[Chuck Russell]

how do you guys store your swords, pollarms and bows? i recently have a new ash poled pollarm and an ash bow. hwo do you guys do to keep the spines from warping

[Ryan A. C.]

The swords and pole arms are displayed on the walls, including the area of wall above the head of my bed. I don’t recommend this practice for obvious enough reasons. The bows go on the floor. I don’t recommend this either, however, as you might want to entertain guests at some point and people who aren’t used to such obviously nifty solutions to the issues of our physical dimension will find it cluttered and will laugh at you as they trip and fall into the afore mentioned swords and pole arms.

Perhaps you could build some sort of rack for your bows, but why bother doing that when you could be shooting?

[Matt G]

Hi Chuck,

Your bow should be stored unstrung in a location that will keep it away from humidty or warm temps and out of direct sunlight that could lead to cracking and warping over time. If you don't find the time to use your bow often, take a few moments now and again to visual inspect the limbs and limb tips to ensure no cracks have started. Following that, string up your bow and draw it back slowly, listening for any sounds like creaking that could be an indication of problems. Stringing your bow also flexes the limbs and draws them into alignment with each other with via the bowstring. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but make sure to never dry fire your bow.

If you are not displaying your bow, you should consider a hard-sided bow case that will protect your bow from dings and knocks against other objects, with the case stored flat, never on edge.

Same goes for your arrows, make sure to store them separated so that your fletching isn't crushed by the weight of the shafts piled one on top of the other, affecting your accuracy at the range (And if you do miss, you can always blame it on that). There are plastic cases on the market for arrows that have foam inserts to help keep them apart. They are relatively cheap and with the cost of good arrows being what they are, they really pay for themselves quickly.

Have fun!

Matt