10 Best Bow Releases for Archery

Top 3 Best Bow Releases

Spot Hogg Wiseguy Release Buckle

Has a wrist strap style and adjustable length for a smooth release.
Features a no-trigger-travel design and quick-loading jaw.
Offers great trigger sensitivity and accuracy improvement.

Tru-Fire Hardcore 4 Finger Revolution Archery Release

Tru-Fire Hardcore Revolution Archery Release

A hand-held bow release made from CNC machined aluminum.
Features a 360-degree rotating head for comfort and optimal release angle.
Allows extensive customization with 16 different trigger positions.

Tru-Fire Hardcore Buckle Foldback Max

A wrist strap bow release designed for comfort with extra padding.
Offers adjustable draw length and trigger pressure (3 oz to 1 lb).
Has a swept-back trigger for a smooth pull and aim precision.

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Modern archery involves a lot more tools and equipment than it used to. Nowadays pulling and losing an arrow by hand isn’t the most effective way to go. Bow releases make it much easier and less tiring to aim and fire an arrow. Today we’ll be covering the best bow releases on the market to help you find the one that fits your needs.

Best Bow Release Reviews

There are a whole lot of different bow releases available these days. It makes sense, after all, there are tons of different kinds of archery being practiced.

Hunters require different bow releases to competition shooters, and sport shooters fall somewhere in the middle.

We’ve put together a list of bow releases across the range of functions, prices, and styles to help you pick out one that works well for your style of archery.

Spot Hogg Wiseguy Release Buckle

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Before the Spot Hogg Wiseguy Release Buckle, I had navigated through a fair share of releases including ones from Scott, TruFire, TruBall, and BK Hunter. They were decent, but nothing spoke to my adventurous spirit quite like the Wiseguy. Having embarked on numerous outdoor escapades, I needed a reliable companion that could withstand the rough terrains and unpredictable weather. When I stumbled upon the Wiseguy, it seemed like fate.

The Wiseguy is a wrist strap style bow release buckle that’s crafted for the rugged at heart. The D-ring release system nestled comfortably against my skin, even during those long, sweaty hikes through the dense forest. Its adjustable length in a rigid body is nothing short of a marvel, allowing for a featherlight release without any trigger travel. The jaw is designed for the quick and the brave, easy to load and ready to take on the wilderness.

My journey with the Wiseguy began on a crisp autumn morning. With a heart full of excitement, I ventured into the wild. The first draw was a revelation. The adjustable body granted me the maximum possible draw length, a feature that proved to be a game changer as I navigated through thickets and underbrush. The Wiseguy was more than a tool; it was an extension of my adventurous spirit.

The trigger is where the Wiseguy truly shines. It’s absolutely amazing, void of any play, and can be set to a scary-light sensitivity if so desired. My groups improved dramatically, almost as if the arrows were guided by the spirit of the wild. As someone who had struggled with trigger “punch” issues before, this feature was a godsend. The lifetime warranty and the fact that it’s made in the USA resonate with my love for quality and reliability.

I found the strap buckle and padded wrist band to be reasonably comfortable, although I did admire the strap on my old TruFire release a tad more. However, this is a minor quibble as the Wiseguy’s performance overshadowed any longing for my old strap.

The fold back mechanism on the Wiseguy seemed a bit alien at first, but like a good companion, it grew on me. It held up well during my adventures, a testament to its robust construction. I have large hands, yet the Wiseguy accommodated me well, with room to spare for those with smaller wrists.

The Wiseguy compelled me to adjust my anchor point and my pins, a small price to pay for the remarkable improvement in my shooting. The forward trigger design felt different, yet it seamlessly melded with my evolving technique.

In the ten days since our paths converged, the Wiseguy and I have shared two Robin Hood moments and countless bullseyes on my home archery range. It’s not just a release; it’s a companion for those wild at heart. The Wiseguy doesn’t correct your mistakes, but it significantly reduces your misses, making every arrow count in the heart of the wilderness.

One early morning, as the dawn was breaking and the forest was coming alive with the chirps of birds, I embarked on a solo archery expedition with my trusty Wiseguy. The day was promising, the sky painted with hues of pink and orange. As I delved deeper into the woods, the earthy aroma filled the air, a wild, untamed scent that resonated with the very essence of the Wiseguy. I found a serene clearing amidst the dense foliage, the perfect ground to test the might of my Wiseguy. As I strapped it on, it felt like a natural extension of my being.

