Why You Should Never Dry Fire A Bow

Key Takeaways

• Dry firing a crossbow, compound bow, or recurve bow is extremely dangerous and can damage your gear.

• Potential damage includes warped cam tracks, bent cams, derailed or broken bow string, and splintered bow limbs.

• After a dry fire, inspect your bow carefully for damage. Consider bringing it to a professional for a full inspection and re-tuning.

Whether you’re an experienced archer or you’re just getting started, one critical mistake you want to avoid is dry firing your bow. 

Dry firing usually happens by accident, but anyone who has ever dry fired a bow knows there are consequences. Not only is there a loud and terrible twang, but you can also damage your bow. 

Read on to learn about dry firing and why you should avoid this common archery mistake.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dry firing?

Dry firing, also known as dry loosing, is when you draw back and release the bow string without having an arrow nocked. 

What types of bows can be dry fired?

Any type of bow can be dry fired, including crossbows. A dry fire can happen accidentally if your arrow isn’t properly nocked or if your fingers slip on the string. Anyone can accidentally dry fire a bow, including experienced archers, so don’t be too hard on yourself. 

Is it okay to dry fire a crossbow?

No, dry firing a crossbow is very dangerous and can severely damage your crossbow.

Will dry firing a bow once ruin it?

One dry fire isn’t guaranteed to cause irreversible damage, but it’s possible. Just check your bow for damage before shooting, and try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Can you dry fire a recurve?

Yes. Although dry firing a recurve bow isn’t as dangerous as dry firing a compound bow or crossbow, recurve bows still store a tremendous amount of energy. Never dry fire a bow, even if it’s a basic recurve.

It Could Cause Serious Damage

While many people like to dry fire a firearm for practice and weapon familiarity, you cannot safely do the same thing with a bow. It’s dangerous because instead of transferring the harnessed energy of the string into the arrow, your string has to deal with the reverberation once you release. 

Many people strive to avoid any type of vibration in the string, going so far as to buy dampeners for everyday practice. If even the small, regular vibrations of the string can damage bow parts, can you imagine what type of damage all that extra energy can cause when you dry fire a bow?

The higher the draw of your bow, the more damage a dry fire can inflict. For example, dry firing a crossbow or compound bow is much worse than dry firing a recurve. Some of the most common damage you can expect from dry firing includes:

• Warped Cam Tracks
• Bent Cams
• Derailed Bow String
• Broken Bow String
• Splintered Bow Limbs

Your Bow Could Literally Explode

If the only damage to your bow after a dry fire is a derailed string, you can consider yourself lucky. Minor bow damage is far from the worst thing that could happen when you dry fire a bow. Dry firing a crossbow, compound bow, or recurve bow could cause a literal explosion! 

Plastic or wood parts flying through the air, metal pieces becoming shrapnel, and a tightly coiled string lashing back at your face are all real possibilities.

What To Do After a Dry Fire

After a dry fire, you’ll need to complete a full inspection of your bow to ensure there’s no damage. Heavier draw bows are more likely to sustain damage from dry fires, so check those meticulously. 

Make sure you don’t miss anything by taking your bow to an archery shop for a more comprehensive inspection. Even if you only dry fire a bow once, there could be damage or tuning issues that are difficult for untrained eyes to detect.

After a dry fire, you may need to replace compound bow strings and cables, crossbow strings and cables, or your recurve bow string. Our bow strings are individually built by Brad Patsy, a former world champion archer. Place your order today.