Limb Bolt Problem

Frank Lawler

New member
Hi Folks,
I recently installed new 32#/70" Ragim Matrix limbs on my entry level wooden riser. Unlike my previous 30#/68" limbs, they will not remain flush in the limb pocket once the bow is strung and shot a few times. After the first few occurrences I was gradually able to re-tighten the limb bolts a bit, but the problem still reoccurrs and I am reluctant to tighten the bolts any further. Is this something I should be concerned about? The bow seems to shoot just fine. If it's at all relevant, I use a very low (8.25") brace height to maximize cast and minimize arrow trajectory. Thanks.
 

Berny

Active member
Well, you obviously are concerned....

....assume it is an S1 style limb fitting - is it plastic or metal limb pocket?
If plastic, maybe it's deformed/bending.

Like this is it:RAGIM - Innovating Archery Tradition?

Maybe it's not meant to be a tight fit.
Is it a 2 point fiitting? I.e limb bolt & locator pin (the Wildcat's have this) if so, it's unlikely
to have any/much lateral movement opportunity.

Limb butt - is it same depth as previous limb?
If not, e.g. if new one is thinner, maybe limb bolt not going far enough in?

Try inserting a shim - this could be a simple as thin piece of leather/plastic/tin to pack out the limb pocket.

If it shoots fine, with no limb movement or undue virbration just keep an eye on it.
 

Berny

Active member
ragim matrix riser lh and limbs 64-22.jpg
If like this - it clearly is a 2 point fitting.

Is your riser also Ragim Matrix - do both limb & riser have the 2 point system? Is it seating correctly?
 

Frank Lawler

New member
It's a metal pocket without a pin, and the limb itself has only a bolt hole; nothing for a pin. I can fully seat the limb, but the bolt feels tight even before it bottoms out in the limb, perhaps due to imperfect alignment. The limbs initially seat themselves as deeply as did the prior Samick Polaris pair, but under tension they rock slightly so that the butt end of each rises about 1/8" in the pocket. Before I learned to ignore some initial tension and work the bolt in past it's sticking point, the bow itself was extremely quiet. Perhaps all that play absorbed limb vibration.
.
 

Berny

Active member
I would've though mis-alignment of bolt would manifest itself more as not going in anywhere near fully.
Lubricate the bolt & orifice.
Are the limb butts the same thickness.
Measure the height of the limb bolt from the pocket without the limb
- if there's still a gap look at inserting shim.
Loose fit in pocket with 1/8" movement & vibration strikes me as a potential problem waiting to happen.
 
Hi Frank,
Did you ever sort this one out? Having consulted a few books, 8.5" to 9.5" from the string to the pressure button (or arrow rest) is pretty typical for a 70" bow. I would suggest that your excessively low bracing height may be allowing the limbs to rattle around after the string is loosed, thus overloading the limb-bolt threads. Its amazing what a bow gets up to when shooting an arrow!
Regards,
Dave
 

Frank Lawler

New member
Hi Dave,
The problem seems to be solving itself with time. I guess that somehow the limb bolt cap, wherein the top of the bolt seats itself, was not competely pressed down into place. Recently I was able to add almost 3/4 turn to both bolts without undue force. Now the limbs are much closer to being flush in their pockets. Another 1/2 turn is probably needed, but rather than force the bolt with mechanical advantage I'll just give it more time.
Concerning brace height, I gradually increased it 1/2" to 8 5/8" by adding 12 more twists to the string, but the bow just got louder and louder. Not sure if I should continue in that direction, as it seems pretty quiet at 8 1/8".
Appreciate the replies.
 
Hi Frank,
It might be that if the limbs are a very snug fit in their metal pockets, it could be that the lower corners of the limbs are fouling any fillet radii in the pockets. So the lower faces of the limbs are unable to bottom out on the mating flat face of the pockets. If this is the case, then put small chamfers on the limb edges.
If the bow is getting noisier with increased bracing heights, it sounds like you got it right at the start.
Make sure that any twists that you put in the string are in the same direction as that of the centre serving. If you do it the other way round, as the string twists creep under the serving the serving will tend to become slack.
Regards,
Dave
 
Top