WhY Did This Happen ????.

[hunter1947]

Why did this happen everything was new ??? :confused: I waxed the heck out of the string before I used the new cross bow almost broke my finger it was my typing finger :icon_frow and why did 95% of the field tips inserts come out ??? ,now I have to take all my cardboard target apart in order to get the tips etc ..
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3150011.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=23097)

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3150013.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=23098)

[BiG Boar]

How did you apply the wax? Did the string break or a limb? Was the whole thing assembled correctly? Had it been shot before?

PS. Thats what you get for shooting a crossbow....

[open-sights]

Regarding the tips, maybe too much of the glue or not enough time allowed to cure? I have a bail of straw that holds a dozen or so tips as well.

[hunter1947]

How did you apply the wax? Did the string break or a limb? Was the whole thing assembled correctly? Had it been shot before?

PS. Thats what you get for shooting a crossbow....


First time I shot the cross bow it is brand new out of the box I had shot around 30 tiimes before this happened the string broke I applied the wax then used some leather to rub the wax in when doing this it created heat to melt the wax into the string all was assembled correctly no limb broke just the string.

[rocksteady]

I have never used leather to rub in the wax, I just use my fingers....Maybe the leather made it too warm???

I would assume the wrong glue was used on the inserts (maybe you need special glues for carbon arrows??? Just guessing here)

[BiG Boar]

I have heard that using leather to rub in the wax was also bad for the string. Maybe case in point? I don't know.

The tips were probably not glued in with the right glue?

Did the string break on the shot? As it was cocked? Did the arrow make the target?

How did the arrow shatter like that? Are they the correct spine? Does this even matter in cross bows?

What hit your finger? The string? Limb? Arrow? Where was your hand positioned? Were your fingers holding up the target?

[Bowzone_Mikey]

crappy factory string ... crappy factory... assembled bolts ...Using leather to wax the string .... possibly even wrong wax ... designed for synthicitic fibers and natural fibre string???

All reasons Above why I Rarely if ever shoot factory strings ... build my own arrows, and never use leather while waxing a string ...

Having an arrow break where it did .. suggests a couple of things ... either it wasnt nocked properly ... or and I am leaning in this direction ... it was damaged from getting hit by another arrow in a previous target practice session

[hunter1947]

I applied the wax onto the the string then rubbed with a piece of leather folded over the string I did not get the string warm at all just the friction rubbed the wax in.

I shot the cross bow when the string broke as far as I am concerned I did nothing wrong for this to happen :evil:..

[greybark]

:(Hey Wayne , I suspect that the broken string contributed to the broken shaft . Using leather to apply string wax can create enough heat to burn your fingers and can alter and weaken the string . You did state waxing the heck out of it !
Cheers

[ROEBUCK]

buy cheap, buy twice ! as the saying goes !
glad you did not get seriously hurt !
I personally would never buy a chinesse bow,crossbow or firearm!
at least it wasnt on a hunt.

[hunter1947]

Did you clean the inner parts of the shaft before gluing in your inserts? Use a nylon brush(like a neck brush for reloading) and clean out the inside of the carbon shaft. The carbon dust from cutting interferes with the bone.

Give more specs on the set up.
Crossbow? Weight? Shafts? Weight?


The bolts come all assembled ready to use.

[hunter1947]

crappy factory string ... crappy factory... assembled bolts ...Using leather to wax the string .... possibly even wrong wax ... designed for synthicitic fibers and natural fibre string???

All reasons Above why I Rarely if ever shoot factory strings ... build my own arrows, and never use leather while waxing a string ...

Having an arrow break where it did .. suggests a couple of things ... either it wasn't nocked properly ... or and I am leaning in this direction ... it was damaged from getting hit by another arrow in a previous target practice session

I waxed my string on the ex caliber I had for two years did it the same way I did this one never had a prob doing it this way ,I think the string was a piece of crap and thats why it broke :twisted:.

I check every bolt I put in to make sure it is down all the way and this bolt was anchored down all the way ,its when I shot that the string broke.

[BlacktailStalker]

I am sure wayne isn't stupid enough to rub the string fast enough to create friction to damage the string... using fingers builds heat too.
He's owned a crossbow for years.
Clearly the inserts weren't glued where they were purchased from...

Wayne I would send the thing back and go with a mainstream product.

