Naphtali -

In addition to your arrows "not being functional", your bows may not be either, as a thumb release typically requires a right handed shooter to use a left handed bow, as the string "rotation" is in the opposite direction.

Sorry, I have little personal experience with thumb rings / thumb releasing, except for shooting a friend's ymui a few times. Hopefully some of the other members here have more hands on experience, if not it's discussed on the Leatherwall from time to time.

Viper out.

 

Check out the Black Swan web-site. Guy shoothin lefty with a lefty bow using his thumb in some way.

 

Viper:

That was among the first things I looked into. Offside arrow mounting is an optional thing, apparently useful for archers shooting from horseback.

 

Naphtali -

Not sure how optional it is. The reason finger shooters "mount" the arrow inside is because as the string rolls off the fingers it pushes the arrow INTO the rest. Using the thumb, it would push it away from the rest. Kinda goes against the basic principles of tuning.

Another option might be the old style rope or "strap and peg" releases that BW and other companies used to sell.

Viper out.

 

nephali,

i sympathize with you as i have the same problem with my hand.

i solved the "eating of the serving" by switching to a tru-fire 3d hunter release aid. it has a 360 degree rotating head that will allow you to 'cant' if you wish, the head my also be secured in one place by way of a set screw if you wish and the jaws grasp the string in a 'parallell' fashion instead of 'cross bar'. it is a thumb pull and is hand held but has holes for attaching a lanyard if you so desire.

i fashioned leather carrying cases for mine to attach to my belt or back quiver when i'm moving about and find myself in need of freedom of hand movement. you may also use gloves when utilizing the 3d if needed/desired.

i used the bear paw and the winn free flite SS prior.

 

If you are going to use a thumbring, I suggest using an "Asiatic bow" instead and keep the arrow on the thumb side of the riser. It takes time getting used to and the release is totally different from conventional mediterranean style. I know some Mongolian archers can use their thumb and still keep the arrow on the knuckle side of the riser but that is not the norm.

Here is a good site to learn: http://spitfirehorsebows.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=3

 

That bow looks like it would really sling an arrow.

I'd sure like to shoot one of those someday.

I've read that Spitfire site before, and the guy that makes those bows
has made some incredible shots on deer with them.

 

Results wanted are: to retain as much of the benefit of the relax-release while simplifying the device acting as release. I'm not interested in migrating from DAS recurves with elevated rest to Asian style bow with no rest. We'll have to see whether using a thumb ring influences initial arrow flight so differently from finger shooting and release shooting that my bows are unusable with the thumb ring. But I gotta say up front that I don't think that's the case.

Trigger pull releases are substantially different for me in feel and use. There is no target panic with a relax-release, nothing to stab at nervously. In theory -- that is, the way it works from what I read in the downloads -- a thumb ring functions similarly to the relax-release. My index (and possibly middle) finger function as with the C-12, thumb replacing the device itself. Where the C-12 imparts nearly zero side motion on the bowstring, thumb ring release will cause some, less than finger shooting, but some.

I'm thinking of getting the bronze thumb ring from Quick Archery. I figure bronze will resist wear, and it's a nominal expense to try the technique. I just wish I knew what I was doing before I take that first shot. Oh well, I'll survive this ignorance, too.

 

Well I was curious too so I did a little experimenting and tried the thumbring with my Dalaa. Now I am an experienced ring shooter and I tell you that this is a scary experiment! When using the ring, the arrow tend to get pushed out of the elevated rest. There should be absolutely no pressure applied to the arrow. In Asian bows, the arrow just get pushed against the riser. The release is crisp that is for sure but the arrow is hitting where I am not expecting it and I am only 5 feet away from the target. If you really want to try this, make sure there are nobody around you, wear goggles and use a light bow. It might be possible to get used to this technique. :2cents:

some Mongols shooting with a ring and the arrow on the knuckle side

 

Napthali,
Couple questions and maybe a few (partial) answers....

Where are you in W. MT? I am in Missoula (area).

I have built one thumbring and plan to build more....I could very likely help or build you one.

What bow weight are you comfy with? I have two DAS (17" and 21"), an ACS-CX, and a Korean Hwarang that is the same general style of bow you see jhoneil shooting above....all are in the high 40# (DAS 21") to the mid 50# range (DAS 17" and ACS).

What I was thinking is that we could maybe come face to face in the future and give a few things a try for you. I have been really busy lately, but time will loosen up soon. Shoot me a PM and we'll try to work something out.

Here's links to threads showing the Hwarang and the ring I built.

http://tradtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9994&highlight=hwarang

http://tradtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10437&highlight=hwarang

Another thing is that I have been thinking about some sort of "thumbring-ish" device for some time that could be used with a standard recurve. The strap and peg thing is an option...but I think there's some others that are more "ring like" that may work as well.

-Rob

 

FWIW, I just tried out the DAS with my ring....I was actually quite surprised. My findings were a little different than yours, jhoneil....while I agree that keeping the arrow on the rest was a bugger, I didn't get riser slap or really any noise or poor flight at all. A real eye opener! If I can figure out a way to draw without popping the arrow off the rest, look out! Of course, I couldn't draw it as far as the Hwarang (pointer finger knuckle buried just under the earlobe behind the jaw bone) due to the increased draw weight....but out to 25-26", everything went well. Hmmmm....more experimentation needed.
-Rob

 

I heard a story about a man that lost his arm and found a way to still shoot. He installed a bit on string and would grasp it between his teeth and then extend the bow arm to draw. I guess he was out shooting a lot of people because his competitors complained that he had an unfair advantage since his teeth mimicked the jaws of a release and gave better arrow flight. I guess you just can't please some people! I wonder how much weight could be pulled like that?

 

Shooting a ring is a diferent world.

You will be better off with a left hand bow to avoid the arrow falling off the shelf, and to keep it from slaping the riser on release.
Chris at Spitfire has a very good tutorial on shooting this style.
When I was learning it I had very poor success with western style bows . It is realy a tool that is better suited to horsebows I found.
The sight picture is totaly diferent, our larger risers will be extremely dificult to use with a thumb ring.

To use a ring on the right hand for a right hand bow pushes the arrow into the riser, and it also rolls it off the shelf as you draw.

On the left hand bow the index finger holds the arrow against the riser with very light pressure, and the string rolls out and away from the riser on release.
You may have better luck shooting the right hand bow left handed with the thumb ring. A horsebow will definately be better suited to the thumbring.

 

The President of the Kansas Bowhunters Association shoots with a mouth tab attatched to his string. Drew McCartney.

He has headed the Handicapped bowhunters of America for quite awhile.

When an arm injury caused me to miss elk season a few years back he sent me some tabs to try, I had to shoot a lefty bow with it though(I'm righthanded)and just couldn't master it fast enough.

He did the same for Dwight Schuh when he couldn't draw his bow. I watched a video of Dwight killing a moose with the mouth tab. I think he used it on some other hunts too.

 

Could you hold onto a back tension/wrist twist release like this?

 

That's one version of some of the ideas floating around in my pea brain...

 

Hook releases have been around for ever....same with a thumb strap release...you can also use a hook release with a strap that goes around your wrist and then apply slight pressure with your third finger to release the hook off the string. You need to find some old FAA guys they would probably have different ones to try. Stanislawski (spelling) used to make a variety of them back in the day.

 

Look up "Bowlock", it's a similar type of device to the one Glynn shows in the pic.
Was made & used back in the 60's i believe.