It could, string stretching will make it slightly faster, esp a recurve bow.

 

umm, are you sure of that. A longer string normally means slower?

To answer OP's question, why would you want to leave your bow cocked? Think of archery, a bow was cocked prior to release.... It was never stored that way, albeit compounds wre always stored strung, but not cocked.

 

Never a good idea to leave anything cocked that long, and really don't understand why someone would, even on a compound that needs shot to safely uncock, you have to be close to a target after a day or two. I like to uncock em every day, but have left them cocked for a couple days and not had problems, but like I said I don't like to do it so don't make a habit of it.

 

I'd never leave one of my crossbows cocked for a week or two. Mine are only cocked for the duration on my hunt, counted in hours, not days, nor weeks.

Bobby

 

Back when I had a working chrono I did a few experiments with a couple of recurve crossbows without string stops. I know it's true that a longer string/power stroke slightly increases the speed of a vertical recurve bow. Tighter of looser string on the recurve crossbows I had, at least in my experiments, meant very little. A few fps at most, less than 5 fps, so I really stopped worrying about it. I would agree with others, I don't think leaving the bow cocked longer than a day in the woods is the best idea. I have done it testing limbs, but other than that, I can't see the reason to do it.

 

This was my findings too, with or without string stops, 1/2" don't mean enough to notice,, on a recurve anyways,,, I found the same thing Joe,, 2 or 3 fps. The thing is I you wont see that much stretch on a cheap string in 7 to 14 days full cock. My Vixenmaster strings are cocked all day 20 30 days a season,, semdom doe one stretch enough to change brace height 1/4", and that is absolutely no change out to 60 yards or more,,,,"that I have tested anyways". Still makes no sense to leave any bow cocked that long, especially a recurve,, to easy to uncock with the cocking rope!

 

I'm going to find out if leaving one cocked for long periods of time does or not. A buddy of mine was hunting and was climbing into his stand and fell 28'. broke 10 ribs. He half walked half crawled to his truck leaving his Parker Tomahawk under his stand. I went out 3 times trying to find it, never could. His 76 year old Dad finally found it. He knows nothing about crossbows not even how to fire one and It was cocked for 5 days total when I went and got it. He landed on it and was a very,very,very lucky man to not have died that day. He spent 3 nights in the hospital but is doing better now, but still in agony . The bow's scope was smashed down into the rail. It took some work for me to get it to fire after removing the scope. I do not see any damage to the limbs, but will let him worry about that when he get to feeling better. He had cocked the bow and had it tied to a rope to pull up. No arrow was loaded in it when this happened. He said when he hit(landed on his back) he thought that a Rage tipped arrow had went through him. Doctor told him 80% who took a fall like this would have died.and that 90% probably would never have walked again if they had survived. He was in the lucky 10% I guess.,,,,,if you can call it luck.
PS. I have preached and preached to him about lifelines and a safety harness, but it fell on deaf ears

 

Wow, you need to start a separate thread on this! Please do!!! I hope he recovers.

 

Lamentations 3:22-23
"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Blackoak, "luck" played no part in your friends survival. It was the Providence and Mercy of the Lord.


I hope your friend makes a full and speedy recovery..

 

I was thinking he was lucky the Lord was watching out for him,