What a dummy........I preach it all the time, "Attention to detail", "know your equipment" etc etc, and a lack of concentration almost cost me my 3D league title, a trip to the hospital and maybe even injuring another person.
Today was Week 15 of my outdoor winter 3D league, The final week and this shoot would decide the overall "Open" class title between me an one other good shooter in the league. A few points separated us for the overall crown but I needed to put on a good showing today to secure it.
Almost didn't happen.
While warming up this morning at the practice buttsand talking with the regulars I was rattling arrows together pretty good, busted 2 nocks and at the 40 yard bag I really hit one hard........my pin nock was gone and the bushing was just crushed in the center.
So I pulled the bushing (I don't glue them so I can change damaged bushings) and replaced it with a fresh one and a new pin nock.
I FORGOT TO CHECK THE SHAFT.[&o]The very next shot was with that same arrow and it absolutely exploded at release. Pieces went everywhere in every direction and with some serious force. I was EXTREMELY EXTREMELY lucky that rather than winning a league title I wasn't going for surgery. I pulled a 3" sliver of carbon out of the cuff of my long sleeve shirt somehow missing my skin, and the back fletched portion of the arrow whistled over my knuckles. I was very close to being a gruesome internet picture.
Picture one is the damage to my bow and arrow rest.....notice how hard a portion of the arrow hit the corner of my Limbdriver rest. IT BLEW THE ENTIRE CORNER CLEAN OFF. [:-]It also smacked up the finish on the riser leaving a gold streak down the shelf where the arrow label skidded down the face.
Picture 2 is of the arrow itself........at least what we could find of it. There were at least a dozen people on the line with me and that is all we could find of the exploded arrow.
And picture 3 is just anice picture of the title winning 3D rig.
I shoot fixed pins IBO scoring in the Open class against some very good scope shooters to 45yds+ so I am pretty proud of that. This league is a grind for 15 weeks in all weather.
I held it together shooting a 309 w/ 15x'sto secure the overall league title for the 3rd straight year. But I was very fortunate that I'm not having surgery right now.
I was also pretty rattled for the first 6-8 targets while the adrenaline wore off.
Moral of the story is USE SOME COMMON SENSE. I didn't do that today and it could have been very ugly. I endangered myself and the people around me and I got away with one. IF you are shooting groups and hitting arrows ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS inspect the ones that got hit.......look beyond the nock or bushing.
I am guilty of not doing it everytime and I could have paid the price.
That won't happen anymore.