Using Your bow safely

Bows are not toys. Failure to follow instructions and safety warnings could result in serious or fatal injuries to the user or people nearby. The buyer and/or user of a bow from Saxon Archery acknowledge this and agree to adhere to the following points:

• Never aim or shoot a bow at another person.
• Always ensure no one is standing in front of, or to the sides of, the archer whilst the bow is being drawn or shot.
• Never shoot an arrow up into the air.
• Always point a bow and arrow in a safe direction down-range, and only at targets intended to be shot.
• Never permit someone to hold a target for you.
• Never run with a bow or while carrying arrows. The point or nock of an arrow can cause serious injury.
• If shooting in a group, do not allow anyone to retrieve arrows until ALL arrows have been shot.
• Always have an adequate backstop in the area behind the target. Make sure the area behind the target is clear and free of objects that may be hazardous or cause the arrows to bounce off or be deflected.
• Use extreme care when pulling arrows from a target. Arrows can come out suddenly, and jerking backward forcefully can strike the arrow into someone’s body, face or eyes without warning.
• Ensure to store bows in a safe place, and always keep it out of the reach of children.

Caring for your bow

Modern bows are designed to be low maintenance and more durable than traditional bows. However, the bow should still be treated with care to ensure a long life.
 
A traditional bow uses primarily wood in its construction and therefore requires more care and maintenance to ensure it doesn't wear down over time.
 

• Should the riser or limbs get wet, wipe them dry with a towel to prevent water damage.
• Our strings are pre-waxed; however, it is also recommended to rub them occasionally with an approved bowstring wax to keep them from drying out.
• If your bow is wooden, rub bow wax or paraffin oil on the wood at least twice a year to avoid decay.
• A traditional longbow uses a string that differs from most other bows. This string, called a Flemish string, will eventually begin to fray and unwind after prolonged use. Wax the string after every few shoots to keep this string in top shape, and replace it once the string begins to fray or unwind.
• If replacing a string, ensure that you replace the string with one of equal length – we are more than happy to assist with this.
• Store your bow in a cool dry location when not in use.
• While it is okay to store modern recurve and longbows with the string attached, it is safest to unstring the bow when it’s not in use, so others cannot misuse the bow.
• Keep an eye out for cracks in any part of your bow.
• Inspect your arrows before each shot to detect any cracks or damage & never use arrows that are damaged or too short.
• Always string your bow properly and carefully using a bow stringer.
• Never dry fire your bow. That is, never pull back and release the string without an arrow nocked as this will damage the bow.
• Unlike Carbon arrows, wooden arrows will warp due to changes in temperature and humidity. This is normal. However always try to keep wooden arrows as dry as possible and keep them store in a warm dry location for best performance.