i'm looking at buying a bear recurve from e*** and the seller mentioned 1/2" vertical stress lines near the riser.  is it the case that vertical stress lines aren't that big a deal?  safety a concern, do you think?

thanks for your views.

I have a large number of old Bears. The stress lines especially near the riser are just a fact of life with old bows, and would not deter me from shooting the bow. New bows blow up just as easy! LOL!

I wouldn't worry about it,either, but the price should reflect the stress lines.

Thanks, all.  It's going for around $65 plus shipping now, with a day left.  Probably around $100 -- it's a Tamerlane HC300, 29lbs at 28.