Shooting in a new bow

[Kidder]

How much “shooting in” is recommended on a new bow prior to finishing it? Not that it really matters but I can imagine if a new bow makes it through tillering but is bound to break, that is probably going to happen in the first couple sessions and that would suck to spend the extra time to finish it just to have it break...or am I nuts?

[mmattockx]

I'm a chicken (and a rookie making mistakes), I put 150+ shots through a bow before I start thinking about finishing it.


Mark

[Pat B]

I like to put at least 100 shots through a bow before the finish.

[Deerhunter21]

i never stop shooting mine in. i still feel like my HHB bow that i know has a good tiller, that i had 3, no 4 PA members help me with in person, is gonna blow..... i just feel the stacking at the end and it never feels right.... i know its just me still being used to my little kids compound bow i had before!!! lol!


i would go with what pat said though. but based on how you feel you can increase it.

[George Tsoukalas]

I use a rope and pulley so it gets pulled, at least at lower draw lengths many times. I usually do 2-3 dozen sets. Jawge

[Selfbowman]

Well I put finish on some of mine after 10 shots.  Then they go to a flight shoot. But to have one broke in for say hunting or target shooting I shoot a couple hundred shots finish when I feel the tiller is right. Arvin

[Eric Krewson]

I often shoot a bow in with over 100 shots, put the finish one and have a slight tiller change weeks,  months, or even years later that requiring me to scrape a little wood off and fix. I use Tru-Oil for a finish so it is easy to blend in a little new finish over my adjustment.

[Selfbowman]

Yes Eric me to.  Cause? Not even heat temper , tillering on a hot day , and a hand full of other reasons. 
Arvin

[Pappy]

100 shots or so and lots of stringing and unstringing, usually let them set strung for a few hours also while tillering, after that if the wood is well seasoned it usually don't change much or blow, although I have had some break after several 1000 shots for no real reason, it's wood. I also use Tru oil so not much trouble if it does need a little tweaking later on.
 Pappy

[Eric Krewson]

Wood being wood and LOTs of shooting, wood changes over time. This is not all my bows, usually once they settle in they are good to go, I may have them drop a few pounds or take up a little string follow but not get out of tiller.

The rock hard osage with a good early wood late wood ratio seems to be the most stable over time. I do make bows with osage that is much less dense, these seem to need a little tiller tweaking over time, the last one I corrected took ten years to be troublesome,