Saw a Horton Vision shot without the bolt seated against the string and the string went pow when it was shot. String snapped with a god awful sound.

 

I've asked the same question to a lot of crossbow users I know and all of them said "Never dryfire a crossbow".

 

Someone posted this over on the green site.
The "G-forces" on a crossbow must be unbelievable.

http://www.crossbow-review.com/TechCorner/CrossbowsNSB_p3.htm

 

is a no no. it has happened to me, forgot a time or two to load. no damage but it did not sound pretty. my next bow will have anti-dryfire, because if you shoot enough sooner or later it will happen. never is a big word

 

I saw a newbie attempting to hand cock a new crossbow in a Archery shop.
The string slipped out of his hands just before fully cocked , visibly splintered a limb ,but the string was still intact.

 

Yes, many things can happen as a result from a dry fire. I have seen it spit limbs, break strings, and I have seen the pegs on the wheels break off. It can bend axles on a compound bow and blow the limb tips off of recurved bows.

 

Thanks for the replies. I viewed the technical site at crosbow-review and have viewed the videos of various mfrs crossbows fired in slow motion. I'm not physics oriented so while viewing what happens when a bolt is fired, I ask myself how destructive can it be considering a bolt is missing in a dry fire. Friction on the rail at release along with only 400 or 500 grains of bolt weight resistance must be enough.

 

My only experience w/ a dry fire was a few w/ Excals. Unless you use a FFF string, 99% of the time, no damage to the limbs or string, although I'm sure it does the string no good. All I've had to do was put a few twists in the dacron to get bheight back where I want it. W/ a FFF it's 50/50 on splitting a limb. My first w/ FFF, took me 3 days to find my string in shop [curled up on top shelf]. My second w/ FFF splintered a limb and it cost me $7 to get two new limbs. Miller replaces both even though usually only one is dinged, that's to make sure both have the same characteristics.

 

Never ever dry fire a crossbow or a bow. The damage it can cause may not be immediately recognized but could cause severe injuries to you at a later date. Trust me, you don't want to be anywhere near a crossbow if it "explodes."

 

You have to post your pic on the Wall of Stupidity. Or the video of it on YouTube.

[YOU TUBE]UzdTUQuBY_g[/YOU TUBE]

 

The problem is that may not be the only damage that was caused to the crossbow. It's very possible that the limbs may now have cracks in them that are below the surface where the eye can't see. Over time the limbs could explode on a shot causing severe injury.

 

Of course you never want to dry-fire your crossbow. You have somewhere between 75-100 plus foot pounds of energy that have nowhere to go but into the crossbow. Seeing as the components of the crossbow must absorb and dissipate the energy I assure you will find the weakest link. It may take you only one shot or twenty but something will fatigue and break.

When I wasnt paying for them I use to dryfire crossbows on purpose to see what failed. Some crossbows design will with stand a few without issue or damage put it does age the crossbow some.

Todays higher performance crossbows are so close to the edge because of the "Need for Speed" crap that most will come apart on the first dryfire. Some of the crossbow out there are like top fuel dragsters. You MAY get there quick but you will not do it to many times. The more modern string and cable materials make for faster crossbows but the fact that they have no stretch or creep in them doesnt make them to friendly.

If you shoot a crossbow long enough it will happen no matter how many orange flags and stickers you but on the crossbow.

A No-Dryfire device is a great feature to have and possibly should be considered the deal breaker when stuck between comparing which model to buy. While it is not a total deal breaker if it doesnt have one just realize you may not be setting yourself up for total success.

 

Dry Fire-Nobody is Perfect

From a manufacturer's standpoint, to declare a "Dry Fire" voids a warranty is akin to saying do not buy our product. I agree, it is stupid to fire a crossbow without a bolt. But on the other hand if the same mfg. in engineering design did not consider a few dry fires by the customer might occur, and if the mfg. advised dry firing voids the warranty, shame on the mfg. Why do you think some mfg. have a dry fire device? Those who do not consider their warranty policy might avoid claims. I'm not suggesting those that fire their crossbows "Dry" deserve our compassion. But those who make a "dumb mistake" should not be punished.

 

Watched video:
OMG, that guy blew the $^%& out of his crossbow!!

Bwahahaha....breath....,,,,breath........bwahahahhaa!!
He stayed pretty calm, though.

 

From a manufacturer's standpoint, to declare a "Dry Fire" voids a warranty is akin to saying do not buy our product. I agree, it is stupid to fire a crossbow without a bolt. But on the other hand if the same mfg. in engineering design did not consider a few dry fires by the customer might occur, and if the mfg. advised dry firing voids the warranty, shame on the mfg. Why do you think some mfg. have a dry fire device? Those who do not consider their warranty policy might avoid claims. I'm not suggesting those that fire their crossbows "Dry" deserve our compassion. But those who make a "dumb mistake" should not be punished.

I disagree. If someone is negligent or stupid enough to dry-fire their bow or crossbow, they don't deserve to be rewarded with warranty work.

 

I shot the broad heads yesterday and did well. I'm glad I watched the video of "Al" blowing up his crossbow, because it made me ultra aware of being careful and safe.
No problems and no adjustments needed from my field point setup at 30 yards.
1-red dot and 1-aiming point...30 yards and in!