Contributors to this thread:
Pulled my Mathews Outback out of the case yesterday after being gone for the weekend and I almost threw up. A very small sliver, along the corner and length of the upper limb had started to peel away. Its about the size of a pencil lead. Mind you, I leave for a moose hunt in 55 days and have been shooting a crazy amount in preparation for it... at one point shooting over a 100 days straight. Making a call to the pro shop when they open this morning to see if the can get a replacement limb hopefully. Me and this bow have been a wrecking crew for 11 seasons and I can't imagine getting a new bow weeks before the biggest trip of my hunting life.... I'm gonna puke.
This bow hasn't been left in a hot vehicle, dropped, used as a club or abused but did I have the string replaced last week due to some wear. Could that have caused undo stress?
Maybe the shop employee dry fired it???
I doubt it.. he changed it while I waited and was very concerned about getting the rest and peep set up perfectly for me.
My wifey said "Well I guess you need a new bow now!" Bless her heart, but not under these circumstances!
Clip it and sand it with fine sandpaper. Seen and done this numerous times, mostly on Hoyt’s and never had any issue.
I know the panic you feel, but if you have to get a new bow you'll likely be shooting it just as well within a week. I had to switch bows about a month before an elk hunt a few years ago, ended up with a Mathews creed that shot well, but I whacked my forearm with it several times and hated it. I did kill an elk with it and sold it the week I got back. Bought an Elite and went on a Midwest deer hunt the following month and killed a buck with that bow. I am still shooting that Elite today. When the time comes to make your shot on the animal you'll be in autopilot.
Just go see what the pro shop says. I promise they make bows a bunch better and easier to shoot today then they did 11 years ago.
GWIW, same thing happened to me in 2009 with a browning. I received the new bow 7 days before I left and killed an elk with it. This is gonna be what you make of it. Good or bad. Good luck and God Bless
Something to think about. It’s like driving that 1997 truck with 250k miles. Sooner or later...
It’ll be a fire drill but you’ll get it going. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip trial153. And for the encouragement guys!. I did shoot it a few times but was waiting for it to explode in my face the whole time lol!... I feel like its cosmetic but im gonna see what the pro shop says. Those limbs are under a lot of stress!
At least it didn’t happen while you were on your hunt!
On the first day of my 2014 Alaska moose hunt, while shooting a few practice arrows, I noticed that one of my limbs had feathered a little bit in one spot. I didn’t bring a backup bow with me either. I ended up taping the area up with electrical tape to keep the splintered area from possibly hooking on some brush, and crossed my fingers.
It held up for me at the moment of truth!
You will be back to shooting dots in no time, Fuzz. Good luck to you on your hunt!
Do yourself a favor fuzz and get a new bowtech realm or realmX, I have a realmX on order that will replace my rpm 360, hoping I get it a soon, I will elk hunting last week of august, all I need is a few shooting sessions to become comfortable with a bow. These bows are unbelievable, the most adjustable and tunable bow on the market
T-roy brings up a great point. What if you decide to put a bandaid on your bow and now the other limb splinters when you are on the hunt. I promise you, you'll be thinking more about "will this bow hold up" than "I wish I had more time to shoot my new bow before the hunt"
I would buy a new bow, all new accessories and rig it out and I would clip and sand the old bow and keep it as is. If you get your new one shooting the way you like, keep the old as a backup or part out and sell. Keeping the old one as is will give you peace of mind making a bow change so late in the game.
I don't know your financial situation but considering you have a moose hunt coming fast, whatever your new setup costs is minimal insurance to keep a bow from screwing up a hunt.
Fuzz, I had a splinter on my Bowtech six months ago. I use AAE fletching glue and the limb has been fine since then. I shoot 3D twice a week and practice once a week. A new limb would be peace of mind but if you are stuck try some glue. Good luck on your hunt.
Luckily finances aren't an issue... confidence will be though if I just make a repair. Im beginning to lean toward getting a new bow. I was planning on it within a year or 2 anyhow since there has been a lot of tech improvements the last 10 years..... Need to do some test driving and see what new bow "speaks" to me.
Fuzz, I wouldn't get a bow that doesn't have static yokes, you can narrow your search, a yokeless bow is a PITA to tune, having to move your rest out of square isn't right!
Fuzz, I think that you will find that this is not a big deal and will work to your advantage. The limbs probably have a life time warranty. After looking at the limbs the dealer should order a new set for fee. You can probably shoot your exiting limbs until the new ones arrive. Replacing the limbs and setting up the bow is not much different from replacing the strings. At the end with new limbs and strings you will be going on your hunt with a much more reliable bow. If you can replace the bearings you would have pretty much a new bow but most shops may not have the ability to press bearings in and out.
