The Great Bow Fiasco

Why DIY Guys Might Leave Bow Work to the Professionals

I’m the consummate fix-it guy. As a kid, my mom always he me roped into some home serious improvement project. In college, I was the roommate everyone went to when a shot glass somehow found its way into the garbage disposal on Sunday morning and it ceased to operate normally. Most recently, as a full-grown adult, I recently even took on the monstrosity of replacing my blown engine in my 2008 Tundra. No, that truck has never been the same and neither have my busted knuckles, but I digress. I figure I know how to work my way though most DIY projects, albeit usually with the help of YouTube and a lot of tape.

Also, not unrelated to my DIY handyman nature, I enjoy a good bargain. When my good friend offered me to buy his one-year-old flagship bow off him for $500, I hopped on the deal faster than a middle-aged stay-at-home mom on the grocery’s last roll of toilet paper. All I had to do was replace the modifications to accommodate my draw length. No press was needed. Just two small pieces of metal held together by screws and I would be in business. So, in early February, I bought the bow.  

A few weeks passed before I received the mods to make the draw length change. By the time they got to the house, I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. I buzzed home after work, busted out my little screwdriver kit and got to screwing and unscrewing pieces off my bow. As I put the final draw stop on my bottom cam, there was a slight over tightening that felt like a stripped screw.

Of course, a stripped screw is never great, but generally on my projects they have not prevented the progress from continuing onward. With my newly minted draw modifications in place, I yanked her back like any confident bow tech might and heard a distinct “tink-tink-tink” as the bottom draw stop broke off it’s housing.

Uh. Oh.

The bottom cam rolled over and now I have a time bomb in my hands with one cam in tact, the other…not so much. Looking around in a panic I knew I had to get the bottom cam back rolled over so I could fix it and prevent the bow from dry-firing.

Seeing the old oak desk in front of me, a lightbulb flicked on in my head. In a move that was something akin to Indiana Jones trading a gold talisman for sand,  I swapped my release for the leg of the giant desk. My bowstring was now held by the leg while I grasped the riser like a bull rider, leg on the desk like Lane Frost preparing for the first buck coming out of the chutes.

Looking around frantically, I was able to reach a mini-forked horn antler to force the bottom cam to roll over. Sure enough, when the cams came loose, the bow bucked in my hand and stuff went flying, including me, the antler and my busted knuckles.  

The result of this mayhem included but was not limited to; a bent cam, two broken mods, a delaminated limb, and a severely bruised ego.

It took me a full week of searching for parts online – hoping for a quick fix – before I could discuss the full extent of the incident with my friend who I purchased the bow from.  

Four months of going back and forth on parts with the manufacturer and a couple of hundred dollars later, my great deal on a bow is now the same price as a new one. Each time we get close to saying it’s done, the local techs and I keep finding something that broke or bent in the rodeo. I’m awaiting the final parts to arrive at the local bow shop…still.

 A little while back I purchased a brand-spanking new bow to get me dialed in before season from the local bow shop.

I have also learned two things from this experience. One, if working on a bow, I’m going to leave it to the professionals until I have hand-to-hand training on the subject to do it confidently. Secondly, I give kudos to bow manufacturers and archery shops who take care of customers directly.

 Lastly, does anyone want a barely used bow for sale? $500.