Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Steve-ALA on March 20, 2022, 05:09:01 PM
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Well I’ve been shooting with a glove exclusively but tried a tab today. Just a simple home made tab cut from a piece of leather. I’ve tried tabs in the past but never gave them a fair try. So today I shot tab only. And I must say my release improved immediately. Arrows seem to have flown better then ever and my groups tightened up. Is this overall improvement normal when using a tab?
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It was with me.
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For my experience a high quality tab will not groove like a glove will and therefore should be smoother as long as you don't pluck the string
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Everyone likes different things… that being said… I have shot all the gloves out there and when I started shooting the simplest of tabs my groups improved. I shoot lefty and three under and have used the same tab for a long time. I was afraid I would not be able to get them so I bought 6 from 3rivers a few years ago. The older I get the less complicated I want my life.
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I have been a tab shooter for a long time. Every now and then I give the glove another shot just because it has been around so long and there are so many that have stuck with them as a sworn by piece of traditional archery kit that I feel like I must be missing something....but I have never gotten one that feels right to me.
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…. I have found a tab evens out my release…. they have a more consistent/ repeatable control of pressure applied to the string…. Gloves demand much more attention to third finger pressure… it comes down to controlling applied pressure to a single surface (tab) vs controlling 3 individual pressures on 3 individual surfaces (glove)… with tabs being the clear winner, I still shoot with a glove…. I got so tired of losing tabs, I just gave up on them...
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If I can ever get a tab that actually protects the sides of my fingers from string angle, fits without trimming, stays in place and no adjusting with each shot, actually does improve my consistency and give more than the 1.5 to 4fps speed increase people think is great then I may switch.
Closest I've come to liking a tab is a Rick Barbee tab and apparently I need a larger size.
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I found the Barbee tab to be what I needed. Also, had Rick make a three layer tab for long shooting sessions. Haven't tried them all, but have tried enough to know.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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I've used both but I've always gotten a better release with a tab also.
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Moved here from Shooting Form Forum. :campfire:
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I started shooting a recurve now I shoot Longbow and used a Blackwidow three under tab so all I know is a tab now I shoot Yost Tab now work great for me. I have bought gloves but never gave them the time I might try them again.
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Makes all the difference in the world, Just like drinking beer from a bottle instead of a can!
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Yep
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Still use American Leather gloves and a couple Bodnik for sessions where I put a couple hundred arrows down range in a day, but hunt with nylon tabs.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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For my experience a high quality tab will not groove like a glove will and therefore should be smoother as long as you don't pluck the string
This is what I found also. I have always used gloves and they always grooved. I was having trouble with my release after getting back into archery after a time off so I remembered my dad always used a tab. So I ordered a cordavan leather one from EW Bates and this thing is slick. My release immediately improved and I don't see me ever using anything else. BTW I shoot split fingers.
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I lucked into a Saunders Pak-Tab several years back, and have never been tempted to change. You assemble it to your liking. My release has never been cleaner.
Murray
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I prefer a glove, I just seem to shoot it better.
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For extended shooting I like the American Leathers Kangaroo. The Bodnik Speed glove and summer glove allow more finger "feel", but prefer the nylon faced tab for hunting.(still using the original from early 2000's) Have a newer modular version with two layers of thin leather under the nylon for single day 3-D shoots.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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I like tabs better, but they seem to be a little more touchy when it comes to fit. As long as a glove fits snugly, I can shoot it fine, and it doesn't seem to matter if it is a reinforced American Leathers, or a thinner Dura Glove, as long as it is not so thin that the string hurts my fingers. Tabs have to be sized and trimmed very carefully in order for me to like using them. I don't like any overlap on the sides, and I like the ends short enough that they look too short when my fingers are extended. I am particularly sensitive about the part that covers my forefinger: the least bit too long and it's gouging my face, so I end up trimming a millimeter or less at a time until it is just right. If I trim off one millimeter too much, the tab is ruined, so I will agonize for days sometimes over whether I should trim one more millimeter.