The first draw was smooth, the release was cleaner than ever before, and the arrow soared through the morning mist, hitting the makeshift target I had set up. The silence that followed was a testament to the precision and the power of the Wiseguy. As the day progressed, I found myself hitting one bullseye after another, the Wiseguy proving to be a reliable companion in honing my skills. The outdoors had always been my escape, and with the Wiseguy, it felt like I had found a companion that shared my rhythm, my passion for the wild, and my quest for precision. Each draw, each release seemed to echo the primal call of the wilderness, making me feel more connected to the natural world around me.

In summary, the Spot Hogg Wiseguy is not just a release; it’s a rugged companion for the avid outdoorsman. Every feature, from its jaw design to its remarkable trigger, echoes the call of the wild. While it took some getting used to initially, the Wiseguy has now become an indispensable part of my outdoor adventures. It embodies the spirit of freedom and adventure that courses through the veins of every true outdoorsman.

Pros:

Featherlight Release: The adjustable length in a rigid body allows for a smooth, featherlight release without any trigger travel.
Excellent Trigger Sensitivity: The trigger sensitivity can be adjusted to be scary-light, eliminating any trigger play and significantly improving accuracy.
Quick Loading Jaw: The design of the jaw allows for quick loading and easy usage, enhancing the overall shooting experience.
Maximum Draw Length: The adjustable body provides an extended draw length, accommodating a substantial draw weight, which is ideal for serious hunters and outdoors enthusiasts.
Made in USA with Lifetime Warranty: The lifetime warranty and domestic manufacturing resonate with a commitment to quality and reliability.
Improved Accuracy: Many users noticed a marked improvement in their shooting accuracy, which can be a game-changer in both competitive and recreational archery.

Cons:

Strap Comfort: While functional, some might find the strap less comfortable compared to other models, like the TruFire strap.
Fold Back Mechanism: The fold back mechanism may take some getting used to, and may not seem as robust as other designs, although it has proven to be reliable over time.
Slight Learning Curve: The forward trigger design and other unique features may require some adjustments to your anchor point and pins, necessitating a brief acclimation period.

Tru-Fire Hardcore 4 Finger Revolution Archery Release

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The Tru-Fire Hardcore 4 Finger Revolution is a hand-held bow release. It’s made from CNC machined aluminum with a built in lanyard strap.

The head is capable of rotating a full 360 degrees and can be locked into place at any point. This maximizes your comfort and gives you the optimum possible release angle. You can also adjust the trigger tension and travel distance.

The trigger is capable of assuming 16 different positions. When combined with the 360 degree rotating head you end up with a highly versatile hand-held bow release perfect for target shooting.

Overall the Tru-Fire Hardcore 4 Finger Revolution is a high quality bow release capable of extensive customization. It allows you to find the perfect position and angle of release for your archery.

Tru-Fire Hardcore Buckle Foldback Max

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The Tru-Fire Hardcore Buckle Foldback Max is a wrist strap style bow release designed with comfort in mind. It has more than twice the padding of similar bow releases and incorporates a number of other neat features.

It offers a full 1 inch adjustment in draw length and gives you the ability to adjust the trigger pressure from 3 oz to a full pound. The swept back trigger is designed for a comfortable and smooth trigger pull that prevents the last minute jar that can throw off your aim.

The Tru-Fire Hardcore Buckle Foldback Max is a quality wrist style bow release. It’s reasonably priced and provides excellent performance for hunters and other archers out in the field.

Scott Archery Caliper Bow Release

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The Scott Archery Caliper Bow Release is a hand-held archery release system. It uses a dual caliper release system and has a solid swivel connector.

It has a molded rubber grip with a knurled trigger. This gives you an excellent grip and makes it easy to release the trigger when needed.

It uses a solid swivel connector and is backed by Scott’s quality guarantee. If you ever have a problem with the Scott Archery Caliper they’ll fix or replace it no questions asked.

Hot Shot Vapor Release

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The Hot Shot Vapor Release is a hand-held bow release. It has a molded grip with an extra strength handle.

It uses a whisper quiet auto-close design that provides you with total silence during hook up and release of the arrow. The thumb toggle release trigger allows for unlimited adjustment to position and trigger tension.

It’s available in both three and four finger versions, allowing you to pick out the most comfortable and ergonomic system for your style of archery. The actual release is a D-ring system with a cat’s eye hook.

This gives you a torque free release with every shot.

The Hot Shot Vapor Release is a value priced hand-held bow release. It has some really useful features and offers excellent performance for the price.

Scott Archery Sigma Release 3 Finger

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The Scott Archery Sigma is a three finger hand-held bow release. It’s a premium product milled from lightweight aluminum with 440 stainless steel internal components.

It uses a full radius handle with a tapered design to provide consistent hand position shot after shot. You can adjust the position and travel of the trigger to exactly match your specifications.

