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Never Dry Fire Your Bow
By Bow | June 18, 2009
First we need to understand what dry firing a bow is. Dry firing a bow is the act of shooting a bow with no arrow in it. And while this may seem rather innocuous, it can be quite harmful to your bow.
And it can happen to beginners and experts alike - if for no other reason than a guest or relative draws the string and lets loose. After all, to their way of thinking - there is no arrow, so what could it hurt, right? Well as it happens there can end up being quite a bit of damage and it can be quite costly to the bow owner.
But it can happen - to anyone. But why is this so harmful to your bow? The energy that would normally be transferred to the arrow as you fire it has no where to go when there is no arrow. So, it is disbursed through the string and limbs. And when this happens, there are any number of scenarios which can happen. The string could break, or worse still, any number of different parts of your bow could crack or shatter.
But it could appear there is no damage whatsoever when in fact there are cracks and splinters not visible immediately. These flaws may go undetected until you use the bow again. So before using the bow, you should get a magnifying glass and examine the bow under a bright light.
Check for cracks and splits and if any are visible, that piece should be replaced before the bow is used to avoid damaging any other previously undamaged parts. Next you should examine the string as well. Look for any badly frayed portions and/or cut strands - especially near the axles.
Once you have examined the bow and replaced any damaged limbs, string, etc., you need to draw your bow - with an arrow in it - and shoot it. Listen for any unusual noises and vibrations. If you hear or feel anything unusual, re-examine the bow and string - once again replacing any damaged parts you find.
If you are unable to find any damage but are feeling strange vibrations or hearing unusual noises, you will need to take your bow to a professional to have the bow examined. Often it is less expensive to simply get a new bow, rather than taking it to be examined professionally.
But if after shooting an arrow you feel no new vibrations or hear no new noises, and you have no discernible problems you can count yourself lucky and should be free to use the bow as usual.
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