I've never had the problem GCook mentioned about a tab not being wide enough to protect the sides of my fingers from the string. Maybe that's because I never shoot bows shorter than 58”, and my normal preferred length is 62-64”?
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Dave,
Correct fit is extremely important. The Death Adder nylon faced tabs have a measurement system that works well. I have a lifetime supply with three. Two of the original model and one modular(newer). Still shooting number one after @8 years, coconut oil keeps the face in great condition.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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I guess I should try a tab sometime. I've always shot a glove because it just seems handier and quicker for a second shot. We small game hunt a lot and second and third shots are common and the one guy in our little group that shoots a tab for whatever reason, can't get a second shot very quickly.. I guess maybe with a tab, I wouldn't need a second shot. :)
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I think what you said is correct: a tab supports a more methodical way of shooting. I've never known anyone who is well known for snap shooting quickly and accurately, like Howard Hill, who uses a tab. On the other hand, there are a few people who are well known for shooting methodically and accurately, like Rick Welch, who use a glove.
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I'm sure there are people out there, but I've never known anyone who has gone from a glove to a tab and went back to a glove. That tells me something....
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I went from a glove to a tab 40 years ago and never looked back... But I'm sure there have been some who have gone back to a glove. I shoot much better with a tab.
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Glove shooter here. Tried a tab and hated it. Found it to be somewhat worthless, unless one is stationary and not needing to do anything dexterous other than standing still with a hand on the string. Use finger cots a lot for hike hunting.
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I started with a glove, then went to a tab 30 years ago. I'm split finger shooter . I played with my old glove a couple times after that, but I was just too used to the tab so that's where I stay. For me, I also like the tab when really cold in the winter because I can put a light weight glove on the tab hand, slide the tab on and still use it without issues. It takes the edge off those times when you need to keep your hand out of your pocket when it's a bit colder. I have another tab for those times where the finger hole is stretched out a bit bigger for those occasions. I can also wear a mitten that has the fingers and I can just flip the mitten flap over and shoot. Just what works for me.
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:archer2:
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60+ years a tab shooter, have tried gloves several times, just didn’t feel tight.
When I see Olympic shooters using gloves might have to reconsider!
Oh, also split finger, can use same tab 3 under but split is quieter to my ears.
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Those pesky Olympic shooters. Aren't they just trend setters?
I don't watch the Olympics. But watching the traditional 3D world championships last year I noticed that the top shooters were split about 50/50 tab and glove.
Also of the hunters I know and respect they are split about 50/50.
I seem to be able to kill stuff with both. But it's more comfortable and natural for me to use a glove. I'm sure I'll never win any championship. No medal podiums in my future. But I kill stuff on a regular basis and my freezer is full. Pretty sure the glove will do just fine for me. That said, one of my friends said I'm an idiot just this morning so what do I know? After all he's a tab guy. He must be right.
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I prefer a glove (BearPaw). I've tried tabs quite a few times and just couldn't get use to them.
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I'm sure there are people out there, but I've never known anyone who has gone from a glove to a tab and went back to a glove. That tells me something....
Exactly my experience. Took years to try a tab but after using one for a season I couldn't go back to a glove. :thumbsup:
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I have used both, finger stalls as well, but I personally shoot much better with a tab. Black Widow is my favorite (though I have never owned one of their bows).
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Glove shooter here, I've tried a tab and cannot shoot accurately with one to save my life.
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I'm sure there are people out there, but I've never known anyone who has gone from a glove to a tab and went back to a glove. That tells me something....
Yeah Gene, I'm one of them. Tired a tab and went back to a glove. I didn't like a tab for several reasons. :campfire:
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There really is no 'vs', its just your preference. I'm not an Olympic archer so what they use is totally irrelevant to me. They also use multiple stabilizers as well, that are not to hunting friendly so those are irrelevant to me also. Howard Hill certainly did well with a glove.
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Not sure about that, Mike.
