I know this is a preference issue just looking for opinions.

Over the last 15+ years I've only shot a Saxon American with a leather grip and now I have a Shakespear Ocala with a bare wood grip and I'm thinking of adding the a leather grip to it. I don't necessarily have an issue yet but I'm concerned about wet weather on the Ocala.

Thoughts?

I prefer the rubber roll on grip, shur grip. 3R and others sell it. you could also use a bicycle tube I hear and make the same thing. it feels better to me that leather, and can easily be rolled if you are concerned about moisture.

One stop at the bike shop for an inner tube or 2 and you'll have a bunch of sure grips ....

I've used bare grips for years and years with no issues. Leather isn't going to keep the moisture (which is the biggest issue) away from the grip and could in fact make it worse in theory.

I do not care for leather grips. I like the look of the wood. You could wear a good leather glove, like a golf,full finger cycling glove or racquetball glove on you bow hand if you want a more secure feel.

Leather grips on all of mine. They offer positive hand placement, comfort, no-slip grip with rain or sweat, cover Z-splices, lam butt joints, skin joints, and I prefer the look.

My new-to-me RER Vortex has a leather grip; my also new-to-me Bamboo Viper does not. And when my hand starts sweating a little, I am more consistent in my grip with the Vortex.

Recurves don't matter so much because the grip has so much more shape to it....

YMMV

Leather looks nice. On a recurve, a slick grip is better for me. I allow the bow to settle into my hand where it wants to balance. If I am having to grip the bow to keep it in place, I am doing it wrong.

I also tie paracord wrist straps to my bows

Thanks all. I forgot about the rubber grips and didn't even think of the tire tube option. My Shakespeare is a '61 X17 which later became the Ocala and the grip pocket is not very deep which is why I'm concerned about slippage in my hand when wet. In fact it's not much deeper than my Saxon. I have pretty meaty forearms and have to concentrate on keeping my elbow slightly bent to prevent slap, so having a wet slick grip might not be such a great thing for me. It's odd now that I think about it... I have more slap on the recurve than I do on the longbow. Hmm? I'll have to check my form and see what I'm doing different.

Anyhow, thanks all!

Another option- esp. for shapely recurve handles- is the bow saddle. Literally a "half-assed"compromise; fits 1/2 way around the bow- right in the grip area. Put one on my old target recurve, took a little getting used to as previous experience is all around leather of no leather; the edges bothered me a little. But the grip now fits my hand better. Easy to get from 3 Rivers, idiot proof to put on.

Well fitting leather grip on a shaped handle can be a DIY pain- I have had great success and also annoying failures with that option.

I like both, but like leather on my longbows and 50's style recurves. And, I think the stench coming out of your boots while you are walking will trump any odor in the wrap. You can Febreeze it if you think you need to though. 8^)

I like both but the leather feels good. Especially the beaver tail on long bows.

I like both but the leather feels good. Especially the beaver tail on long bows.

Wood on my recurves except the 50's ones and leather on my longbows because it seems more comfy on the narrow longbow grip.

I like a leather grip on all my longbows and like the beavertail grip on my Widow PLX.Feels great and no slip!

I like leather as long as it doesn't enlarge the grip too much. My ASLs are one leather, one string wrap and one bare. They all work fine.

Recurves are all bare but one might be a candidate for a bike tube.

Do the bike tubes stay in place ok?

If a grip fits the shape of your hand it will not make much difference, but if a bulbous recurve grip does match your hand, you may find that you can get movement when you are wearing gloves that you did not expect.

Mainly leather comes from a time when there were major splices under the grip that it covered up maybe gave you and edge if it started to come apart at a splice. Other than that I just use what comes on the bow.

Byron has a good idea where he uses suede leather wrapped around the grip and knotted under itself. He can thereby dry out a wet grip, or trade them out if they are dirty. Obviously isn't affecting his accuracy.

Sadly on the Ferguson bows, they glue it down, which may say something about the degree to which others are willing to play with this idea.

I split the difference...leather bow saddle which covers about half the grip.

Beaver tail grip

No grip for me. Just like the look and feel of the nice wood.

You're not feeling the wood if it has several layers of clear finish on it :^)

How about checkering? That is a nice option. Fine, medium, or wide cut provide different grip feel options. Looks good too.

I have never tried a half-grip on a recurve. I like leather on the old style recurves - it just seems right.

