Redwing hunter dacron string 600 Grain arrow 50# string ripped through the limb tips at full draw. I inspect the tips daily. Sometimes it just happens I suppose. I'm guessing my 30" draw didn't help I'm just glad I wasn't hurt.

I hope it is your last one to blow-up. Glad that you're OK... I have a 31" draw and it seems that the longer draw definitely has something to do with them blowing-up, I have had 3 blow-up on me.

I wish I could find a 62" hunter lol that bow performed better than any other recurve I've shot

I re-inforced the tips on my Howatt Hunter with phenolic. It was a good shooter before. Even better now. I'm replacing the dacron bowstrings on my other bows with padded loop HMPE. That includes a Redwing Hunter.

Good you weren't hurt. Your observation is correct. Long(er) draw lengths put more stress on the limbs in all areas, particularly on shorter bows. I believe the RW Hunter came in 52 and 58-inch lengths. Even at 58 inches, a 30-inch draw puts a lot of stress on the limbs. Luckily, there are a lot of used bows around at modest prices.

What was the numbering on the bow David. Was it an older or newer RWH?

N1866 it isn't the oldest ones but Bob still owned wing from what I was told. I have another that I'm restoring and it has super tiny tips thus one had bigger ones. I'm leary of shooting my older one now because I don't want to crater it

Know how you feel. I had a Howard Hill Cheetah blow up on me once. Scared the crap out if me.

Been there! When I was a 22 year old kid back in the 1970's, I had a Herter's Sitka blow up on me. The riser broke in half right above the grip. I draw 28" and the bow was a 50#er with a rosewood riser. The top half of the bow hit me square in the face, cutting my lip and chipping a tooth. I've never heard of or seen another bow come apart like that. Turns out, the riser had a defect right above the top of the grip. There was a small hollow spot at the top of the grip. I never noticed any cracks or splits as the bow was nearly new. I sent it back and Herter's sent me a new one. I was afraid to shoot the dang thing for weeks after. Right about then, compounds were getting popular, so I made the switch. I shot compounds for the next 35 years exclusively. I only recently returned to traditional. I wish now that I had gone back to recurves and longbows sooner. Shooting a compound had become dull and robotic.... no challenge, no pretty wood, too "modern", too much like operating a machine.

You know...this will happen to one of these treasures at one time or another...there's no telling when it seems. Glad you are OK.

I've seen a recurve riser split at the grip on a guy.

I've personally had a maple/glass recurve limb blow on me. If you start hearing a clicking noise, look out, it's about to go. However, they all don't give warnings, but that's something to look and listen for.

I've personally had 2 strings blow on compounds. One after the shot, one during the shot...blew before it returned all the way to brace as it hit the cable guard dead center on the first shot of a new bow. Re-strung and got lucky several more times because it was still hitting. We never did figure that one out. That bow was a High Country Royal Hunter compound that got sent back to the factory and I got a new bow.

I've personally had steel cables blow.

One night I seed a compound blow on a guy at an indoor tournament while he was at full draw. It put the 6'4" 265 lb. brute on the floor. When it blew the steel cable somehow got free of the cam and rapped itself several times around the guys arm and the tear-drop where the string attached imbedded itself in the guys arm.

I had a guy walk behind me with a cocked (no arrow) crossbow one night while I was sitting in a chair. Good thing he was real tall. When I walk walked by the limbs came apart with one breaking loose from the riser and missing my head by inches. Actually went above my head and would have nailed me if I had not been slouching in my seat. The guy should have never left the shooting line with that bow, but he was trying to show it to the shop owner because a limb had cracked. That was the least of his problems because the limb bolt broke and the limb almost killed me. LOL!

Seen another fella just get lucky one night as he almost lost an eye due to string-peep coming out that wasn't tied in.

Had a good friend talking to a shop owner one night at the counter with his back to the shooting line. All of a sudden he hollered and hunched over. Turns out an aluminum string-peep had come out of one of the shooters strings on the shot and hit the riser of the bow. When it hit the riser it flew 15 yards behind the shooting line and hit my friend in the middle of the back. He said it felt like someone shot him with a pellet gun.

Watched a fella hit the floor one evening after he'd stuck his thumb in the way of the string on a 175lb. crossbow. Ripped the hide right off it and almost broke it. I've heard of people losing thumbs with the heavier crossbows and since I've noticed a lot of changes to crossbows so those fingers and thumbs can't be put in harms way.

Lots more stories...but I'll share one more.

Watched a fella shooting a custom recurve have a nock blow on the shot and blew up his bow. String completely split and trashed the limbs of that bow. Guy didn't get hurt luckily.

Sorry it happen,but my only blow up happen with a redwing hunter also using a heavy arrow.

Dkincaid, did you happen to be using Fastflite string?

Moral of the story: Stay the HELL away from Bill Stapleton!

No dacron

"Moral of the story: Stay the HELL away from Bill Stapleton!"

LOL

60 yrs...never a failure!

i only had one blow up it was a J K Chastain new out of the box only shot ten maybe 15 arrows she blew up the top limb delaminated the glass and wood split down the middle . i sent it back to chastain he sent a new limb but said it was my fault . he said i twisted it stringing it . well i sold it ASAP . i wanted nothing to do with that bow or him after that .

You better knock on wood it will happen at some point.

personally i think if you shoot long enough it is gonna happen to you. i built two different bamboo backed osage bows they both broke one on the tiller tree and one after about ten shots the wood just splintered .it was just bad wood .

I think that most of us have had that happen. Don't know if my experience is different from other's, but I've never had that happen with a bow that had limbs made of Actionwood or a product of that type.

This is a bear grizzly that became two piece .Someone at work saw one for sale and that prompted me to dig this one out and it was shooting real good up till the moment.

is it still under warranty?

I feel for you. I just had a yew selfbow blow up today. You can see pics on my yew bow thread.

Backcountry, you beat me to that one, good job.

Oh God...Coolade Spray!!! ROFL!!!!!!!

Oh man...been needing a good laugh. That one hit the spot...literally. Open mouth, insert foot. LOL!!!

Bill, thanks for being a good sport!

I had my wife try take a picture of my selfbow I was finishing tillering. She got the picture of it blowing up while I was at full draw. The only thing hurt was my pride but the picture was worth it.

Had a new 59er blow on full draw, didn't even get 30 arrows through it. Sounded like a shotgun went off. Bottom limb cracked in half and split up the grip through the riser. The replacement has no issues. Guess it just happens sometimes.

This happened last spring while drawing the bow back, top limb, sounded like a gun went off in front of my face.

I haven't been shooting but just a few years. One of my first purchases was a nice Bear Polar, dual shelf and 63#. Shot it for a couple of weeks. I was really enjoying that bow when it came apart. Top limb broke over at full draw, ( I only draw 27"). I kept it, not sure why but it is still with my other bows. I wasn't hurt, but sure scared me.

-Bones

Ive had 3 blow up on me two old Bear Grizzlys the limbs just folded over on and a 1pc. longbow a friend made for me, it was 60@28 and it exploded right in the center of the riser.. the top limb hit me right above my eye across my forehead and cut me pretty bad and the lower limb hit me in the side and put a big bruise... he offered to build me another one but I said I would pass.

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