No, I wasn't hurt at all. Like I said earlier, it wasn't a violent explosion, it just simply collapsed as I drew it back. My hand was a few inches from full draw.
You know, at first, I think I just laughed. What else can you do? Believe it or not, I actually had an incident with another new bow a year or so ago. I ordered a different type of bow with cocobolo veneers. The bowyer didn't wipe the limbs down with acetone prior to glue up, and by the time I got the bow, there were already some splotches under the back glass. It held together for a while, but eventually delaminated. The bowyer made the situation right and built me an even better looking bow.
Two years ago, I had a really nice Adcock non-acs delaminate on me, and I really felt sick about that one. It was a used bow and was really a piece of art. It was also probably the best shooting bow I've ever handled. The sickening part about that bow wasn't just the financial loss, it was knowing there weren't any replacement limbs available. I still have the riser of that bow.
I've also had an untold number of my own hickory selfbows break on me. I used to just be glad if a bow lasted through a hunting season, and I honestly saw them as somewhat disposable. No doubt I didn't treat them gently. I'd used them to hack brush out of my way, use them as walking sticks, toss them in the back of my truck, leave them hanging in a hot shed, etc.
I guess I'll just say that, while I don't expect a bow to break, I'm not surprised when one does. Sure it's disappointing, but I actually felt more concern for both Ron and Gregg. I'm self-employed and know that a thing like this can totally erase any profit they had on the bow. I hate to see a man do good work for free, unless he wants to, of course.
Let me also say that the fit and finish on this bow is as fine as I have seen. Very tight glue lines, no sanding marks, and a perfect finish. I couldn't find one blemish, anywhere. The tips looked great and the grip was exactly what I asked for. When it broke, one of my main thoughts was that it really was a shame to see it happen to such a nice piece of craftsmanship.
Topic: OH, the huge manatee!!!!! (Read 804 times)
