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Compound bows are modern marvels – an intricate network of components like cables and pulleys. But the core of the bow is still the bowstring. This is the most important component of the bow, responsible for transferring the bow’s power into the arrow during firing. It’s important to restring your compound bow correctly to keep it in peak condition.
But, how much does it cost to restring a compound bow? It typically costs between $50-$300 to get a compound bow restrung, on average. A bowstring will generally cost between $50-$200, whereas the tools required to do the restring yourself will cost a further $50-$100. The labor to get your bow professionally restrung can be as low as $20.
As you can see, if you’re doing a DIY restring – it can actually work out more expensive!
Especially the first time you do it as you need to consider all the tools.
Paying a professional to restring your compound bow still means that you need to buy the bowstring, but you will be paying for their expertise and time here.
And as you will also see, there is quite a range here.
And of course, there are a range of other factors to consider, such as where you live, transportation costs and so on and so forth.
Nevertheless, let us break down the costs a little further to give you a much better understanding and a fair prediction of your total cost.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A Compound Bow Professionally Restrung?
Typically, this can cost between $70 and $250, depending on the specific bowstring that you buy as well as how much the professional charges for the work. It’s a relatively quick and easy process as most archery specialist shops have the right restringing equipment.
Whether you decide to do your own restringing or leave it to a specialist, a bowstring is the first thing you’ll need to buy.
When setting a budget, think about how often you’ll be shooting and which weight of bowstring that you’ll need.
You may also need to consider how your compound bow needs its strings installed when deciding which one to buy.
Change your bowstring once every one or two years if you’re a regular shooter.
This is especially true for archers who practice target archery, as the repetitive motion forces greater and greater stress through the bowstring.
If you hunt with a compound bow, you won’t be shooting as repetitively.
This means that you can get away with changing the string less often – every two or three years at the most.
If the string shows signs of fraying and wearing, you’ll need to replace it regardless of how long you’ve had it.
Bowstrings can cost as little as $50 or as much as $200.
How much you spend will depend on several factors, such as how much you shoot and the draw weight that you want to shoot with.
If you practice regularly and your compound bow gets a lot of use, it’s definitely worth plumping for a higher-quality bowstring that will stand up to more rigorous shooting.
You’ll then have to pay for someone to do the actual replacement.
Typically, the best place to go is your local archery store.
They’ll know exactly how to restring your compound bow quickly and safely, using the proper tools.
Labor costs will vary depending on each store but usually fall somewhere between $20 and $50.
How Much Does It Cost To Restring A Compound Bow Yourself?
While it may seem cheaper to restring your compound bow at home, the cost may not actually be that much different. You still need to get a bowstring which costs somewhere around $50 to $200. You can change your bowstring without specialist equipment, but using a bow press is always advised. Even a travel bow press can cost around $50.
Even with DIY restringing, you’ll still need a new bowstring for your compound bow.
As we discussed above, the exact cost varies depending on your needs, but you could pay anything ranging from $50 to $200.
It’s definitely good practice to spend a bit extra to get a high-quality and durable bowstring from a recognized brand if you’re going to be doing a lot of shooting.
Switching the string of your compound bow on your own means that you can avoid labor charges for the work.
While this seems great, it’s crucial to make sure that you know exactly how to restring your compound bow safely.
Doing it wrong places a lot of stress on the components of the bow and can also be extremely dangerous if the bow or the string snaps while you’re trying to shoot.
To ensure that the bowstring is changed correctly, it’s a good idea to invest in a bow press.
This piece of equipment holds the bow securely during maintenance and can be a great purchase.
You can get portable bow presses as well, although even these cost approximately $50.
This means that even without paying for labor, it can cost about the same to restring your compound bow either on your own or by paying someone else to do it.
Or more.
If you want to buy a full bow press, these can set you back hundreds of dollars.
Unless you’re going to doing a lot of customization work on your compound bow, purchasing a full bow press isn’t really going to be worth it.
But if you have the correct knowledge to restring the bow safely without the aid of a bow press, then you can save a decent amount of money by performing the procedure yourself in the long run.
All you’ll need to buy is the bowstring.
Without paying for professional work, you could save between $20 and $50 each time.
Where Can You Get Your Compound Bow Restrung?
There are a couple of options here. The best place to go is your local archery store. They’ll possess the right knowledge and tools to restring your compound bow safely and correctly. You may also know someone who knows how to change compound bowstrings at your local archery club or range.
Going to your nearby archery or sporting goods store is the easiest option for most archers who want their compound bows restrung professionally.
You’ll have to pay for the work, but it’s worth it to make sure that it’s done safely.
If you have several archery shops within your local area, it’s worth shopping around and comparing prices to see who can do it for the lowest price.
The reason for using a professional archery store is that they will have the correct tools for restringing compound bows safely and will often use a full bow press.
They’ll also have the expertise and experience to perform the work quickly and properly.
Restringing generally costs between $20 and $50, which is definitely worth it for the sake of peace of mind.
If you don’t really know how to restring a compound bow safely, it can be extremely dangerous.
If the bow isn’t set up correctly or the string isn’t done right, the stress is distributed incorrectly.
This can result in the components suddenly breaking under tension, potentially causing injury to yourself and others.
You might also be able to get your compound bow restrung by someone with the right knowledge and tools at your local club or shooting range.
This will probably still incur a charge, but it may not be as expensive as taking your bow to a store.
Make sure that the person knows exactly what they’re doing though.
What Do You Need To Restring Your Compound Bow Yourself?
If you’ve decided on the DIY route, you’ll need a couple of tools to restring your compound bow correctly. A bow press, whether it’s a portable one or a full version, helps to secure the bow during restringing. You’ll also need some hex keys.
Once you’ve purchased your chosen bowstring, you’ll need to fit it. If you’re performing a DIY restringing, there are some tools that you’ll need for changing the string safely.
Whether you’re using a bow press or not, you’ll need some Allen or hex keys to loosen the bolts on the riser of the bow.
This helps to slacken the tension in the bow, making it possible to change the string.
Although you can restring a compound bow by hand, it’s worth investing in a bow press to make sure that the maintenance is done correctly and safely.
A bow press helps to hold the bow securely while you’re working on it as well as lessening the tension in the components.
You can get both portable and fixed bow presses, depending on which one suits your needs.
Portable bow presses are useful if you like to hunt with your compound bow, allowing you to restring your bow even when you’re out in the wilds.
They cost around $50 and more.
My go-to, and clear recommendation is this one from Bass Pro Shops.
Fixed bow presses can cost hundreds of dollars.
A portable bow press meets the needs of most archers.
Some compound bows do actually need you to use a bow press for switching strings.
One thing you can also do is contact the company who made your bow to see what they recommend.
You’ll also need to identify how your bow needs its bowstring fitted.
For bows with teardrop-shaped attachments, any fresh string needs to be installed while the old one is still connected.
For bows without these specialized attachments, changing the string is much easier.
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.