Twisted Limbs

[Briar Friar]

Whats the best way to diagnose?

I believe I caused my limbs to twist on both my longbow and recurve during this last hard freeze spell. I keep my bows strung and evenly balanced by the riser in my garage. I shoot daily but I dislike having to string and unstring every shoot.

I just mailed my longbow to Bob to take a look. I shoot my recurve daily and the longbow every other day but went several days apart during shooting sessions. I picked up the longbow and started getting some serious nose slap. Brace height was good but I eyeballed the limbs and the bottom one was particularly off kilter.

The recurve I thought was fine and was grouping but then regressed to all over the board and eyeballing it I see a slight roll to the limbs but Im wondering...is some limb cant normal? Its most pronounced mid limb but not so at the tips.

What can I do to straighten them out if twisted?

[Flint knapper]

The only way that I've ever seen a limb twist is to string the bow by the step through method.

If you use a stringer, then the limbs shouldn't twist!

Talk with the manufacturer and see what he says!

[Briar Friar]

The only way that I've ever seen a limb twist is to string the bow by the step through method.

If you use a stringer, then the limbs shouldn't twist!

Talk with the manufacturer and see what he says!

Thank you. I always use a stringer. Ive a friend who has been shooting archery for decades and he looked at me cross eyed when I brought up that point when he strung with the step throigh. "Whats a stringer?" I didnt persist,

[KenWood]

thats weird. Never seen a longbow twist. I wonder if it’s a moisture thing with excessively cold temperatures? They have some videos and info on line for straightening a recurve with a hair dryer.

[Greyman]

I won a Bear recurve on fleabay some time ago, it was listed as a wall hanger because it had twisted limbs both top and bottom, ran them under semi hot water in the shower and held each limb twisted the opposite direction until it was cool/room temp put a string on it and have been shooting it for yrs now with no problems and the twist is gone.

[Briar Friar]

Thanks for the guidance Ken and Greyman.

Im supposing laying the bow flat on a table and eyeballing is a suitable method for diagnosing twisted limbs?

[caughtandhobble]

You can just look down the limbs most of the time. Also check and see if your string lines up with the string grooves on the limbs... I doubt you have a problem, especially with the longbow. Good luck my friend.

[stickbowcoop]

Im supposing laying the bow flat on a table and eyeballing is a suitable method for diagnosing twisted limbs?

Yes. I also sight down the belly and check the tips and string tracking. This is not my picture, but like this:

[Ronnie]

I didn't think the limbs of a strung bow COULD twist.
Learn sumthin every day

[SwampRabbit]

Sight down the bow when strung and unstrung to see if there is twist. I check mine from time to time.... more of an OCD thing probably. Longbows can have a twist too... noticed it pretty quick in a buddy's new bow once. For whatever reason, it is one of the first things I do when I get a bow in my hand to "check out", I sight down the string to check the limbs.

[Briar Friar]

Thank yall for the input and guidance. God bless and have a great day!

[Kossetx]

Wood is a dynamic material. Changes in temperature and humidity can make it do strange things. Most limb twist problems arise from those two things. Some bows can be straitened, some made shootable but I've had some that never could be fixed. All you can do is try and hope for the best.