i saw a bow blow up, right before my eyes.

boom

WKR
Joined
Sep 11, 2013
Messages
3,185
damn. worst bow range day EVER!! TWO newbs at the range.

a new guy shows up. he had some bow he just got. still had the PSE tag swinging on it. he was shooting, fingers, no sight. he wanted to try the 40yard target first. i see the arrow fly into the poison oak bushes..woops!...i draw back to shoot at the 60, and i see the guy walking down range..from the corner of my eye. he was wearing camo pants, and a green shirt..i yell, "nobody shoot!"..i let down, and we all stand there, mouths agape, watching this fool climb into the poison oak.. everyone takes the time to run downrange, (after calling "range clear"), and grab their arrows and go home.

i fire a few into the 80 yard target, as my go-home ritual..my groups were pleasant..happy i grab my arrows.. i was so happy about my groups, i decide to try to get that 60-yard-target stink off of me..i watch another new guy draw his bow back..fire..and BAM! parts go flying. his string snaps, his arrow flies away in a cloud of carbon sharpnel. the guy drops his bow and grabs his wrist. he gouged his wrist bad! not a gusher but he put a trench in his wrist. his first shot!!

man, i am not sure i would recover from something like that. i would flinch forever. i dont know what happened. maybe his arrow failed? or he shot with one of those limbsaver bow slings attached..maybe it got hung up on the shot. either way, it was awful.
 
Thats awful. Were you able to help him and talk him through it? Sounds pretty bad.
 
Hang around em long enough, you'll see it a few more times... I've seen a few blow up, derailed strings and people over draw an arrow that is too short for the rest... It can get pretty dangerous in a hurry.
 
Makes me glad I can just step out in my yard to shoot 100+ yards and not have to deal with the general public. On the other hand, I enjoy working with new shooters or fellow shooters to both get and give critique and maybe improve form and offer advice so this would have been an opportune time to step in and help some noobs out. Sounds as though these guys may have been some real jackwaggons though... We were all newcomers at some point. Anyone among us dry fired a bow and lived to tell about it or moreso willing to admit it? I did it... After nearly 25 years of archery and no mishaps, I had a brain fart and did it a couple years ago. It was a Hoyt though so it was fine and kept right on shooting! Ha! :D
 
Shooting fingers on a shorta ATA bow = derail. Shame. My guess is some guy at the local chain sporting goods store sold him that setup and said it was good to go.
 
Makes me glad I can just step out in my yard to shoot 100+ yards and not have to deal with the general public. On the other hand, I enjoy working with new shooters or fellow shooters to both get and give critique and maybe improve form and offer advice so this would have been an opportune time to step in and help some noobs out. Sounds as though these guys may have been some real jackwaggons though... We were all newcomers at some point. Anyone among us dry fired a bow and lived to tell about it or moreso willing to admit it? I did it... After nearly 25 years of archery and no mishaps, I had a brain fart and did it a couple years ago. It was a Hoyt though so it was fine and kept right on shooting! Ha! :D

I dry fired my bow madness twice! But the shop checked it out and nothing was ever damaged. But it was 70lb limbs backed down as far as recommended and I had a rubber peep in so that took some energy. Also has limb-savers, string leeches, and the string stop so it helped it out.
 
I had a string snap on me at full draw. It took a lot of arrows to get over that one! Left me with a hell of a scar across my wrist to remind me every time I pulled back which did not help. Total accident on my side but I have seen some pretty crazy arrow/bow/shooter combinations that make me want to walk the other way!
 
I have seen 2 bows dryfired and blown up this year. Both were Hoyt Ignites and the cams buckled fortunately no one was hurt.
 
That looks terrible Jim! Any permanent damage? Looks like it would be hard not to with all the nerves and tendons in the hand.
 
When I worked at the local bow shop I watched a guy dry fire his brand new bow within 3 seconds of signing his credit card receipt!! Signed his name, picked it up off the counter, BAM!! I about soiled my drawers...he was four feet away and his "aim" was quartering toward me. I guess I though he knew better. He must have shot 100 arrows picking out his bow and heard my and the shop owner tips, advice, and no-no's many times. I was shocked!
 
Anybody remember back when bow cables were actually steel cable?

Remember those steel ends on the cable that the string attached to?

Got whacked in the forehead by one of those at an indoor shoot once. Figure the nock was loose and the arrow fell off before firing, resulting in a dry fire. At any rate, when that thing hit me, it knocked me to my knees. Instant tears, no way around it. Man that hurt!

Also got pinged in the face by a brass nock point that flew off another shooters bow. That stung too!
 
Anybody remember back when bow cables were actually steel cable?

Remember those steel ends on the cable that the string attached to?

Got whacked in the forehead by one of those at an indoor shoot once. Figure the nock was loose and the arrow fell off before firing, resulting in a dry fire. At any rate, when that thing hit me, it knocked me to my knees. Instant tears, no way around it. Man that hurt!

Also got pinged in the face by a brass nock point that flew off another shooters bow. That stung too!

Lol yes! My first PSE had steel cables.
 
Oh yeah old I am, had a tear drop fail back in the 80's and partially imbedded in my forearm, took awhile to get over that and thank god for when fast flight strings came out!
 
Before I started shooting a bow I accidentally dry fired a bear bow in the show room. It wasn't that bad as it was on the let down towards the end of the cycle and no damage was done except being a bit embarrassed. Another time while getting a bow set up I had a new release on that was a bit touchier than my previous release and fired through the bathroom door. Apparently I was not the only one to do this because there was more than one hole and the shop owner being the good sport he is had me initial mine.
 
There Is A Guy At The Local Bow Club That Almost Every Year That He shoots Indoor Forgets To Put An Arrow IN And Blows Up His Bow.he Pulls Back Settles IN And shoots And Boom There It Goes.
 
Live2hunt I think that happens quite a bit. Ill never forget my buddy shipping his brand new Bowtech Admiral to my house because he wasn't going to be home. When he got back he came straight over, into my door, straight to ripping open the box……..to draw it back and dry fire it. I still give him a hard time to this day.
 
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