You need to find someone in your area that can help you learn how to draw and fire this release properly. It is hard to tell you how to do it over the internet. If it is hard to get to go off it is either adjusted wrong, or you are executing your shot wrong. And if it is going off when you draw it or let it down you are holding the release wrong.

When you draw the bow and let it down all the weight should be on your first two fingers, and a thumb post works even better. Or invest in a release with a safety, so you can come to full draw and release the safety.

What you really need is someone to watch you shoot that knows how to use one, and then do a LOT of blind and blank bale shooting. It is a must that you get to used to this release before trying to aim with it.

I have played with them and my girlfriend uses one. I personally don't care for them, but have never punched myself with one or lost an arrow. However I had someone show me how to use one. I just like a trigger is all.

Paul

rick is a quick study. it will take 10 months to2 years for most folks - using nothing but a triggerless release. that's the average around here anyway. if you are really struggling with it, you can hurt your shoulder. the release is telling you to relax. have someone stand behind you and tell you if your release forearm is in a straight line with the arrow. it should be. your bow arm should be extended and relaxed. even tension in your bow hand can mess up a bt shot execution. you will need to relax more than you thought humanly possible. if you are crooking your neck at all to see thru your peep - no back tension will work. it is not possible for the trap to engage the rhomboid if your neck is crooked. your release wrist also needs to be straight.

try getting into full draw position while pointed at the target and relaxing more and more and more. betcha the thing goes off by itself because you've got it set so light. also, if you have a 4 finger release, don't put your pinky on it. you have to stretch your pinky to get it on there creating tension. tension is the bt killer. as soon as i got ok with a 3 finger i moved to a 2 finger and had to start all over.

you'll know when you've executed correctly because nothing will have ever felt better. also, there will be no explosion at the shot. in fact there will be very little reaction or movement from your body at all. your release hand, arm will move about 2 inches. if you're putting a good bit of extra tension on the bow to execute, you're doing something wrong.

in the end, get some instruction if you want to make the commitment. i'd say that 95% of the folks shooting them are cheating, and when you learn how to do it you can pick it out in a second watching someone shoot. don't learn how to cheat if you want to do it.

I agree, once you figure out how to "make" it go off you are doomed. Say hello to target panic of the likes you have never seen before.

If it takes you 10 months to master a back tension release you are doing something way wrong. Unless you only shoot a couple of hours a month. It took my girlfriend a day or so to get it down and then about a few weeks to to get used to it. It took me about 20 arrows to get it down and then a week or so of blind bale to really get used to it. That is shooting every day though.

The bad thing is until you REALLY get it down if you stop shooting for a while it will mess you up. This is what my girlfriend did, and now she is having trouble with it again. I told her to go back to blind and blank bale shooting again but I don't think she is doing it.

It is also hard to go back and forth from a trigger release and a back tension release. Which is why I don't use one. If I were going to strictly target shoot I would probably get one just like Nikki's. However I don't want to hunt with one so I will just stick to a trigger release.

Paul

Thanks, guys. I am trying to relax while shooting it, but I think I may not be relaxing enough. If I don't get it in the next day or two, and unless I can find someone around here that shoots w/ one, I think I may retire it for now so I don't really mess myself up.

well, frankly, paul is way wrong according to the nfaa master coaches including larry wise, who certifies them. normal time is from 10 months to 2 years. if you've got it in 2 days you're probably cheating. if you're shooting a 4 finger, you're probably cheating (and by probably i mean you are cheating). if you can shoot a 2 finger without wristing or fingering it, you're probably not cheating. i'd like to see someone who thinks they've got it pick up a 2 finger release instead of a 4 finger or even a 3 fingerso they can figure out if they have it or not. much harder to cheat with a 2.

If you are shooting a trigger release properly, it is quite easy to go back and forth from a triggerless to a trigger release. I found that after shooting a BT release, my trigger release is as smooth a butter. BT releases can be a great training tool. I shoot my trigger release for hunting and 3-d, but train mostly with my BT release.

Does anybody hunt with these or is it strictly for 3d / tournament archery?

Don, relax some more. you really don`t want to go back to your old releases. Keep trying bud. You can get it.

Well, today's practice ended it. I actually had the release working properly, it was smooth and the release was a surprise everytime. Very nice indeed. BUT, I got a mouth full of steel, and there is no way I'll ever draw that release again. I can never trust myself with it. SOoooooo....until I can get a BT release w/ a safety on it......I'm done. I love the concept and really like it when I can do it properly, but I'm not ever gonna do that again w/out a safety. DAMN that hurt........

It was a relaxation issue. Oh, I also increased my DL by 1/2", not only did that make it more comfortable, it helped me relax a lot. Once I got my arms and especially my draw hand to relax, it went off very smoothly and easily.


So, in light of that, what is a good BTR w/ a safety?

If I get a suprise release and hit what I am aiming at how am I cheating? I know the difference between making it go off and having it fire on it's own. It's a freakin back tension release, not rocket science. 10 months to get used to a release? I have had archery lessons and none of them said anything about taking 10 months to learn a release. Like I said, maybe if you only shoot once or twice a month, but if you are shooting everyday and practice correctly it shouldn't take anywhere near that long.

I think your problem is with not holding the release correctly when drawing and letting the bow down. And possibly not holding it correctly while trying to shoot it.