ARRRGH....Worst sound there is

[Bullnuts]

Out shooting this morning and I draw back and hear a "click" off my top limb. Let down and find that my limb has a splinter about 5 inches long hanging off of it. DAMNNN! Glad I have a back up bow ready to go but it really sucks to have the primary go down at this point. Broadheads WERE grouping nicely, now I'll have to get it down to the shop and get new limbs ordered and start all over again. Grrr.

[cnelk]

Dang...
I had that happen in 2006. One month before season
I didnt have a backup bow, so I bought a new bow

[Swede]

Several years ago I was doing some final shooting on Saturday just two days before I left for hunting camp. I shot my bow and saw half of it fall to the ground. The other half was still in my hand. I looked down and the riser had snapped in two just above the grip. I called the dealer Dale Martin and he said to drop it by Monday on my way to camp. There was a flaw in the metal where it broke. He said the factory would replace it. I had given him my draw length and draw weight, so he had set up a bow for me before I arrived. Dale can tune a bow better than anyone I have ever dealt with, and the bow was ready to take to the field when I arrived. It was a brand new Martin something. No charge on the loaner. I shot it a few times there at his store, and practiced with it in camp some. It was a very nice shooting bow, and I was hoping, a little, that it would take him a long time to get a replacement riser for me, but Martin had a new one to him within two days and Dale had it sent out to my camp completely tuned, via my hunting friends, on the day before the season opened. Again no charge. I could have used the new bow with no concern that Dale would object, but I returned it right away. I was a little disappointed as I liked it better than my own.

I hope everything works out as well for you.

[mtnmutt]

Can everyone say how old their bows were when they encounter these problems?

JohnF had a recent problem. It seems these problems just happen without warning or visible signs of a problem.

Once I find equipment that I like, I tend to keep it a longtime. Fortunately, my current bow is only 1 year old. I just had it looked over last week at the Pro shop to make sure the string is good for more months to come.

Hope you get your bow back fast. Glad you were not hurt.

[Swede]

The bow I wrote about above was about 5 or 6 years old when it broke. When these things go, there are no warning signs that it is going to happen. There are no signs that say "another 1000 shots and I will need to be replaced." The only sound that is given is "ARRRGH" coming from the shooter. I also had a limb break on a different bow where the axle holds the top cam. That bow was also 5 to 6 years old (25,000-30,000 shots). Fortunately only one side broke, so it did not send shrapnel back at me.

[cnelk]

Mine was 4 years old.
But it had THOUSANDS of shots thru it

[Bullnuts]

The bow that broke is a Hoyt Ultra Tec that I bought in 2006 - it was the 75th anniversary model. So over the past 7 years I've probably shot thousands of arrows through it. I also have a 2003 Pro Tec that did the same thing, except I was shooting at a whitetail when that one happened. I don't remember hearing the limb crack, but the arrow flew down and big time right - complete miss - and I was standing there looking at the bow wondering what happened when I saw the splinters coming off the limb.

Bows aren't indestructible and most have great warranties that will replace the limbs at no charge for the life of the bow. It just sucks to have it happen at this point in the year and have to sit around and fret about it getting fixed in time for the season.

[Bullnuts]

Man! When it rains it pours. Just got done doing a little work with my back up and found out that I have a broken strand on the string!!!! I guess I should have waxed it good before I put that bow away last year. Arrrrrgh!!!

[>>>---WW---->]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!! Do you think Laura will let you buy a new one? There goes the next piggy hunt!

[Bullnuts]

No Hmmmmmm about it Bill. I'm sure she's watching me pretty closely right now after today's events. I break out the credit card now and she'll put a knife through my neck.

[elkmtngear]

Had the same thing happen about 3 years ago...I was told (by a Pro Shop guy I trust) to just cut the splinter off at the base and sand it down smooth. Hunted with it without issues (ended up killing a cow on the last day of the hunt) but I donated it to Operation Bows and Heroes after the Season was over. The bow was probably 15 years old, and took down a lot of big game in its Day.

[pointysticks]

The worst sound ever is the sound your stomach makes after 50% off-all you can eat sushi.

Bow noises scare me. Nice save!

[Bullnuts]

The worst sound ever is the sound your stomach makes after 50% off-all you can eat sushi.

Bow noises scare me. Nice save!

Yea, that gut rumble is frightening, but it scares the family more than it scares me!