[ROEBUCK]

i was always told to wax the string after use, not just before use.
but i do not think this is the reason the string failed,i think you can blame china for that

[hunter1947]

I just got my finger out of the ice to post this new message my finger is a lot better after being in ice for 15 min.

Anyways I talked to one the big wigs from Maximus bows I explained all to him he said that there was nothing I did wrong and that the strings that come with the bow I bought are garbage ,yes you heard right garbage I wish I had knowen this from the start.

Marc has the same bow and I will send him a message telling him about this problum with the factory strings that come with the cross bows I don't want him to get hurt.

He said that there is a string that will hold up to this cross bow it is called a ballistic string and they shot over a hundred rounds with this string and it held up.

regarding why the tips came out he said that there is so much in pact when the bolt hits the target that they come loose the bolts that they sent me are very good carbon bolts the name is gold tip he said to send all back and he will replace all and also they will send a new ballistic string :neutral:.

[blackwater moose]

in the the "maintenance " thread , it was stated that it is okay to use soft pliable leather to rub in the wax.

[BiG Boar]

Adds a whole new dimention to hunting! Known as Chinese Roulette.

Out of curiosity Wayne, do you own any Chinese rifles?

[hunter1947]

Adds a whole new dimention to hunting! Known as Chinese Roulette.

Out of curiosity Wayne, do you own any Chinese rifles?


No and thank god I don't :wink:..

[digger dogger]

Wayne, did everything happen regarding you finger when you pulled the trigger?
A buddy of mine almost lost the tip of his finger by holding his finger to high and the string got him good, but no exlposion like you had.
I've never had a problem using the excaliber bolts or the tips they say to use.
Maybe your finger slowed the string down enough to lose contact with the bolt, then caught up to it after your finger was outta the way?
Quite puzzling if your finger wasn't in the way.

[hunter1947]

Wayne, did everything happen regarding you finger when you pulled the trigger?
A buddy of mine almost lost the tip of his finger by holding his finger to high and the string got him good, but no exlposion like you had.
I've never had a problem using the excaliber bolts or the tips they say to use.
Maybe your finger slowed the string down enough to lose contact with the bolt, then caught up to it after your finger was outta the way?
Quite puzzling if your finger wasn't in the way.

I had my hand holding the stock like you do a rifle but you see the string when it broke hit my finger and did it ever hit it hard I am having my secont drink of whisky to help ease the pain :tongue: LOL.

[lip_ripper00]

I had my hand holding the stock like you do a rifle but you see the string when it broke hit my finger and did it ever hit it hard I am having my secont drink of whisky to help ease the pain :tongue: LOL.


Atta boy!:mrgreen:

[Ron.C]

If you can return it Wayne, do it. If a rep from the company said "the strings are garbage", then I'd have to question the rest of the bow as well.

Glad to hear you weren't seriously hurt. I'm sure you be healed up and ready to go for Sept 1st ;)

[hunter1947]

If you can return it Wayne, do it. If a rep from the company said "the strings are garbage", then I'd have to question the rest of the bow as well.

Glad to hear you weren't seriously hurt. I'm sure you be healed up and ready to go for Sept 1st ;)

Ron I was very happy with my shot placement and at 370 fps was this cross bow ever fast with a 475 gold wing carbon bolt with field tips..:-D

[killer]

I know when i bought my crossbow the directions stated to not leave the string knocked for more than 5 hours and wax every 5to10 shots .mine is a barnett 150 lb pull have had one string break but it was 4 years old.that finger looks sore shitty way to learn stuff.

[Bow Walker]

Wayne - send it all back to Bill, get your money back and let Bill deal with Maximus Bows regarding this issue - plus the issue of crappy strings on his remaining inventory.

Go get a good bow if you don't like your older one. Maybe go to the "parent" company if the Maximus bows are considered to be knock-offs of Excalibur, then go get the original, an Excalibur.

As far as appliying wax with a piece of soft leather - I do it and have done it for a lot of years. Never any damage to strings or cables or serving - at all.

The knock on using leather was that there could be some dirt or grit on the leather which, when rubbed on the string, could (might, possibly) fray or damage the string.

Just make sure that the leather piece is kept in a small plastic baggy and that particular problem is solved.

As for being able to rub hard enough so that the heat build-up could (might possibly) damage the string? Unless your fingers are made of asbestos, it couldn't possibly happen that way. I call BS on that thought.

Wayne is no dummy. He knows how to take care of his equipment. Never doubt it.

