draw length / lock in / trad police

[sweet old bill]

at 68 years young I still love to shoot the recurve but for the life of me  can not seem to get the draw length and a good lock in so shot aqfter shot goes in the same place. I was talking with my wife about maybe it time to give up after 50 years of shooting a recuve bow and just stay with my compound, rlease and sight. She said why not put a sight on the recurve and a kisser so I get the same draw lenth each time, she pulled out a phto from the 1968 watkins glen mids shoot and of me shooting a browning 70 inch recurve with a sight and kisser. I came in 2nd that year. Well I put on a 60 inch recurve a sight and kisser and guess what I shot in 15 and 25 yards and they all group. Not what does not make any reason to me is I then installed a kisser on my 56 inch checkmate recurve and no sight. Guess what I am just pickling a spot on the target at 10 to 20 yards and getting as good a group as with the bow sight on the bow.. It must be the kisser is forcing my head position as my nose now hits the string and the kisser make me have the draw each time...now will the trad police kick me out when I go to a trad shoot...for fun and not score...what do you think...I have hope again...

[last arrow]

Those of us that use the cock feather to touch our nose at full draw when shooting instinctively are basically using the same principle as using a kisser, just a different method.  So go for it.

[Jesse Peltan]

You could use some wrapped yarn as a "silencer". Or a double anchor string on nose, web of thumb behind jaw, etc.

[Boneyard Bowhunter]

Do what makes you happy. Lots of trad shooters are now using clickers. Keep it simple and keep it fun. If it gets to be work it ain't fun no more.

[Davo]

I think part of traditional is finding away to make your equipment work for you with what you have. Anchor point is huge and its real easy to forget where you anchored right after the shot. Concentrate on form, take your time and remember all the fun and heritage that went into making that one good shot.  Just by adding a kisser may be causing you to concentrate just a little more.

[dragon rider]

Bill,

I agree with Last Arrow.  Assuming you get some static from the trad police, and that you choose not to suggest an appropriate storage facility for their opinions, which given your name you probably won't, using the tip of the cock feather on your nose as part of your anchor will get you to the same point - a consistent draw length.

[sweet old bill]

I have dropped the kisser button and am back to ancor in the corner of my mouth and turning my head into the bow string so my nose touches the bow string.

This seems to wrok as well as anything else I have tried. I now have two points to make sure I have the same head position as I shoot.

The kisser button just did not feel right, as when I came to full draw on some of my shorter bows 56 inch, I could no longer have a view of the target to the arrow. I just was picking a spot on the target and not using the arrow at all.

 thanks for all the tips, I may also try making sure the cock feather hits my nose if I got to 3 finers under draw and see how that works. I now shoot all the bows with cock feather in....

thanks again for all the help