Firebolt shattered

[lvt01]

Was doing some target practice with the Ibex this weekend. Things were going well...just fine tuning the Lumizone and all of a sudden when I squeezed the trigger I got a cracked that sounded like a dry fire. The arrow just sputtered towards the target and buried in the grass a few feet in front of it. I looked at my CB and saw the serving was frayed...pretty new string so I was pretty sure it wasn't the string. Searched for the arrow in the grass and finally found it. All splintered down the side. I must have been so intent on getting the scope dialed in that I missed the arrow was getting bad. Just learned a valuable lesson to always be checking my arrows. Fortunately didn't wreck the limbs. Checked them over and ran some cotton balls over them several times, but they looked good. Put a new string on and all seemed fine, so I was lucky!

[Boo]

Sounds like a plastic nock failed.

[lvt01]

Nope...it was a regular Excal threaded aluminum nock that comes installed on the Firebolts. I've never have had a Firebolt shatter like that before, so it kind of surprised me. I use a Danny Miller plier style arrow puller, so I don't have to twist so hard on the arrows too.

[Boo]

I've never had an arrow shaft shatter on a crossbow, compound or recurve. We are supposed to check arrows by twisting and flexing before shooting. I guess I'll be checking from here on in. Glad to not hear that you got hurt!

[lvt01]

Thanks! I was glad that all I got of of the deal was a sliver from the arrow in my finger. That was only cuz stupid me had to run my hand over it to see if it was really all cracked up. I can safely say that by the hand test...it was! It could have been a real disaster though.

I twist on my arrows to check them too, but I try to be a little more careful than to yank back and forth on them like some guys I've seen trying to get their arrow out of a target. I haven't been shooting a crossbow that long, but have never had an arrow shatter like that before either. It more than scared the dickens out of me. I was sure glad nothing else got wrecked.

[carvedtip]

From a well known manufacturer.........


Arrow Breakage

An arrow shaft can become damaged from impacts with hard objects or other arrows, or after being shot into a game animal. A damaged arrow could break upon release and injure you or a bystander. You must carefully inspect each arrow shaft, nock and other components before each shot to ensure that they have not been damaged. Before shooting, look closely for nicks, cracks, splits, dents or other marks that could indicate damage to the arrow.

When checking carbon arrows, perform the following additional tests:

1. Grasp the shaft above the point and below the fletching and flex the arrow in an arc (bending it away from you and others) with a deflection of 1 to 2 inches, and listen for cracking noises. Perform this test four to six times, rotating the arrow slightly between each flex until you have gone around the entire arrow. If you hear or feel cracking, the carbon has been damaged.
2. While still holding the point and fletching ends, twist the shaft in opposing directions. If the arrow "relaxes" or twists easily, the carbon has been damaged.

If an arrow has been damaged, or if you believe it has been damaged, do not shoot it again, as it could break on release, and sharp arrow pieces could strike and injure you or someone nearby.
Bowhunting Precautions

Practice Safe ShootingCarbon arrows may be used for hunting if special precautions are taken. Carbon arrow shafts used in bowhunting could break after being shot into a big game animal. This arrow breakage may be caused by the angle in which the arrow impacts the animal, or by the reaction of the animal itself such as rolling on the shaft or rubbing against a tree. The break may be inside the animal and may not be immediately obvious after recovery of the animal.

Unlike aluminum arrows, when a carbon arrow breaks, it tends to shatter with the resulting creation of many sharp, splinter-like fragments. These fragments can be harmful to humans if ingested; therefore, when game is recovered, the hunter should always carefully determine whether the arrow has broken inside the animal. If the arrow has broken, follow the instructions below:

1. Use extreme caution when removing broken segments of the carbon arrow shaft.
2. When field dressing game animals, use care to avoid splinters of carbon fiber.
3. Carefully remove the flesh in the area of the wounds. It may contain carbon fiber, particularly at the entry and exit points.
4. Thoroughly clean the surrounding area of the wound and inspect for the presence of carbon fragments.
5. Carefully dispose of any meat that might contain carbon splinters. Do not leave for scavengers to eat

[lvt01]

Good information. I'd also suggest testing arrows with gloves on too...cuz let me tell you those little splinters hurt like the devil and are hard to get out. Never thought of doing that before, but after yesterday I have a whole different respect for how quickly something can go wrong shooting a CB.

[Snapshot]

Boy am I glad I got to read this.Thanks Ivt01 for shering! Easer to hide a mistake! Your helping others like me to pay more attention to what i'm doing!And Carvedtip thanks for the leson! Snapshot

[VixChix]

I saw an arrow get trashed when someone shot my bow without properly seating the arrow fully back against the string.

[Sopchoppy]

If the bolt was not fully seated against the string, could it slap it hard enough to shatter? Just an idea.

[curtisgreen110683]

First of all, glad to hear nobody was seriously injured, and second, glad to hear the bow is ok... I (Don't tell Bill & Kathy) made my own bolt puller, because I'm a semi tight wad and I like the fact that I have to unscrew each bolt before I go to the next on when I am removing them from my targets because it promotes the inspection of the shaft,vanes, inserts, and point or broadhead on each bolt after each shot.

[VixChix]

If the bolt was not fully seated against the string, could it slap it hard enough to shatter? Just an idea.

That's exactly what happened in the situation I witnessed - except it was an aluminum arrow and it was severely wrecked.

[lvt01]

I'm pretty sure the arrow was all the way back against the string. I have a 4 step process to loading an arrow so that I lessen the chances of my forgetting to make sure that I have it snug against the string. I hold the front of the arrow at an upward angle to the rail, slip the butt end of the arrow under the retaining clip, set it down flat on the rail and then slide it back with the tips of my fingers until it hits the string. Sometimes I'll run it ahead and back again if it didn't feel right when I did it the first time. I'd say that there is always a possibility that something caused it not to go all the way back, but not too likely. I was shooting off my bench which puts the crossbow almost directly at eye level. The crossbow was locked into a gun vise and I was shooting it off the bench, so chances of the arrow sliding forward was minimal. I pretty certain this may have been caused by the repeated stress of shooting the same carbon arrows at a target for the past few months. I've been using the same 3 arrows with this crossbow to shoot at my target and they have to reach a breaking point is my thought. In any case I'm going to retiring the other 2 and use some new ones. I'm not going to take the chance of this happening again.

[dutchhunter]

i shot a buck last year with a firebolt and it went right down but was trying to get up so i shot it agin and the arrow went right thru and hit the frozen dirt on te other side and blu right to smitherinse wow did not see that coming dead deer thow will not do that again DUTCH

[lvt01]

Man...bet that was a mess! Did the pieces get into the meat too? I've heard of guys that have had a carbon arrow shatter from hitting the off side shoulder blade and ended up having to throw a bunch of the meat because of the tiny pieces that get into it!