# Which bows can survive a dry-fire??



## Nuge60 (Jan 23, 2008)

I'm curious about what bows have actually survived a dry-fire intact. I've learned here to NEVER draw my bow back without an arrow, even IF I have to point it at the wall while checking my drop-away, timing and clearance, but accidents DO happen and I think this info may be one good way to choose a new bow when that time comes... Has your bow survived a dry-fire with NO damage??


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## BlacktailBryan (Aug 12, 2010)

Ive been fortunate enough not to have a dry fire (Knock on wood). Supposedly, Hoyts are tested to withstand such and such amount of dry fires, but I wont be trying it any time soon.
Ive actually heard more stories of bows surviving dry fires on here than hearing of any blowing to pieces from a DF. Several different manufacturers bows escaped unharmed.


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## Belicoso (Aug 22, 2006)

I had a dry fire once on my Synergy XT and I needed new cams and strings,the rest was fine.


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## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

the lucky ones


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## Manhunter50 (Oct 23, 2006)

I can't speak for all makes, but I can say definitively that Hoyts can withstand a dry fire. After several years of shooting indoor leagues, in close proximity to other shooters (most shooters in my club shoot Hoyts - at least indoors), I've seen six guys dry fire Hoyt bows. The worst thing that ever happened was that the string cam off the track on one. We got the string back on the track and the guy continued shooting; the other shooters suffered nothing worse than embarrassment.

I have seen a couple of others dry fired on an outdoor range; one cracked a cam and bent both axles, one bent both axles, and the other shattered a limb. I won't say what brands the bows were, since the OP asks which bows can withstand a dry fire.


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## crooked stick (Jul 1, 2006)

HOYT can withstand 1000 on the limbs and 1500 on the riser. Them HOYTs are tough I tell ya..


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## coiloil37 (May 27, 2010)

My wife dry fired her carbon element last weekend. The string was partially off the top cam, after pressing it and putting it back together it was ok.


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## clo650 (Oct 24, 2008)

I know of a Hoyt ProElite that was Dry Fired... The only damage was to someones pride :embara: No need to ask how I know this lol


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## CRISSMAN6903 (Mar 11, 2011)

I dry fired my destroyer, it was fine, the end serving broke and that was it.


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## stubborn (Mar 19, 2011)

crooked stick said:


> HOYT can withstand 1000 on the limbs and 1500 on the riser. Them HOYTs are tough I tell ya..


Thats just advertising and nothing more. Hoyt will not warranty a bow dry fired only once, that should tell you how confident Hoyt is in their own advertising campaign. I have seen all makes and models survive a dry fire, then again I have also seen all makes and models detonate on a dry fire sending shrapnel flying. Its the luck of the draw....


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## Nuge60 (Jan 23, 2008)

sawtoothscream said:


> the lucky ones


lol!!!


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## crooked stick (Jul 1, 2006)

stubborn said:


> Thats just advertising and nothing more. Hoyt will not warranty a bow dry fired only once, that should tell you how confident Hoyt is in their own advertising campaign. I have seen all makes and models survive a dry fire, then again I have also seen all makes and models detonate on a dry fire sending shrapnel flying. Its the luck of the draw....


So you've seen a HOYT fly apart on dry fire?

What model? 

We're gonna need pics..


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## P.L. Archery (Apr 14, 2005)

Most bows would survive a dry fire in a shooting machine.

The problem is that "most" dry fires happen with guys using their fingers to "see how a bow feels". The dry fire then usually happens just as they start to let down and it gets away from them. Most often there is enough side torque on the bow to derail the string, and that's when parts and pieces start to explode.


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## Belicoso (Aug 22, 2006)

Binary cam bows have a lesser change to survive a dry fire IMO than hybrids,due to the fact that no cable is attached to the limbs and most of all energy goes unused back into the cams at a dry fire.


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## [email protected] (Dec 11, 2007)

Most of the time the slow one's will not fly apart.


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## crooked stick (Jul 1, 2006)

Belicoso said:


> Binary cam bows have a lesser change to survive a dry fire IMO than hybrids,due to the fact that no cable is attached to the limbs and most of all energy goes unused back into the cams at a dry fire.



Another good reason to shoot HOYT! Gracias Señor:yo:


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## crooked stick (Jul 1, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> Most of the time the slow one's will not fly apart.


Have we forgotten the lesson of the turtle and the hare?


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## lnevett (Apr 9, 2006)

A friend was checking his form on video, and accidentally forgot to load and arrow...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f_YxmELtM4


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## crooked stick (Jul 1, 2006)

*HOYT* rules.:jam:


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## groomzie1 (May 21, 2009)

Hoyt.A buddy dry fired my contender elite and it was just fine took the cams off and checked everything over really well but nothing got hurt there pretty tough bows.


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## heavy dart (May 4, 2005)

Most if not all bows will survive a dryfire at lower the draw weights. Most target bows are at lower weights so it is no surprise to hear about high survival rates. I would like to know which bows survive a dryfire at 70lbs. plus. In other words hunting bows.


