Will heat damage a bow

[Yak Angler]

Sorry if this has been asked before but i want to get either a compound or recurve bow and the only place for me to practise with it daily is on my way home from work. I currently own an excaliber crossbow which is an excellent hunting tool but they warn against leaving it in a hot car trunk as doing so could potentially damage the limbs.

Will leaving a modern compound bow or recurve bow in your cars trunk on a hot summer day damage it?

In case it matters i would be looking to buy an entry level bow, no top end models for this venture. Really like what i have read about Parker compund bows so any opinions on their lower priced models would be great also.

[hunt-m-up]

Never tried it so I wouldn't know from personal experience. The main reason they caution against it is the same as the crossbow, the limbs may warp and/or delaminate. It could be a pretty expensive experiment and dangerous.

[Empty Quiver]

Your limbs are made with Epoxy glue to some extent. They use heat to cure epoxy while the limb is in the mold. As I understand it the epoxy is okay till it gets near the curing temp at which time it is again subject to weakening. I've seen where some bow makers cure around 125 - 145 degrees. Now these are custom bowyers but it's all I am familiar with.

You most definitely don't want to make a habit of storing your bow in the car during the summer. I'm going to guess the solid glass limbs will tolerate abuse much better than laminates, but warping may still be an issue with those.

[Yak Angler]

Well thats what i was affraid of,

I guess i'll just stick with the x-bow and spend my time practicing with my rifles. Only real option for me to practice with the compound or recurve is on my home from work which means leaving it in the trunk and subject to temps in the 140 degree range in the summer.

[Cottonwood]

Experament a bit.  Get a padded or insulated case for you XBow, put a thermomiter in it to check the inner temp of the case after leaving it in the trunk in hot conditions.  What might do as well, see if there is a place at work that you can store your XBow while you work in cooler temps, then you can still practice on the way home.

Good luck.

[charles p]

There is a reason that recurve bows are unstrung when not in use.  For some reason, the same is not true of compounds.

[firtree]

How about using a true selfbow? An all-wood longbow or flatbow should be ok if stored flat.

[Cottonwood]

How about using a true selfbow? An all-wood longbow or flatbow should be ok if stored flat.

+1