Blown up crossbow

TOW said:

Please define "....the crossbow blows up.."

Did the bow itself go into pieces? I can understand the string and quiver coming off.

Most folks that I have heard discussing a dry fire with an Excalbur all they had to do was replace the string and keep right on shooting. Same point of impact as before.

Not too sure why you guys take such glee to someone else having equipment problems? Even if was their own fault.

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TOW said:

Have you ever, or ever seen someone else, dry fire a compound?? I would say that would be one of the Ten Rules of compound shooting too..

ANY piece of equipment with stored energy "can be dangerous"....including your compound..

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Lthomas said:

Yes I know of the incodent that your talking about. The key words are that it was in a press. The built up energy is confined when a bow is in a press. This should be a lession about how dangerous confined static energy is. This relates very well to the confined static energy of a Xbow. Thank you TOW for pointing that out.

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Lthomas said:

TOW part of my job is dealing with static energy loads. The moment is where you find that the statics and forces equal zero. Let me put this as simple as possible Bent Bow or not the distributioin of the static enrgy is what makes the difference. In a press it is confined energy. When out of the press it is controlled by the archer. The energy of a bow is not under controll in a press. The same goes for an Xbow. When it comes to Xbows there is a greater amount of energy in a much more confined area with a lot less points for the static to be absorbed or distributed. Think about it the only thing infront of those limbs is the limb bolts, and a place to put your foot for cocking the device. Sure some of the energy is gonna travel thru the stock. Not very much at all becuse progression of the energy is forcing all the energy forward. It is as simple as this. It is a lot more energy in a more confined area with a lot less controll. Now take the stiff bolt out of the equation. That is what makes them much more dangerous when dry fired.

Let me try relate it like this. Take a handfull of gun powder and pour it in a pile. Take a match and light it. The powder was not confined and the energy was obsorbed in its suroundings. Now take that same gun powder and --------well I was gonna spell it out but not because some kid might try it. Anyhow confine the powder as if it were in a firecracker. You better step back and plug your ears. In One instance the energy was controlled by its enviroment. In the instance the energy was manipulated to go boom.

A compound under control and not weekend as stated before has way to many energy distribution routes. The energy is absorbed by its enviroment. The Xbow is more confined and limited in energy distribution and it stores way more energy than a compound. That is why bolts are designed to absorb the amount of energy that they do. Can you imagine the power that a compound would have if it were not for the riser. Take away the riser and it is producing some serioius business. It dont take rocket science to figure out why a short axel bow shoots faster than a long axel bow given they have the same cams. Well mabey it dose take rocket science or a miricale for some folks to understand physics and energy disbursment.
As an archer holds a bow and shoots it, the energy is distributed thru the arrow, thru the longer limbs, thru the riser, thru the archers arm, and a stabilizer. Even the sites, rest and quiver absorb energy. Sheesh some folks wonder why they cannot keep their old tru glow sites sited in. Anyhow, the energy is under a lot more controll. Now take a week riser that is either cracked, bent, or poorly made. When an archer dry fires it, An accident is waiting to happen. The energy is looking for a route to escape. The energy that was taken by the arrow is now gotta travel out somewhere else. All That static energy is gonna run straight down the riser. A very small amount will be absorbed in the string. That crack or defect is a direct rout out for that energy that is wanting to escape. This is more likely the reason you witnessed the archers riser breaking in half. Yes it was not unheard of with yesterdays cast risers. Todays risers are all CNC machined from a solid block of alluminum.
I am not gonna argue that you did not see someone get hurt dry firing a compound. If the bow seemed to be in good shape void of defects, It would be a lesson as to not purchas a bow from that Mfg if it was a modern bow.
I can prove it over and over again that an Xbow is more dangerous dry fired than a compound. On another note. A compound in a press is just as dangerous as any uncontrolled static energy.

Thats it for class today students. I want a one page book report by tomarrow.

BTW.. The first part of your statment... Energy is Energy.

That shows your a wealth of knowledge. I may need your help sometime. Of course I am just messin with ya. I just had to throw that in.

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