Leaving my recurve bow strung

Hudzi93

New member
Is it damaging to the limbs on my recurve bow if I leave it strung for a number of days? A lot of people say it is bad for the limbs but then I've also heard differently. They're pretty expensive limbs, carbon with a wood core.
 

buzz lite beer

Well-known member
they will be fine, just don't leave it resting at an angle with any sideways force upon the limb tips, and don't expose to extremes of heat either.
 

tel

Active member
Fonz Awardee
never known an issue - I've got a couple of bows that have been strung for ages ... consider compounds - constantly under pressure without problem ;)
 

Phil Reay

New member
i know this might be a strange question, but why would you want to leave it strung and hanging on a bedroom wall. I think i'd rather be shooting it. The slight challenge with a newer recurve bow with ILF limbs is that it is too long to carry strung but if you slack the string, then the limbs fall out.
Ah well! each to their own...
 

Hudzi93

New member
i know this might be a strange question, but why would you want to leave it strung and hanging on a bedroom wall. I think i'd rather be shooting it. The slight challenge with a newer recurve bow with ILF limbs is that it is too long to carry strung but if you slack the string, then the limbs fall out.
Ah well! each to their own...
Exactly! I will be doing some shooting at home and I don't want to have to take it out the bag and set it up and then put it away again every single time I use it. Also, I like to tinker with my bow every so often which meant that I was always having to set it up just for that. My current project is trying to get the tip of one of the limbs straight again, although I don't know how it got bent in the first place. They are second hand limbs but I'm pretty sure they weren't like that when I got them, although I could be wrong.
 

Tuck

New member
I have bows permanently strung and only unstrung to adjust bracing height or renew the string, transported in a strung bow bag. Carbon wood and carbon foam limbs.
 

Phil Reay

New member
Ok. I used to keep my Marksman set up but always slipped the string. Thought that was what you had to do. Ah we'll. apparently, it is possible to straighten limbs with a hair drier. Google it for how to do it. I've got a Black Widow that has double screw fittings ( bought in 1966) that needs the bottom limb straightening. Really must get round to it
 

Vagabond

New member
Simple answer:
Yes, but the important points are
"...for a few days..."
"...expensive limbs..." assuming this means good quality

Long tedious answer:
Bend a piece of wood and keep it bent and it will stay bent. Longbow archers call this "following the string" which is why they un-string their bows.
* The same is true of all materials to a greater or lesser extent.
* Gets worse at higher temperature (so you can even bend glass).
* Gets worse at high humidity for materials that absorb moisture (like wood).
* Gets worse when temperature and/or humidity are cycled between extremes.
* Gets worse the longer you keep it bent.

Having said that, modern recurve limb materials are very stable and will tolerate being held in compression for a few days...compound limbs even more so. One of our club members has shot in a few Paralympics and reports that most archers keep their bows strung for a week or two during the games and to no ill effect...but keep them on the bow stands & away from extremes of temperature & humidity.

So don't leave bow strung up in back of car and park in the sun, garden shed, conservatory or sauna.
Experiment: if you have/borrow bow-scales, check that the poundage remains constant.
Also check for the string stretching: testing the bracing height before shooting.

I'd be nervous about the wooden cores though.

V
 

potnoodle

New member
If you're shooting foam core limbs it's less of an issue than with wood core - the materials less likely to take a set.
 

DavidH

New member
If its got wood in it, don't leave it strung, simple as that. People do, and the effect may not be noticeable, but as already said, you NEVER leave a longbow strung. I've got a cheap horsebow with glass fibre limbs and I even unstring that, God knows why, its a b***r to restring, I always need a helper. A recurve is very simple to string, so why take the risk?
 

Hudzi93

New member
If I plan on using it regularly I'll keep it out and unstring it every so often to give the limbs a break. If I don't plan on using it for a while then I'll pack it up. I suppose it's not worth the risk.
 

carl7

New member
More than likely, the molocules are slowly changing position to accommodate the bent state. I unstring when I'm done for the day, just takes a second.

Carl
 

Rabid Hamster

Well-known member
Ironman
so on one hand it saves 20 seconds restringing the bow and you have a nice wall hanger
at the risk of
wrecking your expensive limbs.

in a risk benefit analysis ... frankly no contest.
 

JohnK

Well-known member
My cheap light Samick Privilege limbs (bought following injury) still weigh the same as they did the day I bought them, and spent *months* at a time strung. Just the same as my Border HEXV limbs and the HEXIV limbs on my Black Douglas, and the SF Axiom limbs I'm currently training with.

In other words, don't worry about it.
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
Exactly! I will be doing some shooting at home and I don't want to have to take it out the bag and set it up and then put it away again every single time I use it. Also, I like to tinker with my bow every so often which meant that I was always having to set it up just for that. My current project is trying to get the tip of one of the limbs straight again, although I don't know how it got bent in the first place. They are second hand limbs but I'm pretty sure they weren't like that when I got them, although I could be wrong.
Get the limb tips sorted first (not that hard) otherwise it may take a permanent twist
 

buzz lite beer

Well-known member
My cheap light Samick Privilege limbs (bought following injury) still weigh the same as they did the day I bought them, and spent *months* at a time strung. Just the same as my Border HEXV limbs and the HEXIV limbs on my Black Douglas, and the SF Axiom limbs I'm currently training with.

In other words, don't worry about it.
Exactly :) More often than not the core (wood or synthetic) of a laminated limb plays little part other than being a spacer between the working laminates glass/carbon, and how can you possibly compare a modern laminated recurve limb with an all timber longbow chalk and cheese! I can almost guarantee that all those frowning upon the practice have never ever left their bows strung for sustained periods of time.
 
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