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## Ohio Mossy Oak (Dec 17, 2006)

*My 07 Bear Element Survived a dry fire fine at 65lb an 28in DL.ZERO damage!!!.I dont plan on trying it with my Z28 though*


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## Ohio Mossy Oak (Dec 17, 2006)

heavy dart said:


> Most if not all bows will survive a dryfire at lower the draw weights. Most target bows are at lower weights so it is no surprise to hear about high survival rates. I would like to know which bows survive a dryfire at 70lbs. plus. In other words hunting bows.


*That kinda implies only 70lbs is a hunting bow*


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## gilliland87 (Apr 5, 2006)

my dad was a staunch fingers only guy,watched him dry fire my bowtech extreme vft single cam letting it down the bow was fine.


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## bowtech2006 (Apr 1, 2006)

I dried fried three bows in. Yes three and Yes I should of learned but no I didn't. I dried fired a 06 Tribute, (cams and strings had to be replaced) 08 82nd airborne (limbs, cams, strings had to be replaced) and a 07 guardian ( nothing had to be replaced)


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## Manhunter50 (Oct 23, 2006)

stubborn said:


> Thats just advertising and nothing more. Hoyt will not warranty a bow dry fired only once, that should tell you how confident Hoyt is in their own advertising campaign. I have seen all makes and models survive a dry fire, then again I have also seen all makes and models detonate on a dry fire sending shrapnel flying. Its the luck of the draw....


Really...?! I'm 55 and I've been shooting for 43 years. I shot Mathews almost exclusively for 13 years (tried a few others) and I've been shooting Hoyts for almost four years. I've only personally seen nine dry fires in 43 years: six Hoyts (only because most of the 36 shooters in our winter league shoot Hoyts) and two other brands - two of one brand and one of another. None of them "detonated"; the only one that had immediately visible damage was a bow that shattered a limb, but it certainly didn't detonate.

And before you accuse me of being a "fan boy", look at some of my prior posts; I've said numerous times that the Mathews Switchback XT is probably the best all-around bow of all time.

Methinks someone's prone to prevarication...


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## XForce Girl (Feb 14, 2008)

I saw a Hoyt dryfired on purpose, a customer was bragging about all the hype with how tough Hoyts were, so he purposely dry fired his right in the shop. It flew apart and broke one of the limbs, so don't sy Hoyts always survive dry fires, should of seen his face when that happened. The folks in the shop were rolling on the ground. 

Now back to subject, in my limited experience I have seen Bowtechs dryfired and the outcome was not too good. PSE's dryfired with very little damage, mostly string had to be put back on. Bear bows, seen it go either way, some lots of damage while others not so much. 

And in closing..... I would not buy a bow solely based on how well it would survive a dry fire. That's not what I look for in a bow I am planning to buy.


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## igorts (Apr 18, 2007)

Hoyt guarantees 1500 dri-fires on Rizer (only).
Hope to keep zero on mine...:wink:


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## Nuge60 (Jan 23, 2008)

XForce Girl said:


> I saw a Hoyt dryfired on purpose, a customer was bragging about all the hype with how tough Hoyts were, so he purposely dry fired his right in the shop. It flew apart and broke one of the limbs, so don't sy Hoyts always survive dry fires, should of seen his face when that happened. The folks in the shop were rolling on the ground.
> 
> Now back to subject, in my limited experience I have seen Bowtechs dryfired and the outcome was not too good. PSE's dryfired with very little damage, mostly string had to be put back on. Bear bows, seen it go either way, some lots of damage while others not so much.
> 
> And in closing..... I would not buy a bow solely based on how well it would survive a dry fire. That's not what I look for in a bow I am planning to buy.


I"m sorry, but I DID say "I think this info may be one good way to choose a new bow." I'm just curious about another parameter to consider in what I feel is a major purchase... NOT trying to start anything!!


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## XForce Girl (Feb 14, 2008)

Nuge60 said:


> I"m sorry, but I DID say "I think this info may be one good way to choose a new bow." I'm just curious about another parameter to consider in what I feel is a major purchase... NOT trying to start anything!!


Me neither, not trying to start anything. just sharing my "Limited" experience.


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## broadfieldpoint (Oct 12, 2006)

Hoyts forever


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## Nuge60 (Jan 23, 2008)

XForce Girl said:


> Me neither, not trying to start anything. just sharing my "Limited" experience.


Yeah, Limited!!! FOUR Stars, Sponsor, Shop, LMAO!!!! I've never even SEEN a dry fire!! That's why I was asking - just trying to learn!!! Let's go laugh at the Sharpie Bow!!!


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## Allagash Hunter (Mar 9, 2011)

My dad had a new D loop installed on his switchback and pulled it back in the shop with one of the hook releases that you should use and the loop came loose and the bow fired. After a full checkout nothing was damaged and he's been shooting it for 3 years since.


