All,
I did a search and came up empty handed. So do you all leave your bows strung up or unstring them every session. I typically shoot every day and more on weekends and I've been leaving my bow strung up.
Thoughts?
thanks
kc
You will get both sides to this by many. I leave them strung hung on a peg. Most modern bows are ok strung. Some of the older ones you may want to unstring. Its a personal preference in my opinion.
If you shoot practicly everyday, leave them strung.If mine will set unused for a longer time, I'll unstring it. (we're talking glass laminated bows here, not self bows)
I unstring after Im done since it only takes a second and I rather not risk it. that being said I have a 1960 something bear kodiak that was strung for over 15 years before I got it and that bow is very accurate and shooting great. So idk
I unstring my longbows every time after I shoot them. My recurve I leave strung if I shoot it regularly.
String em - keep them strung when I'm shooting them regularly and unstring em if I'm not going to shoot them for more than a couple of days....
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Glenn
search 1 (http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=107792;p=1)
search 2 (http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=108304)
search 3 (http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=108081)
search 4 (http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=106198)
Here's a few more...search "leaving a bow strung" under pow wow only and you will get about 20 or so threads on this.
The bow that i am shooting on a daily basis will stay strung for a long, long time.
bow I am shooting for that season or on nearly daily basis....if glass backed stays strung.
others not being shot or if a selfbow...unstring when not actually shooting.
currently have Habu as my bow for this whitetails season that starts in 10 days...it has been strung since June as I shoot more and more and ensure I am up with the weight in time for whitetail opener. Other bows are hung on rack unstrung.
Norm Johnson, Blacktail Bows once told me to leave it strung as long as I was shooting it a couple times a week. He said it won't hurt them as long as they are being used. This is, of course, a fiberglass laminated bow.
Frank
Unstring as seldom as possible.
I unstring after every session.
People say a glass bow won't take a set after being left strung but I had that exact thing happen to me after I did so. One of my longbows had some reflex to it and then I forgot about it in the basement after being called out at short notice. It is now dead straight.
Hasnt harmed it any and it still shoots great but leaving it strung DID affect it....
I leave mine strung,never had a problem.
Seldom unstring my go-to recurve. Store it right though
Leaving tension on anything for prolonged periods of time isnt a real great thing. Maybe ir can take it, maybe nit. Why take the chance and add to additional wear unnecessarily? As long as youre not stringing your bow oldschool between your legs and use a stringer then dont worry about twisted limbs.
Unstrung after every session.
I never unstring a bow unless it is going in the car or getting a new string.
You can't hurt a glass bow by leaving it under tension. All wood bows are a whole different story.
And how many tradgangers have posted photos of their glassed bows breaking while being left strung? Unstring bows. Glues fail.
I always unstring after shooting. How would you like to be left holding a weight out to your side? Kidding :) I would rather not have limbs under tension. To me it seems like unnecessary strain and wear.
Kris
I've always left my bows strung. Never seen any harm. I recently bought a used HH bow. After un-stringing it, I notice it wasn't straight. Almost looked like set in a selfbow. Call HHA to ask if it were possible for a glass bow to take a set. Was told it could happen in around 10% of bows. I now un-string every time. Only takes about 2 seconds to string & un-string. Lord knows I've got that much time to invest in my equipment.
I unstring my bows after every shooting or hunting excursion, whether it be 15 minutes out in the yard or a 3 hour sit in a stand. I don't like the idea of there being tension on my limbs all the time.
Ill beat this dead horse with some anecdotal examples.
I had a Black Widow MAIII I bought used from the original owner of 10 years. He said he kept that bow strung the ENTIRE time. Never once unstrung it. I had it for two more years and never unstrung it either. It had stayed strung for 12 full years until I sold it and shipped it out in 3 pieces. I worked at an archery shop at the time and I put that bow on the scale and it showed 45# at 28" and 51# at 30" It was rated at 50#@30".
I have kept my Liberty English strung for the 4 years I have had it (except for the 18 hours it was unstrung while I was moving) and I put that on a scale the other day and it weighed in right at its rating of 53#@28". That is a straight limbed longbow too.
Yeah, for my money, Im keeping them strung. Unstringing is wayyy too much of a pain and a risk with the results Im seeing keeping them strung.
Now I have a NM Shelton. Im keeping it strung too. It already has some string follow. Why not a bit more. ;)
I shoot often enough to justify it though. At least twice a week and usually every day.
Plus I will be shooting this new NM a lot too. It might replace my English.
I unstring mine every time. It's too nice to risk and only takes a second. I also wipe the dust off my arrows and bow before putting them back in their corner by the night stand. To clean my bow, all arrows, and unstring my bow may realistically take 2 minutes combined. Restringing the bow may take an additional 15-20 seconds at the beginning of an outing. That's not much of an inconvenience in my mind to keep my gear well maintained.
As you can gtell from reading these responses, and the responses from the four threads that rastaman pulled up, about 50% leave their bows strung, about 50% unstring them. Do what you want. I unstring mine when not in use.
I shoot twice a day..sometimes 3 sessions. I figure there's more chance of limb damage stringing and unstringing..4 to 6 times a day, than leaving it strung...I use a stringer.. So I leave the bow I'm shooting regularly strung.
Ok does it matter what kind of string you have on the bow? My Fast flight bows (Blacktail/Stalker/predator) I leave strung, but my older bows Dale Dye and such that take B50/55(creeping strings ) I unstring. Does the string make up matter when leaving a bow strung?
not sure why it would matter....a B50 will only stretch so much...it is not unlimited in this ability. Once it is broke in and stopped stretching it is good.
LIke mentioned...if it has been proven leaving them strung causes no damage in of itself....and you shoot every day or a few times a week...why risk anything with unstringing the bow each and every time you want to grab it for a quick shot in back yard?
In the end...do what you like. I dont dust my arrows, dust my bow, dust my quivers...I use them...they are tools not items to display for the envy of others. I could care less what anyone else thinks of them...and dusting your equipment seems extreme when you just put them back in the corner. :) Shouldnt they have a special place of honor?
anyhow...leaving a glass backed bow that is being shot will do nothing to it of itself from being left braced. I have seen many damaged through stringing and unstringing....so just saying.
If not being shot...or selfbows...they are unstrung. Right now I have my Habu strung...has been since May when I put away my Robertson from turkey season and decided the Habu would be my deer bow this year. Last year it was my Jeffery that stayed strung from February through December. Still pulls 60# @28 and had her since 1992.