I was working on my bow i just got. A friend of mine gave me an old release he had and I was checking it out. Now I know why he gave it to me! I pulled my bow back and it released just as i reached full draw! I checked everything on my bow and it doesn't seem to have hurt anything. The limbs are fine. I know this isn't the healthiest thing to do, but it was an accident. Do you think its still fine?

Not giving you a hard time but I never draw my bow back unless I have an arrow nocked. Check your cam axles and take it to a pro-shop.

I would have it checked out at a pro-shop just to be safe. Never draw a bow without an arrow ([..censored..]happens).

I'd at LEAST shoot it at a target a few times if at all possible to make sure it is all in working order. I don't know a heck of a lot about the potential problems that can come from dryfires, but I know it ain't good.

Oh, and throw that release in the garbage!

Unfortunately, BTDT.

Although there was no damage I could see, when I brought it to the shop my axles were bent.

Whoa.... what kind of bow is it? From what I know (and what I've read), the older bows get destroyed pretty bad from a dry fire. New bows (last years, this years, etc...)can pretty much withstand it without a problem. But not all the time - you know what I mean...

I accidently did a 1/2 dry fire on my Reflex Highlander when I first got it. Scared the living $*@& outta me! I didn't even use a release. I was checking how smooth it was to draw with my fingers. When I was coming back down from full draw (roughly about 1/2 way back down), somehow the string slipped and the bow went, "Slap!!". No harm done. Nothing bent, broken, or flew off. I took mine to a bow shop and they looked it all over and gave me the old "you dumba**" kind of look, and said there was nothing wrong, but to always be careful next time. It could have been far worse...

I would take it to the bow shop and have them check it all over. Good luck!!!

Butch A.

well it was actually about a 1/2 dry fire. I got it to full draw, and was letting it off when it released. Its a pretty new bow. Its a Martin Tracer LT. Its no more then 2-3 years old. I havent shot it. yet, but honestly dont think it hurt anything. I'll shoot it and get it checked before this weekend. I swear, i might as well have wrecked my damn car. i'd probably feel the same way i felt when it released. I know drawing it without an arrow nocked was stupid, but on a brighter note, if an arrow was nocked, I'd be explaining a hole in my wife's wall. [8D]Thanks for all your replies on this matter.

"DO NOT" try to fire the bow again until you take it to a prowhois fimiliar with your brand of bow...
Iaccidentally dry fired my bow a few years back, and it looked ok. But I took it to a tech and he showed meboth limbs got a hairline crackon the endsthat wentthrough to the pinhold on my cams.
If I had tried to fire that bow again,the cams could have came offand the bow flew apart at around 60-70# of pressure behind it.
Could be seriously hurt!