On some longbows, the leather grip is very nicely beveled and overlapped to create a very smooth seam. That feels better than a flat overlapped and glued bumpy seam or even a flat butt seam. A nicely laced / sewn seam feels nice too. I really like beaver tail on a longbow grip - it is on my Caribow. Then again, i really like beaver tail in general.

One of our expert self-bow makers told me that he tanned hide from a snapping turtle which made a great grip. That would be very "snappy" looking!

I had a fat grip takedown Longbow and didn't like the thickness of the leather.. I wrapped it in cohesive tape in a non offensive camo pattern and once it got broken in, it worked great

Either way for me but my self bows get a sewed-on leather grip. Jawge

Me likes the leather grip, especially on cold morning. Not to tacky or slippery.

I like leather grip on 50ies style recurves & rubber grip on my d style grip of my other recurves.

I like leather on my LB. I only have one recurve that has a leather grip. It is my Warf, metal riser with no grip. So I put on a leather one because it gets hot in summer

I do not hunt in wet weather, too much chance of losing a blood trail and needlessly losing an animal. If I did I would simply wear a glove on my bow hand. I have had many bows with leather grip wraps. Recently I took the wrap off my 1960 Kodiak and I actually like the feel of the grip better. I would never think of removing the beavertail wrap from my HH bow.

DDave

Fisher "How about checkering?"... not a bad idea. Thanks.

camodave that's not really an option up here in Washington. Specially in Western Washington.

Thanks to all. I have a couple of ideas now!

Checkerings on bows are many times done with 14 to 16 lines/inch big, sharp and uncomfortable. If leather get too smelly for comfort how do we fix the same problem with glows and tabs?

First I've seen this subject on the Wall, but I've often thought of it while looking at pics on mainly LBs. I personally don't care for the look of leather on any grips, just plain bare wood for me. The more wood showing the better. And the feel is much better to me. I don't even like checkering that much. Just smooth wood grips for me both in looks and feel.

A Hill Style Bow without a leather grip, isn't a Hill Style Bow, it looks like a bare naked wanna be.

Longbow = leather recurve =bare at least that's how I like it.

A bow is not a bow without a leather grip. I cannot shoot a barebow. Psychological hell yah.

I have a rubber Shur Grip on every bow I own. If I wanna see the wood I just roll it down a bit for a peek.

Personally, I don't like the looks of a sweaty, grungy and potentially wet piece of leather on any bow grip. It looks like a greasy old worn out worn-forever sweaty leather hat brim... LOL ;^) I like the slidey feel of a smooth wood grip. Don't like metal risers either.

2X what TrapperKayak says why cover up something that appeals to me? To me that's the same as covering up a super model with a 1920's style beach wear garment.

What Hal9000 says. ..OE

As has been said it is all a matter of personal preference. I like the look of a nicely done leather grip on my longbows. But more important is that my hands tend to sweat a bit and it makes a bare grip a little slippery. I don't particularly like wearing a glove on my bow hand. It just does not feel right to me. Just a me thing.

It depends on your location. In the humid mid-west and south, a leather grip will also get slippery real fast or soaking wet. I always had leather grips on my bows when I lived in less humid and hot places. Now it is tennis racket overgrip tape for me. It is cheap, it feels great in wet conditions and gets you a sure grip. https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/head-super-comp-overgrip-tape-3-pack-16hedusprcmpvrgrptnn/16hedusprcmpvrgrptnn?&color=Black

It does take on some liquid but can be replaced in 3 minutes before hunting season if you are concerned about stink. I just spray it with some scent killer and let it dry. Can be used on recurve grips as well because you wrap it. You may only wrap a part of the grip to get a sure grip in all conditions.

I second George's motion, as usual! Leather on LB's and '50's recurves, bare grips on 70's+ and custom recurves. Mostly!;^) Wyatt

I have only owned 3-4 bows with a leather grip but I will say I really liked the feel of them. I just hate to cover up that pretty wood ! I have owned to many to count that were bare wood grip. I have one longbow that I have been trying to decide to or not to put a leather grip on. It looks so nice without it and I don’t have any problems shooting it like it is but I shot a buddies bow last week that had a leather grip and it is making me want to put one on this bow. Decision decisions. LOL

Leather all the way

This has been subject of discussion lately with my good buddy whos finishing up my new longbow I love my riser wood but i shoot with leather grip and it dont feel right without and in my opinion its good to play dress up ; ) Its a sexy bow bra,,,sometimes they just look better behind some leather and lace

No leather on that bow.

I've checkered at least a half-dozen bows, and I really prefer that to any other grip. However, looks count too, and some bows just look great with a leather grip...especially some of the old maple-risered 50's-style recurves.

