Shrew Shooters

[Kris]

How many of you Shrew enthusiasts would not buy a used Shrew that has had the thumb rest removed from the grip?  I know it is always best to leave things unaltered for resale purposes, so I guess I’m really asking then, how many of you shooting Shrews really like the grip in particular, because of the thumb rest?

Thank you-

Kris

[Red Boar]

Personally, I'd never alter a Shrew grip because to my hand it is the absolute best I've ever felt.     Your impressions may be different.

[Hawkeye]

I wouldn't.  The thumb rest is one of the distinctive features of the bow...   :rolleyes:

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The thumbrest and grip are what make a Shrew, in my opinion.

[Tater John]

I share Hawkeye's sentiments

Rusty

[Missouri Sherpa]

I gravitated to the shrew line of bows because of that grip.  I seem to shoot better with those bows and wouldn't monkey around with the grip.

[mcgroundstalker]

Find yourself another Shrew. I'd stay away from a bow that has been altered in that way.

... mike ...

[PowDuck]

Since I'm a newbie Shrew shooter I'll chime in with very little experience.

I really like the way it feels in my hand. The thumb rest is at a very natural place. That being said, if you're getting a really good deal and can maybe even get them down lower, I'd buy it.

If you've not shot one before you'll not know what you're missing. It's still a Shrew.

Who knows, somewhere down the road I may find I can't even shoot another bow without the thumb rest then my opinion would be different.

[BRITTMAN]

I like the thumb rest , it makes for easy hand placement  .For me the  grip is what makes the Shrew bows so I probably woulnt by it for myself .

mike

[Kris]

Well, we seem to have a consensus.  Thanks to all that have responded, you've pretty much affirmed what I thought.  I did remove the thumb rest on a Lil' Favorite I have, and love it more than ever.  I have large hands and my thumb was going right over the crown of the rest and it was not comfortable or functional at all for me.  I do like a thumb rest, don't get me wrong, it's just that the scale of the Shrew handle and the thumb rest is too small for me.  I do have another Scout that I just purchased from vtmtnman that I will not be altering and probably selling now for this reason alone.  
Thanks -

Kris

[Steve O]

No way.  If someone was goofy enought to do that to the nicest longbow handle made, what else could they have butchered up on the bow???

 

[amar911]

The Shrew grip fits me perfectly, but let's face it, different people have different sizes and shapes of hands, as well as other body parts. If they didn't, we could all wear the same shoes, gloves, pants, shirts, hats, etc., and we know that doesn't happen. Custom bowyers regularly modify the standard grips on their bows to have them fit their customers better. Guys like Rick Welch encourage customers to get custom fit grips on his Dakota bows to help them shoot better. Kris is a good craftsman and is very capable of modifying the grip of a Shrew so that it fits his hand properly. There is everything right and nothing wrong with doing that and making a bow your own -- unless you want to sell the bow to someone whose hand does not fit the grip correctly. I want my bows to fit me, not the next guy who owns them. But I don't sell many bows either. I don't plan to buy Kris' Lil Favorite, because the standard Shrew grip fits me exceptionally well, and I like the thumb rest. But I also own bows with similar grips that do not have the pronounced thumb rests that the Shrews have, and they feel comfortable in my hand and shoot well for me. I have seen pictures of some of the animals Kris has taken, and I would gladly reshape the grip of any bow I own if it would allow me to shoot the quality of the game he has taken with his bows! The only thing Kris is "butchering" is some great venison that he has shot with bows that have been modified to fit him and his physique.

Kris, I'm glad you modified that Lil Favorite, because now you are going to have to keep it forever and continue using it to put meat on the pole. If you like the Scout other than the thumb rest, grind it off and make the bow fit your hand like you did with the Lil Favorite. We only go around once in this life. Enjoy it.

Allan

[Tim Fishell]

The Shrew grip is very comfortable and fits the hand great.  But there is more to it than that.  The combination of the thumb rest and the palm swell on the Shrew grip make it very hard to torque these bows.  Me personally would not buy a Shrew with the grip modified unless it was reshaped for a purpose.  I had one of the grips on a Shrew reshaped because it didnt have enough palm swell and I was torquing the bow.  I sent the bow back to Gregg and he reshaped the grip for me.  After that I never had the problem again.

[Kris]

Thank you for the kind words Allan.  You have expressed exactly how I feel about this topic.  The grip and how it feels in your hand, in my opinion, is one the most important aspects of a custom bow (plus all the other performance qualities as well).  It is the marriage of your hand to the weapon.  My shot mantra and preparation begins with the familiar tactile placement of my hand on the grip of my bow.  I love that warmed-in leather and flowing contour of the palm swell filling out my hand.  Walking with my bow in hand, sitting in my stand, or stump shooting, the grip is something I am constantly evaluating and thinking about.  I want it to be “spot on” with its comfort and feel.

Regarding a thumb rest, if we referred to it as we do a “wrist configuration” (i.e. high, medium, low), I would require a “low thumb rest”.  IMO the Shrews tend to be on the high side, but of course, this is only relative at best.

It is clear that we all value the most comfortable handle we can find (or shape ourselves).  You are all fortunate in that the handles made by John M. and Gregg C. fit you guys perfectly from the get go, I just need to tweak them a bit.

Regards –

Kris

[Kris]

Tim Fishell,

Well said, I agree with your post as well.

Do you know what type of compound Gregg used fill out your palm swell?  Is the riser of this bow, phenolic, wood or a combination?

I don't know that I could ever expect someone else to get he handle exactly right for me.  I am very comfortable fine tuning them though, to get them "just right".

Kris

[Hawkeye]

Lots of good, reasonable responses on adapting a bow to best benefit and fit your needs.  My line of thinking was in response to your original question:

 

Originally posted by Kris:
How many of you Shrew enthusiasts would not buy a used Shrew that has had the thumb rest removed from the grip?

It was in that context that I wouldn't consider changing it.  Other than that, have at it, enjoy, and shoot straight!

[Kris]

Yeah Hawkeye, I appreciate that!  I sort of got a away from my original question, which you all answered directly and honestly.  It is a confirmation to me that if I start changing the grip, it will be uniquely mine and vastly less marketable, should I decide to try and sell it.  Again, thank you to all of you that responded.

Kris

[Tim Fishell]

Kris, Gregg used some kind of wood putty.  My bows riser was all wood and it held up great.  Ron LaClair has also used this method on one of his personal bows to suit his personal style as well.

[Kris]

Thanks Tim,

I too have used wood putty to build out areas (palm swells primarily) in the grip area.  Some of these compounds are quite bomb proof and easy to work as well.  I forget the exact brand right now, but I think it was basic Elmer's Wood Putty that worked so well the last time.

Nice pic of the bunnies and a Shrew, that is a blast shooting Cottontails with a bow!

Kris

[amar911]

Kris,

I got with Gregg and he said that if you wanted to send the bow back to him, he would be happy to work with you on modifying the grip, including lowering the thumb rest. He has done modified grip shapes on other bows for people who wanted them a little different to fit their hands, including making the thumb rest lower like you have described. After all -- Gregg is a CUSTOM bowyer, not a mass producer. You may not have the most common hand shape, but you certainly are not a freak of nature. There are others like you, and Gregg has accommodated their needs, as you would expect from a custom bowyer of his caliber. As I mentioned in an earlier post in this thread, Gregg is not the only bowyer who provides this service. We are fortunate to have quite a few top notch bowyers out there who take good care of their customers; however, none do it better than the dynamic duo of Ron LaClair and Gregg Coffey. They are two "Shrewed" businessmen.            

Allan