KLV

During the archery season in Wyoming, I hunt primarily antelope and elk using spot and stalk.

In September, it is usually very dry and can be windy. When using the Excalibur wax, I had a real problem with dust collecting on the rail of my old Exomax and I was constantly having to clean and rewax the rail. I also wonder if the constant grit on the rail contributed to the lightning fast(around 35-40 shots) serving failure.

I recently replaced the Excalibur Exomax with a Darton Impact and I'm wondering if there is a way to lube the rail that will collect less dust than the wax I used on the Excalibur. One of the crossbow shooter at my archery club suggested auto wax. I was wondering if you folks who have been shooting awhile have any suggestion or secrets you'd be willing to share? Thanks.

Horizontal Hunter

KLV,

I don't wax my rail. I spray mine with silicone and wipe it down. For me the factory servings have a short lifeand I have had them fail inas little as 50 shots. They two options you have in regards to the serving are:

1. Learn to reserve the string yourself. It is easy if you follow DNK's instructions. I reserve my strings and find that the serving will last several hundred shots. Here is the link: http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=2005725&mpage=1

2. Buy a high quality string from a professional string maker like DNK. All of the reviews I have seen on his strings have been fantastic.

Bob

Dnk

The factory serving failure is attributed to lesser serving methods that Excal is addressing at the moment. Your serving probably separated rather than wore out. Bob is right on about what to do and I am glad to see that I've helped someone.
I know how dusty it gets there. Lubing the serving will probably allow grit to embed and if your string rides on the rail it will wear the rail. If you leave it dry then your serving will abrade but you may get a respectable number of shots out of it. There is a dry lube meant for bicycle chains that may be worth a try. Looks like you will have to learn to reserve. The thread that Bob pointed out is a good start. Here's a link to a thread that shows you how to make a simple jig to help you reserve.
Have you asked the crossbow dealer in your state what they suggest? I think we'd all be interested in the answer.
BTA Products PO Box #668 307-751-5891

Sako7STW

What is Reserving?

Dnk

The serving that we are yapping about is the section around the bow string that contacts the arrow. It is warpped with a braided abraision resistant cord (called serving) around .030 to .036 inches in thickness to prevent the claws that hold the string from damaging string fibers. When we re-serve we are replacing the wrap.

KLS

I dont reallylube the rail on mine much either, IMO it does collect alot of debris and creates kind of a messwhen its put throughalot of hunting situations
if I'm target shooting in my yard I'll maybe put a littlelube on the rail but if I'm huntingI like to keep the rail clean andmy string waxedjust enough fora little bit ofprotection(but not enough to collect any dirt/debris),and just keep it at that


I actually got quite a few shots out of my factory string with little to no lube anywhere... in fact, even though its showing alot of wear and seperation,its still very usable

nksmfamjp

I'm not exactly sureabout Excaliber's issues, but my serving lasts for years on my Tenpoint. I use just regular string wax everywhere, except the center serving. In that area Tenpoint says to just wipe down the rail with their rail lube every 150 shots. I think their rail lube is just FP10. I use the tenpoint stuff or regular FP10 to wipe the rail down and all other metal parts. I don't apply this heavy at all. I apply a few drops to a paper towel and then wipe down all exposed metal including the rail. I have never seen significant serving wear on my Tenpoint. The latest string serving is starting to separate a bit, but it has not unraveled.

KLV

Well, since there is not a Darton dealer in the state of Wyoming, it took awhile but I finally called a dealer in Montana and another in Colorado. Both said that any lube works well and that I should use it sparingly while practicing. Both agree that with the teflon impregnated rail and the fact that the string doesn't ride as heavily on the rail as an Excal and the limited number of shots that are taken while hunting, I can hunt without lubing the rail without a problem.

They did conflict a little though about waxing the serving. One said it might be agood idea the other said never wax the serving. From all my days shooting compound bows I've always been in the don't wax the serving camp and i think I'll stay there since it seems, from my experience, that wax on the serving causes it to soften and wear quicker.

As far as learning to serve my own strings, that probably won't happen since I already build and repair golf clubs and reload ammunition which takes up more than my share of room. I don't think adding more equipment to the mix will gain any favor around here. Fortunately, The Darton seems to be so much easier on the serving that, as long as I keep the dust and grit down, it's not as big a concern.

sproulman

if i was getting dirt on rail hunting, i would not use rail lube.
you are only shooting 1 shot.
if i had problem as you say and wanted to use LUBE, i would use BREAKFREE CLP.it has teflon in it that drys to gray film.

i use it in my beretta shotgun on piston so dust does not foul it from the powder .

i know very little about crossbow and learning here as well, so take my advice as only what MAY work without any info on if it does.

Cossack

There are several several dry lubes that come to mind. I use them for handloading.
Mica, a white powder
Molybdenum disulfide (Moly)
Graphite powder

Moly is especially slick. It's a black powder that clings pretty well. It's used to coat bullets and barrels to make them more slick, i.e.increase velocity. I have a Teflon rail on my Terminator so needs no 'slicking' but may just try it on my Excal.