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## grandpabear (Aug 20, 2010)

stubborn said:


> Thats just advertising and nothing more. Hoyt will not warranty a bow dry fired only once, that should tell you how confident Hoyt is in their own advertising campaign. I have seen all makes and models survive a dry fire, then again I have also seen all makes and models detonate on a dry fire sending shrapnel flying. Its the luck of the draw....


You've actually seen ALL makes and ALL models dry fired and survive and THEN seen ALL makes and ALL models dry fired and detonate? Man! thats alot of and I mean alot of bows!


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## stubborn (Mar 19, 2011)

grandpabear said:


> You've actually seen ALL makes and ALL models dry fired and survive and THEN seen ALL makes and ALL models dry fired and detonate? Man! thats alot of and I mean alot of bows!


Been working on bows for years and years, no matter how much you stress not to draw a bow without an arrow nocked some just dont listen. Then bang and the proverbial " that was stupid of me, can you fix it?" Usually the Hoyt owners are under the impression that dry fire damage is covered under warranty because of their "1500 dry fire testing" advertisements. They get real mad when they find out Hoyt does not warranty dry fired bows.


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## crooked stick (Jul 1, 2006)

I know of HOYTs that threw the string or broke a strand upon dry fire but no other damage. I also know of Mathews that broke into pieces upon dry fire. Limbs busted in two, cams bent and broken and obviously strings destroyed. 

If I was to dry fire a bow and would definately hope I had a HOYT in my hand.


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## cman22 (Dec 10, 2008)

Not a blowtech hahaha jk. Seen a mathews that my friends dad dried fired. Didn't do anything bad to it. Hoyt's can handle it but I would never dry fire a bow.


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## Erik23601 (Oct 12, 2007)

I let an a guy draw my bow in the parking lot at church, but I failed to mention to him how to properly let down. It was a deafening sound... 

However, my Mission X3 withstood with no damage. I guess I was lucky...


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## bearhunt (Jan 16, 2008)

I have dryfired my Hoyt AM 32 three times and one or two partials dryfired due to bad pin nocks. No issue at all with the partials. Blew the strings off on all the full dryfires. Bent the axles and the cams on the first one. No issue on the second and third. 62#'s 30 inch draw, oh and at 315fps, I would not say it is a slow bow. 
How did I do it? I got distracted in my shot setup and did not put an arrow in the bow. I have never done it on any other bow. This one is now called Biter because I have scars on my arms where I was cut by the string or the speed nocks. I now always wear long sleeves. Oh BTW. it is still on my bowrack, just does not get as much use as the matrix Plus.


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## Kateraman (Jan 26, 2011)

Nuge60 said:


> I'm curious about what bows have actually survived a dry-fire intact. I've learned here to NEVER draw my bow back without an arrow, even IF I have to point it at the wall while checking my drop-away, timing and clearance, but accidents DO happen and I think this info may be one good way to choose a new bow when that time comes... Has your bow survived a dry-fire with NO damage??



Was trying a friends old school fletch hunter release and forgot to put an arrow on the string. Came to full draw with my Katera XL set at 66 lbs/31.5 draw and let it rip and it sounded like a shotgun went off. It pushed my string stop forward about a half inch and a collapsed my g5 meta peep. Other than that, probably shot another couple thousand shots before I traded it for my current set up. Was lucky I guess!


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## MadBullArchery (Jan 25, 2008)

I dont know where all this BS is coming from....but I have seen a hoyt alphamax blow apart due to a dryfire. The idiot was so busy jaw jacking at a 3D he didnt load an arrow! And yes it completely exploded. My only comment was "Well shoot I thought it would be good for 1499 more!". 

Heres the facts, if you dryfire an already slow 45-50 lb bow especially with a short DL like a lot of peeps are using indoors it just MAY survive with no damage. But if you take a fast 70lb bow like a lot of us have its is going to break something. Be a fan of whatever brand you want, they all fail under that kind of force. A true driefire on a 70lb bow and its gonna be AWESOME! Trust me. Seen it too many times!

And PSE, come on...we have seen pics of their cams coming apart without a dryfire! LOL...just kidding, loved my PSE's just had to throw it in there!

Oh and for you diehard Hoyt guys who cant believe it....no, he wouldnt let me take pictures of his idiotic mistake! But I do still kinda have a cramp in my side from laughing so hard.

And yes I have seen a few of my favorite blowtech explode too! With speed bows it is a reality you just have to come to terms with! :wink:

The story of the guy doing it on purpose is too dang funny!HAHAHA


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## Demp223 (Feb 3, 2010)

Buddy dry fired his Switchback 30"@70lbs over a yr ago. No issues and still going strong.Standing right next to him on line trying to tell him he didnt have an arrow nocked(he nocked one partially and was chatting,arrow slipped off onto ground before he raised bow to draw) he let that thing go and it sounded like a 38 going off. 
The last Monster 6 I got for cheap was dry fired by prior owner 28"@72lbs. String cam off top cam(shallow cam). Everything looked ok from pics so I bought it. Pressed it and put string back on cam checked everything out and a few thousand shots later it's still driving tacks no problems.


