What happened? :(

[Bill]

I came home and went into my garage and went to the work bench to pick something up, and looked at my recurves hanging on rubber coated hooks from the rafters. My 50# Red Wing Hunter's lower limb was fractured and destroyed- and the bow was not strung . I had the string on both tips in the unstrung bow, and even then the limbs only moved about 1/2" from their fully relaxed position.

The weather has not been hot (today got up to 80, but the garage is cool), and my RWH I hunt with was hanging next to it- strung.

Here's some poor pics off my cell phone, I'll try to find the better camera over the weekend and take pictures.

It's a total loss, and this was the one I wanted to give to my son so he'd have a recurve in addition to his compound.

Anybody ever see an unstrung bow just 'self-destruct'?

[Feederwatcher]

Bill, is there a remote chance someone that didnt know how would have tried to string the bow when you werent there ?

just a thought !


FW

[Draco]

I've never heard of this Bill, and I've been around a lot of bows. I would think someone whacked it or something.

[Ol Man]

String on both tips??? So it was under tension but from the opposite side? By the looks of it the break was on the back and not the belly as much am I correct? It may have been a fracture under the glass already and it finally worked its way out to the side and caused the glass and all to let go. When was the last time you shot it? Did you feel a click at any time? If so that may have been the start to the end result you are showing us. Just a thought!

[Brotherbill]

Wow sorry to see this.

[Hillary]

I don't know much about Trad shooting, but that doesn't look good by any means
So sorry!!!!
I hope you find out what happened

[CaptJack]

somebody strung it and dry fired it !!

[wassaw]

dang Bil sorry to see that.

[Bill]

Here's some pictures, I'll post them full size for details. If that's a problem, I can reduce the size on photobucket later. That's a nickle on the bow for scale.

Nobody is in my garage other than my wife and I- and she would not know how to string a recurve bow if I called her and asked her to do me a favor. My kids are away at college.

The friend I bought it from last year came over to go hog hunting (see my thread How big a hog.....) and he's been shooting trad archery for dang near 30 years and he's never seen anything like it.

I included a picture of the riser- the RWH was in 99+% new condition- it looked like a new bow.

I'm thinking about cutting off the riser, handle, putting a groove in the front, and making the grip for my compound out of a RWH. Why not? I've been shooting my 41# RWH for over 40 years now, my 1st bow.

[wassaw]

I'm with Ol'Man- looks like it was just "it's" time and popped. gets a little hotter up high in the garage than floor level. epoxies can embrittle with heat and age.

[Bill]

I was looking at it again, and I need to take some measurements, but I think I can make a compound grip out of it. How cool would that be? My RWH high-wrist on a wheelie bow.

[Lslite]

Maybe you can make a takedown recurve out of it.

[tx07]

Kids + recurve = sword practice :S

[CaptJack]

the only way that that limb broke that way was that it was strung and dry fired

[M.E.B.]

I don't think it happened just hanging in the garage. Something or someone happened to it.