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Need recommendations for a new release for my young adult son. He is getting back into bow hunting and asking for a new release. He has a Winn Free Flight glove release and is looking to upgrade. He has a 70lb max compound bow. Any thoughts? Thank you.

Especially if using a D-loop, Cobra calipers are excellent.
Used them for 30 years.

Yes, he will be using a D loop.

Lots of good releases. I’ve used a Tru-Fire wrist strap for 20+ years. It’s worked well for me.

No one can recommend something like this. He needs to try out as many releases as he can and see what he likes best.

True, MCH, but recommendations most usually come with lots of experience. A great place to start. Hard to beat a good caliper for bowhunting.

Spot Hogg Wiseguy wouldn't be a bad place to start. Release is pretty personal though, really should go somewhere he can lay hands on as many as possible.

I agree 100%.

A good archery shop would let him try the releases that they sell.

Experience is one thing, what a person shoots best with and feels right to them is another. I stand by my comment go shoot every release you can and what works and feels best for him, buy!

Or man up and learn to shoot fingers!

I still like the Fletchunter Shorty wrist model. Same as rhe old Fletchunter but w curved trigger. Even the old model is pretty badass.

I like the Scott moulded grip caliper release.

I use one that has a hook . True fight, and it is spring loaded and folds away from your hand.

Getting away from the calipersntightens my groups dramatically.

The spring loaded folding aspect limits the release inadvertently clanking the bow or quiver.

If you have a pro shop around, go try a few. Cheap ones are usually not very good. I have used a Scott Little Bitty Goose for hunting for at least the last 10 years and probably closer to 20. Shooting targets I prefer a hinge type hand held release.

Buddy laughed at me, shooting an old Fletchunter.
Then he tried it.
Ended up winning the IBO triple crown with one.

Went to a shoot, dealer that ran the place laughed.
Let him try mine.
He started selling them.

Another bud works pro shop, just hunts though. He tried a Fletchunter shorty wrist and liked it, then tried the "latest and greatest"
and went back to the Fletchunter after a couple of other releases.
Looks like most places don't carry em anymore.

Dunno if still available from Fletcher. Were not cheap, but not expensive either.
Never see them advertised on the TV shows either. Dunno if they ever had a "pro staff".

Think around 75 bucks.

I put proly 50K shots through one, zero problems. Sold it with the bow when I went recurve for a stretch.

To be honest, I started early 80's w a Joy Valley, and it broke a little spring.
Said EF that and went Fletchunter.

Single jaw, over center linkage w rollers. Simple and durable.
Since I got an old Oneida to mess with, will try to find another newer style "shorty" version.

I remember shooting Fletch Hunters with a rope. Long before the D Loop was standard many releases had a rope attached to the release itself. You would wrap the rope loop around the string and hoop it on a peg on the string. When shot the rope would whip out of the way. Not real sure it was not a superior setup to the D Loop of today. I used a Barner Rope Release for years and years starting in the early 1980's.

Anyway off on a tangent there. Doubt any of the kids at the local pro shop would even know how to work one of those. I did see where the old Scott Littlegoose has now evolved into the Scott Quick Shot. They look to run about $40. Solid release - simple, smooth and consistent.

The rope Fletcher release was the Fletchmatic.

The Fletchunter is a mechanical jaw.

Saw a couple Fletchmatic ropes break back in the day. Knocked one dude out LOL (90# PSE on the draw).

I like 35+ axle to axle, and can run eliminator buttons and click right on the string (no D loop needed).
That puts my hand along my jaw, thumb under.

Anchorpoint there gets tip of nose on string and I have shot very well for years that way. It works for me.

D loops move my anchor back and I friggin' hate it. My jaw also angles so it's back and higher w a D loop.

Single spot indoors I never got a 300- 60X. Kickouts dropped points. As a hunter was content w 290s and 30X.
I do NOT like a 5 spot target, sorry, I just don't.

Only reason I shot indoors was for form and focus, to prep for 3D.

A D loop or other release isn't going to get me any more points.

But..................

IMHO one may need a D loop if running a drop away rest.
Yanked my GK w vertical and horizontal dampening, to try a Ripcord drop away.
It shot great, w fieldpoints.

Screwed on some fixed blade heads before season and they hit low. Shoulda hit same.
Tweaked tune, wouldn't change it.

Went D loop and FP and BH hit the same.
But damn I hated it

Liked the Ripcord rest but not the needing a D loop. Ran that rest/loop on a Mathews after, worked but I really like my anchor in one place.

If I set up another compound for release it will be eliminator buttons and Fletchunter. And some type of vert dampening rest.

