Leaving your bow strung

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Stu Ballz
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Leaving your bow strung

#1 Post by Stu Ballz » Fri Jul 17, 2015 1:41 pm

I have just had a call from a good friend and he said a bowyer in his local area (who he is looking to buy a bow off) told him to leave his recurve strung. There was a senior member from their club there as well and he agreed !!
Please correct me but I was always told to take the string off my curve and long bow, I am not the most learned person but it seems a bit strange.

I will leave it open to your comments any and all are welcome.
Thanks

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greybeard
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#2 Post by greybeard » Fri Jul 17, 2015 2:45 pm

One school of thought is that more bows are damaged during the stringing / unstringing proceedure.

I don't believe carrying a strung bow in a vehicle is a good idea.

Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken.
[Ascham]

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]

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bigbob
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#3 Post by bigbob » Fri Jul 17, 2015 3:50 pm

I'll echo Daryl's observations.I'm quite happy to leave my 'curves strung as long as they are in a relatively cool spot and NOT a hot car or similar. As Daryl mentioned more 'curves are damaged /blown in the stringing process than would be , being left strung.
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Stu Ballz
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#4 Post by Stu Ballz » Fri Jul 17, 2015 6:39 pm

wow well these replies were not what I expected, we learn every day but what about long bows ?

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dan76
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#5 Post by dan76 » Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:24 pm

I make bows and I shoot an 80# recurve, my recurve is 3 and years old now and has been unstrung a total of maybe a week in that whole time. As the others said I unstring mine for longer trips but not if I'm going to the range or something and I only unstring it because it's easier to pack. It's a real bugger and just plain hard work to string my bow so I leave it strung and hanging on the wall.

Dan

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dan76
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#6 Post by dan76 » Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:27 pm

Longbows are the same but I tend to unstring the few I have because they store easier and I just don't shoot them that often.

Dan

Stu Ballz
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#7 Post by Stu Ballz » Fri Jul 17, 2015 8:33 pm

awesome thanks guys
once again ozbow is a fountain of help.

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rodlonq
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#8 Post by rodlonq » Sat Jul 18, 2015 9:34 am

I alway unstring my bows but primarily so they don't suffer damage during transit (you should see how much gear I can fit in my troopy when heading bush LOL). My longbows are transported and stored in 90 mm pvc stormwater pipe to protect them. My recurve is taken down and packed in a hard case to protect it. I also follow Daryl's reasoning Re: transporting strung bows. Once I get to hunting camp my bow remains strung until I'm ready to come home. Will be a different story once I build a selfbow though.

Cheers.... Rod

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Ronster
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#9 Post by Ronster » Sat Jul 18, 2015 5:22 pm

I always un-string when days shooting is finished. This is a Holden Ford thing.
Your Bow, do with it as you are happy with. Just MHO.

Ronster
I would love to be an expert, but experience and lack of knowledge holds me back!

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Raven Vanquish 62" TD Recurve 44# @ 28"
Beaver 64" Longbow 41# @ 27"
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#10 Post by Stu Ballz » Sat Jul 18, 2015 6:53 pm

Can someone please explain why the limbs Don't suffer any loss of poundage. All other springs seem to fatigue with constant load over time . Perhaps I am missing something about the property's of laminated timbers and the constant load being strung.
I need enlightenment.

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Kendaric
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#11 Post by Kendaric » Sun Jul 19, 2015 4:56 pm

Stu Ballz wrote:Can someone please explain why the limbs Don't suffer any loss of poundage.
They do to some degree, mostly dependent on materials used and the conditions they are exposed too. Some string follow can also develop.

Yes, compound bows are strung all the time, but for the most part, the degree of bend load is very much different, as is the thickness of the materials. Compound limbs don't flex any where near the degree of recurves or longbows, and the materials are such that they can survive shooting ultra light carbon arrows with very savage cams - what would be considered the equivalent of dry-firing on a 30 year old compound. It is still recommended that if a compound bow be stored for very long periods, that the poundage be backed off.

With solid glass or carbon limbs you can get away with leaving strung for much longer periods. If your limbs also consist of natural materials (like wood) it is better to unstring to allow the material to recover. Wood fibres can break down. Heat and moisture are probably you biggest threats.

Leaving the bow strung all the time opens the pandoras box for potential problems - including warping of the limbs (multiple reasons why this may occur), warping of timber riser, and also some unauthorised persons deciding to pull the string back and dry firing your bow because it was strung.

I remember some test on this done some 30 years ago, and if the bow was to remain strung, it was found best to at least draw it back at least once a day. I cant remember the final outcome, but that particular point stuck in my mind as being quite important over just a strung bow being left.

In the long long run, overall, your bow will last longer if you un-string it when not in use, though this will always be a point of contention for some.

Yes, much damage can be done when stringing a bow. This is because you should use a bow stringer, and the correct one. You would never see an olympic target archer stringing his bow through his legs, and many bowyers will not honour their warranty if a bow stringer is not used.

The only reason I would leave a bow strung all the time is laziness on my part.

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toby
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#12 Post by toby » Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:06 pm

I never unstring any of my bows unless changing strings including when transporting. They are however carried in specific bow age made for strung bows.
With modern glues & materials poundage will hardly change at all. Alot of limbs with carbon in them are also much more torsionally stiff as well which reduces the chance of limb twist.
I'm pretty sure Black Widow recommends against unstringing bows unless you have to.
Lyonel

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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#13 Post by Stu Ballz » Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:55 pm

This thread looks like a bit of a can of worms.

Thanks for all the info everyone.

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Kendaric
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#14 Post by Kendaric » Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:47 am

Stu Ballz wrote: a bit of a can of worms.
The reason that some bowyers (primarily trad bow makers) may suggest leaving a bow strung is that they know it is more likely that damage will occur by stringing a bow through your legs. When it comes to a warranty claim, its a hard thing to prove, and customers lie. They are protecting their warranty, and income, by going with the odds.

It is only a can of worms in one archery demographic, that being primarily trad.

But to each there own.
Last edited by Kendaric on Fri Jul 31, 2015 7:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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greybeard
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Re: Leaving your bow strung

#15 Post by greybeard » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:54 pm

I shot selfbows for many years and un stringing the bow after use was the norm.

This practice has carried over to my glass laminate bows and with a well made double pocket stringer it only takes seconds to un string the bow. I did use the push pull method until arthritus made it no longer possible.

Daryl.
"And you must not stick for a groat or twelvepence more than another man would give, if it be a good bow.
For a good bow twice paid for, is better than an ill bow once broken.
[Ascham]

“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” [Einstein]

I am old enough to make my own decisions....Just not young enough to remember what I decided!....

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