WARNING: My bow blew up. I almost lost an eye, but...

[LongStick64]

First off a little precaution never hurt. Since this thread I bought a pair and have shot with them and I don't have any issues shooting with the glasses on. So my thanks for the suggestion.

In most cases we can't fault the bowyer for a bow blowing up, but yes there can be some fault, though I do not believe it to be in this case. I bought a bow from the classified, non sponsor, still won't name him. Point is the bow cracked in the riser in  what I would call the crown of the riser. Very weird spot. After pictures were exchanged with the bowyer, he admitted that he changed the profile of the riser from a C shape to more of a standard L because of other bow failures such as mine. Long story short the design was at fault. So yes folks as great as our bowyers are and we are blessed with some real great ones, there can be reasons for bow failure other than the wood or the glue. But for the most part this is not a general case. It just means that a proven design can at times eclipse the value of the latest and greatest.

[Michael Golden]

The name of the bowyer had no need to be mentioned in the thread if you weren't trying to draw attention to the bowyer......right?  Nuff said!

[nineworlds9]

I'm sorry, but don't we draw attention to the boywers with our POSITIVE experiences???...like reviews or kudos, or "veneration" or whatever magical voodoo aura we all want to attribute to so-and-so-a bowyer cause their bow puts 'em where we want 'em?  Right?  That logic defies logic.  Should we go so far as to say NO negative reviews in the product review section.  I as of this moment propose that the mods ban any product reviews unless the TGer can prove with scanned receipt that they are the original purchaser of the item/bow.  So word of the day is "Praise public, punish private"...and this thread WASN'T even punishment to boot!  Just a share and some disappointment by one of those who bought into the love and aura like anyone else and had a scary experience.  

Anyway, indeed, lets stick to the main idea Pat highlights:  BE SAFE and be vigilant.  The rest is what it is.

[LimBender]

I hate shooting with glasses for many reasons.  All activities, and especially hunting carries some level of risk...  That is one I am willing to accept.

[Sixby]

NIneWorlds: how many times can a person DISCLAIM that they were not faulting the bowyer...

NineWorlds:Call me immature,
but my RH Miller just hit the classifieds for sale or trade. Get it while its hot! Lovely bow.

OK


God bless, Steve

[LoneWolf73]

Yes, be SAFE and VIGILANT, the main message from the original post.

The rest.........Whoa, Paranoia at best.

And this statement: "We have a generation that believes someone else has to be responsible." Really kinda bold accusation from someone worried about accusations.

Come to terms with the fact that stuff happens. Good luck out there.

I personally enjoy drawing back a bow and loosing an arrow unencumbered, with confidence and without fear.

I do not see many at 3d shoots or out hunting with safety glasses. Just an observation.

 But wise to evaluate advice, so do so and make your decision. Then live with it.

[JohnI]

Great posts Sixby. It is obvious Dave Miller is being attacked here, if you guys have something to say have the guts to say it don't hide behind another topic. Dave does and always has made a great bow.

[Kevin Dill]

It strikes me that if the OP had come on here and described a sudden catastrophic bow failure at full draw...and a near facial injury, that at least a dozen guys would have demanded to know something:

"Who was the bowyer?"

[Claymore]

This tread is one for the books. I shoot firearms. Everyone knows about the need for eye protection. Some of us never thought about it for archery. So Patrick reminds us. But he mentioned the builders name. If a firearm blows we want to know what, kind of bullet, how old, and how much powder. We also want pictures. And the FIRST thing we want mentioned is the maker of the firearm. Now don't tell me you would not ask that. Thanks Pat. No foul.

[Claymore]

Originally posted by Claymore:
This tread is one for the books. I shoot firearms. Everyone knows about the need for eye protection. Some of us never thought about it for archery. So Patrick reminds us. But he mentioned the builders name. If a firearm blows we want to know what, kind of bullet, how old, and how much powder. We also want pictures. And the FIRST thing we want mentioned is the maker of the firearm. Now don't tell me you would not ask that. And Pat is all but accused telling a lie by one. Thanks Pat. No foul.

[Mudd]

It is just my opinion but I think this thread has fulfilled it's usefulness and has in fact started to deteriorate into something very unbecoming of us.

Again, this is just one persons opinion..mileage may vary.

This will be my last word here.

Thanks for all!

God bless,Mudd

[Claymore]

I agree mudd we need to heed the warning and move on.

[pcg]

The OP was a warning based on my experience. What occurred was not something I'd ever anticipated. I was lucky and I was wearing glasses that are prescription sports glasses. Their purpose was to sharpen long distance viewing. I never imagined they'd save my eyesight. The OP was a warning to TGers that was things can happen, regardless of your confidence and desire to be "one" with your bow. You'll never catching me shooting again w/o them.

