bow string blow out.. multi part question

[treehugger]

This was my first season bow hunting...
I bought a second-hand bow, a 1995 HCA Excalibur... the price seemed reasonable and it came all set up. I live on Haida Gwaii so there weren't really any options other than ebay, Island Outfitters and usedvictoria (my family lives down there). My folks, who live in Victoria, sent it up with a friend after having it tuned at Island Outfitters. The bow arrived and after practicing relentlessly I felt super confident at 30yds and less than sure of anything smaller than an Elk at 40yds. I popped my bow cherry on a spiker at about 25yds in August and even tried the bow-only Elk season up here... it was fun, I hiked miles, it rained, I was in a swamp and solo... thank god I didn't see anything!
Anyways, just the other day I was practicing and the string blew out on my second shot. It broke at the nock and despite the sound and shudder the rest held together.
Here are the options:
1. I can send it to Brian (seems like an archery guru) at Misty River in Terrace and have him put it back together... about $60 for a string and $30 for each yolk plus $20 to $30 for tuning and tax and whatever shipping is... totalling over the original cost of the bow.
2. Salvage what I can off of it and buy a stinger or brute on ebay for $369 plus shipping
3. Or, buy a portable bow press, peep, string seperator and new string (no new cables, they look good in my not so expert opinion) and try to muddle through it here.
I kinda like 3... experience tuning and building up a supply of archery related tools and goodies for when I do decide to upgrade. Also, it seems cheapest and I'll maybe breathe some life back into this old dinosaur... maybe one day retiring it to a bow-fishing rig during the salmon run. My main concern with trying to do it myself is I might be getting in way over my head.. can an average intelligence guy with a left and right hand with all the right numbers of fingers and thumbs fumble through restringing a bow, installing a d-loop and nock-locator. I also know nothing about ordering strings or anything about tuning... would this be necessary with a straight string replacement?
Thanks thugger

[Riverbc]

I think that a new bow in your price range is the way to go. A lot of changes in the bow industry since 1995. The Stinger and Brute are good choices. Having it set up for you is another thing.

[BCHoyt]

Also check out the Bowtech Assassin... I shoot one and love it...

[boing-whap]

Time to shop for a new bow, there lots of great choices. As far as tuning, I prefer bows with an idler wheel on top, with single cam on the bottom, there is no timing issues with this set up. I can change the draw length on my bows without a bow press. These are some ways to simplify tuning, being able tie D loops and serve strings would also be a good skill if your isolated. I have a small handheld grain scale and a chronograph with this I can optimise mass and velocity and get the best accuracy.

[Vader]

If you blew the main string, change them all. There is much to learn about the initial setup by putting the bow back into spec including cam timing and brace height and a host of other things that require twisting strings etc. Can't be done easily without a decent press. If you are happy with what you have then $150 for a new set and tune will be money well spent if it's what you can afford.

Your type of failure is common because of the serving material that hides the strands. In future be aware of the 'lumpy' look of the serving or gaps, it usually indicates broken strands.

Lots of new technologies out there and it is more likely time for an upgrade. Nothing $750 shouldn't take care of..

[treehugger]

Thanks for all the tips. I have been looking at the stinger and the brute... I think Island Outfitters is a PSE dealer and Joanne seems pretty knowledgeable and helpful. I'll be in Victoria in feb so it might have to be a late xmas present! There's sure a lot of info on this site, I wish I knew about it back in July. The new bows seem light years ahead of this relic, even the entry level ones. As for the old Excalibur, I think I'll attempt to resurrect it... seems like a waste to just throw it away
How often do you wax your strings, do you wax all of them and are there any other maintenance tips to ensuring string longevity?
thugger

[boing-whap]

Joanne is very good, she helped me when i was getting started, you may also consider a trip to Buckys in Duncan, Richard has awealth of knowledge, and you can shoot the bows there to see how they feel/fit, they have a web site which shows used bows in stock aswell. As your looking at PSE I have a Bowmadness XS which is a light, 3lb, short (28"ata) hunter @ 60#, it s a really solid little bow.