[hunter1947]

I will wait till I talk to Bill about this problem with this maximus cross bow I am not very happy this early morning finger was giving me some problems last night up earlier then normal because of this finger might head into the clinic this morning and have it looked at I think it is broken ??? :(..

[hunter1947]

I have been doing lots of thinking about what I should do ,I was thinking about what if this where to happen to me when I was about to shot a big bull elk ????.

What happens if at the beginning of bow season that a problem accrued what will I do ??? do I lose the bow season and a chance to fill my dreams with my first bull elk with a cross bow ??? http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon3.gif I don't want to be sending this bow back in a few years because of problems with it I need something that will give me no problems till the day I stop hunting..

[hunter1947]

Here is what I did so the ends would not get damaged when shipping takes place..
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3160015_01.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=23105)

[oldtimer]

Wayne I use a soft piece of leather as well for aplying the wax, have for years, never a problem.
Gold tips are good arrows, have used them for years, I think it was a bad glue job.
Get the good string, get some new arrows, and fire away.
Mike

[Tripitaka]

Wayne - sounds like you have lost confidence in the bow. It is going to be a long time coming back and each time you pull that trigger you are going to be thinking "Is the same thing gonna happen?"

It doesn't have to be rational - that the string broke not the bow - but if you have doubts, now might be the time to swap it rather than later. If not, go with teh new sting and enjoy! Sure looks a beast of a tool..

[hunter1947]

Wayne I use a soft piece of leather as well for applying the wax, have for years, never a problem.
Gold tips are good arrows, have used them for years, I think it was a bad glue job.
Get the good string, get some new arrows, and fire away.
Mike


Mike I looked at all the 9 brass inserts that came out of the carbon bolts I can not see any sine of gleu I think they where never gleued in..

And yes I used the leather on my string when I had my ex caliber and I shot over 200 rounds with the string and never had an issue with the string ,this new cross bow I only shot about 30 rounds off before it broke..

[rocksteady]

Prior to the string breaking was there any indication of it starting to fail??? Fraying, etc....or was it just a catastrophic failure with no warning???

[hunter1947]

Prior to the string breaking was there any indication of it starting to fail??? Fraying, etc....or was it just a catastrophic failure with no warning???


Good call Mike I did see that the winding that is about 3 inches long where it clicks into the trigger had pulled away about 1/8 of an inch where this 1/8 gap was it was where the hook goes on the cocking ayed ..

[rocksteady]

So maybe it was not a garbage string, but rather its an issue with the cocking aid being sharp enough to cut the string OR whatever mechanism is used to hold the string back once cocked could also be a wee bit sharp....

Kind of like doing CSI for you, trying to find out the root of the problem...

[hunter1947]

So maybe it was not a garbage string, but rather its an issue with the cocking aid being sharp enough to cut the string OR whatever mechanism is used to hold the string back once cocked could also be a wee bit sharp....

Kind of like doing CSI for you, trying to find out the root of the problem...


Mike the cocking aid is not sharp on the edges I just looked at both sides and they are not sharp.

I had talked to Marc because he has the same cross bow as me he did notice that a few of the hairs where coming out from his so he replaced it with a different make of string I forget what name he told me..

[Bow Walker]

Wayne, you've checked the cocking aid hooks for sharp edges and found none, right?

Try checking the trigger mechanism itself. Are there any sharp edges in there? Maybe a burr on the metal that is slowly cutting through the string? Or something that wears the string fibers away?

About Bill, I'd suggest that you shoot him an email or a PM and explain the problem. Get "on record" with your issues. Either tell him what you want done, or ask him what he's going to do about it.

[351BII]

Maybe was there something on the leather that caused the string to deteriorate? Just a guess. I got no idea. I havent had a string break on my crossbow...Maybe for some goofy reason the limbs are tipped down causing lots of friction between the string and bed???

[hunter1947]

I found the other half of the string today the string broke right dead center where the bolt is set this means all guess regarding the wax is out the window because of the extra winding that goes over the string to reinforce where the bolt is my guess is that when the bolt is being hit when I pull the trigger this did the break Picture shows all a clean break .

I checked the two locking hammers that lock the string and they are smooth and are slightly rounded at the rear so will not cut the string....

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3160018.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=23106)

[Bow Walker]

Only thing left to say is - "Crappy string, then."

As mentioned earlier, toss it all back in Tozer's lap. It is very likely that the limbs on the bow are overly stressed now. That was as near as damn-it to a dry-fire.

