Switched to bare fingers.

[sweeney3]

I have been shooting with a glove for a long time.  A few weeks ago, on a whim one night, I tied taking several shots bare finger.  No glove, no tab.  Naturally, it made my fingers sore after a few shots, but I noticed an IMEDIATE tightening of my shot group.  I mean substantial.  From a decent-but-not-great spread hand sized group to a pretty tight knot of arrows in the target.  This caught my attention.  Since then, I've been shooting more and more shots every day bare finger.  I'm at the point now where I can shoot a lot-enough that I lose count-without being sore and my shooting has really improved.  All else is essentially the same, but my theory is that with bare fingers I am twisting the string less, coming nearer to centered under my eye at anchor, and getting a more consistent anchor point.  I don't know if any of this is true or what exactly the reason is, but I can see the results and am very pleased with  it.  And, it's one less piece of stuff to have to keep up with and carry around in the woods this fall. 

I am wondering who else has tried this and what have your observations been?  I have seen that my good shots are anywhere from the same to slightly better, and my bad shots aren't nearly as bad as they were.  They are now decent shots still in an average sized kill zone rather than off in left field somewhere.  I am pleased with this.

[Josh]

I have recently done the same thing as you have.  I was at a friends house and we were gonna shoot his targets so I went to my truck to get my bow and realized I forgot my shooting tab.  I decided to shoot anyway and I too realized a tighter grouping every time.  It made my fingers real sore the next day but now I am doing it more and I am getting callouses on my shooting fingers and it doesn't hurt anymore.  I don't think I have used my shooting tab since.  I am using a 50 lb bow.  What are you shooting?    -josh

[sweeney3]

I'm shooting a 52# sinew backed white oak Owl bow that Ed Scott made for me.  I am working on a hackberry bow that I am wanting to make a few pounds lighter.  Still hunting weght.  Maybe 44-48 range.  I think that with just a bit lighter weight I really could shoot all day.  I've got to where I can shoot a lot already.  I wonder how late season cold weather will affect this?  I think that if I wear the wool glove/mittens that I have worn in the past with my shooting glove on under, I shouldn't have too much trouble.  You just gotta take one shot then, right? 

[Ryano]

Yep, I'm a bare finger guy also....can't hit crap with anything on my fingers. I need to be able to feel the string. I have calluses from shooting and it doesn't bother my fingers at all anymore.....

[Kegan]

I shot barefinger for a long time, until I started shooting heavier bows and more in the winter. Then I tried a glove, which creased and gave me crummy flight. I tried a store bought one but that was worse. Eventually I tried a simple tab, which gave me better flight than barefinger or a glove, because the callouses on my fingers crease worse than a glove .

Had I stoped at 50-55#, this never would have become an issue I'm sure.

[Grunt]

I'm going bare fingers also. Bare fingers work especially well when shooting a bow that is not center shot and has an added arrow rest. The release is really important if you want to group.

[J05H]

Interesting. Maybe I should try that. I shoot a 60lb bow but i think eventually the callouses would get thick enough.

[sweeney3]

You'd probably be fine.  Mine is 52 and it's okay.  I haven't shot enough yet that I have actual callouses, but I think I have gotten used to it enough that it just doesn't hurt now.  I imagine that if I shot for a whole afternoon that might be different.  But my usual daily practice sessions are fine.  I would like to get to where I could shoot indefinatly, and I will eventually.

[zeNBowyer]

After  reading this  thread  i  tried  bare  fingers  on  my  60#  --  uh-uh:)

[sweeney3]

I don't think I'd want to shoot a 60 bare either.  Wind up being called "Stumpy". 

[El Destructo]

I shoot my 55 and 60 Pound  Bows barefingered....you can't just start one Day though....you have to toughen your fingers up a little at a time to it.

[junker]

I think i may try that today.  been a while since i shot without a glove.  i got a 61#longbow and a 65# recurve.   

For some reason or another i have been plucking the string lately.  the only time i really every plucked a string was on lighter bows like 45#

[Little John]

Somehow lost my glove in the woods this morning and shot several bare finger practice shots and shot about nornal or better. I think now I will carry a spare at leaST SHOOTING TAB ION MY WAR BAG.    Kenneth

[zeNBowyer]

Never thought  about  it till  now,  but I am  wondering  how  long shooters  have  used  gloves of whatever  sort,  and  if generations  of  shooter  just  did  it the  hard  way  and  toughened  up  their callouses, anyone  have any  history  on  this  post  it, I'm  sure a lot of american  indian  cultures shot  bare  fingered,  but I think their bows  were  predominantly  under  50#,  will  be  interesting to  see the  documentation  on  this:)

[sweeney3]

ZanShen,
I hadn't thought too much about, but that is an interesting question.  I know that Ishi shot with not protective material, but his shooting methods are described as "peculiar" in that he employeed a thumb pinch hold.  I haven't read much about other Native Americans.  Just purely speculation, but I imagine they would have at least been comfortable with a bare finger release, if not to use it exclusivly.  I just know that I am much more accurate and consistant with it.  Incidently, I finished a way-too-light hackberry bow a couple weeks ago.  It's about 30 lbs so I can't use it for hunting, but I can shoot it indefinatly using bare fingers, and I am approaching that with my Owl Bow.  Certainly the lighter bows are easier to shoot this way, although I imagine that, like most other things, it is a matter of training and exposure. 

Instersting question.  I want to do some more reading now.  Thanks!