Mantinence on your crossbow!!

perrysbirds · Post by **perrysbirds** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:14 pm

Hi all,

Just wondering what type of mantinence you all do on your crossbow.Its the shot hunt week in my neck of the woods so I decided to get my exomax out and do some mantinence.Do you oil your bow down?I tightened up all of the screws with allen keys and I oiled my bow with just some gun oil that I use for my guns.Any comments on this as i guess oiling the bow shouldnt be a problem.

crazyfarmer · Post by **crazyfarmer** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:20 pm

its no point in oiling the stock of coarse.. I spray my rail down with some oil and then with silicone spray. I put oil on the screws and scope rail.. but other than that its pretty much nothing to maintain. I do take the string and DP pads off though. Make sure to put oil on those DP screws since they will rust fast

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:21 pm

Welcome to the forum!

I prefer not to oil the trigger/claw assembly, as oil tends to collect grit and dust ... and I live in a gritty, dusty region with lots of wind. I prefer to use dry silicone lube on my bows.

Opinions vary.

No, you haven't hurt your bow.

VixChix · Post by **VixChix** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:23 pm

Not much!

I wax the string and serving, spray a bit of Jig-a-Loo to keep the rail track clean. The bow is remarkably robust and reliable!

perrysbirds · Post by **perrysbirds** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:28 pm

I dont want to do anything to hurt this baby

Ive taken a couple of deer with this thing!
How often should the string be replaced and what are the prices of the strings?

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:16 pm

hi and welcome to the forum. i lube all bolts with 3 in 1 oil but i don't oil the trigger assembly. i spray my rail with jig a loo also its great stuff. i take my string and db pads off in the off season and wax the string and serving and end loops every 20 to 25 shots. as for string replacement i haven't had to do either of mine yet in 2 years. string prices are about 30 $ for factory ( i think ). i would look into getting a boo string once don catches up on orders.

perrysbirds · Post by **perrysbirds** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:56 pm

I thought I would ask because I dont do alot of shooting in the off season,maybe a turkey hunt on a sunday but thats it.My bow is usually in my closet until the deer season comes around again.I do however see that my string has some little frills coming from it.
Also thanks for the warm welcome to the site.

Perry

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 4:04 pm

bstout wrote:
perrysbirds wrote:I do however see that my string has some little frills coming from it.
A little string wax and you're good to go!

i just had the same problem wax fixed it right up

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 5:47 pm

You have to maintain your crossbow?

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:13 pm

Welcome!
Your name sounds familiar, for some reason I am picturing it associated to an animated picture with you and some birds, on your hat or shoulder.. Could be an avatar from another forum?
Either way, welcome!
I am big on string wax, love to keep a good string in good shape. I also at the end of a season spray a rag with silicone spray and wipe the bow down, all of it. It makes the rail and stock gleam like new, but not a good idea before hunting season if you are a picky guy about odor.
I like to spray a squirt of G96 in to the lid, then dab a Q-tip in and on each bolt, that keeps the rust monster away.
I never mess with my trigger, I probably should, but I don't.
I also like to swap out the dissipator pads once a season, I shoot a lot though, a regular shooter likely never has to think about that.

chris4570 · Post by **chris4570** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:19 pm

Mike P wrote:You have to maintain your crossbow?

I don't do much. No oil. Wax when needed. That's pretty much it. That is the beauty of a simple design. Excals just plain work!!!!

Pydpiper · Post by **Pydpiper** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:28 pm

Daily maintenance.. Chipping off the mud and with some luck a bit of blood. Pulling all the little twigs out from behind the dissipater pads from using the bow to break a trail. Those little spots behind the pads seem to collect stuff, even on a good day.
I have also developed a compulsive disorder of cleaning my glass, scope and binocs.. it is getting out of hand.

VixChix · Post by **VixChix** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:30 pm

Pydpiper wrote:Daily maintenance.. Chipping off the mud and with some luck a bit of blood. Pulling all the little twigs out from behind the dissipater pads from using the bow to break a trail...

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:41 pm

I do give my Phoenix regular maintenance.
On a normal hunting day I wipe it off with a cloth before I store it, and I wipe the rail with a lube impregnated sheepskin pad. (my own lube formula of beeswax & neetsfoot oil, plus some RemOil on the pad, too.)
Been thinking of switching to a silicone impregnated gun cloth, though.
If I hunt in the rain or heavy snow I have a procedure of also blowing off any moisture with compressed air, then give the claws & trigger area a shot of WD-40, let it set for a minute, then blow off all I can with compressed air. I then give the same area a shot of RemOil and blow off any excess with compressed air. I also give extra attention to screws & bolt heads after exposing it to rain/snow. I make sure they are moisture free & oil covered (very thin coat) before storing it.
One of the places I've found that needs careful attention is the exposed threads of the screws (4 screws) that hold the straps that go over the DB's (or just the limbs on models without DBs). That's the only spot I've ever seen rust on one of my Excaliburs, and after seeing it - it hasn't happened again!

(more compressed air & oil

)
Might be "overkill", but I've never had rust or trigger problems and I don't plan on changing my "routine" unless I do have a problem. But then, I've only been using this routine for about 8 years now.

deer jamie · Post by **deer jamie** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:43 am

if your hunting in the rain and cold make sure your trigger doesent freeze a little wd-40 worked for me i sprayed it in the safty and no issues since