New Recurve Bow Question, Possible Damage

Okay, since y'all have been so helpful I have a follow-up question: My son got his Grizzly bow in today, and as you can see in the bottom photo below, his has a good bit more "BOW" to it than mine does. Is this due to normal new string stretch? The drawing and shooting of both bows feels identical so far as I can tell but there is a noticable difference in their profiles, and I noticed last night that I thought mine looked straighter than it had. Mine (the one in the top photo and the one lying on top in the bottom photo) had been shot maybe 40-50 times prior to him receiving his. Forgive me for a bunch of pesky questions, I did an internet search before posting this but couldn't get a clear answer. Thanks.

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Looks like a matter of string length to me. What do the strings look like laid side by side? And the unstrung bows?
 
What do the strings look like laid side by side? And the unstrung bows?
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I'll have to check and get back with you. I only have a make-shift bow stringer at the moment so stringing/unstringing is a two person effort and kind of touchy. A proper stringer has been ordered and is on the way.
 
I'll be honest--I never use a bow stringer. I do the step-through method with proper technique and keep my mind on the task. Never had a slip up so far (knock on wood) but I've seen folks mess up before and sometimes the bow was ok, and a couple of times they destroyed it.
 
This is embarassing, but I think I just demonstrated my ignorance again: with the bows strung, I don't see how it can be anything except string length, and under tension one string does indeed measure about 1 1/2" longer than the other one. I didn't think this through very well before posting. Never mind for now, when I unstring them I'll check again and if there's a problem I'll post again. Thanks, FortyTwoBlades.
 
Landlocked Pirate said:
Okay, since y'all have been so helpful I have a follow-up question: My son got his Grizzly bow in today, and as you can see in the bottom photo below, his has a good bit more "BOW" to it than mine does. Is this due to normal new string stretch? The drawing and shooting of both bows feels identical so far as I can tell but there is a noticable difference in their profiles, and I noticed last night that I thought mine looked straighter than it had. Mine (the one in the top photo and the one lying on top in the bottom photo) had been shot maybe 40-50 times prior to him receiving his. Forgive me for a bunch of pesky questions, I did an internet search before posting this but couldn't get a clear answer. Thanks.

2012-08-16_17-15-53_873-1.jpg

ResizedImage_1345153372695.jpg
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the string on your sons bow looks like its got the bear recommended brace height,(just my opinion but i always thought it was to high) yours looks a bit low, if it was me, i'd unstring it, and give it a couple twists,(the string) maybe 3, string it back up and check brace height. i usually go about 8 on my bear bows.

your sons string looks a little short, once again if it was me, i'd unstring it and untwist it a bit, maybe 3 turns, and then recheck brace height.

once you get the brace height good you can put on some string silencers and quiet it down.

when you unstring it, my guess is, you take the string all the way of, or at least one end all the way off of the bow. should try to leave it on, unstrung of course but on the bow, that way the string doesn't unwind and change the brace height and nock point on the string.

some on here are about to disagree, but, if its only gonna be a few days or a week once you get it strung and the brace height right, leave it strung, as long as its not real hot and in the sun it won't hurt a modern bow any. hell even the ones built in the 70s will take it for a lot longer than you would think with out loosing any poundage.

PS, heavy arrows are the way to go, makes them a lot quieter.
 
Well see how a little information goes a long, long way? I knew even less than I thought I did. I didn't know that a recurve bow string length is normally adjusted by twisting it, and I didn't know anything about "brace height". Since learning that, I saw that the pamphlet that came with my bow gives the proper brace height. This in all likelyhood will solve this problem. With the strings removed the bows' profiles are identical and I can adjust everything else. I now see I need to buy a basic archery instructional book. In the meantime though, I'm having a blast turning arrows loose downrange and actually hitting my target. Thanks so much, heresthedeal.
 
If it's noisy at all during the shot then twisting the string in either direction like heresthedeal mentioned will help you tune the bow until it's at its own preferred length. This can be more or less than the "ideal" brace height, but often is in an acceptable range. Finding that sweet spot where the noise from vibration is minimized will make the bow smoother and more comfortable to shoot, and will also reduce wear on the bow over time. :)
 
that's the great thing about recurves and sticks, no noise from all the cables, wheels, and all that stuff. As quiet as my bow is, it's a gunshot compared to my buddies 55lb bear stick, and he doesn't have silencers on his yet (he still thinks his bow is too loud!)
 
If it's noisy at all during the shot then twisting the string in either direction like heresthedeal mentioned will help you tune the bow until it's at its own preferred length. This can be more or less than the "ideal" brace height, but often is in an acceptable range. Finding that sweet spot where the noise from vibration is minimized will make the bow smoother and more comfortable to shoot, and will also reduce wear on the bow over time.
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Good info FortyTwoBlades, thanks. Is there a way to secure the string after twisting it to the correct length so that it woun't have to be done repeatedly?
 
not sure what stringer you are getting but, there really isn't a need to take the string off the bow. all you have to do is unstring it and let it slide down the limb.

the top loop in the string, when you have taken the tension of the bow with the stringer, the top loop will slide down the limb about 7or8 inches and stay there. that way it won't unwind.

as far as fixing brace height by twisting the string, thats not how its suppose to be done all the time. with a Flemish twist string, like yours, you can take up a good bit by twisting it. just don't untwist or twist to tight the loops or the tighter cordage twisted part right under the loops.
just twist the body of the string, the part between the tight twists of the loops.

