Finger Shooter?

[BigJake225]

I'm a compound finger shooter myself and I'm just wondering if anyone else here shoots using their fingers? If you do what set-up are you using?

I'm shooting a Hoyt Vantage LTD with XX78 2317's with zwickey eskimos, AAE Free flight/master-lok plunger combo and truglo sight.

 

[Ross]

Currently usin Hoyt tribute single slider HHA sight and vap arrows...looking to go with Matthews halon xcomp soon

 

[BigJake225]

Are you going to shoot the Halon with fingers? If so let me know how it goes. I have been thinking of trying a shorter bow but with my draw length (31"), I worry about finger pinch.

 

[OR Archer]

The bow he's talking about is a 37" A2A bow. Quite a bit shorter than his current bow but still shootable with fingers. It'll give him a good bump up in performance as well.

 

[PJG]

Not to sidetrack this thread, but I was hoping you guys with some experience could maybe answer a couple questions.

1) what draw weight and let off would you suggest a first time finger shooter to start with?
2) would a whisker biscuit be the easiest rest?
3) three under or split?
4) what type of sight/sights?

 

[BigJake225]

1) I would say start with whatever your normal draw weight is but maybe take some time shooting shorter more frequent sessions (30-60 arrows 2 or 3 times a week) to let your muscles get used to it. I would also suggest low let-off (65% is about as low as you can go with modern bows, I really like 50% but can't find anything at that spec). Lower let-off lets the string come off of your fingers more smoothly.

2) I have not experience with the whisker biscuit, so I can't really comment. If you're looking for an inexpensive rest to start with I would suggest the NAP centerest or centerest flipper. Eventually you'll want to upgrade to a flipper/plunger combo though such as the Cavalier Free Flite/master-lok combo. The Terry T-3 rest is a cheaper alternative to the Free-flight, but I like the Free-flight and feel it's worth the extra money.

3) I shoot split, but I think that you can make either work.

4.) I would say that sight choice depends largely on what speed your bow is shooting. I shoot a slow bow, so my sight needs to have a large aperture to allow my pins enough room. If you shoot a faster set-up you could get away with a smaller aperture.

If you are looking for a good all-around tuning/archery resource book with a section dedicated to the finger release I would suggest Joe Bell's book, Technical Bowhunting:The Ultimate Guide to Shooting Performance. Hope this helps.

 

[PJG]

Thanks Jake, that's all very helpful.

I'll check out that book.

 

[tipsntails7]

I personally don't think modern day compounds lend themselves to shooting fingers anymore, especially if your a longer draw. Small ATA's plus big let-offs are a nightmare for finger guys.

I quit shooting fingers 10-15 years ago, and don't see myself going back unfortunately.


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[BigJake225]

I agree, the only two compounds I can think of that are suitable for are the Hoyt Tribute and the Mathews Conquest 4. I'm sure there are others, I just don't know of them. Why do you feel you wouldn't go back?

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[tipsntails7]

I agree, the only two compounds I can think of that are suitable for are the Hoyt Tribute and the Mathews Conquest 4. I'm sure there are others, I just don't know of them. Why do you feel you wouldn't go back?

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Because the options available are dwindling to the point of being almost non existent, it's just not a market bow companys focus on. String tracks are much more shallow then they once were, 65% let off is the absolute minimum you can get some bows, a lot won't even go past 70, the valleys are a lot different then they were, a lot deeper, again can be adjusted a bit. I don't believe I can be nearly as accurate with today's bows using fingers as i can with a release aid. 15 years ago I didn't feel that way.

If I want to shoot fingers again I'll pick up a trad bow


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[BigJake225]

Because the options available are dwindling to the point of being almost non existent, it's just not a market bow companys focus on. String tracks are much more shallow then they once were, 65% let off is the absolute minimum you can get some bows, a lot won't even go past 70, the valleys are a lot different then they were, a lot deeper, again can be adjusted a bit. I don't believe I can be nearly as accurate with today's bows using fingers as i can with a release aid. 15 years ago I didn't feel that way.

If I want to shoot fingers again I'll pick up a trad bow


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Do you feel like it's less hassle to shoot with a release? Like time tuning and practice time?

I've been thinking about starting to shoot a release bow as well for ground blind situations, and just to test the waters. I really like shooting fingers, but sometimes I get the "grass is greener" feeling with all these super-fast release bows coming out. I'm not really concerned with accuracy per-se, as I can shoot pretty close to an archers moa with fingers, I'm just wondering if I would actually gain anything from switching.