Archers paradox and mechanical releases

[calgarychef]

Sorry for cluttering up the posts guys but I thought this title would generate more responses to my specific question.

I hope this post doesn't get removed for discussing technical gizmos but some of us have no choice if we want to continue shooting our traditional bows.

So I need to use a mechanical release on my longbow, no way around that idea.  I'm told and I believe that using a release when shooting off the shelf causes the arrow to porpoise.  The idea being that releasing off the fingers initiates the paradox in a side to side manner, whereas with a release there's no control which way the arrow will begin to bend.

Does anyone have any thoughts? Suggestions, ideas?

Thanks

[wingnut]

To shoot a release you will need a cut past center riser.  You are correct in that the paradox does not occur to the side.  Most often up and down or just straight.  Most release shooters will have a rest and enough center cut to tune for straight flight with a stiff arrow.

I've played a little with it as arthritis is hitting my ring finger.

Mike

[Pine]

The release I have makes no difference . It's controlled by my middle finger you draw and release just like your fingers are on the string , only all the pressure is at your wrist .
I still shoot with 3 fingers split and the tab of the release is held in place with very little force by my middle finger . Then I hit anchor and just relax my hand and it's just like shooting with fingers only no pressure on the fingers .
It was invented by a trad shooter that has very bad arthritis .

[Pine]

Sorry , just read your other thread .

[Orion]

In the interest of accuracy, arrow's don't paradox, they flex.  That flex may be sideways (fishtailing) or up and down (purposing).  

According to my Webster's dictionary, paradox is a statement (or observation) that is seemingly contradictory  or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true.  When the term was first used/applied in archery, it was used to describe the orientation of a nocked arrow on selfbows, which had no arrow shelves or very small arrow shelves.  

Thus, when the arrow was nocked and in shooting position, it pointed to the side of the target. It appeared that the arrow would shoot way to one side of the target, yet when shot, it hit the target. How could that be?  That was the paradox, the archer's paradox.  

We know now (through high speed photography) that the arrow hits the target where aimed because it flexes around the riser.  And the reason it flexes around the riser is proper spine or stiffness.  Of course, with a bow cut past center, the arrow can be lined up on the string and there is no archer's paradox.

A release gives a cleaner release than fingers, which roll the string to the left at release for a right handed shooter.  A mechanical release greatly reduces or eliminates this roll.  

If you have a bow cut past center, and the arrow lined up on/bisected by the string, there is no archer's paradox, as noted above, and, because the mechanical release imparts little or no sideways motion to the string, arrow flight should be excellent.  The cut past center feature also enables the use of a much higher spined arrow than the bow's weight.

It isn't absolutely necessary to shoot a bow cut past center with a mechanical release though.  A mechanical release will also work with bows cut to and proud of center, but arrow spine/tuning becomes more critical.

If your arrows porpoise when using a release, the problem can most likely be corrected by changing the nock height.

A friend of mine went to a release not so much to deal with arthritis or other finger ailments, but to deal with target panic.  It worked for him.

Good luck.

[old_goat2]

My wife used one last year and she actually used it on one of mikes Orions! Trick was to place the D-loop below the arrow versus straddling the arrow like with a compound. Joel Turner helped us with this when Judy went through his class. Worked pretty good for me but Judy was hit and miss with her release, one thing we figured out, was without your mitt in the mix, the bow handled a wider range of tip weights without losing tune.

Several years ago I injured my hand and couldn't use my fingers to shoot.  I got a simple wrist-strap caliper release to use with my Bear Takedown.  It wasn't cut to or past center and I had no problems getting excellent arrow flight even with a slight cant.  Not to mention, the darn outfit was deadly poison.  I've never shot as well as I did with that release.

I ended up tying on a nocking point about 1.5" below the bottom of the arrow nock.  I'd put the release on the string and pull it up to the nocking point. That's where I had the same "look" as if I was shooting with fingers.  While I was shooting the release, I also tried a four finger back tension release.  Same results--excellent arrow flight and accurate as could be.

I don't think you'll have any problems shooting your longbow with a release.  Just get comfortable, then tune your bow.

Good luck to you.

[calgarychef]

Great input guys.  I usually have my nock point about 3/8 above the shelf and shoot split fingers.  Did you shoot close to level with the shelf?

[old_goat2]

No, actually had to nock a little higher if my memory serves me correctly and used a double nocking point. Maybe eighth inch more than normal. I tried so many different configurations to make it work that I'm a little fuzzy on what the final configuration was now. I forget a lot in a years time now days! We bought her a lighter bow this year so she's back to fingers now.