Bow life expectancy
Equipment
Contributors to this thread:
I'm still shooting a switchback xt and was wondering how long a modern day compound should last keeping new strings and cables changed when wore out?
I have a friend who still hunts with his Pearson Spoiler I think that's name. Should last long time with proper care and maintenance. That bow is from the 80s
Have a Switchback and a Switchback XT. I am 63 plan to finish out my Bowhunting life with these two.
Been shooting the same Matthews Icon 16/17 years.... I have 3 back ups just in case
I’ll change out the strings/cables on my 2016 BowTech BTX-28 every two years. I also shoot a fairly heavy arrow, which reduces stress on the limbs. I have no doubt my bow will be capable of bowhunting longer than I will.
Two of my bows are 1969 bears, shoot like they were new, 50 years and still going.
Good bow with proper maintenance will last longer than us, I have a Switchback as well.
Lots of Switchback faithfuls not wanting to give em up! I have 2 of the XT’s and have no plans to upgrade any time soon either. I did have to replace the limbs on one of them a few years back when one of the limbs started to feather.
My hunting compound bow is 36yrs old! She still shoots straight and kills deer.
A buddy of mine is still shooting a Martin Lynx that I bought used in ‘85 or ‘86 and gave to him in about ‘92 when I was having too much fun with me recurve to have any time for the wheels. He had it recabled once, I think. But he’s not pounding it daily, either.
I would think that shooting freaky-light arrows would cause a lot more wear & tear than the 8+ GPP that most tradshooters prefer...
The recurve I bought in ‘90 has easily over 10,000 shots through it and will probably outlast my kids; and the bow I purchased most recently (until last Thursday, anyway) was built in the ‘60s....
I’d hate to be holding a highly stressed compound when it blew up, but the limbs now are so short and most of the forces are vertical, so at least (short of snapping clean off) I’d think most of the energy would stay clear of the shooter. With an old-school bow where the limb-tips travel back toward the shooter, it might be scarier....
I just picked up a 1970 Allen compound that is still very shootable. I have always wanted one just for history sake and came across one that was used to when the Iowa Indoor Championship in 1972. I am shooting the same spined wood arrows the previous owner had used. Love it! Would like to kill something with it next year.
I know we're mostly talking about compounds, but thanks for the idea... it's a great excuse I can use to get another bow..."to slow down the wearing out" of my other six longbows, LOL!
My buddy had a wing recurve from the sixties. Life expectancy was great til he backed over it with his truck!
A quality bow will likely last a lifetime and handle all the bowhunting one could ever afford or imagine.
Another Switchback XT shooter here!
I too have a switchback xt. It has been by back up bow since I bought a Creed. Buying a Vertix now and instead of retiring the XT and using the Creed as back up, I sold the Creed. I just love that XT. I does have a new cable and string, and I had new limbs put on as well because the draw weight was under what it was supposed to be. Mathews did that at no cost to me.
Still shoot a Golden Eagle Iron Eagle I bought about 20 years ago.
My son had to replace the Shakespear bow my sister and I had been shooting since mid 70s. I have a Golden Eagle compound from 1982-my carp bow.
The Bighorn Dynabow I was shooting when I had a bad shoulder was made in the 1980s too.
Not Fred Asbell Bighorn, surely?
have a 25 yo Oneida that I use.
Terry
I have three PSE compounds in my basement all were made in the mid 80's. All three still have sights and Golden Key Futura dual prong shoot through rests. I shot two of them JFTHOI through my chronograph to see how much faster my 2014 technology bow set at 53lbs is than them, both PSE's set at 68-70lbs. They functioned perfectly. So I'm guessing if you properly maintain your compound and never dry fire it, you should be able to will it to your grand kids.
My Switchback is the Energizer Bunny... still going. I love the bow and although I’ve been tempted by all of the new technology I’ve never pushed the button on a new bow. Part of the reason is one time I was on the phone with Art Anderson a research and development guy for Mathews. At that point they had released several bows since the Switchback. DXTs and the slim limb stuff. He told me keep that Switchback forever man it’s the best bow we ever built. I’ll take his word for it.