That said, all attempts to turn the thread into something else are, as I've already written earlier, in error. No one has "attacked" anyone, although the defenders of said imaginary attack sure sprung up fast. I think nineworlds9 is accurate to describe paranoia and double standards here. How quickly a well-intentioned thread can be hijacked. Quite interesting, gents.

Everyone so inclined has read the post. As the OP I suggest we close this one down. If I were a moderator (and kudos to mods for letting this play out), I'd put a lock on it.

--Pat

[nineworlds9]

Originally posted by JohnI:
Great posts Sixby. It is obvious Dave Miller is being attacked here, if you guys have something to say have the guts to say it don't hide behind another topic. Dave does and always has made a great bow.

That's what a few of us did!!  And we got swarmed!  LOL.  At least we had the guts to speak our mind.  I deleted all my main comments because this discourse decayed into something unproductive.  Just as an example here:  apparently no one is allowed to 'name names' for fear of being turned on, but lo and behold via PM anything goes--the other day I had a TGer more or less tell me I'm a fool for owning a Callaway 21st Century..yeah lots of bad press out there about MC but that bow while not to the standard of the bow discussed in this post hasn't blown up on me...who knows it might, but you WATCH how fast a bunch of people would chime in bashing him if I posted a thread telling a similar story...cause of the history of posts built up about the guy and his rep for being prickly. In DM's case he has a much better rep than MC, whole different league most would say, but you can't just blindly defend someone because of the legacy preserved by their work (Schulz).  That would be like if Pat had written about a HHill bow coming apart and every Ekin fan chiming in and immediately saying 'for shame how dare you criticize our favored son!'  Sheesh.

[nineworlds9]

Originally posted by Mudd:
It is just my opinion but I think this thread has fulfilled it's usefulness and has in fact started to deteriorate into something very unbecoming of us.

Again, this is just one persons opinion..mileage may vary.

This will be my last word here.

Thanks for all!

God bless,Mudd

Yes I think Mudd and Pcg have pretty much summed it up.  Thanks LoneWolf for chiming in.

[Shakes.602]

GOD DOES Watch Over ALL of Us!! Glad you werent Hurt!! Everytime we draw Our Bows Back, We set Ourselves up for Something to happen. Hopefully its All Good, but there is Always that Small Percentage..... I Agree, Diligence, and Observation is about the Best We can do, but Stuff Does, and Will Happen!!  :eek:  
  Like I said, Thank God YOU werent Hurt!!     Hope You got another Bow and are Slinging Pointy Sticks Again!!  

[hatfloater]

pcg,

I'm happy to see that you've changed the heading on your post because the original could only be viewed as an attack on David Millers' bows and I'm sure that it wasn't your intention. I own two Miller bows and have complete confidence in the materials used and the excellent quality of his build. We all assume some risk by drawing back on a device that stores so much energy and was designed to kill. It'll never be classified as a safe toy but relative to the number of shooters posting on this and other sites,the injury reports are very low.

May we all enjoy a lifetime of safe shooting.

[Daddy Bear]

pcg, Thanks for the thread, it is timely and it may save someone a serious injury.  I'll be sending my Hill back this week, and as of now, It's looking like Craig will be able to bring my prize bow back to life.

As for all these attempts to turn your thread into something it is not, you need not apologize, IMHO you are owed an apology.  How anyone can read so much into what you posted is beyond me, and having someone, who should know better, attack your version of events, is way over the top. Having freshly experienced my 67.5# Hill go in a split second with an extremely loud BANG!, I cannot think of a more fitting description to warn others about eye safety than to say, WARNING: My Hill, Miller, or whatever top end bow it was, blew up.  It can happen to the very best, it can happen without any warning, it can catch you completely off guard, and it will stun the devil out of you.  That stupid little sliver of glass stuck in me, that I cannot dig out, does not feel too good, and odds are pretty good, that when I was peppered with those slivers, I probably would have caught one in the eye had I not been wearing my shooting glasses.

So take it from this thread that, top dollar, top bowyers, top bows, and top skills, will not shield you from losing an eye when shooting bows.  But, odds are that shooting glasses will.

Best  

[pcg]

Thanks for the affirmation. I just excruciatingly re-read the entire thread and agree: there's nothing here that leads to some of the comments that are injected. Hey, some people have their own agenda and will invariably try to color topics to fit their preconceptions. Hijackers lurk in every forum, and TG is no exception.

I'm thrilled that you too survived with your eyes intact. I do believe that wearing safety glasses should be beaten into every archer's head. It isn't. Even with the high profile injuries we all know about, most shooters will cling to their habits, or forget this advice. May luck be with them. After my own experience, I've begun even un-stringing bows only when I have glasses on. As you wrote, it stunned the devil out of me. What a shock, and what astounding luck. I'm delighted this thread has helped a few TGers.

[gringol]

What's with the drama lately, guys?  I feel like I'm watching some spoiled housewives on tv.