Pre season bow maintenance
Wisconsin
Hey guys just looking for some insight on what everyone does to their bow to get ready for the season. I am considering putting a new string on my bow. I bought the bow (bow tech, assassin) new about 7yrs ago. It still has all the original components string, d-loop and everything. I haven't really shot it much over the years I took a few years off from hunting after buying it. Really looking forward to spending a lot of time time shooting and hunting this year. Was curious how often you replace your string and what other maintenance you do to prep for the season.
well being new to the compound, and by that, the last 2 years, I purchased a Hoyt Carbon Spyder, ,,,,,,, I am lucky to have a quality pro shop within 30 miles,,,,, I just got home and picked it up, since I take it in, and he tunes it for me, along with the fmj arrows, that I shoot.........
For 25.00 he has that bow, shooting bullets and perfect, from the timing of the cables to the exact length of the inside of loop, for my release....... at my age, I am not going to screw around with it, if I was younger, I would get my own bow press for my shop........
Bowhunting magazine, had a great article on tuning a bow, etc,,,,, lots of good info on u tube, and web sites........
my bow is quiet and the string is inspected, all the time,,,,,, still have my original string 2 years old,,,,,,, so maybe after this year, that will go,,,,,, I keep it well waxed, my bow in a case, and out of the heat
If you keep it waxed you can get 4 years plus if you don't shoot a lot maybe a little more . Most of my shooters that keep there bows over a couple years and shoot a lot change around two years . Some change every year. Thing is on some bows the person shoots the same string for years and makes little adjustment here and there the bow goes out of tune and they don't notice it . When they replace the strings and get the bow tuned they think its a different bow . NIce thing is that if a person changes there string after a couple years they can save it as a backup with whatever is on the string and if something happens during a away hunt they can have it put back on take a few shots and go back to hunting .Just have it twisted back to specs and the ends on a paper clip so they don't untwist . Also make sure it doesn't get over twisted i have seen some one cam strings stretch over a inch and that would take over 30 twists to get it back to specs .
If you cannot do the work yourself, don't know how or don't have the proper tools, take your bow to a quality pro shop at least every other year. Oftentimes it is best to take it back to the shop where you bought it. Shops have a certain loyalty to their repeat customers, why not take advantage of it?
A bow can go out of tune gradually and the shooter may not notice it. The deterioration is incremental. After some time it is no longer in tune and bow performance suffers. Take your bow in for work. You may not have noticed how your bow has changed,...you can loose speed, quietness, and accuracy.
Strings & cables: if you shoot much, change them every two years for sure. Keep them waxed,... if you don't know how or which sections to wax heavily, ask your pro shop/dealer. He can sell you the proper wax and show you how. As noted above, save the old set as a field back-up set.
Check out the rest of your bow also. Check all screws and be sure they are snug/tight. You may want to consider using lock-tite on select screws. Loose quiver screws result in excess vibration & noise. Loose sight screws result in misses. Check stabilizer & bow sling, does everything look right with them? Check serving on peep, still sound & unfrayed? Nocking point or loop,...still where they should be? Has you bow been disassembled lately and have the limb pockets been cleaned? Dust & debris can find their way into the pockets & they can get scuzzy (if that's a word, but you know what I mean). It does not hurt to have them cleaned every once in a while. What about the cams? Any lean? (...hope not) The cam axels should be cleaned and relubricated during a complete tune-up.
Get to know your bow,...how it feels & shoots. As a way of checking to see if your bow maintains it's "tuned" specifications, check your bow over, write down critical & important measurements and save them. After weeks or months of shooting check these measurements and see if they are holding, if not re-adjust. What to check: Draw weight. Draw length. Tiller (top and bottom). Cam roll over and synchronization (some guys mark their cams). Arrow rest adjustments (in & out, up & down, tension). Write all the measurements down for future reference.
Keep in mind, if you change something on your bow, you probably will have to retune. Arrow rest change = retune for sure! Bow quiver change = probably have to retune. Stabilizer change = probably have to retune. Bow sling, vibration dampners, peep sight changes probably will not require a retune,...your bow performance will let you know.
Again, I urge you to talk to your professional at your pro-shop. They are in the business of satisfying their customer's archery needs. They know what they are doing, they know more and they can give you better information than what you will get from an on-line forum like this. The people here, myself included, can give you an idea of what you should be doing but there is no substitute for professional guidance.
Sounds good guys thanks for the input. I was going to do some shooting today to knock off the rust, I think I will wait until after I get a new string. Instead I will go walk a section of public land I have never hunted before.
Just started that yesterday. Put on a new string, new silencers, set brace height and nock set. Still breaking in the string. Next will be putting together some arrows, trying out the Talon Thumb Tab that's coming, getting another back up string and breaking it in and setting it up. I have a new deer decoy that attaches to the bow and I want to practice with that. Soon enough the season will be here.
I had an 2005 Assassin, great bow. I changed string and cables every 3 years unless I was going out Elk hunting. Then I changed a few months before the trip. Take it to a reputable shop. They will tell you.
There must be something in the air . Last weekend people started coming in for bows and maintenance . Before that it was pretty dead .
upnorth, that's just the prepared guys. You know there will be that influx of people the last few days that want it NOW.
I change my every three years whether it needs it or not. I have the shop tune it for me at that same time. I keep the string waxed and the cams oiled.
After not touching the bow for 6 years ( I shoot about 100 arrows per year ) I changed strings & cables , site , & arrows . Started shooting last week & so far so good .
Bow is a Mathews switchback.