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## VAhuntr (Jun 8, 2003)

> original post by heavy dart:
> 
> Most if not all bows will survive a dryfire at lower the draw weights. Most target bows are at lower weights so it is no surprise to hear about high survival rates. I would like to know which bows survive a dryfire at 70lbs. plus. In other words hunting bows.






I had a Hoyt MagnaTec that survived a dry fire. The draw weight was 74 pounds with a 29" draw length. I had just installed a new sight and drew the bow back with my fingers to check things out. Don't know exactly how I let go but I did. Was very glad to see no damage!


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## Wes_C7 (Feb 24, 2010)

I have seen 3 monsters dry fired (including mine) the other two being xlr8's, and it didn't hurt neither of the three.


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## MoNofletch (Jul 28, 2003)

I NEVER draw my bow without an arrow nocked!! NEVER! I, however, will be the one to forget to load an arrow at the next 3D shoot! LOL!


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## bigracklover (Feb 1, 2008)

I dry fired my dxt and nothing happened.


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## jhemming (Feb 9, 2011)

Im gonna go dry fire my vendetta ill post back in a few


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## VAhuntr (Jun 8, 2003)

jhemming said:


> Im gonna go dry fire my vendetta ill post back in a few


Take a video while you are at it!:wink:


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## Sackamous (Oct 26, 2009)

I would call it a partial, but had a nock bust on my maxxis, 72 lbs dw the arrow went a few feet so it transferred some energy it was fine though. I did bring it to the shop for a look over to make sure. I guess you would call it a dry fire. I was walking out the woods with my xbow (Barnett predator) and came across a big doe. My cocking rope was in my bag so I grab the string and was cocking it by hand. Brought it up easy to not spook her got to the top it clicked the safety popped out so I eased off the string thinking it was set. Boy was I wrong it about tore my fingers off when I relaxed 175lb dry fire it was fine though. My old man had his cocking rope break right before the string locked in on his quad 400 that's a 150lb and it was fine too.


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## Hoyt_em (Feb 18, 2007)

I have had a partial dry fire on a Powertec. I was shooting a 3 blade spitfire with the old shrinkwrap they used to give to hold the blades in for practicing...some how I managed to not have it on the rest. The inside blade clipped the riser and hung up 73# on a 2314 alum...before I could hook up and get some wieght of...blamo. It derailed and sent the peep into the next county for all I know.


I was in a Dart league and had a guy next to me dry fire an Onieda Aeroforce X80...it survived unscathed

Hoyt Ultratec that was a give away at a golf outting...a drunk buddy of the winner dry fired it on let down. It survived also.

Numerous others on the line, and I can ony think of two that survived...one was a ProElite, and the other was Mathews Conquest.


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## MadBullArchery (Jan 25, 2008)

Wow. I can hardly belive all these survived unscathed. Maybe I was wrong. I haven't seen one survive yet but I guess that doesn't mean it isn't possible. Hmmmm. 

Wonder how many were quickly sold on here "as new" lol!


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## hoytman78 (Feb 6, 2011)

ive seen plenty of dry fires and rebuilt plenty of dry fired bows here. its not good on any of them but i would have to say ive seen less damage to the dry fired hoyts, but then again ive seen axles and strings that needed to be replaced on those as well. a fellow dry fired an omen and the cams collapsed like a tin can, but with the little thin cams i can see why. the axles bent and the strings and cables were destoyed but the limbs were ok. ive seen monsters that pulled the cables through the cam like it was cut with a saws all . there is alot of energy on these new high energy bows and ive seen it do some crazy things. the only fool proof way is to not draw a bow without an arrow pointed at a target. i dont like to see bows come in that are in a trash bag. lol


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## VAhuntr (Jun 8, 2003)

MadBullArchery said:


> Wow. I can hardly belive all these survived unscathed. Maybe I was wrong. I haven't seen one survive yet but I guess that doesn't mean it isn't possible. Hmmmm.
> 
> Wonder how many were quickly sold on here "as new" lol!


I hunted with mine for 2 more years and then traded it in at the dealer who watched me dry fire it.


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## highwaynorth (Feb 17, 2005)

Nuge60 said:


> I'm curious about what bows have actually survived a dry-fire intact. I've learned here to NEVER draw my bow back without an arrow, even IF I have to point it at the wall while checking my drop-away, timing and clearance, but accidents DO happen and I think this info may be one good way to choose a new bow when that time comes... Has your bow survived a dry-fire with NO damage??


Good info to help choose a new bow? It's not even a consideration, NONE.


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## shootertg (Sep 6, 2008)

I had a bowtech extreme vft that a buddy of mine dry fired at a dealer. That dealer traded with him on that bow, sold it to me and then he watched me dry fire it. I just finished setting targets on the 3-D course and I was dog tired I went in to shoot a while anyway and just forgot to nock an arrow. 68lb's 28" draw, I had a peep and speed nocks before I dry fired the bow. Sounded like someone fired a pistol. He took a look at it and it was fine. I killed a lot of deer with that bow and did very well at some IBO events.


