# Bow with string at wrong/opposite side - why ?



## Twitko (Nov 29, 2012)

Hi, just another dummy question - sometimes I check eBay, and there you can find bows strung in (imho) totaly wrong way - string is at opposite side - see photo








Originally I thought it's just a seller's mistake, but it seems not to be exception - too much photos, too much bows, too much sellers ... So, my questions is - is there any serious reason, why those bows are strung in this, strange, way ? Nothing important, I just wonder ...


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## dayrlm (May 20, 2010)

On some bows that distance is just about the same length as the string and people do that so the string doesn't fall off and get lost. I have had a couple that I used to do that way. Should be safe unless there is a tension on the limbs. To much can damage the limbs so I don't anymore.


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## Todd the archer (Feb 7, 2003)

What dayrlm said basically just done for storage and ONLY on those bows where the length works out. This can not be done on all bows due to the many different curves and styles.

Todd


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## Twitko (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks for explanation. It really confused me


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## ozarksbuckslaye (Jul 24, 2008)

That's just what your supposed to do with recurves. There has been many, many, many, limbs twisted and pretty much destroyed because they were left strung up for too long.


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## Joe Hohmann (Oct 24, 2013)

ozarksbuckslaye said:


> That's just what your supposed to do with recurves. There has been many, many, many, limbs twisted and pretty much destroyed because they were left strung up for too long.


Certainy news to me.


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## Azzurri (Mar 10, 2014)

Popular mistake.

I'd de-string it and wrap the string around the limbs.


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## VTarcher9 (May 21, 2014)

Good explanation, however; I've always thought it was just an uninformed ebayer. If you gave a "normal" person a traditional bow and told them to string it, 9 out 10 they would put it on backward due to the resistance factor. That's my opinion, anyway.


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## Nokhead (Jun 10, 2012)

Usually, but not always, with the proper length string there should still be some slack in the string when you do that. I remember that back in the day, when you bought strings "off the shelf" at the local archery or sporting goods store, seemed like the strings were always or often on the short side...sometimes contributing to some really insane brace heights, which a lot of us had no idea of what a proper brace height was anyway, and just shot the bows that way. 

At least with my bows, and brace heights, the string won't put tension on the limbs, if you string it "backwards" like that. If you really think about it, seems like it would be harmless if the tension was very light. Or not...I wonder. 

Now back when I was about 15 years old, and got my first bow, which I still have, a York recurve, it was strung like that. Me and my friend, not knowing any better, or anything about bows, tried shooting it that way and were quite disappointed at how slow the arrow came out of the bow. !!! It sure didn't shoot well.  Laugh with me here. Then a couple of days later, I'm looking at the string grooves in the back of the bow, and it occurred to me to string it the other way around, which I managed to do. Then I tried shooting it, and was so amazed when that arrow came out of the bow, like a rifle shot to me, at the time, and flew across the yard and stuck in the fence. I mean, talk about an epiphany. !!! Seemed like 3000fps at the time.

And that was my introduction to the bow.

k.


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## dan in mi (Dec 17, 2009)

Twitko said:


> Hi, just another dummy question - sometimes I check eBay, and there you can find bows strung in (imho) totaly wrong way - string is at opposite side - see photo
> Originally I thought it's just a seller's mistake, but it seems not to be exception - too much photos, too much bows, too much sellers ... So, my questions is - is there any serious reason, why those bows are strung in this, strange, way ? Nothing important, I just wonder ...



That was a very common way to store a recurve in the 70's. 




ozarksbuckslaye said:


> That's just what your supposed to do with recurves. There has been many, many, many, limbs twisted and pretty much destroyed because they were left strung up for too long.



Limb twist from being left strung? Nope. Most limb twists are caused by an UNstrung bow left standing in the corner. I've got bows that have been strung for over a year. I use them so much I don't bother. Any glass backed bow can take it just fine.


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## GEREP (May 6, 2003)

Back in the early days of glass laminated recurves, some people thought that if you store them like the one pictured, it would keep the limbs from losing some of their "curve" and therefore losing draw weight. I'm guessing it was probably a throwback from the all wood bow days, when a bow could take a set and lose poundage.

As it relates to glass laminated recurves, just another old wives tale.

I leave my primary bow strung all the time.