This allows you to create a fully customized bow release that’s perfect for high-accuracy shooting.

Overall the Sigma bow release from Scott Archery is an excellent competition grade hand-held bow release. It’s definitely on the expensive side but you end up with a really nice bow release for your money.

Spot-Hogg Whipper Snapper

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The Spot-Hogg Whipper Snapper is a hand-held bow release designed for endless customization. It uses a four finger design with a thumb release trigger.

The trigger mechanism can be adjusted to match your personal shooting style, with adjustments in both travel and trigger tension available. It screws down once adjusted to maintain your preferred settings through hundreds of shots.

The Spot-Hogg Whipper Snapper is a highly customizable hand-held bow release from a respected manufacturer. It’s about the middle of the pack pricewise and offers an effective bow release.

Carter Evolution Release

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The Carter Evolution Release is a minimalist hand-held bow release designed to be used with either two or three fingers. It’s a resistance activated release that fires when your position reaches the optimal possible spot.

To draw depress the safety switch and as you pull back the bowstring. Once you’re in position and ready to fire you just release the safety and pull back on the string.

The cam will be released and the bow will fire. This helps prevent any unintentional movement that may affect accuracy. You can adjust this from 12 to 30 lbs of pull weight depending on the spring you install in the mechanism.

The Carter Evolution Release is a high-end resistance style bow release. It’s designed for serious competition shooters to provide the most accuracy possible.

Tru Ball The Beast II Bone Collector

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The Tru Ball The Beast II Bone Collector is a wrist strap style bow release designed for hunting. It uses a high speed forward draw trigger designed to provide the maximum possible draw length.

It’s built with a quick load open hook design to allow easy setting of the string without taking your eyes off game. This gives you an excellent draw speed and makes it much easier to sight and release an arrow. It’s available with either a black leather buckle strap or a black velcro strap.

The Beast II Bone Collector from Tru Ball is an excellent hunting bow release. Its design makes it easy to sight and shoot game with the minimum necessary movements.

TruGlo Activator

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The TruGlo Activator is a wrist strap style bow release with a camo pattern. It uses a roller sear design for the trigger release to provide the smoothest possible trigger pull and release.

The trigger uses an active spring reset. You can also adjust the trigger length to work with a variety of bows.

The trigger assembly is made from durable stainless steel with a high-quality padded strap. It uses an ergonomic design to provide the best comfort and usability.

The combination of rock solid trigger system, ergonomic strap, and highly adjustable release makes the TruGlo Activator a great option.

Buyers Guide to Buying the Best Bow Release

There are several key questions you have to ask yourself before picking out a bow release.

The most important by far is what type of archery you plan to practice. To start with, hunters need significantly different bow releases to a competition shooter.

From there you have to figure out things like comfort, features, style, and many other factors.

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Price

Bow releases are precision tools that act as the point of contact between you and your bowstring. They need to be extremely sturdy and capable of releasing your arrow with accuracy and ease every time.

Because of this they’re actually fairly expensive for their size. Entry level bow releases are priced from about $50 on up, with high end models easily clearly $100.

Types of Bow Release

There are two main types of bow releases: Hand-held and Wrist/Caliper.

Wrist/Caliper Bow Release – The oldest and currently the most popular type of archery release, the wrist style release has a strap that attaches to your wrist and a trigger to release the arrow. It transfers the draw weight of your bow from your hand to your wrist and forearm.

This makes it a lot easier to hold back the weight of the bow at full draw. Things to keep in mind with wrist/caliper releases are the position of the trigger and the length of the overall release.

Wrist style bow releases are easy to use and able to hold very strong draw weights. The downside is that they’re slightly less accurate than other bow releases.

Hand-Held Bow Release – These releases don’t have a strap and are designed to be held in your hand. They still have a trigger but it’s generally smaller and lighter. It’s generally released with your thumb or the twist of your wrist rather than your index finger.

The benefits of the hand-held release are its smaller size, lighter weight, and easier release. Many competition archers have switched to hand-held bow releases because of this.

Noise

The level of noise generated by your bow release can be an important factor depending on your activity. Hunters need to be nearly silent while stalking their prey but target archers and competition shooters don’t really need quiet.

Match the type of bow release to your activity for best results.

Adjustability

One of the key features of hand-held releases is length adjustment. Different archers have different size hands so being able to change the length of the release can significantly affect comfort.

You can also adjust the location of the trigger on your hand-held release and the amount of trigger travel needed to release the arrow.

String Style

There are different ways bow strings can be setup. Some of the most common are D loop, metal nock, and a metal fastener on the string. Depending on the type of bow string you have some releases won’t work.

Make sure the bow release you choose will work with your bow string.

