I was reading a discussion about dry-firing a bows and I thought the subject points out safety issues we should all be reminded of: A: Worn serving material will produce a loose nock fit and promote an arrow falling off of the string. B: Damaged and/or worn nocks produce a loose fit and will also promote an arrow falling off of the string. C: Either of the above degrades accuracy due to erratic nock/string tension. Accuracy in this sport is about consistency, if nothing else. Inspection of the arrow after EVERY shot is essential for safe operation. Nock-end damage, shaft damage, tip damage can all produce unsafe shooting conditions. If you have a group of arrows that are used regularly for practice, the nocks should be replaced annually to assure proper string fit. I have found that in many cases, re-nocking annually also brings up the subject of re-fletching (how did they get so tattered?). With a modest investment, a degree of customization and independence from retail outlets can be gained by fletching your own shafts. Re-serving a string is one of the easiest (and most satisfying) bow maintenance tasks to learn. The materials and tools are inexpensive and you can control the quality of serving yourself by specifying the diameter, type and tension of the serving material(s) rather than being at the mercy of an unnamed archery technician. Practicing archery is not just about the physical technique of shooting arrows. It encompasses every aspect of delivering the shot. My arrows are a very personal thing to me. In most cases I believe the arrow to be more important than the bow when it comes to accuracy. The arrow is the extension of my will. The bow is the platform from which I project my will. All that being said, NEVER allow a stranger unsupervised access to your weapons. Ugly things can happen in the twinkling of an eye!
Great words of advice. We used to see so many many accidents at our shop that could have been easily avoided uses some of your outlines. Not only is learning to do your servings reawarding personally, but it cant improve your chances at sucess. Having the ability to do repairs in the field on the fly can make a break a hunt, ecspecially the backcountry stuff i'm used to. I carry my little "bundle of joy" in my pack that includes: Lighter Center Serving Standard Serving Extra Peep Extra Realease loop Material Extra Drop Away Cord Extra Catwhiskers Wax Allen Wrenches Am I over prepared? possibly. but you just never know.
Best preventive measure I can think of is number ONE... a string loop. If you replace your string regularly you won't have to worry about serving wear. The loop is a piece of cake to tie and it's durable. No more arrows falling off the string on let down etc etc etc. Shoot multiple spots. It's NOT cool to have a robbinhood or a near robbinhood. Preserve you arrows. Shoot multiple spots and not nocks.
