Help choosing release

[BigJake225]

Hello all, I am currently a compound finger shooter and would like to give a release a try this year. I just find myself having less time to practice, so I can't stay as sharp with a finger release as I used to. I want to go to a new bow this year, but I need to choose a release first so I can try as many different bows as possible. I'm leaning toward a handheld release, but am open to anything. Has anyone made a similar change? What should I look for? Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Brendan]

In my opinion, the most important is to get one with a good trigger. Meaning - adjustable trigger travel, and adjustable tension. I like no travel, no creep whatsoever and a tension that can be adjusted heavy enough that you can put your finger on it and then slowly pull through the shot to activate. If you have a hair trigger - it can cause some people to punch the trigger and induce target panic...

Beyond that - you'll get a lot of different opinions. Most people use a wrist release / index trigger. But, you also have hand held thumb triggers, hand held hinge releases, and hand held tension activated releases. Then - choose the number of fingers...

Personally? I use a Carter RX-1 and Hamskea Drop-Tine for wrist releases. Then I use a Carter Nock2It (Which is a 2-finger Carter Wise Choice) for a handheld release and have even played around with the Evolution+ / Silverback for practicing back tension and a surprise shot.

Carter Enterprises, Premium Release Aids for Archery

 

[Bearlodge10]

Brendan gives some great advice here. I can not speak from experience in going from fingers to a release, however I would think that a hand held would be the easiest transition for you. Follow the advice from Brendan on getting one that has a lot of adjustment in the various areas, that way you can get it exactly how it feels the best.
Also work with the release on a string set-up that is very close to your draw length so that you can work with it without shooting to fine tune. Keep in mind that adding a D-Loop to your setup will change draw length and possibly peep height etc.
Lots and lots of options out there. you might look at the ArcheryTalk forum as there might be more specific threads related to this change. Cheers!

 

[Ashy Larry]

i recently switched from a wrist strap to a thumb release. For me its much easier to get a good backtension release with the thumb and my accuracy is steadily improving.

 

[texag10]

I'll echo the no travel comment from Brendan. I switched* from a spot hogg thumb trigger to a 2 finger Carter Too Simple. The spot hogg had noticeable travel before firing, the Carter has none and I have noticed an improvement in my shooting.

*switch necessitated by losing the spot hogg while hunting. Oops

 

[AKMAN]

.... If you have a hair trigger - it can cause some people to punch the trigger and induce target panic...

+100 on this one. Brenden is right on. I switched to a release last fall and by early this year after getting the bow back out after "winter break" found myself with quite a case of the "jumpies". Even so far as pulling arrows 2 feet off POA.
After a great deal of research and reading, I ended up buying a T.R.U. Ball Assassin (trigger style, relatively heavy, press to open) and am right smack in the middle of retraining my brain.

I started with a Scott Shark that fired with the lightest amount of pressure. There was no staging on the trigger; that had to be done along side of the jaws. After years of smallbore and anschutz triggers I always prided myself on trigger control and thought I could power through it.... Either way, I'm back in the saddle after a week of perfect practice, and will have to work all summer to permanently ingrain good technique.

If you get a "trigger" make sure it's heavy!

 

[Grumman]

I switched to a Spot Hogg Whipper Snapper handheld thumb release last year. I like it a lot as opposed to my wrist release that was clanging against everything. My wrist release is now my backup in case I lose the handheld. I do recommend trying different models if you can. The 3 finger releases killed my hand but the 4 finger made all the difference in comfort.


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[BigJake225]

So lots of adjustment and a good trigger are what I will look for. Do releases have any resale value? I just wouldn't want to buy an expensive release, hate it, and be stuck with it because it wouldn't sell or I couldn't get most of my money out of it. Has anyone tried back-tension releases for hunting?

 

[Brendan]

Yes, some releases maintain some resale value. But they do tend to depreciate right away if you buy new. Best thing you could do is shop the ArcheryTalk classifieds, they have a dedicated release section so that way you can probably buy, and re-sell for the same or similar price.

Rests, Releases, Grips, Wrist Straps and Slings

I personally wouldn't advise hunting with a "back tension" release (Hinge or Tension) until you have a lot more experience with them. You can fire an index release or thumb trigger release using back tension if you're disciplined, but they're also easier in a hunting scenario because you can punch the trigger if you need to, where you might not be able to get a hinge or tension release to fire quickly under pressure.