Caring for our bow

Hit and Miss: Since no two shooters shoot alike and no two handcrafted bows are alike, tuning a bow becomes a hit and miss process. By following the suggestions below you will be able to tune your bow to your shooting style. If you have trouble please contact us for additional suggestions. Phone 989-882-4271 or e-mail us at BOWS@ELKRIDGEARCHERY.COM

BRACE HEIGHT: The brace height of your Pilgrim bow is measured between the belly of the bow. The brace height will vary with each bow and the style of the archer's shooting. The brace height of your Pilgrim bow will probably be between 5 1/2" and 6 1/2" with a good starting place right in the middle. The brace height of the Pilgrim Squirt will be between 5" and 6' just enough for the feathers to clear the shelf. The way to change the brace height is to unstring the bow and remove the string at the bottom limb and twist or untwist the string. Once the proper height is determined, note the distance. New strings have to be checked frequently as they stretch changing the brace height of the bow. Improper brace height will affect arrow flight.

NOCKING POINT: The nock point is like brace height it varies with the archer's shooting style and the arrow spine. Snap a bow square on the string and slide it down until it just touches the shelf measure up using the marks on the square about 3/8". Use this as a starting point. An improper nock point will cause the arrow to porpoise while in flight. Move the nock set up or down just a slight amount each time until proper arrow flight is achieved.

ARROW SELECTION: The arrow shelf of your bow is cut so the rest has a high radius allowing good feather clearance. It is recommended that plastic veins not be used when shooting off the shelf. The site window is cut almost to the center of the bow allowing the bow to shoot a variety of different spine arrows. Improper spine arrows will fishtail out of the bow. You may have to experiment with different arrows to find the proper spine for your bow and shooting style. A good place to start is to consult an arrow spine chart if you are shooting aluminum arrows or carbon arrows www.eastonarchery.com. If shooting wood arrows consult the Rose City arrow chart at www.rosecityarchery.com/spine.htm.

STRINGING THE BOW

A bow stringer should be used when stringing or unstringing the bow. An archers can be injured and bow limb twisted during this procedure. Never step through the string!

• To start place the large loop over the top limb allowing the string to slide down the bow limb.

• Place the small loop in the string groove on the bottom limb, then turn the bow face (belly) down.

• Place the larger cup of the stringer on the lower limb., The cup will hold the string in the grove.

• Place the smaller cup on the upper limb tip. Place both feet shoulder width apart on the center of the string. (The stringer is now attached at both ends of the bow, with the center of the cord of the stringer hanging down towards the ground with your feet holding it in place)

• Grip the bow firmly bow face (belly) of the bow down, raise straight up at the same time slide the bowstring into the string groove of the top limb. Make sure the string is firmly seated in the string groves on the bow before releasing tension on the stringer. Remove the stringer from the bow. To unstring the bow follow the same basic procedure.

CARE OF YOUR BOW
Your Pilgrim bow will give you many year of service if cared for properly! THE MAIN ENEMIES OF ANY BOW IS HEAT, MOISTURE, AND IMPROPER STRINGING AND STORAGE.

HEAT: Your bow when fabricated was glued together. It was then cured in an oven at approximately 160 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours. This process is designed to cure the epoxy and maintain its integrity under extreme conditions like high heat. Damage like delamination could occur to your bow when left in a closed vehicle or direct sun during extremely hot ambient temperatures.

MOISTURE: Your bow has received an epoxy finish which will protect your bow under extreme wet conditions.  Your bow may receive scratches which removes the finish. Scratches on the fiberglass will not hurt the bow. Scratches on the edges of the bow limbs and riser (which remove the finish down to bare wood) should be cared for. To prevent moisture penetrating the laminations, treat exposed wood by putting super glue on the scratch thus sealing the wood. Furniture polish works well to protect the finish.

STORAGE OF BOW: Bows should never be transported or stored in the strung position. Never store a bow in a leaning or standing position.This will stress the bottom limb. Never store in direct sun light .The bow should not be left in the strung position for extended periods of time.

CARE OF ARROWS
Arrows do not need a lot of special care .The shafts are sealed to protect them from moisture. Feathers do become matted or rumpled. To bring feathers back too normal they can be steamed. This can be done by rotating the feather over a source of steam such as a tea kettle spout. It does not take much steam to straighten the feathers.

CARE OF BOW STRINGS
Always inspect the string for wear prior to each shooting session. The loops of the string will wear the most.
The string that comes with your bow is a Flemish Dacron style string. It is common to have strand ends sticking out in the section below the loop. The string should be treated with a good string wax like bees wax.