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## millipede (Nov 15, 2010)

Saw a Hoyt VE get dry fired twice by a guy that was more worried about judging yardage than loading an arrow. Guy has a 30.5" draw and was shooting 60lbs. First time he looked it over and kept shooting. Second time he was like "Man, I am too distracted, I am done". The proshop guy sposoring the hsoot looked his bow over and said, looks good. So the guy shot the rest of the competition with it. Still shooting it to this day I believe. I was impressed. Sure was loud though.


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## Nuge60 (Jan 23, 2008)

jhemming said:


> im gonna go dry fire my vendetta ill post back in a few


lol!!!


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## lost american (Nov 21, 2002)

seen a few dryfires in my time. i think the faster and more agresive a bow is the more damage it takes. as a general rule bowtechs take em badly, splintered limbs bent cams, hoyts usually just destroy the string and cables. i would think just about any bow at 70 pds is gona need some work afterwards. drawlength and powerstroke are some factors to include also.


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## mikecs4life (Sep 13, 2009)

I can tell you that a low poundage Razors Edge can be dry fired twice with only minor damage to string serving.


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## bamahntr (Nov 18, 2008)

Forgot to load an arrow during practice on my SBXT 4 years ago, blew dampener off string stop and string came off the cam. Sounded like a .22 going off. Had the bow checked out at the shop and everthing was alright, put new strings on and have had no issuses since.


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## moto57 (Mar 13, 2011)

I'm shooting one of the new Redhead Blackout bows (basically a diamond outlaw) and I accidentally dry fired early this week. Checked it over with the advice of the guys on here, looked good and shot my first 3D shoot today (which was a blast). I am glad my "less expensive" bow was able to withstand it!


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## crooked stick (Jul 1, 2006)

Monster at the shop that blew the strings/cables, bent one cam and cracked a limb.


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## Nuge60 (Jan 23, 2008)

That does NOT sound like a survivor.....


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## NORTHEASTHUNTER (Nov 25, 2010)

Hoyt ,get serious


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## bclowman (Aug 2, 2009)

Old Mathews ultra light...It survived, a guy behind us at Augusta ASA last year dry fired his PSE moneymaker. slung the peep out but it survived.


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## kanz (Aug 6, 2009)

my brand new never fired Redhead Blackout! everything looks fine so far. im an ass.LOL


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## Blackhawkhunter (Aug 31, 2009)

Dry fired my Parker Blackhawk 70# @ 29" using the release in the kitchen at home. No damage whatsoever but one of the string leeches flew out at hit the wall about 10' in front of me and bounced back and hit me in the head. Scared the crap out of me and talk about sting!

My wife has dry fired her PSE Chaos twice. Shooting target at the club, I heard her release and said did you have an arrow in then, she goes oops I forgot!
Her bow was 34# @ 25" so there was not enough twang to do anything.


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## ruck139 (May 3, 2011)

I dry fired an Admiral and a Switchback XT, no damage to either one but the string stops on the XT were like 50 yards away! Shame on me for doing it twice!


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## bowmanxx (Feb 4, 2009)

In 1995 I bought a hoyt difiant and being new to archery knew nothing about a DRYFIRE. It was set at 74 lbs. I wanted to break in the string so every once in a while I would pull back the string and let her go without an arrow. At the time I did'nt know any better. I guess it 's OK because I still shot it occassionally. It has Fastflight limbs. I did Dryfire my carbon element a week after I got it. When I was tuning it my release string broke at full draw. Lost my peep but no damage.


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## hoody123 (Aug 11, 2004)

I dry fired an old (well, it was new at the time) XI Legend. I was busy gabbing with some folks while doing a demonstration and just flat didn't load an arrow. I was shooting in the vicinity of 70lbs at the time. Man it was one awful CRACK when I shot it, I had no idea what happened. Guy I was talking too said "did you mean to do that?" LOL. It bent both cams like tacos and the peep I'm sure was lodged in a wall somewhere, never did find it, but the riser and the limbs survived unscathed.

Only other bow of mine that was involved in a dryfire (albeit not in my hands when it i happened), was a Mathews LX. Set at 65lbs, a coworker wanted to feel it, so I let him draw it (clearly a bad idea), I informed him ahead of time that it would pull like mad on the letdown. Well, he didn't really grasp just how hard the letdown would be and it slipped from his fingers. So, not a full dryfire I suppose, and it survived completely unscathed. Him on the other hand... A welt raised on his arm faster than anything I'd ever seen before. It must have raised nearly an inch from the basic surface of his arm, and was probably, 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. It was incredible. The next day, he had a bruise ALL the way around his arm, I still razz him about that once in a while


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## mugzzzee (Dec 20, 2010)

This past January I dry fired my 1999 Hoyt Viper. No issues, I continued shooting.


