Hunting season is around the corner and now is the time to prep your crossbow. Ideally you’ve kept your crossbow in a cool, dry place. Take your crossbow out of its case and complete the following before sighting in your bow.
Step 1: Check Your Crossbow's Condition
Check the crossbow thoroughly for worn, damaged, loose, or missing parts. If you find any damage or wear, discontinue use and contact customer support before using.
If your bow strings, cables, or serving are worn or frayed, they should be changed by an archery shop professional. Before making any changes, check your owner’s manual to ensure you don’t void your warranty.
Step 2: Apply Lubricant to Metal Parts
To prevent rust and corrosion, apply a light coat of silicon-based lubricant on all metal parts.
Step 3: Apply Rail Lube
Using your finger, rub a thin coat of rail lube on each side of the flight rail, covering its length up to the string stops. This helps reduce bowstring friction and wear. CenterPoint Archery recommends you apply rail lube after every 12 to 15 shots.
Step 4: Replace Bowstring Wax
Clean off any old, built-up wax then re-lubricate the bowstring with fresh bowstring wax, being careful not to wax the cam servings or the center serving. (The center serving comes in contact with the flight rail, and waxing it may cause a wax buildup in the trigger mechanism.) Once you’ve applied bowstring wax, rub it in gently using your fingers and then using a clean cloth.
Never attempt to apply bowstring wax while the crossbow is in the cocked or loaded position.
Step 5: Remove Any External Dirt From the Scope
All CenterPoint crossbows come with a scope. This is a precision instrument that deserves the utmost care. Don’t attempt to disassemble or clean the scope internally. Remove any external dirt with a soft brush to avoid scratching the lens. Next, use a lens cloth or an optical quality lens paper to gently clean the external lens coating. Unnecessary rubbing or use of a coarse cloth may cause permanent damage to lens coatings.
Step 6: Inspect Arrow's Condition
Before firing any arrow, carefully inspect each arrow for wear, damage, or nicks. Even small flaws or minor damage can cause an arrow to shatter explosively when fired from a crossbow, causing you and those nearby severe injury. Dispose of all damaged arrows properly and as required by local laws and regulations. Check out this information on arrow safety. Need to order replacement arrows? Check out CenterPoint Archery’s carbon arrows.
Step 7: Sight in Your Crossbow
Once you've completed these steps, you may now load an approved arrow with ½ moon nock and confirm that your scope is on target within your maximum effective yardage for your individual skill set and environment.
Always check your owner’s manual to make sure you don’t miss anything pertaining to your particular crossbow model.