finger protection

[dougedwards]

Which shooting glove gives the most protection for the finger tips?  I would suppose that the stalls would be leather but some of the advertisements for the shooting gloves are not very descriptive.

I have tried some gloves such as the Bearpaw Speed glove but the string still hurts my fingers. I have found a Neet I know that some of these gloves are constructed for a better "feel" of the release but I am concerned about damaging nerves on my fingers.

 Doug

[delongbows]

I'd give a big shot from American Leathers a try. It has the nylon reinforcement in the stalls.
Dave

[NBK]

Black Widow PDQ Super glove (with the cordovan overlays).  Very reasonable and gives great protection.  It starts out pretty stiff and takes some breaking in.

[Frenchymanny]

Two good suggestions right there from Dave and Mike

F-Manny

[**DONOTDELETE**]

More protection ... vs feeling the string on your fingers is a trade off i just can't make. I prefer a softer glove to get better consistancy. If you shoot enough you'll build up calluses and those fingers toughen up.... no pain...no gain.

[D.J. Carr]

What about in the winter, specifically the winter in the North. Hunting in temps below 20 degrees requires insulated gloves. I was contiplating 1 of 2 options. 1. wearing my shooting glove and then a loose mitten I could easily take off?, or 2. try shooting with an insulated leather, maybe deerskin glove?

[dougedwards]

Originally posted by Kirkll:
More protection ... vs feeling the string on your fingers is a trade off i just can't make. I prefer a softer glove to get better consistancy. If you shoot enough you'll build up calluses and those fingers toughen up.... no pain...no gain.

Thanks for the suggestions.  That BW glove looks like it might work.  Hard to tell until I actually test it.  

I am not going to sacrifice the feeling in my fingertips just to develop calluses even if it means a loss in accuracy. The view is not worth the climb.

 Doug

[riverrat 2]

I like a glove that I can feel the string through. What I do is use masking tape around my 3rd finger in from my index finger on my string hand. Just wrap it 3-4 times with the 1" wide tape,put on the glove,and shoot away. I shoot 3-under,so if you shoot split you may need to do different fingers. But it works well. I've found that the stitching where the finger leather/cordura sections join 2gether will centralize the string tension in that location on my finger. The tape gives me a barrier against it.  rat'

[cahaba]

The Big Shot Crossover has great protection and is the best glove I have ever used. It is made by American Leathers.

[BrownA5]

X2 on the Bigshot glove from American Leathers.

[skunkhound]

X 3 for the Bigshot.

[black velvet]

I believe the Super glove may suit your needs. Break in time is pretty quick and from my experience you get a good feel of the string.

[bigbadjon]

If you guys are getting sore fingers or calauses then you have a form problem not an equipment issue. Make sure you aren't torqueing the string or bow and that the weight is equally distributed.

[Kituwa]

I have always liked the thin deer hide gloves because it gave just enough protection to keep my fingers from getting sore but still let me feel the string real well, plus they are kind of strechy and that makes them comfortable too. But i have been shooting the last few weeks alternating between the soft glove i normally use and another old one i had around that has much thicker, harder leather on the finger pads and i can tell a big difference in consistancy with the thicker glove i guess because my release is better. Same with a tab, i always shoot better with a tab than a glove but i dont like tabs for hunting.It has me wanting to try one of the higher quality gloves like a bigshot now.

[treehermit]

Originally posted by D.J. Carr:
What about in the winter, specifically the winter in the North. Hunting in temps below 20 degrees requires insulated gloves. I was contiplating 1 of 2 options. 1. wearing my shooting glove and then a loose mitten I could easily take off?, or 2. try shooting with an insulated leather, maybe deerskin glove?

I wear my shooting glove (big shot or deer skin) and then pull one of those wool fingerless gloves with the mitten hood over it.  You can flip the hood back pretty quickly or leave the three leather tipped fingers exposed.

[dougedwards]

Originally posted by bigbadjon:
If you guys are getting sore fingers or calauses then you have a form problem not an equipment issue. Make sure you aren't torqueing the string or bow and that the weight is equally distributed.

I must be using some horrible form because the string doesn't just hurt a little bit.  On one bow I wrapped some artificial sinew around the part of the string that I grip and that helped.

I purchased the Black Widow Super Glove today to give it a test drive.  Dropping $60 on a American Leathers Crossover would be well worth it if it is indeed effective in protecting the fingers but I thought I would try the BW at $16 first.

 Doug

[dougedwards]

Wow....this Black Widow Super Glove has some heavy finger protection alright.  I can't feel a thing....lol

Maybe it will work out after some use because the stalls are as stiff as a board now.

 Doug

[moebow]

bigbadjon has it RIGHT!!!!!  IF you have a relaxed hand release where the string pushes (actually flips) your fingers out of the way,you will not get calluses or blisters or any burn on your fingers.

IF you shoot by trying to open your fingers to release, the string rubs hard on your fingers causing the troubles.  NO ONE can open their fingers fast enough to get out of the way of the string.

Just hold your deep hook and think about relaxing your hand/fingers until the string does the job for you.

Finger protection (tab or glove) is really for the weight of the relatively thin string pressing into your fingers with a very high PSI and NOT for protecting the fingers as the string moves during the shot.

In archery, IF it HURTS SOMETHING is wrong!!!

Arne

PS. The more burn on your fingers, the less energy getting to the arrow.

[NBK]

Originally posted by dougedwards:
Wow....this Black Widow Super Glove has some heavy finger protection alright.  I can't feel a thing....lol

Maybe it will work out after some use because the stalls are as stiff as a board now.

 Doug

You can speed up the break in by using a leather conditioner (Montana Pitch blend, etc.) but stick with it, it will soften.  What I've done with mine is that my only finger pain is simply on the first joint of my middle finger which carries most of the weight, and shooting skinny strings it feels almost like it's bruised, so for better string feel I've cut off the cordovan overlays on the first and third fingers and left it on the middle where it's needed.

[Bladepeek]

Originally posted by D.J. Carr:
What about in the winter, specifically the winter in the North. Hunting in temps below 20 degrees requires insulated gloves. I was contiplating 1 of 2 options. 1. wearing my shooting glove and then a loose mitten I could easily take off?, or 2. try shooting with an insulated leather, maybe deerskin glove?

OK, call me a sissy, but I pretty much quit wearing gloves while stand hunting in the winter. I put a hand warmer in a muff on a belt around my waist (I don't like things hanging from my neck). I pull my hands out to use my binoculars or draw my bow. The rest of the time they are warmer than they would be in any gloves and I can handle the exposure for the few minutes they need to be out in the weather. I wear my regular shooting glove on my shooting hand and nothing on the other.