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## toddsurfs (Nov 14, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> Most of the time the slow one's will not fly apart.


is that why the hoyts are safe


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## pa.hunter (Jan 3, 2008)

dry fired my 2006 80 pound tribute once, still shooting it .


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## irbh92 (Mar 13, 2011)

My Invasion survived intact. Needed a new string but limbs and cams were fine.


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## littleyellow (Feb 1, 2007)

My buddy dry fired my brand new Darton pro 3000 2 years ago while it was set at 70 lbs. His hand slipped and speed nocks went flying. That was the only damage. A hca carbon four runner can also survive just about anything. But like others have said....they all can do it...its just luck.


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## VA_Ambusher (Feb 27, 2011)

I dry fired my wifes parker challenger. Luckily the only thing that broke was the cable slide.:embara: It shot across the room like a bullet.


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## Dafis (Jul 12, 2009)

A friend of mone who is new to archery was showing people his new PSE and he kept dry firing it, over and over. One of the people there called me, so I called him and told him it is not a good thing. He said the guy at the shop had him do it when he was making sure the peep would not rotate.

My loop broke at full draw with out an arrow on my PSE Diablo and the only thing happened is the V-stop rod broke at the threads.


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## link06 (Mar 3, 2008)

I know for sure an 06 Bowtech Allegiance can survive a dry fire! A buddy of mine forgot to load an arrow in his a couple weeks ago, sounded like a .22 going off. We inspected it and found nothing, he lost his kisser button but that was it. Bow was 65# and 28" DL, he shot the rest of the day with 0 issues. I couldn't believe it!


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## gonzago1234 (May 27, 2011)

My son accidently dryfired his 2011 Diamond Outlaw (28"/ 50lbs) while in his treestand and target shooting. Took the bow to our local shop and everything was ok. No damage,(just his pride) although he blew the peep site and the kisser button clean off the string. Replaced the kisser and peep, and everything is back to normal.


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## lynnh (May 22, 2011)

My Hoyt Ruckus...The nock was cracked and I didn't notice...arrow fell of as I let go...It was fine. Won't be trying it again though.


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## Dozer7878 (Jan 1, 2011)

Dry-fired a Barnett Quad 400. Had to replace the string but that's it. It is still shooting strong.


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## smtt126 (Apr 12, 2011)

saw a kid about 13-14 years old pull a diamond nuclear ice back at gander mountain. it had a ziptie around the string that he clearly didnt see. he then intentionally dry-fired it and the strings came off the cams . he looked around put the bow back on the rack and walked over to his dad at the gun counter. ( i would have said something to him before he did it if i wasnt on the other side of the store). hopefully he learned something but it makes you wonder what your buying at the big name stores....


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## DannyB (Feb 19, 2005)

Not a total dryfire but at full draw the string on my Prestige went. My heart sank, but all it needed was a new string.


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## 18Bravo (Sep 1, 2009)

I think any individual bow "CAN" survive a dry fire but not many can do it repeatedly. My girlfriends dad dry fired his Hoyt 4 times in one week and the 3rd and 4th were consecutive. After the 4th we had to change out the harness but everything was fine. I am lucky to be alive as I was shooting next to him for the last two. The good news is, he seems to have given up on learning to bowhunt. Trust me when say wears all better off. Lol


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## hoodedmonk (Feb 7, 2009)

3 that I can vouche for! I let a string get away from me on a Hoyt Trykon! I felt like a ****** and learned my lesson.(No damage to the bow what soever!) only my ego. I saw a guy dryfire a Bear Truth 2 at the sportsman show a few years back.It sounded like a gun going off but I dont think there was any damage to the bow. And I watched a fellow AT'ers Invasion BLOW apart the day after he bought it Needed new string that's it. Now for the two unlucky ones I've seen but was not there when it happened. A strothers Kaplooie junk it! and an older Bowtech tribute I think. Limbs were dusted!


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## gravytrain283 (Oct 24, 2011)

I dry fired my Pse Bowmadness last year and only damage was to the cable slide and peep! Stock strings are even still on it today and shooting like new but im changing them out this year! Not sure how there was zero bow damage but maybe it was the string stop. Bow was set at 28" 66# when dry fired. I was only in my first year with a bow and lost my rangefinders and in frustration somehow forgot to nock an arrow :-/ you live and learn i guess lol


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## jlm81 (Sep 25, 2011)

had a hoyt alphamax. it was dry fired twice once me and once a friend. first time it did nothing second string came off. im a mathews fan but them hoyts are tough.


