CenterPoint Crossbow Strings by Model

Measure a crossbow string end loop to end loop, under light tension, not laid slack on a bench. A tape reading that is half an inch out will give you a string that either will not fit the limb tips or sits with the wrong brace height.

Three of those models share 35.11 inches - the Patriot 425, Pulse 425 and Amped 425 are close relatives. That is useful to know if a listing is out of stock under one model name and available under another.

Strings are a wear item, not a permanent part, and they fail gradually rather than suddenly. What you are looking for:

• Fuzzing along the serving. A light fuzz is normal on a used string. Strands that have broken and are standing away from the bundle are not.
• Serving separation. If the centre serving has started to unwind or has shifted along the string, the nock no longer sits where it should. This is the one that causes erratic shots.
• Flattened or glazed strands. Usually a sign the string has been run dry without wax, or has been rubbing somewhere it should not.
• Speed and point of impact drift. A stretched string drops your speed and moves your group, often before anything looks visibly wrong.

Waxing is what extends string life, and it has to be done before the damage rather than after. Waxing a string that is already fraying hides the fraying without fixing anything. If you are already seeing broken strands, order the replacement.

On a compound crossbow the string and the cables are a system. Cables stretch at roughly the same rate as the string, so replacing the string alone on a bow that has seen several seasons usually means you are back inside a year to do the cables anyway - and in the meantime the cam timing sits slightly off.

Most CenterPoint replacements are sold either as a string on its own or as a string and cable set, and the set is the better buy on any bow that is more than a couple of seasons old. For the Sniper 370, the Sniper 390, the Dagger 390, the Heat 425, the Sniper Elite 385, the Dagger 405 and the Mercenary 390 the set is what is generally listed.

The CP400 is the exception worth calling out: it is served by a string and cable stop kit rather than a simple string, so read the listing before assuming it is a like-for-like swap.

CenterPoint does not sell replacement strings for its older models on Amazon. What is available comes from aftermarket string makers - 60X Custom Strings and October Mountain Products are the two names you will see most often - built to the published length for each bow.

That is normal in archery rather than a compromise: custom string shops build for hundreds of bow models, and a BCY D97 string from a specialist is not a downgrade from a factory string. It does mean you should read the length in the listing title rather than relying on the model name alone, because a shop may serve several similar models with one product page.

A compound crossbow cannot be restrung by hand. It needs a bow press that fits a crossbow's limb geometry, and crossbow limbs store enough energy that improvising here is genuinely dangerous rather than merely awkward. Two realistic options:

• Take it to a pro shop. Most archery shops will fit a string you supply. Ordering the correct string yourself and paying for the fitting is usually the cheapest route.
• Buy the press. Only worth it if you are servicing several bows or shoot enough to restring on a schedule.

While the bow is in the press is also the moment to check everything else that wears - see the parts that wear first - and to look at the rail, because a grooved or dry rail eats strings faster than shooting does.