Saturday afternoon I was double-checking a bunch of stuff on my V3 31. I just wasn't happy with my arrow flight so I started at the top and ran through the whole thing. Checked the nocking point/rest height, center shot, put it on the drawboard and checked the cam timing, made sure ATA and brace height were both in spec since I put a new string & cables on it. Everything checked out good. My last thing was to check the draw weight with the cams bottomed out. This was more so I knew where I was at than a tuning issue. I've always done this using a scale hanging from the ceiling. So I pulled down, started to let up, and BAM! The string derailed, the battery cover flew off the scale and batteries went flying everywhere. Whoops. I must have not been paying attention and had too much of an angle on the string when I was letting up and it slipped the cam. Luckily I was about halfway let up already so there was no major structural damage to the limbs, cams, or axles. The only casualty was one of my yoke cables where the string was pinched against it. It cut a few strands and needed to be replaced. Luckily I kept my OEM string and cables for just such an incident. So I ended up breaking down the entire bow since you have to remove the cam to replace that cable. Total PITA. I then spent the next 2 hours putting it all back together and messing with the tune to get it shooting right again. Fortunately, I think it's shooting better now than before I blew it up. I need to shoot further distances this week, but broadheads and field points are dead on at 20. Less than 2 weeks until our elk hunt so I better be ready to go.
That's always scary! Glad you got it back together and didn't get injured. Nothing like blowing up a bow right before a hunt. Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
First- glad you weren't hurt Second - Make sure you take a backup bow Third - good luck and can't wait to watch the fun
It is a good thing you have the tools and the know how to solve that problem. I cannot imagine having to wait on a bow shop to fix that problem this close to season starting.
I've had days like that. I always take the Friday before season opener off to "tinker" and play with my stuff. Since our opener is fourth Saturday of Sep that plants it firmly in one of my busiest times for tax season. So even though I take the day off I still get tons of calls, emails, etc. I put my bow in the press but just cinched it down enough to hold it, not compress the limbs. I don't remember what I was doing but it definitely wasn't anything major. I had a sharp broadhead tipped arrow and I put the arrow under my arm with the BH behind me thinking I was being more careful. Phone rang and it was behind me and I turned around to get it and broad head cut my string about an inch below peep. Not all the way thru but enough strands to where I wasn't going to shoot it. Luckily, like you, I had put on a different color string/cable set sometime beforehand and kept my stock strings. So I had matching cables and a different color string but was fine. Now when the No Cam was "the" flagship Mathews and had just came out, I just had to have one. I'm guessing 2015ish(?) Local shop just stocked 2 OMP bow scales which you never saw in stock in person. Me and my best friend bought one. My HTR was 2 weeks old and my best friend was checking the weight of my bow on the scale and the scale's hook broke and the scale imploded and my bow exploded. My best friend wound up with broken glasses, broken nose and cuts on his face and arms. I didn't start shooting right handed until summer of 2017 after my heart attack so this was a left handed bow, so it wasn't like I could just run to the shop and pick another one up. I was devastated. Whenever something bad like that happens and I conclude "yep that was my fault" or "that could've easily been avoided" it just adds salt to my wound. LOL!
Glad you got everything back together - It's a good reminder to have an extra set of strings and parts just in case something happens. I would hate to miss a week or two of the season for a broken bow
So what your saying is, my bow will be more accurate if I "blow-up tune" it? Glad to hear you, and your bow are in one piece.
Glad to hear nothing too drastic happened, you were lucky. Can't tell you how many times I have read this same scenario with hanging scales but with worse outcomes over the years. For that reason I only use a handheld scale, although with an arrow on if the scale should happen to break. When I only had a hanging scale I'd only check peak weight and let up on it as soon as it started to break over. I know it can be done, but with todays high let off bows and checking holding weight on a hanging scale, one is only asking for troubles, as it's just too easy to torque the bow through the let off up and down on the scale.
Pay the guy that owns the shop in cash for years, unless parts are needed same day service even in September.
I did that this winter with a hand hold bowscale on my RX-1. Going to let down and it ripped right out of my hand. Got me to go get that new set of custom strings though. Not all bad.