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## aebennett (Sep 28, 2011)

I dry fired a bow when I was learning how to shoot a compound. I was learning with my friends maxed out 70# Reezen 6.5. I lift weights a lot so they though I could pull it back easily. Needless to say I wasn't working on my archery muscles. The arrow came off of the old prong rest because it was way to much weight for me to pull. I freaked out and punched the trigger, and the bow exploded. Those dampeners were flying everywhere ha. I still can't figure out if it was the string that made this massive scar on my arm or what. Luckily the bow and string were fine when we took it to the pro shop they just put it back together. The very next day I bought a bow of my own from the same shop they thought I was crazy. My wrist was the size of a baseball that had a huge gash in it ha. Killed two does with my bow this year, and I am completely hooked on archery. Moral of the story if you are just starting out use a low poundage that feels comfortable, and slowly work your way up. I blew through both deer this year at about 58#. Also never dry fire a bow I dont care what brand it is it hurts pretty bad haha.


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## BrokenLimbs (Nov 25, 2008)

Manhunter50 said:


> I can't speak for all makes, but I can say definitively that Hoyts can withstand a dry fire. After several years of shooting indoor leagues, in close proximity to other shooters (most shooters in my club shoot Hoyts - at least indoors), I've seen six guys dry fire Hoyt bows. The worst thing that ever happened was that the string cam off the track on one. We got the string back on the track and the guy continued shooting; the other shooters suffered nothing worse than embarrassment.
> 
> I have seen a couple of others dry fired on an outdoor range; one cracked a cam and bent both axles, one bent both axles, and the other shattered a limb. I won't say what brands the bows were, since the OP asks which bows can withstand a dry fire.





igorts said:


> Hoyt guarantees 1500 dri-fires on Rizer (only).
> Hope to keep zero on mine...:wink:


Corrections to both statements below:



stubborn said:


> Thats just advertising and nothing more. Hoyt will not warranty a bow dry fired only once, that should tell you how confident Hoyt is in their own advertising campaign. I have seen all makes and models survive a dry fire, then again I have also seen all makes and models detonate on a dry fire sending shrapnel flying. Its the luck of the draw....


Don't expect _any_ bow to recover with zero damage after dry firing. That being said...... 1.) Never let friends "play with your bow." (unfortunately, the same goes for some bow dealers too) 2.) Don't draw a bow without a release, you could dry-fire by accident, or pull string off cams/wheels. 3.) Never draw a bow with a release _unles_s there is an arrow "in it" pointed at a target/game. (99.999% problem solved)


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## Parthian (Oct 3, 2011)

Prannnnggggggggggggggggggggggggg


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## Tooltech (Jun 19, 2011)

Hoyt...in fact you can run over them with the truck as well. Check out the Hoyt promos...Don't try this at home!

Do Not dry fire your bow ( Hoyt is foolish to advertise that they dry fire the bows )...If you do Dry Fire it; Do Not shoot it until it has been inspected by a competent Pro Shop. The compound bow stores a lot of energy...you could be seriously injured.


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## fletched (May 10, 2006)

Parthian said:


> which dumb **** can take a proper blow to the head ?
> ?


Hey "bowtech", is that your pick up line?


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## Mrwintr (Jan 15, 2006)

A few years ago I was at a bowshoot and I was having a very off day. I judged the yardage on the next varmit target as my friend was taking his shot and then I stepped up to the stake with my Pearson TX-4. I was very confident that I was going to dime this little racoon, I was really in the groove and shooting awesome....I drew my bow back, placed my pin on the spot and *BANG!!!! *I was concentrating so hard on that yardage I forgot to load an arrow into the bow. Wow, was I stunned at the sound, so were the people near me, but I carefully studied the bow and there was no damage. I loaded an arrow and was able to get right back in the groove and I still dimed the little ****. As the course went on I noticed the Meta peep was a bit oblong after that dry fire, the string had snapped hard enough to squeeze the peep into a football shape but the bow has been going strong with the same strings for the last 3 years, same everything except the peep.
And just for the record, I let a friend pull back my old Mathews Ultramax and he dry fired it because he was inexperienced, nothing happened to that bow either.
While it would never be recommended to dry fire a bow, it's nice to know that what I am using is strong enough not to come apart or bend cams and stuff like many I have seen and read about.


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## Alan in GA (Oct 21, 2005)

Seems to be about 3 kinds of dry fires:
1) "letting go" when letting down and not expecting the very fast 'grab' of the cam's power peak-happens most with a bow one has not drawn before [done that one myself I hate to admit]
2) no arrow loaded
3) and derailment when an 80% letoff bow is torqued. I've seen a highly experienced 'pro' do this on a set of scales testing the poundage of a new bow! He was looking at the scales, holding the riser with both hands and must have inadvertantly torqued the riser. With only 15 or so pounds of force holding a bow 'in line' with it's string at full draw, it takes very little to pull strings off a cam groove.

I'll tell you this much, I've been shooting all my life and still did a dry fire - thankfully in my home with no one to see the look on my face! HOWEVER, when I'm in an archery shop, and see a new bow handed over the counter for someone to 'look at', if the pro does not TELL the customer to NOT draw the bow I start to run for cover! It makes me nervous as anything to see someone looking at a bow in their hands because we KNOW what is usually going to happen....and anyone can dry fire a bow for one of the above reasons!