KPC


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

The thing I wonder about with photos of bows with the string on like in the original post is, was it done on purpose or out of ignorance? Not everybody selling a used recurve knows anything about them and I think it might well seem like the right way to string a bow if you don't know any better. Without a stringer or knowledge of recurves the force required to string them the right way might lead the unaware into thinking the right way is incorrect.

Storing them that was is not a problem if that's what you want to do, _drawing_ them that way might not be so benign. If I were interested in buying a bow and it was pictured with the string on it like the original post I'd be cautious, you don't have to look far to find photos of bow strung backwards and even being drawn backwards.


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## Captainkirk (Sep 18, 2014)

Ouch. That first one just makes me cringe.....


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

VTarcher9 said:


> Good explanation, however; I've always thought it was just an uninformed ebayer. If you gave a "normal" person a traditional bow and told them to string it, 9 out 10 they would put it on backward due to the resistance factor. That's my opinion, anyway.


That's what I did the first time I strung my kiddie fiberglass bow. The way the bow was curved (and we know by watching movies and looking at fantasy art that bows are curved), it seemed logical. I did wonder why the string notches were designed to cut into the string serving, and the handle seemed funny, but actually, it still shot okay. Not nearly as well as when my dad turned the thing around. It was a lot harder to pull, but it sure zipped up the arrow a bit!


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## kballer1 (Aug 31, 2010)

I have seen bows being shot back wards & tried to help out by showing the correct way & they couldn't pull them & wanted them put back the way they had them.
Some people shouldn't be in archery.


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## MGF (Oct 27, 2012)

I get he impression that a lot of sellers on ebay are people who just buy and sell stuff. They might not even know what it is that they're selling.

I knew a guy that made a living selling camera equipment on ebay...though he did know something about cameras. He used to buy the stuff wherever he could find it and sell it on ebay for much more than it was really worth...because the buyers on ebay don't always know anything either.

As Barnum said "There's one born every minute".


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## dan in mi (Dec 17, 2009)

MGF said:


> I get he impression that a lot of sellers on ebay are people who just buy and sell stuff. They might not even know what it is that they're selling.



That is probably the biggest reason we see bows "strung backwards." As stated before, this was a common way to store your bow and now somebody finds Old Uncle Bob's bow just the way he stored it in '75 and they post it as they found it.


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## Bill 2311 (Jun 24, 2005)

kballer1 said:


> I have seen bows being shot back wards & tried to help out by showing the correct way & they couldn't pull them & wanted them put back the way they had them.
> Some people shouldn't be in archery.


Some people should not be in *ANYTHING*.

I once tried to be a nice guy and help a guy sight in his rifle. When I pointed out that the scope was rolled 90 degrees and the windage knob was now on the top of the scope and the elevation was on the left side of the tube, he became angry with me. The knob said "Left" but wasn't working, so the scope had to be bad. I wished him luck and left.


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## Joe Hohmann (Oct 24, 2013)

Perhaps some eBay sellers want to visually reinforce the "little old me knows nothing about bows so don't blame me if the bow sucks" image.


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## Captainkirk (Sep 18, 2014)

Been watching a lot of bows on eBay lately...the number of backwards-strung bows makes me cringe, especially the ones where the seller appears to have no friggin' clue about what they are selling. I hesitate to bid on these because I have to wonder if someone has pulled them strung backwards, or dry-fired them. How would you know until they fragged in your hands?


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## ozarksbuckslaye (Jul 24, 2008)

dan in mi said:


> That was a very common way to store a recurve in the 70's.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've owned 2 glass backed bows that couldn't take it. One was a Pearson and the other was a Shakespeare.


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## ismo131 (Nov 19, 2014)

Joe Hohmann said:


> Perhaps some eBay sellers want to visually reinforce the "little old me knows nothing about bows so don't blame me if the bow sucks" image.


Usually people want top price and thats why IMO you don't get it if look like amator and know nothing about bows. 
Not so long ago there was same mistake on many museum bow instalations and droings.


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## Nokhead (Jun 10, 2012)

That's true....many Indian bows in museums are strung backwards, and then left that way on display.

But aside from those guys shooting their bows backwards, they sure had perfect "form".

ken.


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## Captainkirk (Sep 18, 2014)

I dunno....scares me. If one moron like that top photo had pulled a bow strung backwards to full draw...just ONCE...it could literally explode in your hands when drawn correctly if the glass bond was fractured. And you would really have no way of knowing other than the photo of the bow strung backwards.
So, what do you do?


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