Home Forums Bows and Equipment Leave Recurve strung?

Viewing 8 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • DaleB
        Post count: 2

        How long can you safely leave a recurve strung without doing damage to limbs?

      • vernon.gm
          Post count: 1

          If you are shooting the bow regularly, let’s say 2-3 times per week, you can probably leave it strung indefinitely. Otherwise I’d take the string off using a good bow stringer. If you leave it strung, be sure to check the brace height. Even the high performance strings will creep, or get longer when under tension.

        • Danny Klee
            Post count: 90

            Dale,

            That’s a good question. I have asked that same question about my longbow and received different answers from just about everyone. Some say never, ever leave it strung because it is made of wood and wood has that memory effect and will warp the limbs. Some feel it’s a safety factor that it’s like having a loaded gun in the house. If a child got ahold of it and decided to play with it something bad could happen. Some guys say it’s perfectly ok to leave your bow strung. Personally I am still on the fence about this issue. My aunt has a straight end longbow sitting in her attic that’s been there for many years. I slipped the string off and the limbs straightened out just like it was fresh out of the box. I don’t know how well it will hold up or shoot with a new string on it because she hasn’t decided if she wants to get rid of it. But I’m willing to find out! lol

            Dan

          • Chris Shelton
              Post count: 679

              I have always wondered if if was proven, but I have always unstrung my bows when I am not using them frequently, I have my favorite one strung all the time though!?

            • DaleB
                Post count: 2

                Thanks for the info…I have gotten several differing opinions as well. I have a friend who has a Great Plains Longbow and he hasn’t unstrung it for years and it still shoots great. Thanks again!

              • Hiram
                  Post count: 484

                  OK if: You hang the bow in horizontal position on pegs. I hang mine on the limbs, not the string. Consider whether your bow is too heavy to do this or not. What I mean is, is it a typical trad bow which weighs less than 3 pounds? A heavy bow will generate more tension on the limbs or string by virtue of its own weight.Not useing it, un-string it. Never lean your bow in the corner strung. The weight on the limbs will not be condusive to longevity if it is strung while sitting in the corner on the bottom limb tip. Quivers with arrows adds a lot of weight to the bow. I would unstring it if this is the case. Bare bow weighs much less.

                • Carbomask
                    Post count: 39

                    in my opinion , and anyone please help here, It would seem like stringing and destringing, and restringing is going to cause more stresses on my bow or bow string.

                  • jer11bravo
                      Post count: 14

                      Iam guessing this comes from stringing and unstringing the bow when not in use. My son shoots a black panther bear recurve which we unstring when he is done. However the last time he shot it there was an unusal noise from the bow, arrow flight was way off and after examining the bow we noticed a verticle line running down the lower limb (stress fracture). He looked at me the way a son can only look at his dad. I smiled and gave him my only bow my or I should say his now which is a bear kodiak mag. We really never got into deer hunting because of lack of places to hunt. However we love to hunt rabbits, so this year I told my son he now has a dog to jump rabbits for him. But this dog will ground him if one of those arrows even comes close lol.

                    • Stephen Graf
                      Moderator
                        Post count: 2427

                        If you are talking about a self bow… you must unstring it because the cast of the bow is due 100% to the wood. And wood will take a set if left bent.

                        If you are talking about a fiberglass backed / bellied bow, then it doesn’t matter. The fiberglass provides the cast and the fiberglass doesn’t care about being bent. The wood provides distance between the back and belly of the bow. The poundage of the bow results from the thickness of the glass and the distance between the back / belly glass. The wood in effect is just a spacer.

                        That being said, I always unstring my bow and keep it on a rack up high where the kids can’t get to it. If I leave my bow strung, something invariably happens to it. Like the cat chewing my fletching while I’m in the outhouse.:oops:

                    Viewing 8 reply threads
                    • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.