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## ryancmacy (Aug 20, 2011)

When I first got my hoyt trykon home I pulled it back with my fingers to check it out.. a few seconds later I hear my kisser hit the wall and I had a big nasty bruise on my arm. Bow was fine, nothing came off track or anything.


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## bruceaustin2000 (May 4, 2010)

Hoyts are tough. But if I dry fired my hoyt rampage XT I would still take it to my local hoyt dealer and have a good once over before I shot it again.


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## BrokenLimbs (Nov 25, 2008)

Tooltech said:


> Hoyt...in fact you can run over them with the truck as well. Check out the Hoyt promos...Don't try this at home!
> 
> Do Not dry fire your bow ( Hoyt is foolish to advertise that they dry fire the bows )...If you do Dry Fire it; Do Not shoot it until it has been inspected by a competent Pro Shop. The compound bow stores a lot of energy...you could be seriously injured.


Your second paragraph says it all! ~ Just sayin'


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## gametime (Jan 12, 2012)

a saw my friend dry fire a martin bengal last year on accident and the bow was perfectly fine. and still uses it today.


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## rick11743 (Sep 20, 2010)

I always found the potential consequence of a dry fire interesting. i would not think that the difference between shooting a 5 grain/lb arrow and no arrow would be that much! 

I have seen someone dry fire a hoyt target bow with no damage at all. I think that a target compound with relative low DW and non-parallel limbs would fair better, since the energy can transfer from the limbs and get absorbed by the riser more. With a parallel limb bow, it looks like the shock is going up, and the cams and limbs are taking more of the force.


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## diesel094 (Apr 14, 2011)

I read somewhere that Hoyts can withstand multiple dryfires without breaking. Ive also had someone dryfire my carnage multiple times and there are no problems. Had it checked in everything...


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## Gregg from SEK (Dec 20, 2020)

Nuge60 said:


> I'm curious about what bows have actually survived a dry-fire intact. I've learned here to NEVER draw my bow back without an arrow, even IF I have to point it at the wall while checking my drop-away, timing and clearance, but accidents DO happen and I think this info may be one good way to choose a new bow when that time comes... Has your bow survived a dry-fire with NO damage??


I shoot Bear, just got a new Paradox Legend Series and it has now been dry fired not once but twice. I pull 60 pounds and the first time it was my dad and I slipped out of his hand and the second was when I thought I had an arrow in but it had been a rough day back to the point there’s been no damage to that bow what so ever it shoots perfect and has not problems so a Bear will Survive.


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## Dirt9 (Dec 5, 2020)

I dry fired my halon 6 on the letdown without a arrow knocked. It was only the second day I had it.I swabbed the limbs with a cotton ball ,and my buddy and I managed to get the string back on and kept shooting. Has the speed knock pattern dented into the riser and still shooting it every day 😆


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## ruffjason (May 20, 2018)

Accidentally dry fired my old mathews ultra light many years ago. Still shoots well to this day.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## Telldor (Oct 12, 2020)

I heard the new carbon bows from Hoyt can survive and I have witnessed an APA black mamba survive as well


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## Ar56903 (Jul 30, 2018)

Didnt realize how old this thread was at first lol.


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## Dale_B1 (Jan 31, 2004)

Old thread for sure. But any bow can survive a dry fire, most don't no matter what claims they make.
To safely pull a bow back to check timing , rest what ever the ONLY safe way to not dry fire it is use a draw board.


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## Basebilljr (Dec 27, 2020)

So i hate to admit it but i just got a new 31"V3 the day before Christmas eve and on Christmas day i was tuning the rest and accidentally dryfired it. Luckily the bow itself is fine but the string was completely destroyed about 4.5in of serving that rides on the top cam came undone. And even more lucky my local pro shop had a guy that Ordered a 31" V3 and wanted to have GAS strings put on it so they had a spare string at the shop that was brand new never shot Otherwise it would have been a minimum 3 weeks to get one in.


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## crazyasian (Dec 31, 2019)

I dry fired my PSE Bow Madness a few months ago and luckily the only thing wrong was a speed nock came off and the peep. Peep was served top and bottom but not around at the time. Maybe I was lucky because just put in new ABB strings and those strings seemed a lot better than the stock strings. Was lucky and hopefully learned my lesson.


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## Bowsb4hoes (Feb 24, 2019)

Some of them, none of them, all of them. Important thing is to let the dry fire pick you.


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## hunter11 (Dec 16, 2007)

I dry fired an older Bowtech Pro 38 and it survived without any problems. My Dad’s Bowtech Allegiance was dry fired 3 times without incident. Had a Hoyt dry fire without any damage. The only thing all the bows had in common was they were turned down to their lowest poundage.


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## merlinron (Mar 23, 2020)

what i've noticed is that some of the newer bows have such thin sting tracks that they deform when dry fired.this can actually be considered a good thing. when the cam deforms, it absorbs allot of the shock that destroys limbs..... it's the sudden stop that hurts. i'd rather buy a new cam than a new set of limbs.


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