broken string = deer still walking...now a BROKEN LIMB???

[ch312]

around 5 pm this evening i heard some leaves crunching and looked over to see 2 does. not long after i noticed 2 fawns coming from the same direction on another trail and had all 4 deer within 15 yards in no time. so i took my time getting the bow up and eventually settled on the biggest does heart. 9 yards, dead steady rest, deer standing, 100% clear shot...dead deer right? i wish...

i would have tagged a massive doe if it werent for my damn string breaking and i cant figure out WHY it broke.

-bow was cocked for 2 hours and looked normal
-arrow was 100% seated properly
-string looked totally fine except for a small fray on the serving. NOT where it broke
-nothing around for the limbs, string, or arrow to hit as i was 24ft up a tree
-string has about 125 shots

as you can see in the pic more than half of the strands broke at the same place...about in the middle of the serving.

any ideas? i want to find the cause of this so i can prevent it in the future.




EDIT: just went to put on my spare string and it appears that one limb is pooched. it looks like the camo is peeling off while the actual limb is still fine. one thing that has me wondering is why only one limb is damaged. this is also the same limb that has always looked different due to the fine lines on the front of the limb. maybe a lower quality limb and thats why only the one is now damaged?

the lines that were always there are on the front of the limb and horizontal while the lines caused by the broken string are vertical and on the back of the limb.

think its safe to shoot 4 more times? 3 for sight in, 1 for a deer

[MADMAX2]

Hey that is a shame sorry to hear this, I for one have no answer for that one?

[georgiaboy]

Do you think that one of your broadheads may have nicked the string? All I can come up with!
Good luck!!

[Crispy]

x2 on the broad head nicking the string, if thats not it im at a loss.

[ch312]

Do you think that one of your broadheads may have nicked the string? All I can come up with!
Good luck!!

the only time an arrow with broadhead gets loaded is after the bow is cocked. the break occurred under the serving so the closest a broadhead would come to this point is 18-20". i use a homemade version of a groundpounder mount so broadheads dont even come close to the serving area.

[PA_DeerHunter]

Looks like the string broke close to the center of the serving. Are there any rough edges on the claw which holds the string when cocked? This happened when you pulled the trigger? If so it sounds like something may have happened to the string when the claw let go...maybe caused by the claw.

Also, is the string hitting anything sharp on the riser? Slow motion video reveals that the string travels well forward of the rail when trigger is pulled, and slams into the riser. Anything sharp there might wear a string to break point pretty quickly. Can't imagine a string would blow out after 125 shots. I've never had a string fail, and I have over a thousand shots on one!

[sumner4991]

Looks like the string broke close to the center of the serving. Are there any rough edges on the claw which holds the string when cocked? This happened when you pulled the trigger? If so it sounds like something may have happened to the string when the claw let go...maybe caused by the claw.

X2 The serving should have been replaced already. Looks like the trigger claws were damaging the string. Once the serving separates like that, it doesn't take long to break a string. Been there, done that.

Looks like your limbs are fine. However, I think I'd send in for some new ones anyway based on the camo peeling off like that.

[bob1961]

Can't imagine a string would blow out after 125 shots. I've never had a string fail, and I have over a thousand shots on one!

1000 shots without any reserving done to it at all ....the string should get reserved every 300 shots or so according to boo himself....i had my boo string reserved by him when i had close to 400 shots on it when i seen the serving starting to seperate.......bob

....

[PA_DeerHunter]

Can't imagine a string would blow out after 125 shots. I've never had a string fail, and I have over a thousand shots on one!

1000 shots without any reserving done to it at all ....the string should get reserved every 300 shots or so according to boo himself....i had my boo string reserved by him when i had close to 400 shots on it when i seen the serving starting to seperate.......bob

....

Nope, the string I'm talking about was on its 5th reserve. I Retired it though, cuz I wasn't sure what a string does when it fails. I've always wondered if a string just suddenly blows up (ie. breaks) like in the photo from the poster, so I went to a new string. I've read that you should retire a string after 3 reserves, but never really been told why. I was on 5 and still going, but got paranoid and put a new string on.

[secret]

Do you ever wax your string?

[wabi]

If you have the arrow that was shot when the string broke check the nock.

I had one that had been nicked by another arrow that ate 2 servings in 2 shots when I was testing mono serving. It cut .030 mono serving completely when shot. Could possibly cut into the string itself under the right conditions.

[ch312]

X2 The serving should have been replaced already. Looks like the trigger claws were damaging the string. Once the serving separates like that, it doesn't take long to break a string. Been there, done that.

Looks like your limbs are fine. However, I think I'd send in for some new ones anyway based on the camo peeling off like that.

ill admit you likely know a lot more about this kinda stuff, but id have to disagree with you about my serving needing to be replaced before this incident. i'm a safety nazi when it comes to this kinda stuff and would have switched to my other string if the serving didnt look right. i always check my gear before each trip and it looked totally fine. there was one small fray about an inch from where the string broke, but it was very small and less than 1/4 strand of serving was frayed. besides that the serving has always been tight with no signs of wear.

yes, i wax my string and then use a piece of leather to warm up the wax a bit to get it into the string good.

i've been thinking about it all day and still cant figure out what went wrong. you'd think if it were the claws that needed to be filed/polished there would be damage where the claws hold the string. my backup string has 50-60 shots on it and the serving still looks new.

the nock isnt to blame either as its totally smooth and has only been shot 5-6 times.

i'm going to try a shot through the chrony just to see what happens...

[sumner4991]

From the looks of the string, I still think the serving was separated enough to cause concern.

However, after giving this some thought . . .most likely, the string hit the riser and broke. What caused the string to become weak is the unknown. Could have been the trigger claws, but, only if the serving was separated enough to not be protecting the string. Could have been the repeated hits against the riser. Could have been a quality control problem with the string, it happens.

Unless you changed your brace height, then it doesn't make sense that it was the string hitting the riser since you have a string that survived 1000 shots.

Based on what you are telling us . . .it's just a faulty string. If you put a second one on and it breaks within a couple of hundred shots, then it's something else.

Keep us posted.

[Bill T]

The string will certainly have broken AFTER the arrow was in flight. The forces applied to the string when you shoot or when they are cocked are not all that big, it's the sudden decelleration when the arrow is in flight and the limbs have to slow down that really stresses the string. This problem is magnified by a factor of 3+ when the bow is dryfired, and string damage is very common if that occurs.
My best guess is that the arrow wasn't properly seated for some reason or else was not straight for some reason causing it to skip over or und the arrow when you fired. This accounts for both the miss and the broken string. If the string just broke the arrow would have hit where it was aimed.
The limbs are probably OK for the rest of the season, then you should get them to a warranty station to be replaced. The photos aren't real clear but they look fine to shoot to me.

[Mister B]

Has this string ever been dryfired? Claw wear and dryfiring are the only things I can think of to cause this type of damage. All the more reason to replace a string after a dryfire (then reserve and check the dryfired string at its major wear point--- where the claws grip---under the serving).