Had the same thing happen about 3 years ago...I was told (by a Pro Shop guy I trust) to just cut the splinter off at the base and sand it down smooth. Hunted with it without issues (ended up killing a cow on the last day of the hunt) but I donated it to Operation Bows and Heroes after the Season was over. The bow was probably 15 years old, and took down a lot of big game in its Day.

I don't know if I'd trust doing that. The first indicator of a bad limb is a missed shot, so I think there may be more going on inside that limb than what you can actually see. My first delaminated limb caused serious miss on a deer. The arrow hit about 5 feet low and left, and it as just a splinter of carbon sticking off the upper limb that caused that. I think I'll take Hoyt up on their warranty and get the new limbs put on. Costs nothing but the peace of mind is priceless.

[Bullnuts]

Woo Hoo! Got the bow back today from Pelegrino's Archery Hut in Colorado Springs. Put an arrow on the string, first shot right in the bull. They not only changed the limbs out, they must have written my settings down exactly because the bow is spot on. Good job guys!

[mtnmutt]

Great to hear.

Bill/The hut took my bow from me last week. Serving unraveled last week while shooting. It should have New string and cables on or before Friday. Being bowless is frustrating.

That pro shop has always done a great job for me.

[Bullnuts]

They are very good - lots of good help and professional. I actually was ready to tune the bow up when I got it back to the house - couldn't believe that they had done that and got everything back into specs. I had to laugh.

[pointysticks]

Woo Hoo! Got the bow back today from Pelegrino's Archery Hut in Colorado Springs. Put an arrow on the string, first shot right in the bull. They not only changed the limbs out, they must have written my settings down exactly because the bow is spot on. Good job guys!

Can you have your shop call my shop and tell them how to do it:)???

My shop has an epic inventory, but the wow factor dies right there.

[Bullnuts]

Ya, I've been to some pretty scary places. That's why I drove all the way to Colorado Springs instead of using a closer shop. I hate to see a guy who was in the beginning archery class a week ago now working behind the counter and pressing bows
Pelegrino is a pro and his staff are excellent. More shops need to learn customer service and the technical aspects!

[Swede]

It is unfortunate, but there are a lot of pro shops owned and operated by people who think because they enjoy archery, they can mechanic on bows. The trouble is that they think they are lousy. If you have a good pro shop, stick with it. even if it is a little inconvenient.

[switchback270]

I was in elk camp last year and we were doing some practice shooting mid-day. Afterwards i was waxing the strings and ran my hand along the bottom limb and felt something sticking up. At first I thought it was the sticker peeling and when I looked down I found that an inch or so of the limb material and splintered. Couldn't believe it since the bow was bought last spring, not even 4 months old. A little bit of gorilla tape held it together the rest of the trip.

I had cell service up on top of the mountain and called the shop back home to let em know the situation. Had a new set of limbs at the shop when I got home. It all worked out but man I was a little irritated. The bow was a Mathews heli-m if anyone wondered.

[Bullnuts]

That was the exact problem that I had. I'm glad it did it at this point instead of during the season - that had to suck. I would have been real nervous about making my shots with a bow that was taped together! From what I understand, if it's just a splinter, it's not that big of a deal - you can cut it off and seal it with glue until you can get it to a shop and it's ok to shoot.

[switchback270]

Yea, I've never had an issue like that with any of my bows, ever. So of course when I do, it had to be in the middle of my first ever elk hunt lol. It would have been fine had I needed to get a shot off, but once I knew the limb had splintered I didn't take any more shots until the new limbs were put on.

You lucked out on timing though. Get it fixed up now and let the air out of a big bull next month! good luck to ya

[Triplebhunters]

Okay now lets join in and get these bows shooting over in cold shot.

[switchback270]

Those cold shots look interesting. I'll see what I can do tonight!

[Bullnuts]

I'm about 3 weeks behind so I need some time to catch up! Went out and sighted in to 60 with broadheads this morning. I'm not shooting quite as well as I want, with my 60 group spread at about 8 inches, which is not acceptable to me. I'm looking for everything to be within the circumference of the 3 inch bull so I have some work to do - my pins are floating around a bit and I need to get that under control. It's crazy how taking that much of a break can impact your form. I did notice, however, that my bow hand is much more relaxed now than it was before and I think it was good to take that time off to un-learn a few bad habits. 30 arrows this morning, another 30 tonight.

[Triplebhunters]

Must be nice to have your bow back. Just be cautious. Don't want to rip that shoulder up playing catchup.

[Bullnuts]

Yea, having a stick slinger back is awesome! Can't wait to stick another bull with it!