My shooting glove is about worn out, so I'm looking for a new one. I have noticed that it seems more people shoot tabs. Should I get a tab and learn to shoot with that? Which method, glove or tab, gives a cleaner release?
You will get a mixed response but for me a quality made tab gives a cleaner release (cordovan face) and will wear like iron. Bateman tabs are the best I have found and make many different styles to choose from.
I started shooting with a glove about fourty years ago, just because my dad did. However, this past year I have been experimenting with a calf hair tab and it seems like my release is better. I am also going to try the cordovan as noted above. I have not hunted with it yet, but will this fall.
gary
It gets to be a personal preference,I started out with a glove but switched to a tab many years ago.Like Rod Jenkins said in MBIII,he said he seemed to be always breaking in a new glove.I like a simple Bateman cordovan tab,been shooting the same tab for the last 4 years,not bad for a $10 dollar tab.I find I can control the arrow better and I get a great release.Just my preference for me.
No opinion on which gives a cleaner release, but it's impossible to rotate a glove around out of your way for the 101 other things you need your right hand for on a hunt.
A tab is just a lot more covenient for me.
I'm with Jeff, the tab is convenient and I believe it does allow for a cleaner loose. I started using them in the mid 1960's and still use them.
I have used both, the last 4 years I've been using a Cordovan tab form Alaska Bowhunters Supply. I really like it. I've eaten lunch with it on & never been bothered by wearing it. It will let you do the thousands of other things you do with your shooting hand without removing it. I get clean releases with it & am sold on the tab. Frank
I've just started playin' around with a tab and I like it. I think I get a better anchor.
Used glove for a while; switched to a tab and like it much, much more. I get a cleaner release, can feel the string, find anchor, and don't loose dexterity in my fingers. I could not run the striker on my slate well with a glove on.
I agree with all the above, a tab gives a much cleaner release and more sense of string position for me than a glove.
I think I'll give the tab a try, at least they are cheap enough!
I have used a glove for years and years. I tried some different tabs and they just don't feel right. May I suggest you try before you buy. Just my 2 cents worth.
No opinion on the cleaner release....a clean release is up to the bowhunter not a piece of leather. 6 of one, half dozen of another.
Glove is harder to lose...and is always in place. I dont' have to fiddle with it to get it in the right spot to make a shot. Just never liked tabs...can't keep up with them anyway.
Jeff.....not all gloves are the same. I don't have a problem ...with one sling of the hand and my fingers are free.
As with most gear...its all subjective...find which one YOU like best...and THAT will be the best for you.
I see more votes for the tab. I shoot both. A tab more in the hot summer months, but I like my damascus glove the best. Maybe I haven't found the right tab yet.
When I'm shoot'n, I'm shoot'n. Doesn't bother me to take it off when I have to.
I shot a glove for 20 years then one of my buddies who was a better shot than me got me to try a tab and I could see a markedly difference in my shooting. I have been using a tab for the last 30 years. One thing I like is I can turn it to the back side of my hand when climbing and not get it messed up. It is always there ready to go.
Jack
Tried both glove and tab. Liked the tab best and I've been using a tab for the last 41 years.
I play with tabs during 3-D season but when hunting season shows up it's a glove only. It goes on before I leave the truck and stays on until I return.
I have never broke the finger strap, lost or broke a glove while climbing a fence or tree but have gone thru three tabs on one 5 day hunt.
:archer:
Glove works for me. I have more feel and control of the string........ :archer:
I started out with a glove, and then I moved to a tab for a while. Thought my shooting improved. Then one day I put the glove back on and noticed I shot better with it. I'm staying with the glove now! It's like Terry said shoot what you like!
Mel
Glove for me also I tend to shoot heavy poundage bows I love the gloves with a plastic or baleen insert in the finger stalls,they give a nice clean release.Never could get used to a tab I gave them to a bud who swears by them.
I think a tab can give you a cleaner release...never seen an olympic shooter with a glove.
That said, I ain't no olympic archer. I don't feel at all in control with a tab and try as I might, I just never could get comfortable and confident shooting with one. The exact opposite is true with my BigShot gloves.
I switch back and forth about twice a year. I love the convience of the glove and it is warmer in the winter. But I get to where I'm plucking the string and switch to the tab to cure it. After a few months the gloves talk too me and I do it all over again. LOL
Mike
I have never really liked tabs. Just a personal preference. For me I use a Berlin glove or just a deer skin glove. Mainly because I love to get a good feel for the string. Also I use this type of glove because when I am hunting I use an uninsulated pair of deer skin gloves. This way I shoot the same all year round and it always feels the same to me.
I started with a glove, no problems, except I like the expensive ones with nylon on the finger tips. Only thing bad was I wear them out quick, at least two three gloves a year. Started shooting a cordavan tab last year and there is no sign of wear yet. Anyone know of a glove with cordovan leather fingers?
I just switched to a Cavalier tab with the top plate this spring from a BW tab. I anchor with top finger in the corner of my mouth and the plate against my cheek and have found I'm much more consistant from horizontal standpoint. 3 anchor points, finger in coner, plate against my cheek, and thumb under my jaw.
QuoteOriginally posted by Terry Green:
No opinion on the cleaner release....a clean release is up to the bowhunter not a piece of leather. 6 of one, half dozen of another.
Glove is harder to lose...and is always in place. I dont' have to fiddle with it to get it in the right spot to make a shot. Just never liked tabs...can't keep up with them anyway.
Jeff.....not all gloves are the same. I don't have a problem ...with one sling of the hand and my fingers are free.
As with most gear...its all subjective...find which one YOU like best...and THAT will be the best for you.
Never said they didn't work. Compare my shooting to Terry's and draw your own conclusions! :archer:
I will say that a tab makes it a pain to wear gloves in cold weather. I've had to resort to a handwarmer muff. I cannot shoot in gloves, period.
I like the cordovan overlay glove made by Neet. It is a tough glove. This is not a "feel the string" type of glove. I like that. My fingers never hurt now after shooting. It is only about 16 bucks and I like it better than a tab and other expensive gloves. It is cheap enough to try.
The level of comfort is most important. I shoot bows under 50# and the tab gives me a cleaner release (not subjective for me). There is no right or wrong answer here, it's what works for you. I recently found some of the old Neet calf hair models from the 70's and have enough to last awhile. I used a Damascus glove for awhile and liked it, but for me they are more problematic in cold weather.
Jeff...I use a tab over my middle finger over my regular gloves in cold weather. However, I don't wear heavy gloves, even in the coldest of weather. I can flip the tab back against the palm of my hand and warm my hand in a coat pocket. Works for me.
glove...
each has it's followers and devotees...when i was shooting with fingers i preferred the glove.
a glove seemed to give a better feel of the string, plus it was no worse than wearing gloves in cold weather.
i now use a release aid...no problem about 'cleaner' release.
i alternate between the two . as for tabs, andlongevity aside i favour the calf hair tabs , they just seem to work well for me and are what i'm used to. as for gloves....as long as they aren't too thick i'm happy [ like the duraglove ]. having said that, whilst hunting i often don't wear either ...just shoot bare fingered.
ben
Shot with a tab for a couple of years and liked it fine. Went to a local bow shoot and somehow or another I lost it three targets in. Borrow my buddy's extra glove and won the shoot. Did the glove make the difference? Nope, but it built my confidence enough that I continue to shoot a glove! As Terry and others have stated previously, it is a personal choice and they both have advantages and disadventures, but they both work! Good luck with your choice. Mike