After shooting heavy recurve bows for over 40 years my string finger joints have recently been painful enough to adversely affect my shooting. My question is; is there negative structural effect on my bows if I were to begin using a mechanical release? Pros, cons? My pride is already suffering a bit even thinking about doing this but I won't stop just because my fingers are screaming... Thoughts, help, comments please.

There will be NO structural damage to your bow when shooting with a mechanical release. Recurves have been shot with mechanical release for eons.

The pro's are that you will probably get a little more speed due to a more consistent release, and you will be able to keep shooting. Con's, it will take a little while to get used to, and you will have to retune your bow most likely.

My finger joints used to hurt when shooting right hand. I switched to shooting left hand due to target panic issues and have no pain with my shooting fingers on that hand. If you have worn out fingers or shoulders, give serious thought to shooting wrong-handed, especially if your left eye is the dominant one.

Find a style you like and go for it, man! Releases (like sights and stabs and other accoutrements) predate the notion of Trad by a couple of decades, and as Frank said, you'll gain some speed and get better flight out of the deal.

I'm with you on the preference for fingers, but the bum shoulder is teaching me that You Gotta Do What You Gotta Do...

My wife just did that, she lost a lot of speed because the jaws of the release puts the string farther forward and also the D-loop causes a little loss of draw length and pulling the string from that one spot instead of three fingers on the string looses some draw weight. She lost a total of two inches draw. But her arrows continue to fly very well. Learning to anchor consistently will be your biggest challenge.

Feel free to PM me if you have issues and want to chat, I don't always come back and check threads

How about a thumb ring? Not sure about how that would work for high poundage but it would be hard to argue that it's not "traditional".

Just get whatever release fits you best. To heck with what someone thinks is traditional. That stuff is sophomoric anyway. You do what keeps you shooting, and releases of all kinds were around before mechanical bows. Just make sure it fits your style/form...that's all.

Before going to a mechanical release, did you try using a solid tabs like a Cartel? I like the SAM tab which is protective but retains some flex. Hope you are planning on shooting lighter bows to protect other body parts from wear and tear.

How does a thumb ring work exactly? Have seen them used but not clear picture of how they work. Randy

A thumb ring can hurt even mire. Try a greatree leather thumb glove, they are nice and forgiving.

Thanks guys, I'm sure the bow tune will be affected and I don't want to sacrifice much draw length. My draw is 30 1/2". Having never set up a release system, I'll need to get some advice/help with that. Switching hands would take too long and require I buy new (expensive) custom bows. I love my "top drawer" recurves too much. I know I don't "have to" shoot 70-75lb bows but that's what I've always shot and will as long as possible. I'm unfamiliar with "solid" tabs. As far as "other body parts", they're very strong and good to go. I'll research the leather thumb glove. Thanks gentlemen

https://youtu.be/q81H-V1_gGo cool video here on using a thumb ring

Go for it, do what ever keeps you shooting. May even try lower poundage bows to see if it is better on your fingers.

oldgoat...to overcome the loss of draw length here's an idea. (Not meaning to hijack the thread, but it is related).

My oldest son had to use release for awhile. What we did was decide where the release needed to go. Then we added serving to the string in that area, with a little extra serving above and below so the release clamped in the middle. It gave him back the lost length and he was able to get his anchor a lot closer to his regular anchor point.

fdp, that sounds like a possible solution. Now I need to research releases.

no harm to bow at all, or you could try what the girl on the cover of todays 3river catalog is dueing, she has a 5 finger grip on the string, thumb and all. they must have made her hold for that pic to long.

Have you tried a thicker glove?

I suggest you get a Saunders PakTab to try. They are modular and can be assembled in different ways to produce multiple layers of plastic, plus leather, felt, rubber. You may find a combination that suits you.

Second, you could try an even deeper hook on the string- beyond the crease of the second finger, up in the meat beyond it. Many Olypians and other top archers prefer that. I do. - lbg

My problem isn't the skin or muscles, it's the finger joints. I've been visited by those "Ritis" brothers. That "Arthur" is a real pain in the ass and a few other places... The calluses on my fingers get so thick I have to sand them off to prevent cracking and bleeding. Thicker material isn't needed. I feel that pulling the string with my wrist is my best option. My main concern is the effect on a recurve bow. I was told buy a so called "expert" here at an archery shop that shooting my recurve with a release would be almost like dry firing it. That's why I'm asking you fellas. I'm kinda "ignorant" when it comes to Hi Tech archery. Thanks Neal

Dry fire is no arrow. No weight to take up the recovering limb energy. Why on earth some idiot thinks the arrow & the bow somehow "know" what the release method is, to the detriment of the bow's health, is beyond any rational understanding.