2005 Martin Slayer 2 trips to Africa ,couple in Canada and all around the good ole USA. Still keeps on ticking. Backups are a 2007 Slayer and a 2017 Martin something still working on the grip with that one.
I'm still shooting my Switchback and plan to keep it for a while yet....
I retired my 2005 Bowtech Old Glory last week. I finally broke down and bought a new bow after thirteen years. The Old Glory is still a sweet shooting bow. I would put it up against any new bow. I replaced the strings every few years. My new bow has a better draw cycle and is easier to tune, and it is faster. But honestly, it is not that much better, at least not in my hands. I am hoping the new bow will be easier to draw back when the weather gets cold and my muscles just don't want to work. While I could care less about speed, I had to tighten my pin spacing quite a bit. Not much of a drop between 20 and 30 yards. That will help as well, especially at the 3D shoots.
Pete
I have two Mathews Drenalins - about 12 years old, and a 50+ year old Bear Kodiak Magnum. I hunt with all & at 68 years, I won’t need anything else.
I do not plan on replacing my Hoyt 2016 Spyder, and I still have my first PSE from 1980 so I think, depends on how you take care of them...... I think if I make it to 90, I will buy the latest and greatest, just for fun,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
My 1985 66” Meigs bamboo longbow still shoots great. 46#@28”. Tim made a great bow. It is all I hunt with except for my flinters.
The problem with older compound bows is getting parts, especially to replace cables. The local archery club I belong to gets a lot of donated bows, some even dropped on the porch. Most needs yokes and cables and its simply not worth the investment in a out dated bow. To me its a shame because many where top notch bows of the era.
The older bows should have cables replaced for safety. I've had the distinguished mark of a tear drop temporarily tattooed on my skin, arms, forehead, etc. When shooting inside competition during 300 & 600 rounds, and only once was it my bow.
Depends on how much you shoot. I think if you're putting 10s of thousands of shots through a bow a year, it won't last forever. I don't know if I put 500 shots a year through my bows, so I think they would last a long time.
I still shoot my MQ1 that I bought new back in the early 90's sometime...I did have the limbs replaced about 10 years ago, but Mathews paid for that under their original owner lifetime warranty on the limbs program. I replace string and cables every other year on average...
Should buy one every year or two, have to keep bow co.s in business. HA! HA! Or if you have the jing spender, then your children won't fight over there inheritance. HA! HA! agin
I have a 2015 and 2017 on the rack now. That's the longest I have owned a bow in about 15 years. These two suit me well. I have bought about 8 or 9 other bows in the last 5 years and dont regret moving any of them except one. I will replace that shortly.
I'm still shooting a 2004 Bowtech Patriot. Love that bow. With a Biscuit and a XX75 2314 and a 3 blade Muzzy 100, it's still bad medicine for whitetails.
Another XT guy... Have looked at and considered pulling the trigger on others, but at the end of the day ask myself, “Why?” New strings and care=no problem.
I don't want to find out! I've self imposed myself to one woman for long term use, don't want to do the same with bows!
I have had better luck with compounds lasting than my recurves. I have had 2 Browning Explorer II's break, one Bear TD, and 3 Bighorn custom recurves. Weights were from 50# to 78# shooting 9 grains per pound. I don't store them in hot places or keep them strung for long periods of time, usually no more than a week.
I have had one compound limb blow on me, a Diamond Marquis. One of my favorite bows. I have had cables (steel and synthetic) break, but re-cable and keep shooting. These bows range from 68# to 94#. I still dust off my old 1986 Hoyt Pro Hunter and shoot a few through it. I shot a bunch of animals with 2219's at 77# with that bow. I am guessing I could shoot quite a few more too.
I have a 2009 Mathews Drenalin LD that I consider the best bow that I have owned. It is about 37 inches axle-to-axle, set to 70 pounds, and shoots 450 grain VAP elite arrows quietly and accurately. Hopefully it lasts a long time.