[Iron Duke]

PITA?... in the dark? Flashlights? Headlamps? Every hunter I know carries a flashlight. A headlamp is good policy if only to prevent you getting shot by an overzealous hunter or poacher... not to mention avoiding eye pokes in the dark.

I'm betting manufacturers frown on leaving their crossbows cocked for days on end. Plus ... it's downright dangerous ANY time a crossbow is cocked.

I have to think it's not good policy when 99.999% of the millions in the crossbow community do something one way for thousands of years, and you alone decide YOU have a better way.

 

[Iron Duke]

Never thought ... of the "all the weight on one handle" factor when de-cocking a crossbow! Good point!

 

[Iron Duke]

Give me a break Duke,,, it's no different than breaking a tag line over a hand rail, the tag end you may feel the other end to the load is carrying the same load, unless you start taking wraps!! When defrocking the bow it has no more stress on the handle than cocking it,, the rope,,,, yes this what is going to take the beating from friction, like a pulley freezing up would do to your rigging. This is why I watch my ropes close for wear running across the stock,, Sorry Dave I don't disagree often with you, but know a little about rigging, fair-leading, parting lines, rope and pulley's and I find less strain decocking the Excalibur but the handles still both have the strain, no more per handle than I have cocking,,, you still have the handle on the dead end taking its weight dead headed!

I'm not so ... sure about that, you guys are disregarding the fact that there's a friction lock at the rear of the stock AND a second break at the stationary hook/sheave. I think that would leave the one handle doing a LOT more work than during normal cocking. Just the way I visualize the forces. It may not be doing ALL the work, but I think it's doing a lot more than normal.

Be easy enough to tell if one of you daredevils put his bow scale on the one handle/cord during de-cocking and see what the "draw weight" peaks out at ... LOL

 

[Iron Duke]

I will ... have to defer to experience. You recurve guys may have a lot of foibles, but you are an honest bunch. :wink: :wink:

 

[Iron Duke]

I have ... to think that uncocking a bow would have every nerve in your body on high alert. Leaving an arrow on the rails just doesn't seem like a remote possibility. Sort of like cycling a firearm to unload a tube, or blind box magazine and your trigger finger. Your focus is extremely serious once you begin cycling lives shells or cartridges through the firearm. Just my thought. Now that 8" arrow shaft routine ... don't cotton to that at all ... LOL (not with my foot in the stirrup anyway)