storing your bow ?

[littlebuf]

i keep my bow in the garage hanging up in a primos bow sling. does temperature affect your bow adversely one way or the other over time? just a noob wondering if its the same concept as rifles, i keep them in a temperature controlled environment should i do the same with my bow?

[Old Dog]

My garage is uninlsulated, so I store my bows in the house.  If I'm going to store them for an extended period of time I will back the limb bolts out 5 turns.  On your Comander it would be 10 turns. 

[littlebuf]

I'm shooting everyday and will be for the foreseeable future, how does temperature affect a compound bow? just for my knowledge

[Old Dog]

In cold weather the limbs are stiffer, and the bow will be a little faster.  In real warm weather the limbs become softer, and a little slower.  When I shot target archery I insisted on white limbs to lessen the effect of the sun on my limbs.  Seemed to work.

[littlebuf]

good to know. thanks. i wonder if this will be a good enough excuse to buy another safe just dedicated to bows that i can keep temperature controlled like my gun safe. hmmmm wonder if she'll go for it

[@RCHER]

Disclaimer: I in no way intend this to come across as offhanded. Please focus on the message. It means a lot to this bowhunter.

I would encourage all archers that intend to bowhunt game to look at archery more from the perspective of an individual or team sport that requires consistent and regular practice to succeed. If you play baseball, you know when it's time to replace your gloves, balls or bats. If you're a runner, you watch for any problems with your shoes. Etc...

if you are "storing" your bow, that implies you are not shooting it as much as is required to remain as confident, accurate and lethal as possible, for quickly killing animals.

That said, if you shoot plenty you'll notice things about your equipment as they change. Similar to that wobble you feel in your feet if your brake rotors are beginning to warp on your car/truck. You notice it right away because you drive it every day. You'll see the little frays on your bow string. You'll notice a little wobble in the arrow flight (perhaps the string has stretched and it's out of tune). There's a little buzz you didn't notice before that could mean something is loose or a limb is cracked. Lots of things that are potentially detrimental to your success or safety in the field, but things you might miss if you don't shoot often.

So, although taking care of our equipment is also important, I hope you'll consider shooting so often you can't justify the storage option. As they say, "grass doesn't grow on a race track."

Happy 2010!

[littlebuf]

i shoot every day, but Ive found carrying my bow around 24 hours a day is a little inconvenient. so i was looking for opinions as to where you guys hung your bow when you weren't shooting it. so do you keep your bow with you at all times?

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Disclaimer: I in no way intend this to come across as offhanded. Please focus on the message. It means a lot to this bowhunter.

I would encourage all archers that intend to bowhunt game to look at archery more from the perspective of an individual or team sport that requires consistent and regular practice to succeed. If you play baseball, you know when it's time to replace your gloves, balls or bats. If you're a runner, you watch for any problems with your shoes. Etc...

if you are "storing" your bow, that implies you are not shooting it as much as is required to remain as confident, accurate and lethal as possible, for quickly killing animals.

That said, if you shoot plenty you'll notice things about your equipment as they change. Similar to that wobble you feel in your feet if your brake rotors are beginning to warp on your car/truck. You notice it right away because you drive it every day. You'll see the little frays on your bow string. You'll notice a little wobble in the arrow flight (perhaps the string has stretched and it's out of tune). There's a little buzz you didn't notice before that could mean something is loose or a limb is cracked. Lots of things that are potentially detrimental to your success or safety in the field, but things you might miss if you don't shoot often.

So, although taking care of our equipment is also important, I hope you'll consider shooting so often you can't justify the storage option. As they say, "grass doesn't grow on a race track."

Happy 2010!

 


My problem is, I practice every day, but own 22 recurves ! I rotate between 6 of them on a regular basis, but most just hang (unstrung) in my shop.
I have one by my back door, one by the coat rack at the front door, one in my truck, and one is resting against my BBQ in the backyard right now. (I just finished a round)
I get in trouble with the wife all the time for leaving my stuff laying around 

[weathergirl]

Mine hangs where the broom used to go at the top of the basement stairs.  Not sure if that is a good thing...I'm sure the broom could stand being the priority once in a while...

[uplandhunter870]

i try to shoot everyday but sometimes life gets in the way.  so when im done shooting i hang my bow up in the closet.

cant imagine that storing a bow outside would be best for it, especially in sub-freezing temps. i could only imagine that if its stored in freezing temps all winter long and then sees warmer temps in the spring that something would be out of tune when the bow warms up.

steve

[@RCHER]

littlebuf, if you shoot every day, you may not be a "noob". But I know you'll appreciate that I've hung my bows on deer, elk and moose antlers, bed posts, the side mirrors of trucks, gun racks in trucks, tree branches, bow racks at ranges, next to the fireplace, in the gun safe, and like STIKNSTRINGBOW, lots of other places. For the most part, my wheel bows are in bow cases in the garage - for safety (so crap doesn't fall on them) and easy/daily access.

When you mentioned the words "storage over time" and affects of weather on your equipment, I infer that to mean some amount of time, longer than weeks or months. This is a common topic on community forums like this one, and most folks are referring to storage over several months.

The only time I geek out on environmental effects is, for example, when I'm hunting in cold climates when the outside temp is...say 10 degrees and my truck or trailer is 75 degrees. Going in and out of those two disparate conditions causes expansion/contraction of materials and condensation that can quickly turn to rust, amongst other issues.

I don't find our temperate climate requires much more than a regular wipe-down and general maintenance to keep things in check. Just keep shooting like a maniac and when she breaks, fix her back up.

~ Cheers