string problem

[Louisd33]

I have an 08 Firecat pro x that I bought in late Oct. I shoot under 100 shots per wk. I waxed the string the other day and niticed that it is starting to fall apart there are strands that have actually broken. Is this common for factory strings? I have only shot indoors and take very good care of my bow. I'm wondering if I should invest in a better quality string or maybe there is something wrong with the set up.

[Montalaar]

Hi.

Can you post some pictures of it?

On which position of the string do you notice the broken strings? Is it somewhere near the Cam or anywhere else?

Anyway you should get some new aftermarket strings soon!

[Louisd33]

Thanks for your input.I talked to my dealer today and where the string is broken she thinks it is from hitting my arm (when I first started shooting). I ordered a new set of oem strings and cables. I also ordered cables because they are starting to fray where they come into contact with the cable slide. The cables don't look too bad yet but I figure that it wouldn't hurt to have a spare set.

[bfisher]

I don't want to sound too critical, but new strings might get beat up just as quickly and badly. Although the string definitely needs replaced if you are hitting your arm then you should consider changing your shooting form and/or shortening the bow's draw length.

Believe me, I've been there and done that--many years ago. Whereas I once shot a bow set for 28 3/8" I now shoot between 26 and 26.5" of draw. I never hit my arm, even with a coat on and my aim is a lot more solid, too.

Although most people don't know or take the time to "optimize" their draw length it pays to do so. Sometimes working with string twisting and module changes you can tweak things down to the last 1/8". Playing around with it, you'll find a sweet spot where your aiming becomes very steady. This is the sweet spot.

[bowgramp59]

does your bow have an sts? i thought that 08 firecats came with them. with a sts the string shouldn't hit your arm. sounds like something else might be wrong .

[SandSquid]

does your bow have an sts? i thought that 08 firecats came with them. with a sts the string shouldn't hit your arm. sounds like something else might be wrong .

OK now I'm intrigued...
How would having an STS (or not) have any effect on hitting or not hitting you forearm?

[bowgramp59]

with sts it doesn't let the string go past brace ht. on release, shouldn't hit your arm . i had a martin bengal , without the sts hit my arm on acasion not all the time, with the sts never hit arm again . i figuried i wasn't gripping the bow properly some of the time .

[Louisd33]

Thanks for all the intrest. I have at first, bruised up my forearm prety good,even with an sts. I like to think that I'm past this but every now and then when I'm guilty of not paying attention I willfeel a slight touch on my forearm, no where as bad as the past though. I,v ordered a complete set of oem strings and cables from the shop where I bought the bow. I don't need to change the cables yet but I will have a spare set. Will a custom string make as much difference as the cost would suggest? And yes I know, stay true to form and forearm slap will be a thing of the past.
Thanks all,
Louis.

[bfisher]

Louis,

I used to be an NAA coach and this is how I was taught to show people how to not hit there arm. It has to do with hand position in the grip. Here goes.

Extend your arm out to the side and point at something. Now take notice of the angle your hand is in. It should be about 35 to 45 degree angle if you're like most people.

OK, now extend your arm out to your side again. Now bend your arm at the elbow back toward you. If your hand goes up then this is not the correct psoition to shoot a bow. When you bend your arm your hand should come back roughly right into the chest area.

Now extend your arm again with your hand outstretched, but not tense. Turn your hand vertical and take notice of what happens to your forearm. Now turn the hand to that 45 degree angle and see what happens to your forearm. If normal then the forearm and elbow will rotate out away from the direction of a bowstring.

Am I making sense to you?

Now here's the part about draw length. It's called the wingspan method of measuring. You can get more detail and even pictures, I think, on www.huntersfriend.com.

Stand against a wall with both arms extended out to the side at shoulder level with fingers extended. Don't overextend, just be relaxed. I like to use a corner for one side. Now mark the wall at the end of the other fingertip (middle fingers by the way). Now measure from the corner to your mark. The measurement is usally close to your height. Now, divide this by 2.5 and you'll have a number close to the draw length you should be shooting. It might vary by 1/2" either way, but should be close.

The reason I'm telling you all this is that if you are hitting your arm that bad then you need to consider some changes in the draw length and/or hand position on the grip. If you don't then you're just going to beat the hell out of another string. You get these two things right and you might never need an armguard again.

Are custom strings worth the extra money, you ask? IMO an absolute YES. They don't cost that much more but the quality is much better. There are several string makers that charge about $65 for a complete set and they are worth the money. But until you get the matter of hitting your arm squared away I wouldn't spend the extra. When you think you're ready come on back and we'll extend a few recommendations on who to buy from.

I hope you don't think I'm trying to offend you. I'm just giving solid advice based on my own experiences. I used to hit my arm, too, about 30+ years ago. I was shooting a 28 3/8" draw at the time. Now I've worked my way down to somewhere between 26" and 26 1/2", depending on the bow. The added benefit is that my strings only have a 3" center serving because I don't need it to protect from and armguard, so I get more speed for my draw length, too.