So many good bows. Try to find a shop with all of them and shoot every single one at same length and weight. I did that and ended up with a prime centergy hybrid. Coming from a bowtech with yokes, this was no harder to tune. I bet you find a bow that speaks to you.
And I’d be so paranoid to shoot it with that sliver. That would be all I thought about every time I went to draw it!
Time for a new bow anyway. This gives you the excuse. To much advancement since the "solocam". 55 days is plenty of time with the right people involved.
If you need a new mathews, I love the new triax. I was worried about getting used to it in time for this deer season. Within a week I was more confident in it than my older one which I havnt touched since. It was a great buy!
LOL I guess I'm an idiot. Had that happen to me a couple times just cut it off and kept going like nothing ever happened and it never phased me, or my shooting. There's a looooot of limb left there after you remove a pencil lead's worth. But like I say (and not being sarcastic) I could be the idiot in this scenario.
Lol Apauls! Like i said earlier I still shot it... the whole time thinking...
"I'm an idiot.... this things gonna explode....I'm gonna die... BS guys are gonna fry me if it blows up and I lose half my face... IM A FRIGGIN IDIOT!" Lol!
I quit shooting after my second round... was shooting like poop due to wetting my pants every shot.
If you are original owner your limbs will be free. In my experience you could have new limbs in a week.
FWIW: I work about 200 days in a row to hunt 2 weeks at primetime. I had a bow issue on Halloween one time. Now I ALWAYS have a backup bow ready to go. And since you say finances are not an issue, I would recommend you do the same. Get new limbs now and another bow soon.
I would throw up if I opened my bowcase and saw a Matthews too hahaha ;-)
Should be a lifetime warranty on Mathews limbs. 55 days is plenty of time, especially since you're already intimately familiar with the bow. It should only need some minor tweaking after the new limbs are installed. I had a limb crack on a Mathews MQ1 that was close to 15 years old only a couple weeks before I left for an elk hunt. Luckily I had a backup bow but the new limbs arrived in time. The owner of the shop even offered me a loaner bow if my new limbs didn't arrive in time... that's service!
Just buy a new bow ! Fifty-five days is enough time to be proficient if you had never shot a bow in your life. This ain't rocket surgery !
Hope you have better luck getting your limbs replaced quickly, my Hoyt Spyder did the same thing on lower limb, took it to the pro shop they said no problem have them replaced in a week, its been over three weeks. I would not have left the bow there if I knew it would of taken that long. I suspect the pro shop dropped the ball but my next call is directly to Hoyt. BIG TIME FRUSTRATED.
Redoak...thats kinda what I'm afraid of. I called the shop and they dont have limbs there. I'm going there tonight to talk to them again, check out my bow, and shoot a few new bows. He spoke highly of the shootability of the Elite Realm and of the Triax.
Just feeling very rushed since I haven't been researching new bows and am unsure of what to get. Its not like i get the latest and greatest every other year.
Thanks for advice fellas.
Sand the sliver off making sure you go just beyond where the crack ends so it doesn't have a place to start again. Then inquire about new limbs. And buy a new bow as a back up, if you have the itch.
There is something to be said for keeping and shooting a very familiar bow that has always shot and performed well. It's comfort and confidence. I have a Mathews Drenalin that has been lot's of places with me and killed many animals. It is now my back up bow and one I'll never sell. It's like an old, close friend that, even though we don't see each other regularly, we don't need time to get reacquainted. We just click and get right back at it, when we do go out together. The Drenalin allows me to be a bit sloppy and maybe more relaxed, which is not good for shooting Spots but works very well for hunting, when conditions are not "archery range" perfect. My newer and main bow is more demanding, but also probably forces me be more deliberate and as a result likely more accurate.
New friends (and bows) can be very exciting and top gear performers, fun and exhilarating to be around. You just have to decide who you'd rather share camp and hunt with. The tried, true and trusted or the new guy with all the energy and latest gear. Either one could be a good choice.
Never have had this happen, and read every post incase it does now haha. I'd probably be freaking out too.
Hopefully whatever option you choose works out well! Have fun on your hunt, looking forward to hearing what you end up doing.
Do you guys sleep with you bows too? lol....It`s a hunting weapon...it`s going to have dings and dents. A tiny sliver such as you mention is nothing and will not affect the bows performance. Do as "trial" said and rock on.....FOCUS on the hunt.
The last thing you will be thinking of is your bow when you see a moose in bow range.
Fuzz, my main concern was if I clip off the sliver it would affect the warranty. I just got off the phone with Hoyt and they recommended too that I clip off the sliver sand it down and put a drop of epoxy were you clipped it. And they said it would not effect the warranty. They said there turn around on Limbs is 3 days so I think I'm correct in the pro shop dropping the ball.
Mine is on a Matthews Switchback XT I bought brand new 11 years ago. It is now my backup bow but I guess I should really take the limb in for warranty!
