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Maintaining a compound bow comes with plenty of due diligence, know-how, and experience. Regardless of how much it gets used, your compound bow deserves the same care as any other bow. There are many different components involved, and each come with their own stressors that require proper care and attention.
So, how do you maintain a compound bow? Maintaining a compound bow is a combination of proper care, regular inspections, and proper storage. You will need to regularly wax your bowstring, monitor the limbs, and ensure accessories are properly installed (and functioning).
There are quite a few steps regarding the proper care of a compound bow, and you should be proactive and spend the time to keep it in good shape.
Besides, compound bows are not cheap, and you are going to want your current bow to perform optimally.
So let us delve into the recommended maintenance, along with some of the other questions you likely have in regards to keeping it in peak condition.
What Kind of Maintenance Does a Compound Bow Need?
Aside from general inspections from every angle, a compound bow requires maintenance for many different parts, including your bowstring, limbs, cams, and every screw in-between.
It’s crucial never to forget that some maintenance may be particular to your situation based on how you use the bow.
Although they’re an extremely functional piece of equipment, compound bows come with their fair share of do’s and don’ts to ensure the longest lifespan and that they don’t wear out.
Some areas of the bow will require more frequent maintenance than others.
You can expect your bowstring to require frequent attention, as it’s best to keep it waxed for optimal performance.
It’s usually suggested to wax your bowstring at least once a week, and it’ll help it last longer before a replacement is required.
The limbs of your compound bow are built to handle stress and tension, but even they will reach their limit eventually.
Once again, the lifespan of your bow’s limbs will depend on how often you use them and the conditions you store your bow in when not in use.
You want to make sure your bow doesn’t have any splints or cracks in the limbs, as this could lead to a safety hazard down the road.
Regarding storing conditions, it’s always best to keep your bow out of extreme temperatures.
You’ll also find that any kind of moisture isn’t ideal for your compound bow, as it can damage the wood in a short amount of time.
With proper storage and frequent inspections, your bow should be in good health, but there are quite a few other parts that’ll need attention as well.
Are Compound Bows Easy To Maintain?
Overall, compound bows are easy to maintain if you stay on top of frequent inspections, store it properly, and use it how it’s intended to be used.
If you follow what’s required, your bow will stay in good shape.
This doesn’t mean compound bow maintenance can’t get expensive, as poor maintenance can lead to repairs that can become costly.
However, outside of the limbs and bowstring, there are a few other factors you want to pay attention to.
It’s highly suggested never to dry-fire your bow as it can cause a significant amount of damage to the limbs and other structural areas.
It may seem harmless at a glance, but bowstrings are designed to have an arrow in place to take on that force.
Even if you keep up with regular inspections and maintenance, certain parts of the bow are bound to wear out with time.
One of the most common replacements is to restring the bow, and you can find more details on that process down below.
How Often Should A Compound Bow Be Restrung?
Regardless of how often you use your compound bow, the bowstring will need to be replaced eventually. It comes down to how often you use your bow and frequently look for fraying or any weak spots in the bowstring.
Many experts suggest that heavier users replace their bowstring every 2,000-3,000 shots, while more relaxed users have a bit more leeway in this regard.
Then again, how often you use your compound bow isn’t the only factor in the bowstring’s wear and tear.
As previously mentioned in this article, weather and storage conditions can be pretty damaging to every aspect of your compound bow.
Damaged parts on a compound bow can lead to dangerous consequences.
If maintenance and repairs are ignored, it could lead to a potential injury while in use.
Some might say these replacements are up to personal preference, but that’s only true up to a point.
It’s okay to replace your bowstring on a schedule as that’ll help to ensure you never run into any issues, but that isn’t exactly necessary.
Considering you won’t be counting every single shot until a repair is needed, it’s best to check on the current status of your bowstring.
The most important factor about this replacement is safety, as bowstrings and limbs alike can cause serious injuries if they snap in the middle of a draw.
From another aspect, each compound bow is different, and their parts aren’t always of the same quality.
Moreover, not all bowstrings are of the same quality, and some may be more reliable than others.
It’s well known that compound bows can get pretty costly, but it’s a good idea to not cut corners regarding the durability of your compound bow and its individual parts.
So that may even include getting a professional to restring for you if you cannot, nor prefer not to do it yourself.
Should I Oil My Compound Bow?
It’s highly suggested to keep certain parts of your compound bow lubricated at all times.
Making sure that every aspect of your bow is functioning correctly is essential to its overall performance.
It’s also important to avoid any cleaning agents in this process, and the oil is so that your cables and cams can operate without too much friction.
Since some compound bows are made differently, it isn’t uncommon to find a combination of cams and needle bearings.
In that case, you don’t want to use any oil as it could actually break down the grease that’s needed in place and end up causing significant damage to your bow.
You want to ensure these parts of your bow stay lubricated as dry friction is never good for any aspect of your bow and can lead to unwanted repairs sooner than expected.
It’s also vital that you stick to high-quality oils and lubricants as cheap materials are known to provide poor results and may be counterintuitive to what you’re trying to achieve.
No matter how often your bow is in use, all of these maintenance factors need to be considered on a consistent basis.
Some parts may require more maintenance than others, but even something as small as adding oil is essential to the longevity of your compound bow.
Other Compound Bow Maintenance Tips
Below are some other suggestions that will help keep your compound bow in great shape and performing at its best.
Tuned
It’s wise to have your bow tuned.
The information above is a great starting point for necessary compound bow maintenance, but there’s much more that you can do.
Tuning is a task that you can handle yourself if you have the knowledge, but many experts suggest that you take your bow to a professional shop to have it tuned.
Some parts may be more sensitive than others, but compound bows come with quite a few parts that deserve attention, and you can find a brief bullet list of those below:
- Cable slide
- Cables
- Limbs
- Bowstring
- Cams
- Brace height
- Riser
Regarding your cams, it’s imperative that they’re synchronized so that your bow will fire correctly.
Even if every other part of your compound bow is in order, if the position of your cams is off, it’ll cause issues with draw length, timing, and more.
If you find that one cam isn’t in the same position as the other, you can quickly fix this by adjusting the buss cables.
Never Surpass Drawlength
To ensure your bowstring, limbs, and other components stay in the best shape, always ensure you never surpass the draw length your compound bow is suited for.
Although a compound bow can take on a lot of wear and tear, there’s still a wrong and a right way to use it.
These various tips and tricks are for the longevity of the bow and your personal safety.
Take It Seriously
Proper maintenance of your compound bow shouldn’t be taken lightly. Not only is it in your wallet’s best interest, but archery-related injuries are no joke.
A compound bow comes with many more bells and whistles in comparison to a traditional bow, which means they can’t be treated the same by any means.
None of the details in this article should deter you from diving into archery with enthusiasm, but maintenance and upkeep is something that you should expect of the process.
Seek Out A Professional
Above all, if you don’t feel comfortable with certain aspects of maintaining your compound bow, never hesitate to take it to a professional bow shop to know the job will be done right.
Your safety and the lifespan of your compound bow are more important than cutting corners to save a buck on professional help.
To Wrap This Up
Maintaining a compound bow is a lot more taxing than many people think, and it requires consistent attention.
These types of bows come in many durable and reliable builds, but no material quality can stand the test of time and overall wear from repeated use.
I live in Alberta, Canada where I enjoy indoor and 3D archery with traditional bows and compound bows. On this site, I share everything I’ve learned about archery along the way.