Why you should not dry fire a bow? 3 things to know!

How Dry fire Occurs in Compound bow?

Compound bows are really powerful as the force to draw is magnified by its lever system. They are really efficient as 90% of the energy transferred into the bow limbs while drawing the bow is transferred to the arrow, once the string is released.

Because of more moving parts as compared to other bows, Compound bow is more powerful with high tension in the string, so dry firing a compound bow can cause serious injuries along with destroying your bow.

Why is Dry firing Dangerous with Compound bow?

Modern compound bows are incredible weapons, in dry firing, you shoot a bow without an arrow in place, compound bows are likely to get loads of damage if dry fired. This damage is due to a lot of moving parts and consistent high tension. When the bowstring is pulled back, energy is stored in it and when you shoot, it’s normally released into the arrow.

If there is no arrow, this stored energy, gets back into the bow where it may cause severe damage to its parts. The sound of vibrations streaking through the bow tries finding a way to escape. It may even explode the whole compound bow at times. When you dry fire a bow there is 95 % probability your bow will be damaged.

Dry firing a compound along with being costly is even severely dangerous for the archer. The broken parts of a compound bow may even scatter in the air and end up in your eyes or the string may slap your arms. Even the cams and screws can get off causing the archer some serious risk of injuries.

The exact damage of your bow which is received by dry firing depends on how and where the energy exits your bow.

Many times dry firing happens accidentally. You may sneeze, the string may slip or the arrow may not be nocked correctly. To avoid such circumstances, you should check your arrow from time to time, avoid using arrows which are too light. You must stay alert and vigilant to avoid such mistakes. As archery is about mindfulness, you should have total awareness of your bow, body, and target.

Nusensei Explained Briefly

What will happen after Dry firing a compound bow?

Explode Compound bow

There are 3 results you may get after dry firing a compound bow:-

You must keep in mind that dry firing may result in some of the above-mentioned things to all of the above-mentioned things and if you are lucky enough, none of them. It all depends on how energy is transferred through your bow.

How Dry fire occurs in Crossbow?

When you release a cocked string of crossbow without nocking a bolt in its place, dry firing occurs. It may result in anything except harmless. Regardless of the type of crossbows, one must take certain precautions against dry firing.

Dry fire can happen if you forget to load an arrow to your crossbow or have a nock failure causing the string to go under or over the arrow. The resulting damage to your crossbow can range from minor to catastrophic. For preventing dry firing, some new models of crossbow have an anti-dry fire mechanism.

Why is Dry firing Dangerous with Crossbow?

When a crossbow string is cocked, it stores some potential energy in its limbs, when you release the string, this energy becomes kinetic energy and is transferred in the bolt, pushing it forward. The quick burst of energy gives your bolt the momentum and speed it needs for striking down the target.

When you fire without a bolt in its place, both the limbs and string vibrate powerfully. So all that kinetic energy which has built up is redirected back in the bow itself, giving it a violent shockwave.

When you normally fire a bolt, small vibrations are caused in the bow. If you dry fire, those vibrations will amplify to dangerous levels and cause major stress on both the limbs and string.

With dry firing not only you ruin your bow but it’s also very dangerous for the archer himself or anyone standing near to him as the broken parts may disperse in the air and hit someone causing some serious injuries.

The damage intensity of crossbow also depends on the manufacturer of the crossbow as some might hold up to the unfortunate extreme event with only minor damage.

What will happen if you Dry fire a Crossbow?

Explode Crossbow

If you dry fire a crossbow following consequences can occur:-

How to save your Crossbow after Dry firing?

If you dry fire a crossbow, you must immediately and thoroughly inspect it before using it again. First of all inspect the cams or limb tips depending which model of crossbow you are using.

If your bow is a compound type crossbow, thoroughly inspect the cams for any damage and you must ensure its cables and string are slotted properly. If everything seems fine, you need to visually inspect its strings and cables.

Run your fingers gently on it to make sure that no strands have been damaged and the tension on the string is still there.

If it’s a recurve model crossbow, check it thoroughly that its string loops are slotted securely on the limbs tips. After this inspect the limb completely for cracks, splinters or chips. If you don’t note any, take a cotton ball and rub it over the complete surface and specially edges of the limbs.

After inspection of all parts, cock your crossbow and listen carefully for any unusual sound. If all seems well, test the accuracy of your bolt by taking a practice round and observe your shooting practice carefully as it might reveal any hidden damage.