Get a new setup. Same one if you like the speeds, just upgrade the string.

[Bowzone_Mikey]

once again .. the very reason I advocate a new custom string with every purchase of Bow.

shitty factory strings are almost always built by the lowest bidder ... think about that for second....

the only exception to my rule will be my new Elite ... since they reccomend string material that I havent used alot of in the past(452x opposed to 8125 that I use exclusivly now on my current bows) and is generally thought of as the best factory string on the market I will shoot it for a while .... I suspect about a week and re-access ...

[The Hermit]

Glad that Randy is replacing your arrows and getting a new and better string for you. If there is anything I can do let me know and we will work it out on my return from New Zealand.

Wayne - I want you to inspect the limbs carefully for any sign of cracking or delimitation. Do it now when it is unstrung and then using the stringing aid to load the limbs. If there are any issues let it down and call me to arrange shipping it back. I will cover any and all shipping.

Strings break. That doesn't mean the bow is poorly made and the nonsense about it being crap because it was manufactured in China is pretty biased and uninformed in this day and age.

The bow has a five year warranty so if there is a problem with the bow send it back and I'll replace or refund your purchase.

[hunter1947]

I have contacted this President from Maximus cross bow and I have to say he is a stand up person I have nothing but good to say about this company :-D :-D..

[Mountaintop]

Wayne - I want you to inspect the limbs carefully for any sign of cracking or delimitation. Do it now when it is unstrung and then using the stringing aid to load the limbs.

Wayne, listen to Hermit on this and carefully check the limbs. Any dry fire type of incident can damage them. One piece of advice I got from a long time crossbower is to rub a cotton ball over the limbs. It will often find micro cracking and delaminating you might not be able to see by catching some fibers

[bsa30-06]

I had my hand holding the stock like you do a rifle but you see the string when it broke hit my finger and did it ever hit it hard I am having my secont drink of whisky to help ease the pain :tongue: LOL.

A few more Wayne and you'll forget all about that finger,but your head might hurt when you wake up.All kidding aside thats pretty scarey,hope the new string solves your problem.

[hunter1947]

A few more Wayne and you'll forget all about that finger,but your head might hurt when you wake up.All kidding aside thats pretty scarey,hope the new string solves your problem.


This cross bow is all packaged up and will be sent back to this company in Ontario today they wanted it all back ,they will sent a new one back to me with two new ballistic strings and a few extra goodies for the shipping coast ,like I said they stand behind there products they sell and there is a 5 year warranty on this cross bow I bought :wink:.

[Mountain Man]

Waxing with the leather is 100% fine don't let anyone tell you different. That is what you are suppose to do. The heat and friction created be melting the wax into the string is nothing.

If the tips were glued in from factory thats why they pulled out ! The factory has base rate kids glueing in tips many time and they are never liberal with glue. I recommend always glueing in your own tips. 99% alcohol with a q tip then put glue in the arrow and then some on the inserts. Don't be cheap and use a good carbon archery glue only, Goat tough, Quantum XT just to name two.

[Mountain Man]

Im pretty sure I know what happened even though you could have given us a few more details on the event.

I would bet that you loaded and shot a bolt that had no field point or insert. When you pulled one of your arrows out of your target you didnt notice that the arrow you loaded did not have a tip on it. So in turn when you shot the cross bow you dry fired the bow. This is why the string broke and that is why the arrow broke. Why ???? because thats exactly what happens.

I would bet money on it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In fact I have worked on 12 yes 12 dry fired bows this month in the shop !!!!!

I have seen this happen before, many an archer, compound or cross bow has shot a arrow with no tip or insert as it pulled out in the target and they did not realize the arrow did not have a tip.

[Mountain Man]

Oh and by the way there is nothing wrong with todays factory strings.

If they were shit they would not be using them. Are there better string out there ? Sure ! Thats not why the string blew ! Do you think manufactures want to be sued because they are cheaping out on string material ???

I ask the nay sayers when the last time the have toured a string making factory and im not talking about your basement operation. Factory strings in this modern day are of very good quality.

It blew due to a dry fire !! 100% Strings dont just blow up ! They blow for the following reasons.
Dry fire
Lack of maitanence
Age
Broken strands
In a case like this for a new string to just blow up its very un likely.

[hunter1947]

Oh and by the way there is nothing wrong with todays factory strings.

