Bad cam?
 

I picked up a Switchback today and after dinner I started getting it setup. On approx. my 23rd shot the bow really sounded loud on the release and my arrow sailed over the back of my bag target and into a concrete wall. :eek: Upon further inspection I found the cable came off the bottom cam. [:'(] Any ideas what could cause something like this to happen? Defective cam perhaps?

RE: Bad cam?
 

Here is the Beman ICS Hunter 340. You can't really see it in the picture but the field tip and inser are pushed down into the shaft. lol Sorry for the large pics! [&:]

RE: Bad cam?
 

I've read about this happening with anotherbrand (BT liberty)and the consensus seemed to point to possible torquing the bow during the shot.

I have no idea if that is the case though. I'd take to the shop and have it looked at if that's an option.

RE: Bad cam?
 

Thanks Dave. I'm taking it in to the shop tomorrow since they are closed on Sundays. For the life of me I can't think of what could have gone wrong if anything. I've replayed the draw and release over and over and don't recall anything unusual except the sound it made on the release. :shrug:

RE: Bad cam?
 

I hope they find something as the cause, otherwise I'd be real leary of triggering the release each time I shot.

Talk about gun shy[:o]

RE: Bad cam?
 

I don't think I'll be too gun shy with the bow. But I'll definately be keeping my eye on that bottom cam. I've done a little searching on the web and so far it doesn't appear to be acommon issue with the Switchback. I'm wondering if I'll have to pay for a new string? I forgot to ask that when I called the dealer last night.

Ah well, guess I'll find out tomorrow. Gonna go tinker with my Patriot for now. Picked up a drop away conversion kit for my GFK Infiniti rest. ;)

RE: Bad cam?
 

A Patriot and a Switchback! wow, someone has got it going on.

So what year is your Pat and which one is your favorite????

RE: Bad cam?
 

The Patriot has been my favorite since I picked it up. It is an 03' model. It's been very reliable and is just a pleasure to shoot.

The Switchback was an impulse purchase plain and simple. [8D] I shot one earlier this year and liked it but decided to hold off. I just happened to find a good deal on one and decided to take the plunge.

The only real distinquishable difference between the two (in my hands) is the draw curve. The Patriot is smooth and consistant from start to finish. The Switchback builds up quite a bit before finally hitting let-off. Other than that they both feel really good.

I don't have a chrono so I am not sure how they compare speed wise but they are in the same ballpark in terms of IBO speed and seem to shoot about the same.

RE: Bad cam?
 

Was there a posibility that something could have got wedged between the cam and the string and rolled the string off when you shot? Grass or a twig could do it or a piece of rubber from a silencer maybe?

RE: Bad cam?
 

That was pretty much the way I felt about the Switchback. A little heavier with a different (striffer up front) draw force curve than my Pat.

Both great bows, ones kinda a carbon copy with some more do-hickies on it than the other.
33 ata
7" brace
318 + ibo

But the Pat doesn't have the "Dual perimeter weighted cobra cam" said in my coolest TV guy voice...............

RE: Bad cam?
 

My first guess would be cam lean, resulting in the string not tracking straight onto the cam after the shot and jumping off.

RE: Bad cam?
 

Well, just returned from the localdealer andas it turns out out the bottom cam was bent. [:'(] When the dealer took off the string the cam wouldn't freely spin on the axle. So he ordered me a new cam which will take a 7-10 days to get in. He's not sure if the string is going to need replaced. He's going to take off the serving and see if the cable is damaged. If not he'll reserve it but if it is then the string will have to be replaced.

So it's going to end up costing me $65 for a new cam and possibly another $60 for a new Barracuda string. [:'(][&:][:@]

Now I need to get back in touch with the shop I bought it from (in WV) and let them know what is going on. I can't help but to feel misled. I thought I was buying a bow that had less than 20 shots on it and was never registered. After speaking with Bob from Mathew's today I found out otherwise. [:@]

I hold myself partially to blame but this is rediculous. Buyer beware I guess. [>:][:'(]:([&:][&o]

RE: Bad cam?
 

