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White Residue?

MAHunter

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2020
Messages
261
Hi All,

Im new to using a crossbow. Picked one up a couple weeks ago and spent some time dialing in the scope at various ranges. When i purchased the crossbow, the guy at the shop said to add one drop of oil to each side of the rail and rub it up and down both side of the rail with your finger every 30 shots.

After about 6 or 7 shots today i noticed a white residue on the side of the left rail (aiming down the bow). It scrapes off with my thumb nail. My best guess is its from the white fletching that runs inside the rail. Is this normal? O is there something i should be doing to prevent it from happening.

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I’ve seen it before but never really paid attention to it. Definitely something coming off the arrow.

Yah i cleaned it all off. My thought process is, if introduces added friction/drag to that side, it can impact the flight of the bolt.
 
Yah i cleaned it all off. My thought process is, if introduces added friction/drag to that side, it can impact the flight of the bolt.
I haven’t noticed any inaccuracies. But I’m working off memory here. I’m following. Somebody might educate us here in a little bit.
 
"the guy at the shop said to add one drop of oil to each side of the rail and rub it up and down both side of the rail with your finger every 30 shots. "

I hope you are using rail lube and not motor oil. That is melted plastic off your fletching. You need to rub a little rail lube on this area maybe more often than every 30 shots. Your bow will tell you when to lube and what it wants by it's speed/accuracy. Cheapest and best rail lube I have found is plain old 3-IN-ONE All-Temp SILICONE you can get at Lowes etc. Just a little dab rubbed along with your finger does great. It is a yellow bottle. Says right on the bottle it works down to -100* to 500* F and it is quick drying. There is a good bit of heat generated from friction when that bolt releases and goes sliding down that rail.
 
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Im using Ten Point Rail Lubricant. Ill be sure to clean and lube the rail more frequently.
Should I also be lubricating inside of the channel that the guide fletching runs down?

The guy at the shop made it seem like the rail lube was more for the string running up and down the rail.
 
Unscented Chapstick works well for rail lube or silicone grease sold for scuba applications.
 
The lube is to help anything running down the rail to move more freely and thus decreases abrasion. The 3 IN ONE Silicone I mentioned dries and is not sticky but leaves a slick coating. When screwing off the lid and smelling it I detect just a slight odder and when dry no odder. If you use wax type lubes they collect dirt and stuff and defeat it's purpose.
 
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