Most bows need little maintenance, which mostly means waxing the bowstring as needed.

Even so, you occasionally must call on the archery shop’s experts to handle bigger projects like bow-tuning, bowstring repairs and damage caused by dry-fires.

Bow-Tuning

Bows must be tuned for peak accuracy. When you buy a bow, the shop’s technician will tune it before you leave the store. Bows endure much wear and tear in the field and on the range, and so you should visit your bow tech annually. Bowstrings stretch, parts vibrate loose, and other parts get knocked out of alignment. Bow techs check your bow and retune everything. The downside? You can no longer blame the bow for bad shots.

Bowstring Repairs

No other part of your bow requires as much maintenance as the bowstring. If it shows signs of wear, take your bow to the shop. If your peep sight doesn’t align at full draw, have your bow tech check it out. The likely problem is a stretched bowstring. The bow tech will remove the string, twist it back to the proper length, and realign your peep.

Bowstrings wear out over time. When should you replace them? That depends on how often you shoot, how well you maintain your bow, and what conditions it regularly endures. Well-maintained bowstrings last about three years, and should then be replaced. Also replace bowstrings with frayed or broken strands. If you’re unsure whether to replace your bowstring, visit an archery store for advice. The best part about replacing a factory-installed bowstring is that you can replace it with a custom-colored string that makes your bow unique.

Dry-Fires

One of archery’s worst scenarios is when someone shoots a bow without a nocked arrow. Dry-fires can damage or ruin a bow, which aren’t designed to shoot air. When you draw a bow and release the bowstring without a nocked arrow, all that stored energy meant for the arrow blasts straight into the bow.

The result is loud and scary. If you dry-fire a bow, immediately check yourself for injuries. If you’re unharmed, place the bow inside a case. If the bow starts coming apart, the case will contain its parts. Then drive to the archery shop so a technician can evaluate your bow and make repairs.

Well-maintained bows provide years of enjoyment. If you’ve neglected your bow and it needs a tune-up, head to an archery shop. A good bow technician will get it shooting like new.