absolutly love them. I don't even need silencers, although I have them on just because to me, after all these years a bow looks wierd without them!  

I bought a recurve awhile back and the first time I finished stringing it and was putting the rubber limb protectors on I had one end sitting on the ground like I have had  100s of times before, but this time the sting came slapping off to the side and suddenly the bow had unstrung itself, (I did, and always do use a bow stringer, and slowly flex each limb when I am done to make sure everything is in place) I have never had this happen one time in 35 years of stringing recurves, even using the step through method as I stupidly did many times many years ago before I new better. Needless to say I was sick about it, so I went out to shoot it, and no problem, it seemed to shoot like a dream. I have had it for about a month, and the other day unstung it to tighten the string a bit as it had stretched, and when I strung it, whamo, the same thing happened again. Now I am not sure if it was right away, but it is the only thing I can figure out because now all of the sudden I can't get the same arrow set up to fly straight out of it no matter what I try. I can't see a twisted limb so it would have to be slight, but I have a sneaking suspision that I have a twisted limb, what do you guys think?

I even thought it might be me, so I got out one of my other Lee Longbows that I had hanging on the wall as it shoots about 62 pounds at my draw weight and it shoots like a dream, the arrows shoot like darts. Even better news to this is that thanks to tradgang and what I have learned to make myself more accurate due to more consistant form (such as Terrys form clock and all the great posts) I have been shooting more this summer than ever before, and this 62 pounder I find I can now handle quite well! It must be the conditioning! There is even hope for us old farts if we do are part!  

Now for my original question, just by looking at the difference in takedown longbow and recurve limbs, it looks like it would be alot harder to twist and ruin a longbow limb, Is this the case in your opinions?

Thanks much for putting up with my long posts all the time, my wife always tells me I'm long winded      DK.

[jhansen]

Recurve limbs tend to be thin and wide making them more prone to twisting.  Longbow limbs are usually narrower and thicker.  As for the possibly twisted limb(s), string the bow carefully and look down the string.  It should be in the center of the limbs.  If it is slightly off to one side unstring and try running some hot water over the twisted limb and then twisting gently in the other direction.  Let cool and restring.  Anything other than a major twist can be corrected in this manner.

John