I made my first compound bow purchase today, went with the Diamond Archery Infinite Edge Pro and upon reading the manual, it advises that you should never dry fire the bow or draw without an arrow. Which brings to my question, prior to reading this, while I did not dry fire the bow, I did however, draw the bow string back two times and slowly walked it forward. While I won't do this again after reading not to do so in the manual, should I be concerned at all since I did this? I don't think I damage anything.
No you will be fine if you "walked" it back into its previous position. Dry firing a bow is both dangerous to the operator and potentially harmful to the bow. Always use caution. Other than that, get to practicing! Welcome to the addiction! Sent from my SM-G930V using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Thanks everyone!. I did speak to a tech at Diamond Archery after posting here and the tech advised me that while they would have to examine the bow to be certain, I should be fine if I all I did was walk it forward two times. They advised that I would be able to look at the bow and tell if there was any damage and that it probably wouldn't shoot right. I did take these pictures of the bow and the cam's, I guess I'll go ahead and post them here anyway's, but I'm glad that I didn't damage anything. It's a big relief. Sorry, the first picture of the bow is not the best.
drawing the bow and letting it down without releasing the string will not damage the bow...with that said, it's best to always have an arrow and use a release when drawing...just make sure of your surroundings when you draw it. but having an arrow in the bow will prevent a dry fire and using the release makes sure your hand doesn't slip...rest easy bro, it's fine.
Thanks. I still have more equipment to buy, including arrows. The store employee advised me that I need an arrow at least, 1 inch longer than my draw length. I didn't buy any arrows today as I wan't to payoff the bow, case, and release first. I'm thinking that, when it comes to arrows, don't go cheap.
You can get a release that does not have the trigger. Only draw and let back. Sports shop use them all the time when working on bows.
Don't worry about it you wont of damaged it if that's all you did. My advice would be to buy a target bag and nock an arrow every time you draw back. aim at the bag and if you accidentally let it loose you will avoid dry fire and hit the bag. Welcome to the addiction
Like everyone else says, it won't hurt nothing. The Only reason they say Not to draw it without an arrow, is because you may "accidentally" release it. Then this will be dry-firing and can cause damage to your bow, which warranty will not cover. Most bow shops have a "dummy" wrist release, clips on d-loop but it will not release.
Couple of things that will help you out 1. Not sure where you bought your bow but find your nearest archery shop, preferably if they have an indoor or outdoor range. 2. Ask them to help set you up. While it maybe a bit more expensive to make purchases as small shops have to charge more than internet / big chain stores, their advice is free and much more valuable than the monetary difference. 3. Have them set you up with arrows. They can get you the right spine & figure out your draw length. Be honest with them about your price range. As you are just starting out, you don’t need the top of the line arrows & other equipment. But you also don’t want junk. You’re going to break & loose some arrows, this is much easier to tolerate when you haven’t invested big $$$ in them. As you progress & improve your skills, then slowly start increasing your equipment. Keep in mind every bow, arrow & other equipment shoot PERFECT.......out of a machine. It’s the archers experience and level of expertise that separates them. 4. They may even have classes or join a league. Remember, with archery, PROPER FORM is CRUCIAL. This can’t be stressed enough. Forming wrong or bad habits early on will lead to much bigger problems later. Honestly, I think this is why many people give up on the sport. Nobody wants to keep doing something their terrible at, but often it’s not so much them as it’s their form or just lack of knowledge. Practice as much as you can but keep in mind you will get tired. Know your limit, it maybe only 10 shots per day but will gradually increase. Go slow & be consistent with your form. Make practice fun! Leagues are good for this. Don’t shoot for score, but for practice & building friendships with fellow archers.
Depending on where you live, do as much reading on the subject as possible. Don't always take the word of the "so called" expert at a sport shop, he's an expert because he gets paid to make mistakes. You and I can do it for free. Learn to work on your own equipment, after all its a bow not a rocket engine. There is enough information on the net to school yourself in any type of tuning or problem you may encounter. Free knowledge is the best kind.
Thank you for the information. I found a couple of archery ranges that offer lessons. I'm planning on taking a class!.
I would second what quickstick said on arrows, your going to lose/break them pretty quickly. I think I kept my small pro shops' business afloat just off arrow purchases alone when I started. (Kidding! mostly...) Try to find a small pro shop and ask them to set you up with the right arrows,
Great to hear about the ranges & classes. I was fortunate that my father got me into archery and passed along a lot of wisdom to me. I’m by no means an expert & todays bows are nothing like the recurves and long bows my father brought me up on. As one person said here, do your homework, learn to do as much as you can yourself and remember to practice, have fun and keep proper form. I’ve had a Robin Hood at 10 yards ( I was super pumped. Haha. Silly young archer) one at 20, one at 30 & decided to start shooting at multiple spots as that 1/2 dozen arrows down the drain. At 50 yards I thought I was safe....... NOPE #4. While I was impressed, I really don’t want any more.