[Lozzie]

I have the 2011 PSE Brute and it's a fine bow for hunting( if I didn't shoot over their backs ) I've replaced the sight, stabilizer and rest ,it's greatly increased my accuracy and confidence. IO is good but keep in mind some days you walk in and there will be a dozen bows and the next there will be three. Nothing wrong with buying a package bow online or pre-ordering at the store. P.S. Chrono @ 280 fps with my setup


Thanks for all the tips. I have been looking at the stinger and the brute... I think Island Outfitters is a PSE dealer and Joanne seems pretty knowledgeable and helpful. I'll be in Victoria in feb so it might have to be a late xmas present! There's sure a lot of info on this site, I wish I knew about it back in July. The new bows seem light years ahead of this relic, even the entry level ones. As for the old Excalibur, I think I'll attempt to resurrect it... seems like a waste to just throw it away
How often do you wax your strings, do you wax all of them and are there any other maintenance tips to ensuring string longevity?
thugger

[treehugger]

Thanks again for all the tips.. I'll definitely be in the market for a new bow for next season... as for the one I have:
I had a chance to get into Misty River Tackle in Terrace over the xmas break and got a lot of info off the owner... very knowledgeable and super friendly! if you're ever in the area...
I figured it'd be a shame to bin my old HCA so I got him to order me a string for it (no yokes, didn't want to invest too much in this old beast:-D). I also picked up a metal nock loop and new peep. I also bought a portable bow press figuring it would come in handy later too. I've restrung the bow, served in the peep and attached the nock loop. Does anyone have any tips before I start hitting the hay bail or should I just start at 10' and walk back. I'm kind of winging the instal. I've attached the nock loop so the arrow sits slightly slightly above parallel to the riser when the bow's not drawn and I started with serving the peep in 4" above the nock loop but that was waaaay off so I moved it up until the front and back sights are pretty comfortably lined up.
Any help would be appreciated.. thanks (I probably should've posted this in the bow tuning section)

[Vader]

The "normal" peep height is usually around the 4.5" mark.. However, it is best to draw the bow with eyes closed and find your anchor. Open your eyes and if the peep isn't where you can see the pins then move the peep so that you can. Do this in front of the target with an arrow on just in case you have an accidental release. No harm done.
I would start with the rest at exact level and centered on the berger hole if you are using a release. Paper tune for arrow flight and then walk back tune for fine tuning. Lots of info on the www on these two procedures.

[RoscoeP]

I wax my string every couple of weeks or anytime it feels dry. My peep height is closer to 6.5" above the D-loop. Cheers Roscoe

[Blk Arrow]

When you get your bow tuned, cut a strip of cardboard from a shoe box or similar cardboard. Trace the location of your nock (or in your case loop nock) and peep onto the cardboard. Also measure the height of the bottom of the loop nock from your rest using a bow square. Record this on your strip of cardboard with the brace height and tiller measurements. It is good to have 2. 1 with you at all times and 1 in your bow case. Now if something does not seem right with your bow you have a baseline to work from. If you need to replace your string you don't have to start right from scratch.

[Vader]

When you get your bow tuned, cut a strip of cardboard from a shoe box or similar cardboard. Trace the location of your nock (or in your case loop nock) and peep onto the cardboard. Also measure the height of the bottom of the loop nock from your rest using a bow square. Record this on your strip of cardboard with the brace height and tiller measurements. It is good to have 2. 1 with you at all times and 1 in your bow case. Now if something does not seem right with your bow you have a baseline to work from. If you need to replace your string you don't have to start right from scratch.


Very good tip! Most, least the majority of the ones I came across, might not know what tiller is... Measured from where limb meets the riser to the string at 90 degrees.. measure both limbs.

[treehugger]

Thanks again for the tips guys.
Vader, I ended up adjusting the arrow relative to the berger hole (after googling berger hole) and the tip on closing my eyes then opening them after anchoring is useful too. It seems to be shooting straight and comfortably.
As per the original post, this wasn't a swap out as my last string blew up, it was a straight replacement.
Blk Arrow, I'll be sure to trace my current setup so when/if this happens again I'll have something to work off. I'm sure it's useful even if I intentionally remove the old string;-)