So much for the good deal:([>:]. Sounds like this is exactly the reason it was a good deal and using the words "misled" is putting it very nicely.

I hope the shop you bought it from makes thing right.

A bent cam, Makes me wonder........

RE: Bad cam?
 

I just left a msg. for the guy I bought it from. Hopefully something can be worked out. [&:]

RE: Bad cam?
 

Well, I finally got in touch with the guy that I bought the bow from. I pretty much received the response I was expecting. He told me the bow was checked out before it was sold and that they didn't find any such problems. Nobody can say for sure where the problem originated. For all we know it was a factory defect. There is just now way to prove anything at this point.

What's that saying about playing with fire and eventually getting burned? I've bought bows from Ebay and Archery Talk in the past and never had a problem. I guess sooner or later it was bound to happen. Lesson well learned.[&:]

Now I just need to hope and pray that the limbs aren't bad. That will be expensive!

RE: Bad cam?
 

Sorry to hear that. If you have any doubts you can express them on his feedback. Maybe not a slamolla feedback, but one stating the facts as you know them.

At this point in the game I don't see myself ever buying a BT or Mathews used w/out the warranty. Unless it was such a bargain it wouldn't matter (like my $114.00 shipped AT Stalker[8D])

I hope it's robin hoods and xXs from here on out. If you were considering a draw length adjustment, now is the time to do it.

RE: Bad cam?
 

Thought I'd share a pic of the super secret Cobra cam! :) At this point I'll pay the price for the repairs. Overall it's still works out cheaper than buying a brand new bow. But not having a warranty is the kicker. And just to make 100% sure I did have my draw length checked again at the shop today. Unfortunately he had the cams for all other draw lengths except the one that I needed. lol :) Just my luck.

RE: Bad cam?
 

yeah the only thing i can say is did somthing get in the way of the cam and the string like grass or twig somthin like that..if not that then somthing when manufacturing the bow went wrong..but good idea about takin it to the shop thats what id do..

RE: Bad cam?
 

Nah, I was shooting in my in my garage so there was nothing to get in the way of the cam. The Mathew's technical rep. told me the only way the string could come off the cam was if the bow was severly torqued during the shot or if the bow was dry fired. Neither of those happened in my situation. There is not a single mark or scratch on the cam. It looks brand new until you look at it straight on and see the bent part.

RE: Bad cam?
 

OUCH, that's one ugle bend.
How many arras did you sling through it before the cable/string flew off the track? I bet you'd really like to know when exactly it happened. ( I wonder if it slowly got worse in time & bit you?)

You weren't trying to pull 100# Out of a 60# bow were ya? j/k

RE: Bad cam?
 

Yep, I'd bet that your bow was dry fired before you recieved it[:@] Hope you get her going soon!!

RE: Bad cam?
 

Unfortunately I think you're right. [&:] I can't find any sign of the bow being dropped. I mean this think is clean as a whistle and doesn't have a mark on it. If it weren't for this cam problem you'd not be able to tell the difference between this bow and a brand new one out of the box. Even theserving still looks brand new. [&:]

I don't think the shop was kidding when they said it had less than 20 shots. But if they didn't know the bow had been dry fired or misused I can't place the blame solely on them. When I spoke with the shop owner last night I did ask about the original purchaser of the bow. Apparently he is a state police officer and well known at the shop and they say he's a good guy. From what I was told the bow had been purchased for the guy by his wife as a surprise but when he got it he didn't like the grip so he took it to the shop to trade in on a new Browning Illusion.

Well, not much I can do about it now except learn from the situation. The shop said they can't do anything about the cam replacement but they did offer to send me a custom bow string to replace the factory string that was damaged. At least that would save me some money over that $60 Barracuda string. [:'(] Of all companies you'd think Mathew's would but a better quality string on their bows! For $60 I could get alot better quality from another string maker.