[ELI5] why is dry firing a bow so bad for it? Does the arrow really make that much of a difference in that regard?

Question

[ELI5] why is dry firing a bow so bad for it? Does the arrow really make that much of a difference in that regard?

In: 2366

Answer 1

All the energy that goes into the arrow has to go somewhere. If it doesn’t get transferred into the arrow, it’ll become a shockwave going through the bow. This can tear the bow apart.