broken bow (pic added)

[bowmaster12]

when i got my new bow i gave my first trad bow a fletchwood to my bes bud well today he came over with the bow in two pieces.  Broke right in the riser just under the shelf completly in half while he was shooting has anyone ever heard of a bow breaking in this location before?  I thought it was an odd place for a bow to fail, ill try to post pics tomorrow

[Ron+dog]

my condolences, i had a bow break this summer and it sucks i too would think thats an odd place for a break

[Hot Hap]

I had a limb blow up, but never a riser. Sorry to hear it. Hap

[legends1]

Thats the spot they seem to snap.Ive had guys dry fire and that can crack them there also.On a riser thats the weakest spot.Sorry for you and your friend.Im sure he really feels bad.

[traditional beagle]

Yeah, I had a curly maple riser break. It was a thin handle longbow without any backing. If I had put some kind of accent through the middle that was a stronger material it would not have happen. Just another lesson learned.

[Pat B]

Did he pull it too far? Do you have pics of the break. The evidence very rarely lies!

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

It'll break where ever it's the weakest.  Usually caused by dry-fire or arrows that are too light, which produces the same effect.

[Eugene Slagle]

I've had limbs either delaminate or snap but never had a risor break while shooting but have heard of some cases.

[varmint101]

I had one break like that, but the bowyer said it was because of using FF string and the riser not being designed for that amount of force.(I forget the word he used)He made a new riser for free(new design) which was completely awesome of him!  

Anyway hope your friend was ok.  I had a bloody hand, but luckily that was it.

[chanumpa]

I loaned an old Pearson to a youngster that had gotten real big two years ago at a big trad.shoot and it broke on him at the fades.It took me an hour and 3 beers to get him past the appologizing,etc.He felt so bad,and I was just glad he didnt take an eye out or something.Also,my condolences.The bright side is ,now you get to have an excuse to get a new one,(if you are married that is).

[huntsfairchase]

I had a bow blow up at the riser a couple years ago. Thank goodness I wasn't shooting it. It appeared to let loose at the glue lines. Had another bowyer copy the riser and the bow has taken 2 good bucks since! Gave it some extra Mojo!

[Terry Lightle]

Had a selfbow break in the same place years back,really hated it cause I had killed a bear and deer with it.

[Orion]

Bowmaster:  The area you describe where the riser broke (the throat) is usually the smallest/weakest part of the riser.  If the riser is going to break, that's where it's most likely to happen.  That's why a lot of builders build laminated handles.  Some include fiberglass in the riser laminations to give the riser even more strength in that area.

[bowmaster12]

pic added

[thunder1]

Broke one this summer. I can share the pain,

[Cool Arrow]

I was shooting indoor years ago facing a lefty shooting a wood riser compound. It exploded by breaking at the throat. He was pulling in excess of 100#. Needless to say , none of us shot very well the rest of the evening.
         Larry

[luvnlongbow]

That's almost identical to a bow of mine that broke this year. A Sterling 55#@28" recurve. Was letting a friend shoot it. Hear a crack and then it broke. You could lay them side by side and and they would look the same as far as the break.

[Archie]

Bummer!  But since the subject is up, can I ask a question?  

I just got a used Liberty Patriot longbow, basically new, but has some suspect crack-looking marks in the riser on both top and bottom of the grip.  It's 66", 72# @ 28.  Could be just some external finish cracks, I'm not sure.  What's gonna happen if I shoot this thing and it breaks on me?  Is it going to kill me, or most likely just surprise me?  What usually happens when a bow actually breaks while shooting it?

[Cherokee Scout]

Looks like a dry fire.