New recurve bow, PSE Kingfisher. I have a few questions for anyone knowledgeable with the Kingfisher

I picked up a PSE kingfisher labeled 'new' on ebay. It was about half price off retail, so being new I thought I scored a deal. When I got the bow I noticed that there were supposed to be a little 'ridge' for lack of a better term, on each limb. There are identical grooves machined into the riser. I found one of the ridges loose in the box, it was clear that it had been epoxied onto the limb, the second ridge is missing. I know this riser will accept a variety of replacement limbs, not all of which have that ridge.

My questions are: Does anyone have experience with a PSE Kingfisher? I know its a fairly common entry level bow, so someone out there should be able to provide useful insight. Is it safe to assemble the bow without those ridges, and fire it? they are the 50# solid glass limbs, if that matters. There was no information I could find online, neither at the PSE website. Unfortunately the PSE customer service line is closed until business on monday. I am hoping I can glean some information from you knowledgeable group over the weekend. The fact that both limbs had the epoxied ridges snap off puzzles me a bit.

I am still working with the eBay seller before I take this issue up with eBay Buyer Protection, and Paypal. Although he does not accept returns, I am hoping we can work something out. I am wondering if the bow can even be assembled and fired at all? I appreciate any discussion on this topic, thank you.

EDIT: I couldnt find any pictures of what I am talking about on the internet so I took a quick video with my phone, embedded below.

reply to post by IntegratedInstigator


I am not familiar with this model,but if bits have come off the limbs,I would say the Bow may have been overdrawn.
Its very hit an miss buying bows on ebay-It's the sort of purchase you need to feel and look at closely before you commit to buy.

Are there any signs of cracking in the finish of the Bow near where the ridges broke off?(Look very closley at the finish-is it the same all over the back and belly of the bow?
If not,that again would suggest its been overdrawn,dropped when strung,or otherwise mishandled.

Hustle your money back would be my advice sadly.
Bummer.

Edit:
Yeah don't shoot it either if there is signs of damage-You don't want it to break on you,you can have bit flying at your face/eyes etc.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


I added a video of the broken limbs, check my original post.

I should have been a bit more specific in the OP, but the Kingfisher is a takedown bow. The ridges on the limbs match the grooves on the riser, and serve to sort of 'lock in' the limbs to the riser, in addition to the bolts. The ridges I speak of are just little plastic bits that seem to have been epoxied in place. The Kingfisher is a very cheap economy bow. I have handled one in the store but decided not to buy it at the time. I found it half price listed as 'New' on eBay, though clearly its not 'out of the box' new. I am guessing the guy bought it, fired it a few times and didnt like it.

To answer your questions, the finish is blemish free. There is no apparent limb twist. The string grooves and limb tips show no wear. There are no scuff marks save 3 little Xs scratched into the riser (3 kills maybe???). Overall its a clean looking bow, I am just leery to assemble and fire it with the little plastic bits missing off the limbs, though I believe replacement limbs will fit the riser, and they dont have the lumps or ridges. Unfortunately I cant find any pictures of what I am looking at. I will see if I can upload a quick video to youtube or something.

reply to post by IntegratedInstigator


That looks as though it could be a manufacturing defect,or was thrown about during posting maybe.
Go to a shop and look at how an undamaged version is-that may tell you if its fixable,or if you should send it back.

I think you have a case with Ebay though-You should be able to get refunded.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


I must have forgotten to respond and close the issue. I have smoothed things over with the eBay user somewhat, I have him listed never to do business with again. I dont feel bad because I got a basically new bow for half price, The eBayer bought it, assembled it, fired it a dozen times, didnt like it and sold it.

I got into contact with PSE Customer Service, they told me absolutely do not fire it without the nubs installed, but send me replacement nubs free of charge even though I bought from eBay. He said I dont even need to epoxy them, just a press fit is fine. I did epoxy them so that they dont get lost though.

Additionally I took the bow to a local archery range/shop for them to look everything over, and purchase a set of half a dozen arrows fitted for the bow. He said it was odd that the pieces had become un-epoxied, but the kingfisher is an entry level bow afterall and it shouldnt be of 'much' concern. He got the thing strung up, twisted the string a bit to increase the brace height, and I put maybe 30-40 arrows through the bow under his supervision. 50# gets awfully heavy awfully quick, I can see why the previous user may have wanted to resell it. I had him make up 3 arrows instead of 6 since I may be convinced either to move to a 40#, or compound... or just man up and start working out .

Thank you for your input and assistance during my ordeal, everything was much appreciated.