Compound Bow Maintenance

To keep your compound bow as good as new you will need to look after it, although as a mechanical device it will be prone to wear and tear like anything else. There are however some simple maintenance checks you can do to keep it in top notch.

Check the strings and cables

You will need to apply a light coating of bow string wax every fortnight at least to keep them performing at their best and protect them from damage. When considering which wax to buy it is worth paying extra for a high quality brand rather than cheap alternatives as it will pay for itself in the long run and you will usually get more from the strings and cables this way.

They will most likely need replacing every year or 2 years, but be sure to check them regularly for signs of wear and tear or weaknesses. As soon as you notice this, it is time to get them replaced. This requires a special bow press and you will need to take it to a professional to do this.

Eccentric Lubrication

The axles will need to have some special lubricant applied every 1000-2000 shots. The lubricant should be Teflon or silicon based if possible or quality grease. Lubricating oils like WD-40 will harm the bow so keep away from them – they can also collect dust and dirt which will reduce the performance.

Centershot calibration

The centreshot calibration is the fine tuning of the shot upon the power path of the string, and will keep your bow accurate. This is quite easy to align and all you need to do is move the arrow rest either to the left or the right depending on where it sits at the moment. A release shooter should line up the shot with the power path of the string. Finger shooters though will need to place their shot so the tip is a slightly outside the string’s power path.

These maintenance tips will keep your bow shooting as good as it did when you first got it. If in doubt you can always take it to a professional to do this for you, but try and learn yourself as it only takes a few minutes to do every now and again.

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Important things to look for in compound bows

Compound bows have many different moving parts and limbs, cams and strings each play a part in making a getting the most out of it. However, as these parts are tested over and over by the manufacturers, as a beginner, you can look at these things instead which will be much more important to you as you start;

Draw length: The draw length is the distance between the bow and the pulling arm. This is an important measure as compound bows will only draw back to a certain distance although it is adjustable within a certain limit. A lot of people fail to get the draw length right. To measure your draw length, you should measure your arm span from tip to tip, with your arms held out and divide this number by 2.5. This is the draw length you need your bow to be, and in a lot of cases it usually matches your height.

Draw Weight:It is just as important to get the correct draw weight. This is a measure of how much force you will need to apply to each shot to reach the optimum shooting stance. If you have the weight too high, you will need to put in much more effort than you should be and will quickly become tired and your shots will not be accurate.

As a general rule of thumb, for recreational archery and target practice you should aim for 75% of your strength level. As a general rule of thumb you can approximate your draw weight by taking your weight in pounds and divide it by 2.5. Please bear in mind that as people are different this may be slightly off. If you are unsure, check with your local archery store.

IBO speed:The IBO speed is a measurement of the bows speed, in feet per second (fps). The IBO speed is taken as a measure with a 350gram arrow, 30″ long at a 70lb draw weight. You may find you have trouble reaching the IBO speed if your setup is different to this the measure is constant across different bows so it is a good indicator.

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