The advice to go to an archery shop is spot on. Release style is something each individual must decide for himself and some good instruction can go a long ways into perfecting his shot sequence with a new release to avoid bad habits that can lead to other issues down the road. Shooting indoors or out with a lane can help him decide what works for him and develop his shot, and his comfort level with a new release, which improves his confidence and accuracy.

I like the Wiseguy by Spot Hogg mentioned by hillestadj above

Wiseguy isn't a bad release. The Carter Two Shot is by far my favorite index finger release.

I have always shot a caliper finger release but recently shot a Stan SX-3 thumb release. Man, what a clean break like a well tuned rifle trigger. Super adjustable for creep and travel. I will be switching over before the fall.

Carter Chocolate Addiction 2

Tru-Ball wrist strap for decades, roll it up to 12 o'clock when walking in or out so you can get to your sidearm if needed.

if your close to where a pro shop has a indoor range and archer`s are there shooting ask some questions when your there maybe even shoot some ?

A great release I have shot many many arrows with and have killed a few animals with. But it isn't a release for everyone or even a beginner with outing trying first.

I also use many other releases. I like the Trufire Hardcore buckle-It is also a go to release. There are a couple of things that I want to say about compound bow releases:
1) Some people don't know the difference between something good and something that is not good.
2) I have found that if you start with the best possible tool when you start and get through the learning curve that you get better faster than if you start with something bad and try to make the best of it. Filson says, " Might as well get the best."
3) Bow releases are like other things in archery, largely dependent on what you like. Everybody has an [bleep] and everybody has an opinion.

Thank you for the thoughts on releases. When our Governor lifts the stay at home order (proshops and gun stores are considered non-essential and therefore are closed), and if any proshops survive this craziness, we will visit a couple and start with the releases you have recommended.

I've had the same Scott model for 30+ years. The leather is getting a tad old and broken. Time for new one I suppose. Hope I can find the same "style". Would hate to start learning new one.

Anything else is a downgrade.

If he has the C10 for hooking to the serving and wants to use a loop, just cut off the ears off the release. Then he can hook it through the loop. The ears are the only difference. I did that and it works great. I asked Winn if I could do that and one of their techs told me he did the same thing.
Mine is more than 25 years old, still the original glove, and it works as good as when I bought it.

I got a d - shackle aluminum screw on release loop to use instead string loop, but I'm wondering if this would increase wear and damage to the string? Has anyone tried these long enough to see if it shafes or wears weak spots around the metal to string contact?

I still shoot my fletchhunter, that I bought in 1993 or 94. It was the second release I bought, after the first one destroyed a serving and started misfiring. Have shot a few others, and many were cooler, but none offered any performance improvement. This makes me feel really old.

You could go for the last version, the curved trigger 3D shorty -you won't be that old then
Think they're discontinued.
Shame.
But they don't advertise with celebs.

This is excellent advice.

I started ot with a Winn Free Flite, then used a number of other trigger releases.

Finally settled on a Carter Chocolate Addiction thumb release.

Have a Stan sitting around here somewhere I tried as well, need to put a for sale sign on it.

From what I have read, the aluminum release shackles are garbage. Noisy, reduce velocity, tear up your release jaws and risk injury if the screws let go.

I tried one many years ago. A few dozen shots and I took it off. Maybe they've changed them since then but it wasn't tall enough and it was hard getting the release jaws through it. I didn't have it long enough to know what it did to the serving.

When he decides on one he likes, buy two of them. Carry the spare in the field. You don't want to be down and out when the one you're used to is broken. Additionally, it seems just when you get one you really like, they change it up on you.

I started with a wrist caliper release and it was very accurate trigger, with a light crisp trigger. That said it was cumbersome to use and not hunting friendly for me.

I tried a thumb release but just didn't work well for me.

I went with a Scott hook wrist release, I hunt coyotes with my bow and It frees up my hand to run an e-call or mouth call and can quickly draw the bow for a shot.

My bow is quite short which really eliminates using a finger release.

My bowfishing bow is a longer recurve and there I use a finger release as any kind of release hanging off my wrist gets in the way retrieving line and a thumb release would bound to end up in the drink if I had to lay it down every time I shot the bow.

Trufire makes a good one, and I just bought the new Stan Extension 2. I have shot lit very little but so far it has moved to the top of my list of favorite wrist style releases.

Perfect for me;

Tru-ball strap on

Shoot as many different ones as you can. I'm loving my Carter Nock2it. Been shooting it for a couple of years now.

There's also the issue of whether you'll be wearing gloves. Our archery season is mainly in Sept (with a few exceptions) and gloves aren't needed. Some releases just don't work well with them.