Wrist Strap or Handheld

[Montalaar]

Hey folks!

I decided to gather as much information as possible from you to help me with my decision. So tell me everything you want to do about wrist releases and handheld releases. What do you like about them, why do you prefer the style you shoot and so on.



Let's see what i can tell you:
Currently i shoot a TRU Wirst Release and i am kind of happy with it but the wrist strap starts to disassemble. Furthermore i recognized some problems with the nerves at my wrist after long tournaments (or more than 300 arrows per day).

Furthermore i own a TRU Backtension Release without a Safety and i just cannot shoot it. My bow will fire when drawing it because the angle of my hand is kind of crazy. Also everything feels very unsafe. I feared this device could break. I am still using it now but for my mini compound bow (tuned it from 7lbs to 15lbs...).

Sometimes i already used a friends Evo+. No problem when drawing back when it comes to the feel but i found it to be very...big. Although i have large hands. It is just so much 'wasted' alloy. So i do not like the feel of most Carter Releases. And i do not like any of those backtension releases that work with a spring. I selled my Carter Backstrap after some weeks of seldom use.

But now tell me: What do you shoot, why do you shoot it, what do you like about it or dislike about it, what would you recommend and so on.

Oh, Alex. No Fingers please.

[riesopje]

I think it's just a matter of comfort and preference. I shoot a release with a wrist strap because that's what I have always shot and it's more comfortable and stable to me on the draw. I also do a lot of hunting and when it's time to shoot, the release is always there. I do a lot of glassing and switching of equipment ie... binoculars to bow then back to binoculars. I can glass with my release on because it just hangs out of the way. It's easy to set things down in the field and forget to pick them up. This way I know it will always be there. Hope it helps.

[Montalaar]

Thanks riesopje.

As an additional information:
I am shooting only FITA because i have no time to shoot field yet. It is not allowed to hunt with the bow here so that is -for me- no reason to buy anything special. But keep everything coming, i need to decide if i try a new release or not with the new bow. Oh, there is no option to try one out before...

[RogerSr]

I have owned a lot of releases, right now i have four, only one is a wrist strap, I like the hand held better, the one i shoot most is a tru ball T-handle push, i also shoot a tru-fire 3D hunter thumb pull release,and a tru ball chappy boss, these are all caliper head releases with head travels independently a full 360, and then i have a tru-fire X caliper wrist strap,
I like the handheld for hunting the best, i can clip it on the string and still use my hand for other things,I've used other ones like the Stan shoot off, but the head did not rotate so i sold it.

[alex]

Oh, Alex. No Fingers please.

I use a simple strap release made by the North American Archery ...(can't remember what, may be "association" ). It works good for me, but i can't say how good is it, because i've only seen and tried this one By the way i still shoot my other compound with fingers and feel good, but it has longer A2A, about 40" i think.

[ezbite]

I really like my truball buckle strap, the only problem is that it chaps my wrist and my elbow hurts after about 30 shots. I think it's from the pulling with a loose grip. Someone recommended I try a glove release. Got my truball copperhead glove yesterday and after 60 shots, I really like it, gonna take some getting use to because it's always there on your hand. It also shortened my draw by an inch too which I'm liking

[bfisher]

Simon,

I have used a fair amount of releases over the years. Wrist strap, back tension, and handheld. I prefer the handheld simply because I shoot them better and most (like Carter) are just higher quality releases with finer adjustments and such.

For about the last ten years I've been shooting a Cascade model 8, marketed by Spot Hogg. I have small hands and this is one of the few I tried that is comfortable for me. This is a "thumb relax" model. You draw the bow, get on target, and press the thumb trigger. As you aim you relax on the trigger and it fires. Very clean and precise adjustments.

They also make a model 10 that can be set to fire when you press the thumb trigger or set for "thumb relax" mode. I have one of these, but don't prefer it as it's just not as crisp. It's mainly a backup for me, although I have two model 8 versions. These are all rope releases for target.

If you use a string loop they have come out with two models. One is the Saturday Night Special (close faced)and the other is the Friday Night Delight
(open faced).

None are cheap, at about $100. I plan to try a Sat. Night Special on my Alien this year as I might use a loop. I had tried the Short-n-Sweet a couple years ago, and just couldn't get it to fit me right. As short as it would go it still stretched out too much during the draw. I prefer the feel of precision in my small hand.

[Montalaar]

Thanks Barry.

Actually 100$ IS cheap. The standard price for releases here is 169€ which is approx 200$!

[alex]

Thanks Barry.

Actually 100$ IS cheap. The standard price for releases here is 169€ which is approx 200$!

That's almost half of a bow...I got mine for about 45 euros and think it's good enough, can't understand how your dealers can try to take 170 from you for a release. I'd use fingers just to make them angry

[bfisher]

Thanks Barry.

Actually 100$ IS cheap. The standard price for releases here is 169€ which is approx 200$!

That sounds pretty steep, Simon. I just looked up a USD/Euro convertion chart and it showed $100 equaling 68 Euro (approx). That means you're getting ripped for about $300 for a release that us poor USA consumers pay $100 for.

Man, you guys sure have expensive hobbies.