Comfort

One of the most important factors that go into a bow release is comfort. You want one that will fit your hand or wrist well without causing too much pressure on one spot.

Cushioning on the strap and handle material can also help with this.

Build Quality and Material

Bow releases are designed to hold a significant amount of pressure. Depending on your bow they may need to consistently stand up to hundreds of pounds of pressure.

Pick a bow release from a reputable manufacturer made from sturdy materials.

Shooting Style

The type of shooting you’re participating in has a huge impact on what kind of bow release you should use. Hunters favor wrist releases because of their ability to hold high draw weights.

Hunting bows are generally very powerful and wrist releases are the best option for holding them in place. For target shooters or those participating in competition archery handheld now releases are much more popular.

They allow you to make the exact same motion every time. This improves accuracy overall.

Maximum Draw Length

The maximum draw length refers to just how far you’re actually able to draw your bowstring. When you add the length of the bow release it limits just how far you can draw a bow.

Figure out your bow’s draw length and make sure any bow release you consider will work with it.

FAQ – Best Bow Release

Welcome to our comprehensive FAQ section on selecting the best bow release for camping, hiking, and hunting. As avid outdoor enthusiasts ourselves, we understand the importance of precision and accuracy in archery during your wilderness excursions. Whether you’re a seasoned bowhunter or a novice archer eager to embark on thrilling adventures, choosing the right bow release can make a world of difference in your shooting performance.

In this section, we’ve compiled and answered the most common questions that arise when searching for the ideal bow release to accompany you on your camping trips, hiking escapades, and hunting expeditions. We’ll delve into the various types of bow releases available, their features, benefits, and how they can significantly enhance your shooting abilities in the great outdoors.

Finding the perfect bow release doesn’t have to be a daunting task. We’re here to help you make an informed decision so you can focus on honing your archery skills and relishing the breathtaking moments nature has to offer. Let’s dive in and discover the key factors that will lead you to the best bow release for your unique needs and preferences.

What is a bow release, and why is it essential for camping, hiking, and hunting?

A bow release is a mechanical device designed to help archers achieve a more consistent and accurate release of the bowstring. It is especially crucial for camping, hiking, and hunting because it enhances shooting precision, minimizes fatigue, and reduces the risk of jerking the bowstring, leading to improved shot execution.

What are the different types of bow releases available?

There are primarily three types of bow releases: wrist strap releases, handheld releases, and thumb releases. Wrist strap releases are attached to the wrist, providing stability and ease of use. Handheld releases offer a more natural feel with a direct connection to the string. Thumb releases are held between the thumb and index finger, offering precision and control.

Which type of bow release is best for beginners?

For beginners, wrist strap releases are often recommended due to their ease of use and stability. They provide a consistent anchor point and can help new archers build confidence in their shooting technique.

What features should I look for in a bow release for outdoor activities like camping and hiking?

When choosing a bow release for camping and hiking, consider features like compact size and weight for easy portability. Additionally, look for durable materials and adjustable settings to accommodate varying shooting styles and preferences.

How does a bow release help with accuracy during hunting?

A bow release aids accuracy during hunting by ensuring a smooth and consistent release of the bowstring. This minimizes torque and string deviation, resulting in more precise shots, especially during critical hunting situations.

Can a bow release be used with different bow types?

Yes, most bow releases are versatile and can be used with different types of bows, such as compound bows and recurve bows. However, it’s essential to check the product specifications and compatibility to ensure it will work with your specific bow.

What is the importance of adjustability in a bow release?

Adjustability allows archers to customize the sensitivity and trigger travel of the bow release to suit their individual shooting style and comfort. This personalization can significantly enhance shooting performance and accuracy.

Should I choose a wrist strap release with a buckle or Velcro closure?

Both buckle and Velcro closures have their merits. Buckle closures offer a more secure fit and are less prone to accidental release, making them suitable for hunting. On the other hand, Velcro closures provide quick and easy adjustment, making them convenient for target shooting and practice sessions.

Is a thumb release suitable for all skill levels?

Thumb releases require a bit more skill and practice to master compared to wrist strap releases. While they offer excellent precision and control, they might be better suited for intermediate to advanced archers who have honed their shooting technique.

Are there any maintenance tips for keeping my bow release in good condition during outdoor activities?

To maintain your bow release during camping, hiking, and hunting, regularly check for any signs of wear or damage. Keep it clean and free from dirt and debris. Lubricate moving parts as per the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure smooth operation. Always store it in a safe and dry place when not in use.

Remember, choosing the right bow release can significantly impact your shooting experience and accuracy. Take your time to research and find the one that best suits your needs and shooting style for a successful and enjoyable outdoor adventure.