what else besides cracked limbs or cracked cams can happen to a bow when it is dry fired?

my local bow shop told me of a accidental dry fire that peeled back the skin on a guys forearm that he needed to get to the hospital.

ive heard your bow will just kinda decinagrate

I have dry fired my lx twice. One time I was drawing it with wet fingers and it slipped. The other time I just forgot to put an arrow on. Getting old I guess. Have dry fired many bows over the years and haven't damaged any of them. But look it over to see if you can see any damage. Some companies have put thier bows in a drawing machine and dry fired them for I don't know how long. This was several years ago when they weren't as fast as they are now. Don't know if anybody does it now. I don't think so. I know Oregon Bow company did it.

Sorry, I guess I didn't answer your question. Check the string and cable for broken or frayed string strands. See if the cams are still running straight.

dha,

Axles are almost always bent from a full dry fire.
Also, string and cables can stretch and fail later on.
Take the bow to a Pro Shop and have them pull the axles unless you have your own bowpress and do it yourself.
If the bow has bent axles and they're not replaced, they can damage your cams and limbs by wallowing them out at the holes where the axles pass thru.


Sag.

do they usually charge you anything for labor such as a bow press and is there a possibility that the axles would be salvagable?

ok so i confess. i did do a dry fire and it was a brand new bow. Like i was sort of implying though in the above i checked it over and there were no cracks in the limbs and the cams looked pretty good. It was only drawn to about 3/4 length.i think my arm and shirt took alot of the energy though. So do you think i should bring it in?

dha,

Well, if you arm and shirt took most of the blow.
If your bow is a Mathews, you are probably alright with the axles.
Mathews axles are extremely difficult to bend even with a dry fire because they're so short.
If your bow is a PSE, they have long axles which are prone to bending.
Have a friend you trust draw your bow for you and stand behind him.
Watch both top and bottom cams and see that they rotate in a straight line when the bow is drawn.
Watch from each side to see that they don't wobble on the draw.
Does the bow still feel as smooth on the draw for you also ?
If all this checks out, you're probably alright.
Most shop charge around $30.00 to $45.00 to check a bow out after a dry fire from my experience.
Axles are fairly inexpensive if they need replacing.
Most shops have the bow fixed under warranty from the Manufacturer without telling them the bow was dry fired.
Not really honest, I know, but it happens all the time.
Good luck with your bow!


Sag.