Dry Firing a Compound Bow
By James Holbert · Explained Archery
Dry firing a compound bow means releasing the string with no arrow on it. The energy that should have pushed an arrow downrange instead slams back through the limbs, cams, string and cables, and it does that in a few thousandths of a second. On a compound that usually cuts the string or derails a cam, and it can crack a limb. The damage is often invisible from arm's length, which is why the bow needs inspecting before the next shot rather than test-drawing.
Quick answer
If you have just dry fired a bow:
- Stop. Do not draw it again to see whether it still works.
- Point it somewhere safe and keep your face and hands out of the string path.
- Inspect the limbs, cams, string, cables, serving, rest and sight. The table further down says what to look for on each.
- Get it checked at a bow shop before you shoot it, even if nothing looks wrong. Some damage only shows under draw.
Outcomes range from a scuffed string to a bow that is finished. Draw weight, cam design and where the string let go all decide which you get, and none of that is visible from arm's length.
What does it mean to dry fire a bow?
A dry fire is any shot taken without an arrow on the string. It happens when the arrow falls off the rest during the draw, when a nock breaks or was never clipped onto the string, when someone draws an empty bow to "feel" the draw cycle, or when a release aid fires early during let-down. In archery the term is used the same way for compounds, recurves, longbows and crossbows.
Shooting an arrow that is far too light for the bow does the same kind of damage for the same reason, which is covered further down this page.
Why does dry firing break a bow?
A bow is an energy storage device. Drawing a 60 lb compound to a 28-inch draw stores roughly 75 to 85 foot-pounds of energy in the limbs. On a normal shot, most of that energy transfers into the arrow and leaves with it. A compound is around 75 to 85 percent efficient, so the arrow carries most of the load away and the bow absorbs only the remainder as vibration and noise.
Remove the arrow and that transfer never happens. All of the stored energy has to be absorbed by the bow itself, over a much shorter distance, because there is nothing slowing the string down. The string and cables reach the end of their travel at far higher speed than normal and stop hard. That shock is what cracks limbs, derails cams and snaps serving.
Two things make it worse. Higher draw weight stores more energy, so a 70 lb hunting bow has more to dump than a 40 lb target bow. And a fast, aggressive cam system gives the string less distance to shed that energy, which concentrates the shock.
What happens when you dry fire a compound bow?
Damage runs from the string outward. These are the parts that fail, roughly in order of how often they do.
| Part | What typically happens | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|
| String and cables | Strands cut or fray, serving separates, the string derails off a cam | Fuzzy or cut strands, gaps in the serving, string sitting outside its track |
| Cams | Cam goes out of time, leans, or cracks at the axle or track | Timing marks no longer line up, cam tips toward one side, visible crack |
| Limbs | Cracks, splinters or delamination, usually near the tip or the limb pocket | Hairline cracks across the limb face, lifting layers, a limb that sits crooked |
| Axles and bearings | Bent axle or damaged bearings | Rough or gritty cam rotation, sideways play |
| Arrow rest | Launcher arm bent or broken, drop-away cord snapped | Rest sits at the wrong height or will not return |
| Sight and accessories | Loosened mounts, cracked housing, moved pins | Sight no longer holds zero, visible looseness |
| Riser | Cracked riser, rare but usually terminal | Any visible crack in the metal or a new rattle |
A dry fire that breaks nothing visible can still have shortened the life of the string and cams.
The other common outcome is injury. A derailed string or a limb that lets go sends parts sideways at speed, and your bow hand and face are close by. That is why the first move after a dry fire is to lower the bow and keep clear of it, not to inspect it at arm's length while it is still in your hands.
What to do immediately after a dry fire
If the bow is a crossbow, do not attempt to cock it again until it has been inspected.
How to inspect a bow after a dry fire
Do this in good light, with the bow at rest, and take your time.
String and cables
Run your fingers along the whole length of the string and both cables, looking for cut or fuzzed strands and for serving that has separated or slid. Check the string is sitting in its track on both cams. A single cut strand is enough reason to replace the set.
Cams and axles
Look at the timing marks or holes each maker uses and check they still line up. Sight down the bow from the end and look for cam lean, where the cam tips to one side instead of sitting square. Rotate the cams by hand and feel for grinding or play at the axles.
Limbs
Check the full face and both edges of each limb, and look especially closely where the limb sits in the pocket and near the tip. You are looking for hairline cracks running across the limb, splinters lifting from the surface, and any separation between layers. Flex is fine. Cracks are not.
Riser and accessories
Check the riser for cracks around the limb pockets and the grip. Then check that the rest still holds its height, the sight still sits tight, and nothing rattles when you shake the bow gently.
Can a dry-fired bow be repaired?
Often, yes. What it costs depends entirely on what broke.
| Damage | Outcome | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|
| String and cables only | The usual and cheapest result. A new string and cable set, fitted and timed by a shop. | Lowest. A service item you would replace every few years anyway. |
| Cam out of time | Re-timed in a press, often at the same time as a new string set. | Low if done with a new string set, since the bow is already in the press. |
| Cracked or delaminated limb | Limbs are replaced in pairs. Worth doing on a current model, rarely worth it on an old one. | High. Often a large share of what the bow is worth. |
| Bent axle or damaged bearings | Replaceable parts on most bows, so a shop repair. | Moderate. Small parts, but shop labor on top. |
| Cracked riser | Normally the end of that bow. Risers are not repaired. | Not economic. Budget for a replacement bow. |
| Damaged rest or sight | Replace the part. Re-sight the bow afterwards. | Varies with the accessory, plus the time to re-sight. |
Prices vary too much by brand and region to quote, so get a written quote before you commit, and compare it with what the bow is worth used. On an older budget bow a limb replacement often costs more than the bow.
