Flat out DISGUSTED ......

[conedoggy]

so after being bitten by the wooden bow fairy , i became addicted to trad. archery ..
so last year i got myself a bear kodiak hunter . loved it . 60 inch and 55 # @ 28 was shooting maybe 700 - 1000 arrows a week through her ... well one day out of the blue as i was on maybe arrow 127 for the day , at full draw the limb exploded ..
was devastating and almost made a grown man tear up ...
so after a lil while of pouting i picked up a bear cub at 45@28 lil lighter on my shoulder ... well i been shooting her religiously for the past few months trying to prep for the traditional shoots in the pennsylvania area . well i was cooking a pig for a fundraiser on sat nite .. i decided that i would take my target and bow and shoot while the pig was a roastin ... after about 80 shots , you guessed it at full draw .. bang . the tip broke ... i am at a loss of words . i have no idea what is happening . is it me .. i seen zero cracks or even stress lines on these bows. what could be the problem ? with the kodiak hunter i used the sting it came with . as well as with the cub. although with the cub , last week i took it to lancaster archery and asked them to put a new string on it for me . being scared of bow breakage . i said to the guy ( who seemed very well informed on wood bows) i dont think this bow is fast flite rated , and if it is i still just want the b-50 dacron string. i shot easily 500 arrows from the new string until  elsnappo happened ...

can anyone give me a clue , a piece of advice ... anything ? so here it is february 25 . lotta traditional shoots around the corner and i am bowless and clueless and not sure what do do . ( ps . i dont know if this means anything at all , but i do draw closer to 29.5 inches then 28 " . thanks for any help ...

Peace , and of course love to ya's

[ChrisM]

what is your arrow weight?  Also 1000 arrows a week wholly crap.  That would be over 52000 arrows a year.  Probaly just wore them out.

[ssoden]

What weight of arrows are you shooting?

[Stixbowdrew]

Just me but i recommend a 64" bow I have a slightly longer draw than you and 60" recurves just don't make the cut also might want to try and go up in arrow weight at least 10 grains per pound if you're shooting that much

[ron w]

I guess your having some bad luck....were the bows new , or used older models.

[Blueridge]

Shot my Kodiak Hunter from 1972- 1982  a lot . The upper limb broke . My draw length was 30+" back then, I wonder if that had something to do with it, or if it was just worn out.

[grouseshooter002]

Just think what is going to happen to you when you get old!!!!!!!!!!  

[Bill Carlsen]

I hope you are using Dacron b 50  bowstrings!

[Blueridge]

Buy something new . Shot my Widow MA III  for 14 years , no problems and shoot mainly Widows now. They are fairly bulletproof.

[tecum-tha]

First: These bows are not wooden bows.
They are laminated fiberglass and wood.
Second: Were those bows new or used? How old?
Third: What is your arrow weight in relationship to your true draw weight?
Forth: How do you string your bows?

[will_hunt]

I'd say it is time to go custom--brand new, built just for you. Go ahead, you've earned it!!! Go to the bowyers section on this web site and find something that appeals to you and jump in. Some of the warranties available today are exhaustive.

[Bowwild]

I've never even had a string break let alone a bow in 43 years. Of course at my 26" draw length I barely get em drawn past Brace Height.

[reddogge]

I've had three classic 60s and early 70s bows  either delaminate or the limbs fold up on them. Hey, they are old bows with old glues and no telling how they were stored for 40 years. Nothing you did, just bad luck, that's all.

Buy a nice ILF or a Hoyt Buffalo and be done with it. You can throw the Buffalo out of a tree and it won't get hurt.

[gringol]

I've heard more stories about old bear recurves blowing up...

The bow I shoot right now has taken a lot of abuse and I try to take care of it.  No telling what has happened to a 40 year old bow...

[Jeff Strubberg]

There are a bajillion old Bears out there still in service.  

What string are you using and how heavy are your arrows?  If they are both blew up hear the tip, I'm wondering if you either have a FF string on a non FF bow, or way too light an arrow.

Give us some info if you can.  Your experience is definitely not typical.

[conedoggy]

well, arrow weight, i am not sure. i do know it was a cedar arrow , i gave the bow to a guy that had a stand at the pa. bowfest in forksville we was making strings and arrows there . and he matched me up with a set of arrows . with 125 grain tips . i also purchased a set of carbon arrows to try at cabelas . also the gut there matched it with my bow. i have shot the carbons . but the woodies flew so nice from that ol cub. the kodiak hunter , the lamination came apart. the cub split really weird . and i don't shoot 1000 a week every week, but my addiction is high now... and my stress level was up the past few weeks , and bow shooting is my gardening . keeps me calm ... thanks all . looks like i am back to the ol drawing board

[OBXarcher]

I had two sets of bear limbs break on me a year or two ago. Bought both sets off tradgang with in a week or two of each other. Very strange. Makes you a little gun shy for a while.

[Blueridge]

lots of good bows out there for you to choose from

[BigJim]

They are older bows as it has been a while since you could get a 45lb cub!

Likely the arrows were a little light and tip breakage is common on those circumstances. Not many shops you can walk in and have them give you the right arrow just because they just don't know. Now if it was a traditional shop (few and far between) that would be different.

Oh by the way, it's never the bows history, it's always the bowyers fault....don't forget that!

feeling a little sarcastic today, bigjim

[Orion]

Gotta agree with Big Jim.  

Also, as others have suggested, you have a pretty long draw length.  If you want your bows to hold together, go to longer bows.  My recommendation is for 62-inch or longer recurve or 66-inch or longer longbow if you're going to stay with vintage bows.