Winter maintenance

with Duncan Busby

Get everything ready to go this year; for both compound and recurve

The New Year is a time for resolutions but when it comes to archery the winter season can make even the most passionate of archers lose interest. Between the cold weather and gluttony of food it can be difficult to motivate yourself to shoot. So why not use this time to carry out some winter maintenance on your archery equipment instead?

Kit maintenance is vital; parts wear and spares get used, taking stock of your equipment and getting all those niggling jobs done now will make sure you’re ready for the New Year ahead.

Take stock

Looking back over your last season can help you to set goals and track your progress but it can also let you know where to make improvements to your equipment.

Were your arrow groups so good that you got through all your spare nocks, pins and vanes? Did you shoot so much you’ve wore out your bow string? Were your arrows the right spine for your bow?

Topping up your spare equipment or investing in new products now will help you to improve in the coming months. You’ll be amazed just how quickly you can go through your nocks and there’s nothing worse than running out mid-shoot when you need them most. (Check our Ask The Experts column this month for more on nocks). Knowing what you need to replace or repair now will save you a lot of bother further down the line and you never know, if you do it early enough you may even find yourself a bargain in the New Year sales.

Clear up

If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what does your bow case say about you? If you’re anything like me a busy season will often mean things are randomly thrown back in without much thought. Organise your equipment; you might end up finding something you forgot you had or you may find out you’re in short supply of something you thought was plentiful. Sorting through your case and tool box now will ensure you don’t run out of or lose something vital later in the season. 'A place for everything and everything in its place’ is absolutely true in archery. Are you following it every time?

Sell, Sell, Sell!

It’s very easy to hold on to equipment we no longer use; a good result or just good money spent can make a lot of us full-blown archery hoarders. So ask yourself: are you ever going to use that V-bar mount again? Do you really need your old arrow rest now you’ve replaced it with a nice new one?

These items will often just end up gathering dust on a shelf, or worse, getting damaged in the bottom of your kit bag. So consider donating or selling any old bits you no longer use, not only will you allow someone else to make good use of them but you may even make back enough money to upgrade or re-stock your other equipment.

It's the time of year to fix up your gear. By

Crystal Gauvin and Duncan Busby.

Winter Maintenance

Have a Safe Flight

Your arrows are the single hardest working item of all your equipment; they take quite a bit of punishment (and damage, if your groups are nice and tight). Though it’s important to check them each time you shoot, the winter months can allow you to make a more detailed assessment of your arrows to ensure they’re still safe to use in the coming year, so what should you be looking for?

Whether you shoot all carbon, carbonaluminium or pure aluminium arrows you should check for any cracks or dents in the shafts. Impacts in the target will weaken the arrow and can cause it to fly badly or even splinter when shot.

Spin each arrow by hand or use an arrow spinner; a bent shaft will not fly straight and consequently will not group with your other arrows. If you use carbon arrows flex the shaft to check for hidden cracks; hold each end of the arrow just below the point and the nock. Then gently flex the arrow away from you, putting at least one to two inches of deflection into the shaft. Listen out for any clicking or cracking noises, if you hear any discard the arrow: it’s damaged and it’s not safe to shoot.

Don’t forget to rotate the arrow a few times and check it from every angle as some cracks can be very small and hard to detect.

Next check your points and nocks for any damage; points can be dented and nocks can be chipped or cracked by repeated impacts. If you’ve been using the same set of nocks for a while consider changing them for a new set; plastic nocks can become weak and misshapen over time, this can be fairly unnoticeable until they break or your groups begin to suffer.

If you use a pin nock system, remove the nocks and check the condition of the pins, look for any damage and spin the arrow to see if the pin is still straight. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to damage a pin and again it’s not always obvious to see. It’s important to replace a compromised arrow component as soon as you are aware of any damage; not only will this arrow affect your results, but it also may be dangerous to shoot.

Finally, have a look at your vanes; check to see if they are loose or damaged in any way. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen one unstable vane cause an arrow to miss the target completely, so replace it with a brand new one if necessary.

Draw Attention to Your Bow

After a long outdoor (and/or indoor) season your bow may have travelled many miles and shot many arrows, in all kinds of weather. Now is the time to show some TLC to what can be a neglected and forgotten piece of equipment during the winter months.

Your strings and cables are a high wear and tear item. There is no set time to replace them as this depends on so many factors; such as how much you shoot, your strand count or string material and even the bow you use

you use them on. The best advice is to replace them whenever they start to look shabby. It’s important to especially check areas where the string comes into contact with cams and cable guards as this is where the most damage will occur. If the serving in these areas looks worn or damaged in any way it’s probably best to get a new set, or at the very least remove the serving, check the condition of the string underneath and then re-serve. Changing your strings now will give you plenty of time to shoot them in and re-tune your bow before the new outdoor season begins.

Don’t forget to check the condition of your centre serving, nock point and D-loop as well; these are high friction areas and can wear surprisingly fast. There is nothing worse than a snapped D-loop or unravelled centre serving in the middle of a tournament, so replacing these now may save you a few points later.

A new year brings with it new goals, and while the aim of most archers remains the same, how we go about hitting our target can have the biggest impact on our chances of success.

The focus is often on self-improvement, but this New Year try focusing on your equipment instead. You don’t always need to buy the newest or most expensive kit to achieve, sometimes putting extra effort and attention into what we already have can make the biggest difference; nobody likes to find they have only five usable arrows in the middle of a tournament.