Ok thx red oak! I'm gonna start with that and do some shopping around also. Waiting for pro shop manager to get back with me...he won't be in til tomorrow unfortunately.
Exactly the reason I have more than one bow ready to roll at any given time
I wouldn't even be anxious if I had a failure 5 days before a hunt. I have completely rebuilt bows for myself and/or partners in the middle of a hunt or national tournament. Shouldn't take twenty minutes to check tune and zero after replacing limbs.
No issue getting new limbs, probably run you 100 bucks or so. Look on flea bay and you can probably buy that same bow or a couple hundred bucks!! Shawn
I'm in the buy a new bow camp. 55 days is plenty of time to get dialed and then take your old bow as the backup on your hunt. I think it's a good thing it happened now while you have time. Good luck and have a great time on your moose hunt.
Now that that’s settled, where’re you going moose hunting?
Hunting moose with a bow is the best. Hope you get a good one.
I predict you’ll “find a way” to get the confidence back.
Well I put about 40 shots thru the bow this evening after lightly sanding down the rough edge. No issues at all! But, I'm still going to do some shopping this week for limbs and a new backup bow ;-)
Apauls... I'm heading to Newf'nland for my 1st moose trip....cant wait!
CH Mike nailed it. Lifetime warranty. Based on you living in Michigan, I bet you have a new set of limbs by this Friday if you took care of this tomorrow. I just toured the Matthew's plant about a month ago and they are set up for this very thing. Best of luck on whatever you choose to do and good luck on your hunt! You can see how much of an enjoyable read mouse hunts can be (Dagger) so please give us a story when you are back. TODDY
55 days!? That's about 53 days sooner than it's time to start sweating it.
You should be thanking the good Lord it happened now! If it happened 55 days from now you may be in a different spot. Get a new bow and start shooting is my advice. Sucks but its a good thing it went down when it did!
If limbs are still available, get em. But a new bow..... you're 55 days out..... in two weeks you won't remember a thing about the old bow. There are likely a dozen bows out there that are better bows in most every way you can measure.
Although it might seem like it..... your old bow does not care that you are out with another bow...... even if it's younger faster and prettier.....
I made it to the pro shop yesterday and was happy to hear that being that I am the original owner I get free limbs from Mathews..(other than labor). They'll be here Friday.
THEN!... I found out that if you buy a $1800 hat, you get a free bow... a deal i couldn't pass up!
I shot the Hoyt Redwrx, Elite Ritual and Mathews Triad. Wow! All shot very well and felt great. I shot about 15 arrows thru each bow and the 70lb 29" Mathews finally edged out the others. This thing is absolutely "dead" at the shot and had a great draw cycle. Added a peep, QAD Ultra rest, Tightspot 5 quiver and B stinger stabilizer. Then added a dozen Carbon Express Piledrivers for the aforementioned moose hunt. Had her dialed in out to 30 yds in no time.
NOW I have a backup bow!! Thanks for all the advice BS guys! Fuzz
I had great service from Mathews when I needed it - got the limbs in 4 days, bow back in my hands less than 10 days week from finding the splinter in the limb.
Like you - I bought a back-up at the time... but my "hat" was a used 2013 Elite hunter. Ironically, I shoot that better at longer distances than my DXT (longer ATA, so it makes sense), but I've had my DXT since 2008 and it fits me like a glove.
Good luck on your hunt, and enjoy your new bow!
Good move Fuzz! I bought one of those expensive Redwrx caps last winter too! But I look good in it. Oh, they threw in a bow for me too. Good thing I don't have to ask permission.
Well grubby... the backup is whatever one I don't have on me at the time.... planning on using both.
Wayniac... the great service from Mathews also had a bearing in getting the Triax. It's nice being able to get good customer service nowadays.
Sorry to hear about your luck. My LX did the same thing 3 years ago. The limb totally delaminated while final tuning 5 days before leaving CT for Montana. I brought it to the shop where I bought it, ordered new limbs and bought an Elite. Went on to hunt and never really missed a beat. The Synergy I replaced it with, though not quite as fast is much easier to shoot. It really was a blessing in disguise. Plus the person who bought my repaired LX really got a good deal on an almost new bow. Good luck on your trip. Ernie
Any pics of your new hat, Fuzz?!
Good to hear, Fuzz. Mine happened Oct 31, 2016 - cost me a shot on a doe (clean miss luckily), and ended a 3 yr good luck streak of scoring on Halloween. I was stressing that I might miss rut, so had the used Elite shipped overnight. ZERO complaints with Mathews or the shop that did the work. Bow shoots like new, and literally had thousands of shots through it before the failure (which was not a manufacturing issue)..
And - as T-roy said - let's see a pic of that new hat.
Hoyt’s are never back-ups
