Beginner archer - wrist strap or thumb release

[RCA Dog]

RCA, a bunch of great advice above and welcome. One thing to do, you mentioned the thumb release you have it set light, set the spring trigger tension high, this will help you from punching the trigger and you will keep the back tension as you pull through. best of luck!

I will try that. Thanks for the tip.

 

[wncbrewer]

A lot of good advice here, but I'd like to make one additional point.

A thumb is just as "punch-able" as an index trigger release if you aren't pulling through the shot with back tension. For me it's much easier to obtain a surprise release with a thumb trigger than a wrist strap. Wrap that thumb barrel deep and pull with your rhomboids, and it's a beautiful thing. There are guys that can pull it off with a deep hook on an index trigger, but I'm not one of those guys.

I would suggest doing some research into shooting with proper back tension first, even if it means getting a coach, and then making your final release decision based on what you like


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[mfllood3800]

I use a wrist rocket. I use the middle knuckle on my finger as the triggering point. I actually use back tension (pull thru the shot) even on this wrist set up. I do not punch the trigger, I set my finger over it and just keep pulling and pushing till it goes off.

 

[Kilboars]

Learning back tension is the way to go.

I shoot my target bow with a Silverback and bought a Nock2it thumb release for hunting but so far sticking to my carter itty bitty goose neck wrist release till I feel confident with taking a shot at an animal with my thumb release as much as I do the rest release. Not sure that's helpful or not though.


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[RCA Dog]

Loving all the advice here, appreciate it very much. For the guys using one release for target, and a different one for hunting, what is the reason for this ? Is it because of the convenience of having a wrist strap attached while you are hunting, or is it a confidence thing ? It seems to me, and I could be very wrong, but if one release shoots better for you, wouldn't you want that release while you were hunting, even if it is a bit of a pain to carry around or find in a pocket ?

 

[Boreal]

Loving all the advice here, appreciate it very much. For the guys using one release for target, and a different one for hunting, what is the reason for this ?

I definitely would recommend against this. The anchor points for wrist release and hand-held are different enough that your peep sight can be off by .25 to .5 inch. Means you end up moving the bow or your head around to try to get a sight picture. At 20 yards this won't mean much, but at 40 can be the difference between a vitals or gut shot, or a clean miss. My advice remains to shoot a few, find the one that feels right for you, and practice, practice, practice.



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[bean outdoors]

If you dont like a wrist strap the scott caliper is a nice hand held release....i have used it for years

 

[RCA Dog]

I went ahead and ordered the silverback and the nock 2 it from Dudley. The silverback should be here in a week or so. That guy is awesome; I am so impressed with what he gives to the archery community, and I haven't even been in it that long.

 

[enlightenedred]

For the last 10 years I've shot a Winn Free Flight. It's the only release I'll ever shoot and I mention it because it's a little different style than all the other releases mentioned. It has a "bar" built into a glove like contraption that fits in the palm of your hand. This makes the perceived weight of the draw feel much better than pulling a wrist strap. As I was making the jump from finger tab shooting, that was essential for me. The one downside is that it tends to be bulky to wear around but you do get used to it and it doesn't hinder me at all even on run and gun type elk hunts. Otherwise the release mechanism is conventional trigger style, although I wrap my hand around and use tension in the meaty part of my middle finger to achieve a surprise release, which I've never seen anyone else do really, just something I came up with because I was struggling with punching the trigger. It's a system I think more hunters would use if they tried it out.

+1 I bought Free Flight in the early 90's (ish). I agree. Once I got used to it, I shoot lights out. Had to learn to build my own arrows because we were splitting so many nocks out to 45-50 yds (pre-overdraw, pre-carbon, aluminum shafts, much slower bows than today's) . Finally wore the spring loaded lock back down enough last year that it has to be closed on the string and locked manually. Definitely got my money's worth out of that one! Have a new hook style release to try but the the jury's still out. Got a feeling I may migrate back to the Free Flight.