If they were shit they would not be using them. Are there better string out there ? Sure ! Thats not why the string blew ! Do you think manufactures want to be sued because they are cheaping out on string material ???

I ask the nay sayers when the last time the have toured a string making factory and im not talking about your basement operation. Factory strings in this modern day are of very good quality.

It blew due to a dry fire !! 100% Strings dont just blow up ! They blow for the following reasons.
Dry fire
Lack of maitanence
Age
Broken strands
In a case like this for a new string to just blow up its very un likely.

This cross bow was brand new out of the box I waxed the string 5 times before using this bow on the 30th shot when I pulled the trigger bang it blew apart my thoughts are that you where there standing beside me watching me as I shot my cross bow and thats why you know I dry fired a bolt with no field tip in the bolt ???.

On my carbon bolts I did have 8 out of the 10 bolts that the field tips inserts that carry the field tip came out when I pulled out the bolts from the target I noticed the tips gone I then put them to one side till I was down to 2 bolts that still had there field tips on the bolts then the string broke ,I inspect every bolt after pulling the bolt out of the target not likely I fired a bolt without the field tip on the bolt.

Come to think about it I took a picture of the bolts in the shipping box that I sent back and the field tip is still on the bolt that came apart I will put the picture up.

Even the president of this company admitted they have had problems with the string breaking on other new cross bows so there you go why would he lie to me about this problem ???.

This cross bow is on its way back to the company I bought it from something is not right I am a very careful person when it comes to these kind of things.

The top right inside railing has taken off the bluing the length of the bolt on the right side this is not normal picture shows all ,here is a picture of the wear on the right inside railing the other picture on the left side no wear on this side of the rail as you can see..


Left side view of the inside left rail top no wear.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3210027.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=23166)

Right side rail you can see the wear starting from the bolt holder down to where the string rests when it is not cocked.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3210026.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=23165&limit=recent)

The bolt that broke the arrow I put there shows the field tip in place..
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3160015.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=23169)

[RodS]

One thing to remember with carbon shafts is that the inside of the shaft must be scoured and then cleaned to get a good bond with the glue.
Use a brass gun cleaning brush for a .22 to scratch up the inside of the shaft, then clean it well with a Q-tip after. Also use a good super glue designed for carbon arrows. Never use hot melt type glues. Doing this I have never had an insert pull out.

[hunter1947]

One thing to remember with carbon shafts is that the inside of the shaft must be scoured and then cleaned to get a good bond with the glue.
Use a brass gun cleaning brush for a .22 to scratch up the inside of the shaft, then clean it well with a Q-tip after. Also use a good super glue designed for carbon arrows. Never use hot melt type glues. Doing this I have never had an insert pull out.


Good advice.

[Bow Walker]

Yes. Good advice. One thing though - on most arrow shafts it takes a .30 caliber brush to do the job, not a .22 brush.

Wayne, don't let some comments get to you. Being the careful person that I know you to be, it is very difficult for me to believe that you'd pull a bolt out of the target and then use it again without at least looking at it first.

I have had inserts pull out of the shafts myself. I make it a habit to not only flex my carbon arrows when I pull them out of a target, but I also inspect both ends before using it again. I've had nocks get broken by other arrows slapping them as they hit the target. I always look at my arrows.

[Mountain Man]

Dont get me wrong i'm not blaming you for doing anything right or wrong.

You simply ask why this happened ?

My main answer after reading a very vague description and not knowing all the details is that its was more than possible you shot a arrow without a tip. There are reasons I assumed this. One you had mentioned the tips were coming out, and two, people do this all the time. Its not a novice mistake, i've seen guys shoot arrows after a tip has been pulled out and not realize it, i have been standing beside guys at tournaments and seen them at full draw in this manner, I myself have drawn my bow back to realize at the last second there was no tip in the arrow.

If your 100% positive this did not happen then its a surprise to see.

Now that i see what bow it is it brings me to another conclusion. It looks like the chinese excalibur nock of that we used to sell and there is a reason we don't sell them anymore as we had a few different problems with them. Don't get me wrong i'm not blaming you for buying one, im just saying we had issues with them. Im glad they are looking after you !

[hunter1947]

I just hope I don't get bad bolts back and the inserts come out again ???.

[Bow Walker]

Going to be hard to tell just by looking at them. I bought an Insert Tool a few years ago because I build my own arrows and bolts. This tool allows you to screw the insert onto the tool and apply glue to both the empty shaft and to the insert itself, then you just push (while rotating) the insert into the shaft.