You of all people Cam How can you have a Hill style longbow with no leather?!

I was told this years ago by a competitive shooter.

Paraphrasing - "You want a smooth grip. That way you can let the bow settle where it "wants" to be. Your grip will be consistent that way. Any type of friction material will let you control the grip versus the bow controlling it. When you control the grip, it is more than likely not the same every time."

In any kind of shooting consistency is the key, so this makes perfect sense to me.

Guys -

Just to muddy the waters a little bit...

Any of the wraps (leather, rubber, etc) can certainly make most bows more comfy to shoot, and that's a good thing. They also prevent your hand from slipping on the grip - contrary to popular opinion, I don't think that's so much of a good thing.

If you know/have learned how to hold a certain bow, your hand will naturally fall into place on the contour of the grip. If it's not in that position, and friction prevents it (your hand) from getting there, then you induce torque.

Is that a hard and fast rule, no, but it IS something to consider.

Viper out.

I love the look and feel of a leather grip. The old Bear leather was great and the newer custom beaver tail grips look fantastic.

Unfortunately for me, the grip shapes I like don't lend themselves to leather very easily.

Only bow I have with a leather Grip is my Dual Shelf Polar. Nothing else has leather, rubber, or... Just wood to skin contact. May not be the best idea, but I get to see the beauty of the full bow and I think it may keep me from torquing the bow a bit.

-Bones

Good quality tennis overwrap grip. You can always replace it when you want and it will feel just like the previous wrap.

I like leather though. Rubber grips have stained two of my longbows and I will never use them again.

I like the leather grip. To combat the scent I just spray it lightly with scent killer every time I go out just like all my stuff.

None of mine have either. During the summer, when the hand gets sweaty, I put on a golf glove from which I have cut off the fingers. Provides for a nice slip-free grip and I can't detect any difference in my shooting.

When hunting in the early season, I wear a glove with rubberized nubs on the palm. Again, can't see any difference in my shooting.

A friend gave me some beaver tail and two nice pieces of leather and am thinking of having another friend put them on a couple of my bows. Just to see how they feel. I do like the looks of both.

That particular Shakespeare has a fat grip. A 300 feels good with leather.

Not all grips are equal, or perfect. I want the control and option of where it needs to be, not necessarily where it wants to be.

On a bow without a shelf, the leather grip serves the function of locating the hand and the arrow, and the arrow rest is built into it. In our refined times it doesn't do anything useful, but it is also easy to ignore, so I use it on my longbows, even though they would probably be better without it. Many bows have joints under the leather, which is another consideration.

If you have an on again off again relationship to your leather grip. I would copy what Byron Nelson does on his bows which is wrap a strip of light suede around the grip, and tuck it under itself on the lower end. That way if it gets wet or dirty, you can easily maintain it. Ironically, on his commercial bows, he uses a glued down version of the grip, which is a nice grip, but not all that practical really, as suede not particularly durable, or water resistant.

The single time I wanted leather on my #55 Mamba was in a hot summer day after shooting 200 arrows. The hand was a bit slippery. Other than that, if the bow has the leather grip I keep it, if not, I don't want it.

Sometimes I wonder about it too. I've read all these posts. Seems like it depends on a lot of things:

Style of shooting: firm grip on the bow, or loose grip letting the bow seat itself. I prefer the latter and so no grip, but some leather grips are also very smooth and work for me.

Weather: depends on where and when you shoot. In colder weather if you shoot with a glove, a leather grip increases the friction so it depends on style of shooting. In hot or warm weather it depends on humidity and whether your hand sweats or not. I often wear a light glove in summer so that when it gets colder and I wear a glove, my shooting style for a particular bow doesn't change.

Shape of the grip: if a grip fits without a glove or with a very thin glove, I leave it that way. But some grips don't fit well and a leather wrap can fix that... especially if the grip is too thin or if the throat of the grip is too deep compared to the heel of the grip. I have a '60 Polar that I just couldn't shoot straight until I wrapped the grip with leather bicycle handlebar wrap. I realized the grip was too small and I was having to bend my wrist to hold it, which torqued the bow away from where I was aiming. Similarly I have a Kodiak Deluxe with the throat too deep, so my hand doesn't seat well. I didn't want to cover the beautiful wood but also didn't want to take a rasp to it. Some leather wrap made it shoot much better. Looks good also.

Looks: it's true some bows just look great with a leather wrap. If they shoot great also, it stays. If not, shooting trumps looks.

Shandor

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