you can twist the continuous loop strings to shorten them up but its not recommended by most of the bow shops i've been to. most only deal with compounds anymore.
i've twisted up 3 inches to shorten a bow string.

get online and find a traditional club around you. you try to learn this stuff from the net and you are doing yourself a severe disservice. archery isn't that easy to explain in text. you'll learn a lot more from somebody standing there on line, or at a 3D shoot.
check out three rivers archery on you tube, good vids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQva0lgRb6E
 
Yeah, I don't normally remove the string, just slide it down like you said, but I didn't know if there was any other securing method or not.
There are a lot of shooters/enthusiats and bowhunters where I live but no clubs that I'm aware of, so for now I'm restricted to written material and online advice for learning some of this stuff. I also talk to co-workers that are into bowhunting a good bit but you never reaally know if the advice you get there is good or not. I will check out the Three Rivers videos.
I do want to address one other thing though. There were several posts earlier that indicated I chose a bow too heavy to start out on. Maybe I did go about it the wrong way because, like I said, I don't know anything. I certainly wasn't trying to prove anything with the "the bigger the better" mentality (I only shoot 2 3/4" shotgun shells). I did gather a lot of information before deciding on my bow and draw weight, and for my purposes the choice I made seems to fit the bill well. If my purpose was to become a zen competitive archer, then most likely I screwed up. But if I just wanted a good solid bow that feels good in the hand, is a pleasure to draw and release, that I can hit reasonably well with, and that can provide hours of backyard fun and maybe harvest an occasional deer, then I think I made a good choice. I'd do it again anyway.
 
I hope I didn't imply that I thought you were going with the "bigger is better" approach! I simply meant that you may wish to consider acquiring a bow of lower poundage with which to practice on perfecting your technique. It's a lot easier to do when you aren't having to focus as much on the effort of the draw. I can almost guarantee this won't be you only bow, anyway. :D
 
I hope I didn't imply that I thought you were going with the "bigger is better" approach!
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Oh not at all, and I hope I didn't imply that I took offense at anything that was said, ALL of the comments have been very helpful for a middle-aged beginner like me. And I'm certain you're right, this won't be my last bow, even at my age :)
 
get hold of a traditional archer or primitive archer magazine. they usually have traditional clubs listed in the back.

probably got a 3D shoot close to you, there's always some trad shooters at those. as far as who to listen to, check out their gear, see what they are shooting.

as far as to heavy a bow, what the hell do you care, if it works for you it works for you.

50 pounds ain't that heavy, especially on a grizzly, it doesn't stack up much like the Kodiak mag, not as smooth as the Kodiak hunter but its nice for a starter bow.
shooting traditional you're not standing there holding it like a compound or target bow lining up the sights in your peep. pretty much as soon as it gets back to your cheek, or where ever you nock to, you're letting the arrow go, so its all up to you how much weight you want. besides 50 is a good hunting weight, get some heavy arrows and some good points, you could be hunting before the years out.

don't let anybody tell you wood arrows don't last as long as aluminum's or carbons either, stick with the woods.

despite what most people think, bows 30-40 years ago(hunting bows, not target bows) were a lot heavier. hell back in the 50s they were pulling 70 and 80 ponders, with 800 to 1000 grn arrows.

uniformity, doing it the same every time is the key to it, so keeping every thing as close to the same is a big part of it.

i just scrolled back up and looked at your bow, it doesn't look like you have a nock point on your bow string. you need to go to a shop and get one put on. some people tie them on but for about 3 bucks you may as well let them put a square on it and get it in the right place.

it will make your shooting a LOT more consistent.

tis the season for 3D shoots, try it you'll love it, its a blast. then you can start making your own arrows.

have fun

not sure what SE georgia means but i just looked up 3d shoots online and there were a bunch in the 912 area code.
 
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After having a nocking point put on, get a bow square, a set of nocks and a pair of knocking pliers. You WILL end up using them--on all those other bows you're gonna' get later! :D Minor bow/arrow maintenance and repair is something you'll get plenty familiar with as time goes on. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades and heresthedeal, y'all have both gone way out of your way to help the new guy and it is much appreciated. I'm taking it all in and I actually printed out this page for easy reference. By the way, the string twisting did fix the bow situation I was asking about. I am in the "912" area and I may check out some of the local shoots when I get more proficient. In the meantime, my boy and me are having a big time. Thanks!
 
Cool beans! Glad to help! I used to be a USAA Level 2 instructor and taught at a summer camp for years. Good times. Haven't had the time to shoot really at all the past few, though.
 
Landlocked Pirate said:
FortyTwoBlades and heresthedeal, y'all have both gone way out of your way to help the new guy and it is much appreciated. I'm taking it all in and I actually printed out this page for easy reference. By the way, the string twisting did fix the bow situation I was asking about. I am in the "912" area and I may check out some of the local shoots when I get more proficient. In the meantime, my boy and me are having a big time. Thanks!
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you are welcome, have fun with it. trad archery can be as complicated or as simple as you make it, its up to you. look for the book, "witchery of archery" or "archer's bible" by bear, or any of the books by glen st. charles, all the things they figured out then are just as true today. look up saxton pope, and ishi, and art young. they wrote a few books,(except ishi) but if it wasn't for him archery wouldn't be where it is now.maybe.

any way, have fun with it. glad i could help.
 
Hey pirate I am a bowyer. If you have questions send me a pm with you number and we can get them set up and also don't worry about the brace height on the bow but it is a critical part of setting the bow up and tuning it, however its too much to type on my phone so again just pm me if you want to get it setup to.

Always use a stringer period.

Shane
 
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