Ask the shop to check axle-to-axle length and brace height against the maker's spec as part of the inspection. Those two numbers drifting out of range is a sign the limbs or cams moved, even when nothing looks cracked.
Does dry firing void the warranty?
In almost all cases, yes. Compound bow warranties cover manufacturing defects, and every major maker excludes damage caused by dry firing or by shooting an arrow below their minimum weight. The same exclusion appears in crossbow manuals.
Tell the shop what happened anyway. They can usually tell a dry fire from a manufacturing failure by the pattern of the damage, and being straight about what happened gets you a faster, safer repair. Some makers will sell replacement limbs at a reduced price even when the warranty does not apply, so it is worth asking.
Arrows that are too light do the same damage
This is the dry fire that people do not realise they are committing. An arrow that is far too light takes only a fraction of the stored energy with it, so the bow absorbs the rest exactly as it would with no arrow at all. Do it repeatedly and you get the same cracked limbs and shortened string life, just more slowly.
The industry rule of thumb is at least 5 grains of total arrow weight for every pound of draw weight. A 60 lb bow needs a finished arrow of at least 300 grains, and most makers treat anything lighter as a dry fire for warranty purposes. In practice most archers shoot well above that floor, between 6 and 8 grains per pound, which is quieter and easier on the bow.
| Draw weight | Absolute minimum arrow (5 gr/lb) | Comfortable range (6 to 8 gr/lb) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 lb | 200 grains | 240 to 320 grains |
| 50 lb | 250 grains | 300 to 400 grains |
| 60 lb | 300 grains | 360 to 480 grains |
| 70 lb | 350 grains | 420 to 560 grains |
Total finished weight including point, insert, nock and vanes. Check your own manual, because some makers set a higher floor.
Weigh a finished arrow rather than trusting the shaft label. The arrow weight calculator adds the components up and gives you grains per pound, and the arrow spine calculator makes sure the shaft is stiff enough for the weight you are pulling.
Dry firing a recurve, longbow or crossbow
The physics are the same on every bow. What differs is what breaks and how likely it is.
| Bow type | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Compound | String and cables take it first, then cams and limbs. The most damage-prone type because of the stored energy and the cam system. |
| Recurve (modern laminated limbs) | Often survives a single dry fire at light draw weight. Check the limb tips, the string grooves and the string itself. Repeated dry fires crack limbs. |
| Longbow or wooden self bow | The most likely to break outright, because there is no glass or carbon to hold a failing layer together. |
| Crossbow | The worst case. Draw weights of 150 to 300 lb and very short power strokes mean a dry fire routinely destroys the bow. Most modern crossbows fit an anti-dry-fire mechanism, usually shortened to ADF, which blocks the trigger until a bolt is seated against the string. Check yours still engages as part of any inspection. |
A light youth recurve dry fired once is a very different event from a 70 lb compound or a 400 fps crossbow.
Crossbow owners should also read how long a crossbow can stay cocked, because the safest way to unload one is often to shoot a bolt into a target rather than to attempt anything that risks a dry fire.
How to avoid ever dry firing a bow
- Nock the arrow before you draw, every single time, with no exceptions
- Look at the arrow on the string as the last check before you pull
- Replace cracked or loose nocks; a nock that will not hold the string is a dry fire waiting to happen
- Never draw a bow to demonstrate the draw cycle or to show someone the let-off
- Keep arrow weight at or above 5 grains per pound of draw weight
- Let down slowly and under control, keeping tension on the release the whole way
- On a crossbow, never pull the trigger to decock, and keep the anti-dry-fire mechanism working
Nearly every dry fire traces back to a rushed shot or a broken nock. A slow, identical routine prevents both.
Related guides
Set the bow up so the shot routine is repeatable, and keep the arrows within spec.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask most after a dry fire.
What is dry firing in archery?
Dry firing is releasing a bowstring with no arrow on it. Without an arrow to carry the stored energy away, that energy goes back into the limbs, cams and string instead.
What happens when you dry fire a compound bow?
The string and cables take the shock first and often cut or derail. Cams can go out of time or crack, and limbs can split or delaminate. Damage is sometimes invisible, so the bow needs inspecting before the next shot.
Why does dry firing a bow break it?
A normal shot sends most of the stored energy out with the arrow. With no arrow, the bow has to absorb its own full output over a much shorter distance, and that shock is what cracks limbs and derails strings.
Can you dry fire a compound bow once and be fine?
Sometimes, particularly at lower draw weights. But you cannot tell by looking from arm's length, and drawing it again to test is how people get hurt. Have it inspected.
Can a bow shop fix a dry-fired bow?
Usually. A new string and cable set with the cams re-timed is the common repair. Cracked limbs are replaced in pairs, and a cracked riser normally ends the bow.
Does dry firing void a bow warranty?
Yes, in almost all cases. Makers exclude dry-fire damage, and they apply the same exclusion to arrows below their minimum weight, usually 5 grains per pound of draw weight.
Is dry firing a recurve bow as bad as a compound?
Generally less damaging, because a recurve stores less energy and has no cams. A light modern recurve often survives one. Wooden longbows and self bows are the most likely to break outright.
What happens if you dry fire a crossbow?
It is the worst case in archery. Draw weights of 150 to 300 pounds and a short power stroke usually destroy the bow. Most modern crossbows have an anti-dry-fire mechanism that stops the trigger when no bolt is loaded.
References
These sources support the damage, inspection and warranty guidance on this page.