I've taken over 30 deer while hunting with a tab:)
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When it come to Primative and Traditional - I can, and have, made tabs. I can't make a glove. ;)
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When it come to Primative and Traditional - I can, and have, made tabs. I can't make a glove. ;)
Well I can't make a car engine to get me to the woods I hunt....
But I prefer one. :biglaugh:
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I'm sure there are people out there, but I've never known anyone who has gone from a glove to a tab and went back to a glove. That tells me something....
Yeah Gene, I'm one of them. Tired a tab and went back to a glove. I didn't like a tab for several reasons. :campfire:
Yep, me too.........started with a glove, tried tabs and back to a glove. Tabs are for target archery not bowhunting IMHO. :bigsmyl:
Started with a glove 'cause everyone shot one. Still shoot American Leather for long sessions, but prefer the nylon faced Death Adder tabs for hunting. I can feel the string better and the release is much smoother. IME and IMVHO!!!
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2: :campfire:
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Glove guy here....tried tabs and didn't care for them. I like the glove is always on and ready for action. I like the extra protection from the string and can shoot all day with heavier bows. I like the crossover gloves with inserts. I can grab an arrow by the nock from my BQ and be ready to shoot without any adjustment or pause. Gloves and longbows and back quivers and shooting split just go together for me. :archer2:
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I'm sure there are people out there, but I've never known anyone who has gone from a glove to a tab and went back to a glove. That tells me something....
Yeah Gene, I'm one of them. Tired a tab and went back to a glove. I didn't like a tab for several reasons. :campfire:
I am another. While I shoot better with a 3 under tab, shooting split with a glove is so quiet I am changing back.
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4 more notes.....
If you are shooting a glove and it grooves, you are shooting the wrong glove.
I have never lost an animal due to me not using a tab.
Howard Hill did pretty well with a glove.
And lastly, I wonder how an Olympic shooter would fair shooting and killing a charging boar - not once but 3 times dropping two in their tracks, and how they would fair shooting and dropping a buck in the dark that was a recovery, or shooting a friends hog he shot on a dead run, more that once, or an Angora goat scalding away at a 45* angle? For me, any Olympic reference is totally irrelevant. I shoot what suites me best, not what suites an Olympian. So, use what suites you and your hunting style and needs.
:campfire:
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My target shooting with a glove.
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My target shooting with a tab.
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Wow Roy, do you give lessons?
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LOL, sure I can Dave:)
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Nice Roy, very nice. I'd say a tab definitely works for you! :laughing:
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LOL
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Barbee tab for me.
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I had a second look Roy..... Your aren't fooling me....
You switched to bigger/longer feathers. :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
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Yup, they are more forgiving:)
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Yes, obviously more forgiving than your tab. :smileystooges: :smileystooges: :smileystooges:
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:biglaugh:
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Hey Steve, I started out with a glove. Then I decided I didnt like the smell of the leather treatment chemicals.
So, I bought some cedar chips you use for guiniea pigs or gerbils and put my glove and chips in a small bag, shook it all up. Glove smelled like cedar but I never got all the chips out of the glove. That was 10 yrs ago and thats when I switched to a tab... :laughing:
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As a kid I started out with a glove and used it religiously. A friend introduced me to a tab back in the mid 80s…my shooting improved immediately. I switched then. As time went on I tried several gloves again..but never found one that gave me the clean release I get with the tab.
I suppose the right glove is out there for me someplace, but I haven’t found it yet. So for me, it’s a tab!
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Way less experience than you gents but started with a glove , got another glove and now will not shoot without a Tab- the best I found was the Toelke fleece faced tab. The fleece does wear off but that why I asked them to send several more of the fleece faces rather than the plain leather.
I have the American leathers bison and the 3 rivers deerskin glove but the tab feels most natural
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Is this overall improvement normal when using a tab?
Everyone is different and will experience different results. I have switched back and forth over the years but, really prefer a tab as, like you stated, my groups are better and my release seems more natural. I shoot with a Bateman Cordovan tab.