Strung or unstrung?

Jim Thompson · Apr 15, 2014

If I shoot 1-2 times a week, should I unstring the recurve between uses?

This may sound goofy or elementary, but yeah we are dealing with an old slow and sometimes foggy mind here facepalm:

...how do you keep your brace height the same everytime you unstring without having to measure every time?

dm/wolfskin · Apr 15, 2014

I don't think it matters as long it is not in a hot environment. I left a recurve strung up for all of hunting season in 2012. My longbow I unstring every time just because it's easy. I don't use a stringer with it. mike

beaulesye10 · Apr 15, 2014

I agree with Mike I don't know if it hurts or not. My thoughts are though an object under pressure for extended times will eventually give in to the pressure. So I keep mine unstrung and hung or laid out flat inside.

ddauler · Apr 15, 2014

Most bowyers I know say leave it strung if shooting regularly. Of course not in hot car! I never unstring a laminated bow that is kept in AC and I plan to shoot regularly been doing this 30 years no ill effects. I shoot longbows and selfbows because I hate stringers!!

Bucky T · Apr 15, 2014

I always unstring mine after I'm done shooting.

John Cooper · Apr 15, 2014

Jim it is up to you!! Strung or unstrung will not hurt a modern glass bow...... self bows you need to unstring or they will take on set in the limbs.

Jim Thompson · Apr 15, 2014

Ok so since I am lazy I'll probably keep mine strung

What about the brace height if I do unstring? Do I need to remeasure every time?

Bucky T · Apr 15, 2014

Jim Thompson said:
Ok so since I am lazy I'll probably keep mine strung

What about the brace height if I do unstring? Do I need to remeasure every time?

I don't now. You'll be able to tell pretty quickly if something is off.

I use to measure it when I was figuring it all out. I'd notice that the BH would actually be a little higher than what I tuned it with at first, but after a shot or two it would settle down to where it should be.

dm/wolfskin · Apr 15, 2014

I check my brice height often. I have a tape in the kitchen as I go out back, one in my hunting quiver and one in the truck. They don't cost much.mike

Munkywrench · Apr 15, 2014

Jim I leave mine strung all the time and in the house. You don't need to adjust brace height as long as you don't untwist your string and just slide it down the limb when you take it off the string groove and slide it down

Jim Thompson · Apr 15, 2014

Munkywrench said:
Jim I leave mine strung all the time and in the house. You don't need to adjust brace height as long as you don't untwist your string and just slide it down the limb when you take it off the string groove and slide it down

aha!!!!

that makes sense. thx wrench

mudcreek · Apr 15, 2014

I left a 50 lb 52 inch browning recurve strung up in my shop for over a year. I was hoping it would weaken. It never did. I just got stronger, I guess.

F.A.R.R. · Apr 15, 2014

Some of the brace height question goes back to string material.

If you leave a bow strung that has a Dacron string I've noticed that after a while the string will strecth and the brace height eventually will be lower-then you just need to unstring and twist it some to get back to the brace height you want.

With the fast flight strings haven't noticed this much-seems like after you set the brace height and "shoot the string in" they don't stretch enough to change brace height much.

Black Widow Bows says if you shoot your bow often to leave it strung. I've left wood/fiber glass laminated bows strung for months without ill effect-but usually unstring them if they won't be shot for a bit.

Todd Cook · Apr 15, 2014

I do both. I've never seen a glass bow loose weight from being strung. Dacron will stretch strung or unstrung, ff will too, just not as much. I'm told some of the newer string materials don't stretch, but I've not had any of them.

Michelle makes me unstring her bow everytime; I think she's a little superstitious.

Allen Oliver · Apr 15, 2014

Jim I take one of my arrows and nock it on the string and take a sharpie and mark the arrow even with the front of the riser. This is a quick way to always have a measurement of your Brace. I try and mark more than one so I have one to check with in my bow quiver or my back quiver.

Munkywrench · Apr 16, 2014

Allen Oliver said:
Jim I take one of my arrows and nock it on the string and take a sharpie and mark the arrow even with the front of the riser. This is a quick way to always have a measurement of your Brace. I try and mark more than one so I have one to check with in my bow quiver or my back quiver.

Now that is a great piece of advice right there. Thanks Mr. Allen

robert carter · Apr 16, 2014

I have two recurves that have been strung for years.I had a Jeffery that was strung for maybe 20 years except for changing strings.I gave it to a good friend and its probably strung up now. There is more risk in twisting limbs stringing a bow than leaving it strung. As long as you don`t leave it in a very hot place. RC

Jim Thompson · Apr 17, 2014

Allen Oliver said:
Jim I take one of my arrows and nock it on the string and take a sharpie and mark the arrow even with the front of the riser. This is a quick way to always have a measurement of your Brace. I try and mark more than one so I have one to check with in my bow quiver or my back quiver.

Great advice. Kinda like the markings on my ramrod

Thanks again folks. Couple hours of work today (on my danged day off of course) and then I get to shoot again :fine:

markland · Apr 17, 2014

The bow I shoot all the time I leave strung year round with no problem, but I also am sure to lay the bow across the limbs or handle when storing and never leave the bow in a hot vehicle. The only time I unstring my bows is when I have to pack them in the T/D case to travel or I change a string.
As long as your string does not come off the limb tips and just slides up and down when you string/unstring you should not have a change in brace height, but it is a good idea to check from time to time as strings can settle and creep over time and shooting. If it is a good quality string made out of modern material it should not change much after settling in. Dacron strings will change slowly over time so they have to be monitored more regularly.

PAPALAPIN · Apr 25, 2014

Leaving your bow strung indefinitely will not hurt it as long as you don keep in a hot environment, such as in a car with the windows up. Make sure you keep the sting waxed.

More bows are damaged by improper stringing than anything else I know of. It is always best to use a bow stringer, but sometime you don't have that option. Rather tna take a chance of damaging by stringing, I prefer to jut leave it strung always.

Also... keeping it strung up helps to keep the string from getting dried out.

Strung or unstrung?

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