How do you string your bow?

[Bill Tell]

OK OK I know get a stringer.  Well I do have one and use it every time.  But what if?  What if you forget it back home and you are in Alberta?  What if the airline misplaces it and you still have your bow?

I saw Ron LeClair string his with just a slide of his hand and a wiggle in his hip.  I tried this and about lost my first digit under the string.  I have a Morrison Cougar with a good deal of deflex to it and 55 pounds of "no way you ain't going to string me up pal"!

[John3]

If I HAD to I would use the step thru.

John III

[Golden Hawk]

I always make sure I have a spare stringer with me. I keep one in the truck, one in my fanny pack, and usually one in my bow case.

[MYSTIKBOW]

Yup, having an extra stringer or two can't hurt.
BUT, if ya had to string it without a stringer I have used the push pull method several times. I believe that was what Ron did. Place the bottom limb tip into the arch of your foot,pull up on the center of the bow and push the top limb away from you stringing the bow. (disclaimer: However, I am NOT recommending that you string your bow in this manner.) It can be very dangerous.

[Bill Tell]

Whats a step thru?

[geno]

mylong bow is only 45# I dont even own a stringer. does this do something to the bow.I do what I think you are calling the step through..

[portugeejn]

Stringer, or if need be push-pull.  I shoot mostly longbows, and have made a couple stringers to have around-they seem to be pretty simple to make.  
RonP

[shootrmn]

I use push-pull for my long bows and a stringer for my curves.

[Woodduck]

I would never push/pull, have 5 stringers because that's what the bowyers recommended for these bows.

I had a Hummingbird longbow that Ben Graham made for me in 1999 that I use to 'step through' because he watched the way I did it and said that would be fine; that he had tried to twist a limb on his but it wouldn't.

He did give me a leg strap stringer that he recommended for his recurves; with the purchase of the longbow.
Back injury forced me to trade that particular bow.

[James Wrenn]

I use a stringer on most of my bows.On some of the shorter milder r/d longbows I just step through and string them if a stringer in not right at hand.

[bunyan]

What's the concern with the step thru method?  Limb twist?

[mbbushman]

Push-pull method works just fine for me up to about 70 lbs. Longbows are simple to string that way, recurves can be tricky sometimes. I own a good stringer that I ocasionally use on my recurves.

[Van/TX]

I use push pull for stringing and step thru for unstringing. Sometimes I'll use step thru when stringing some recurves.  It's a bit safer for the person but has to be done right to not twist a limb.   I still have both limbs and have not twisted an eye yet     ...Van

[bsh_jr]

Push/pull on everything 65# or lighter.  The exceptions are my two 64" recurves and my one static tip recurve.  Those get a stringer.  I am always very careful about leaning over during the push pull stringing.  15 years ago I watched a guy forget that part and literally put his eye out with a 58" Bighorn.
Brannon

[1/2primitive]

I use the push/pull.    Yikes bsh_jr, I will be more careful about it from now on.
     Sean

[Shovelbuck]

Nothing but push/pull for me on all my bows. Recurve or longbow.

[Benha]

Stringer for everything!

[TXRED]

Stringer!
        (John,the 2-eyed chicken)

[Roadkill]

stringer  have em stashed everywhere, but have used push/pull in emergency.

[Bruiser]

Years ago, I used the push/pull.  On one hot day, my hand was sweaty and it slipped off of the top limb and it came back and hit me about 1/4 inch from my eye.  Not fun.  I use a stringer now.