Derailed my VXR...what things to check before I resume shooting?

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Jun 21, 2019
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I was checking draw weight on a hanging scale last night, got a little careless while easing the bow back up (torqued the riser too much I assume), and the string slipped off the cams🤦‍♂️. Made a nice pop when it derailed, but I'm not seeing any obvious signs of damage. I pressed it, put the string back on then gave the bow a thorough visual inspection (and gave myself a thorough cussing). String/cables look fine, cams aren't visibly bent, no limb splinters...anything else y’all would recommend I do/check before I resume shooting it? Based on reading others' experiences, it seems like the consequences of a derailment can range from nothing to a severely damaged bow.
 
I'd check the cam bearings after a little while, just incase they really got torqued on by the string rolling off.

Could definitely have some damaged strands too, keep a close eye out for any movement.


I have seen several that were either grip torqued to he'll, or dry fired without damage. Pretty surprising.
 
Thanks for the feedback BG. I'm going to get a new string/cable set on order...was thinking about doing that anyway before the mishap. I'll give the cams and axles a closer inspection when I take them off to make the cable swap.
 
On that bow, look at the tiny o-shaped holes on your cams. There's the "timing holes" and then another hole as well. If the shape of any of those holes has compressed you will see that the cam has compressed (damage). You might also see some crinkling in the black anodizing at that point as well. If you don't see any stress marks on the cam, I'd say you are good to go.

+1 to replace strings or watch them.
 
On the mods,before you think it's a problem, they are supposed to sit a little off the cam on the cable stop side.

It's a pretty poor design feature, but they try to shim the cams so the stop makes better contact. They have a raised section on a bolt hole milled into the cam, it wedges the mod up a bit. Pretty terrible way to do it, piece of shim stock would be better. It's why you have issues with the mod bolts loosening if they have been in and out a few times and lost the fancy thread lock.

The TRX bows do same thing but a different way. I have a buddy that actually mills a hole in his mod for the nub they are using to raise it, let's the mod sit flat on the cam like it should. Then he bends the leg up that has the cable stop on it. No problems with loosening after that. I haven't done it to any of mine yet.
 


It's a good idea to check these types of scales a few times. Lift up something close to max capacity, make sure they stay together.


Even the reviews on that on include someone who had it come apart on them.
 
It's a good idea to check these types of scales a few times. Lift up something close to max capacity, make sure they stay together.


Even the reviews on that on include someone who had it come apart on them.
Yeah I'm not familiar with that exact brand, Last chance archery is the brand we use at our shop. They're a little more spendy
 
It's a good idea to check these types of scales a few times. Lift up something close to max capacity, make sure they stay together.


Even the reviews on that on include someone who had it come apart on them.
Wouldn’t be a bad idea to nock an arrow and aim it at a bag target in case it comes apart. 12.99 doesn’t give me warm and fuzzies that it’s built to last.
 
It appears that I got lucky and the bow survived unscathed. I pulled the cams and axles while installing a new string/cable set and checked them for straightness against a machinist's rule. Everything looked good, the bow is meeting DW/BH/ATA specs, and it shot well at TAC this past weekend. Thanks for all the advice!
 
I b
Wouldn’t be a bad idea to nock an arrow and aim it at a bag target in case it comes apart. 12.99 doesn’t give me warm and fuzzies that it’s built to last.
I bought one last year. I nock an arrow each time I use. So far it’s accurate and held up, however I’ve only tested it to 62#. I was(still am) apprehensive each time I use it.
 
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Check serving on the ends of the string that wrap around the cams. I derailed my wife’s bow and the serving severely frayed from being pinched in between the cam.
 
Did the same thing with my Traverse last year, except i was checking draw weight with a handheld scale and the scale broke and derailed my bow at about 1/2 draw. Inspected it myself and took it by my local bow shop. No issues. Have been keeping an eye on the strings with no ill effects so far.
 
Usually, it would be the yokes that get damaged from slipping off. Glad that your bow survived and is shooting good!
 
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