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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: CBH on January 10, 2009, 10:22:00 PM

Title: Leave it strung?
Post by: CBH on January 10, 2009, 10:22:00 PM
I was told many years ago that it doesn't hurt a thing to leave your bow strung when you're not using it. I was just wondering what most of you guys do with your bow when you hang it up.  I leave mine strung up most of the time,(always during deer season), but if I don't think that I'll be shooting for quite a while, I unstring it.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: bmb on January 10, 2009, 10:38:00 PM
i always leave my hoyt gamemaster strung but i recently got a 07 martin hunter, since its a one piece i was wondering the same thing. thought it might be more critical in an all wood one piece compared to a 3 piece with a metal riser.?? hopefully someone can chime in for an answer for me too? i shoot the hoyt everyday, the martin about one every week or 2.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: mwmwmb on January 10, 2009, 10:59:00 PM
i dont know the specifics but i have a stringer and i only takes like 5 seconds to use. so i just unsting them.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: sendero25 on January 10, 2009, 11:07:00 PM
I have a Black Widow longbow and they recommend un-stringing, so I do.
If I shoot my recurves often, I leave them strung for a while.
I've been told by others to always unstring longbows but you can leave recurves strung.
I usually unstring everything, I can't see how unstringing carefully with a stringer is worse or more harmful to the bow than shooting dozens of arrows every day.
I always unstring during transport, especially in a hot vehicle here in Florida
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: Rooselk on January 10, 2009, 11:18:00 PM
I unstring my bows when not in use (though I might leave one strung if I know I will be using it the next day).

That said, I once heard that Martin took one of their traditional bows, strung it, checked it on a bow scale, and then hung it on a wall in the shop for a number of years. As the story goes, when they finally took it down they put it back on a bow scale and again checked the draw weight. Supposedly there was little if any loss.

It would be really interesting to find out if this story is actually true.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: bmb on January 10, 2009, 11:27:00 PM
i have also heard that about martin. im gonna try to contact them to see.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: stevewills on January 10, 2009, 11:38:00 PM
i always heardyou have more of a chance of damaging a bow while stringing it than leaving it strung.if i have one im not shootin regulary it gets unstrung.....but im not by any means any kind of any expert
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: Ybuck on January 10, 2009, 11:46:00 PM
keep mine strung. I also shoot most every day  :archer:
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: Ssamac on January 11, 2009, 12:03:00 AM
I keep the recurves I'm shooting strung. The others get unstrung and put on a differnt rack. They are fun to go back to.

I always heard that you should not leave a longbow strung, so I do unstring them. I also heard like Sendero that stringing and unstringing can do more potential harm than leaving them strung. I can see that, especially if you don't use a bow stringer. I always do.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: john fletch on January 11, 2009, 12:21:00 AM
I always unstring and place on a horizontal rack by the end of the day.  Just take a few sconds either way with a bow stringer.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: BACKSTRAP on January 11, 2009, 12:29:00 AM
I have a bamboo longhunter 78@28 that has been unstrung maybe twice since the late 90s.  The 2 times I did unstring it was to replace the string.  I shoot it 2 or 3 times a week to keep the old muscles goin, and checked today on my scale today and it is right at 78# still.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: 30coupe on January 11, 2009, 12:37:00 AM
Self bows need to be unstrung when not in use, even during the day when hunting if you can. Modern laminated bows don't really need to be. I'm curious to know why a modern laminated longbow would need to be unstrung any more than a recurve.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: John R. Graves on January 11, 2009, 12:41:00 AM
I have a Martin Saber that's been strung since about 1999, I hang it horizontally by the string.  I check it periodically on the scale and it hasn't lost a single pound of draw weight yet.
Title: Re: Leave it strung?
Post by: Wiley Coyote on January 11, 2009, 07:15:00 AM
I usually leave my bows strung through a hunt or even deer season. Doesn't seem to hurt them and I think you wear the string faster if you unstring them every day.