What you also can do is to remove the tip from the arrow or bolt and screw the Insert Tool into the hole where the tip goes. When screwed in firmly, give the insert a good hard pull. If it's going to come out - you can generally pull it out. This way saves having to dig for the tip and insert in your target, and is a good way to test for proper gluing.

[hunter1947]

Going to be hard to tell just by looking at them. I bought an Insert Tool a few years ago because I build my own arrows and bolts. This tool allows you to screw the insert onto the tool and apply glue to both the empty shaft and to the insert itself, then you just push (while rotating) the insert into the shaft.

What you also can do is to remove the tip from the arrow or bolt and screw the Insert Tool into the hole where the tip goes. When screwed in firmly, give the insert a good hard pull. If it's going to come out - you can generally pull it out. This way saves having to dig for the tip and insert in your target, and is a good way to test for proper gluing.

Dan I will give a call and ask them to put in an attachment and hold the end in a vice and to pull with all they got to see if the ends field inserts come out ,do you think this would be a good idea ,or get them to shoot them 10 times to see if all is well ???? before they send the bolts to me..:wink:

[Bow Walker]

I'll assume you mean putting the the attachment end in the vice and pulling on the arrow shaft with your hands - which is a great idea to test the glue. It really shouldn't come apart. If it does you'll have to clean up the inside of the shaft and the outside of the insert and then glue them back together.

I've tried a lot of different glues. It's hard to glue together two different types of materials and have them stick. Metal and carbon fober don't really bond together real well. I have had good luck with two-part epoxy type glues. Mix them together real well and then allow the arrow to dry for at least 48 hours. My sound excessive, but it works and that's the main thing.

[hunter1947]

Dan I assure you when I get the bolts back the field tips will be unscrewed and a bolt put in the end I then I will pull on the bolt as hard as I can and see what happens..

[Bow Walker]

Not worried at all Wayne. I suspect that you're going to be busy re-gluing though. Wish I could help you.

[hunter1947]

Dan there is an excellent bow store up here and if I need any advice there is always this great site to ask :wink:..

[triggr31]

was the bolt pushed right to the string before you shot ? that is the golden question . I had one blow up on me years ago because of that . must make sure bolt is all the way back.

[TheProvider]

Well seems like a good time for a story after reading this. Years ago when I lived near Ottawa Ontario. I was out hunting deer with a cross bow. Trying to fill my last anterless tag. I got into stand, took an arrow out of my quiver and like I always do I made sure the broadhead was tight. To my surprise it turned but the whole insert turned. I put that arrow back in the quiver, grabbed another arrow and put it in the bow. Was an excellant night had 12 deer feeding infront of me. A doe came to within12yards so I took the shot. Heard the "twap!!" All deer took off. Waited a few minutes then climbed down outta the stand and walked over to where the deer was standing when I shot. There was a little bit of cut hair on the ground. I looked past the spot to see if my arrow had pass through. The was a small hole in the snow a few yards away. Brushing the snow away expecting to find my arrow, to my surprise I found my broadhead attached to the insert laying in the snow, no arrow. I never recovered that animal unfortunately. Looked for hours with my body and only found about 3 drops of blood. Never did find the arrow.

Lesson of the day- Always make sure your insert are glued in properly!

[The Hermit]

I just tested all the inserts in all my arrows and bolts (about four dozen in all). LOTS of the inserts turned, and Wayne - ALL the GT Crossbow bolt inserts turned. So I pulled them out, scruffed up the inside of the carbon shafts, cleaned up the inserts, and re-glued them all.

Glad you received the new 2011 bow, and upgraded scope. Please let me know when your new bolts arrive and if the inserts were loose! Cheers

[OOBuck]

Sounds like operator error. It you were using the leather because the string was getting too hot between your fingers this is a problem. The string only needs to be waxed
about every 60 or so shots. If the string looked like it needed to be waxed after 30 shots ie: tiny frays or looked a little furry, I don't think I would have used it.
I fixed a friend up with one of the Maximus crossbows and they are great, I regret not buying the thing as it was a demo model he got a screaming
deal on it. I have shot both the Excalibur Exomax & the Maximus and you can tell the thing apart. The first time I laid hands on the crossbow I couldn`t tell it
wasn't a excalibur, the quality is there for sure.