What does change is the dynamic spine- the mechanical release is cleaner than any finger (or thumb) release, therefore your arrow SPINE requirement may have to change. Of course this variable has nothing to do with the arrow mass weight, which if too light may come too close to a dry fire. Really, gpp (grains per pound) is gpp, even though shaft stiffness is variable.

But, if the draw shortens, it all may equal out- but that calculation is above my pay grade- shooters with mechanical release experience (or Stu's calculator) may help you out here.

Forget the thumb business. Glove, ring, or bare naked thumb you will have a long, steep learning curve. Whatever bow, or kind of bow you need to begin with, will have to be much, much lighter in draw wt. than the ones you now have. I dropped from 65# to 48# to learn thumb release (with a hard ring) and it should have been lighter- like 30 to 35lbs.

Anyway, with Arthur Ritis maybe you don't want to risk your thumb- guess it all depends on whether it's just those fingers or your whole hand. My wife got arthritis in a toe from a maltreated stress fracture. the quack we were seeing said it was "tendonitis"- in a place that has no tendons! No joke, good luck whatever you do.

Dan

I saw a release on YouTube ( don't remember where ) that may help you to continue shooting. Picture a tubular handle with a small Eye Bolt cut off shy of center and mounted perpendicular through the handle ). This forms a solid hook which captures the string. To release just rotate the tubular handle like you do with a hinge release. This will allow you to pull with all four fingers.

There was a thread on here (at least I think it was here) a while back about a guy who makes a release like that out of antler and a metal hook. Maybe search for "traditional release"?

Going from fingers to a release even if you can somehow draw the arrow the same length you will lose a couple pounds draw weight because you aren't taking up near as much of the string with a D- loop or hooking straight onto the string as you do with fingers. My wife lost 20fps on her bow, luckily I have a few really high efficiency bow\riser rigs to experiment with. We were able to figure out a way to get 10fps back and by elk season we might be able to gain a few more. Luckily with the inherently cleaner release she's getting, her normal arrows are flying really clean!

I feel for ya. I have some skeletal issues from shooting heavy longbows for 20+ years.

How about a deeper hook? Most people call a deep hook, the string in the first joints of the fingers. I have tried it in the second. It takes some getting used to, but if you use your rhomboids properly you can get off the string.

Bowmania

I shot one of my bows with a release and it was a lot like a dry fire. I think I would like a d loop and a release made for a d loop. that's what I used on my coumpound. liked it a lot. easy on the fingers. pull with the wrist...ron

Ever thought of Switching hands? I made a few off handed bows in the past for friends and family. it was weird at first but I got used to it pretty quickly. Shot very well, too.

Just another possible solution. good luck with your shooting.

I found internet release comparisons and from what I read, the Tru Fire Foldback release is the highest recommendation. It's tested at 200 lbs for 2000 rounds. It's kind of a shot in the dark but I gotta get used to it. I've got 30 uninterrupted days to hunt elk this year and I'm not letting this stop me. My Douglas Fir arrows with 160 gr. Snuffers and 3 coats of finish weigh an average of 760 gr. If that doesn't absorb enough energy then too bad. Thanks for the continued help and ideas. Neal

After three operations of my shooting eye, i dedided to put a large peep sight in the string and a one pin sight on my recurve. It made a world of difference and my confidence has soared. I still shoot my other bows without sights but i can't see that well with one eye closed. When things aren't working we have to use other options.

Pahaska I highly recommend a release that the head is attached to a strap instead on a rigid post. Google a Scott Samurai. I found the strap type to be much more user friendly when you are trying to do other stuff with the release strapped to your wrist like use binoculars etc. I tried about three different styles before I settled on that one being the answer when I shot wheel bows!

Thanks David

Take a look at these two videos. I really like the look of the three finger release the young man in the first video is using. I might try to make me one or make one by casting it in aluminum.

There is a second video that I found very interesting, but I can't seem to find again right now. It showed a lot of different releases used down through distant history. It is not in English, but you can get the idea of what he is doing with the releases. I will post a link to it if I can find it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMWoEoprhKs

Thanks Choctaw

This is the second video. The first release was used in Roman times. I believe. It is bulky, but very interesting. I think with modern materials a great release could be made in that style.

I guess I should paste the url in too. 8^)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t51fjV3Atpc

The fist of the foriegn videos show three releases, and the video from the same guy that come up after it shows a couple more releases.

The fist of the foriegn videos show three releases, and the video from the same guy that come up after it shows a couple more releases.

Do a search under deer bone release. Should find a release made by a guy named Webb. Met him at the Baltimore shoot and he showed me his releases. Just made one myself and works quite well. Also added a loop on the release so not needed on the bowstring. Definitely easier on the fingers.

Keep in mind I am left handed but the release works in either hand.

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