# Shortest ATA for a finger shooter?



## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

Depends on the cams and geometry of the bow. Under 40" doesn't work well for me even with larger cams.


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## pklemieux (Feb 3, 2009)

Trashman62 said:


> I was a finger shooter for 20 some years. Then I got into release shooting because the bows kept getting shorter. I'm thinking about getting back into fingers. What do you think is the shortest ATA a person can shoot before you start to get finger pinch?


I believe it's totally depends on the person. I shoot a Hoyt Protec at 27 inch draw and it's 40.5 inches ATA. I see some guys shooting more modern compounds with fingers at 36 inches ATA. With the price of today's bows being rather steep, I would test drive as many as possible. Short and long. Different companies, anything you can get your hands on. Finger shooting is a lot about feel and you will know it when you shoot something and it feels right. 



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## jkrikken81 (Jul 28, 2013)

I think draw length pays a big part. If you've got a short draw length then a shorter bow may not be a problem. I have a big wingspan so I shoot a big bow.


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## rsarns (Sep 23, 2008)

A 38" bow with big cams can feel like a 40+ ATA but I have really been happy with 45" but I have a 30" DL


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## Astroguy (Oct 11, 2013)

Draw Length is key to the geometry needed. I would not shoot my PSE Freak Max with fingers. So yeah, 15" longer ATA than your DL is a good idea. And the industry is not building those much anymore.

There are some nice ILF recurve bows made to fit your needs. I would jump on that before spending $1000 and have no competition at shoots.


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## b0w_bender (Apr 30, 2006)

I'm not sure I would want to say _"What do you think is the shortest ATA a person can shoot before you start to get finger pinch"_ You have finger pinch at 50 inches it just isn't an unpleasant experience. When we are talking ATA I personally think the longer the better. I say that because it's not necessarily the finger pinch pain that is the problem. The more important aspect is your ability to get your fingers out of that tight angle of the string consistently. The sharper the angle the harder it is to have consistency in the release. So rather than trying to find a modern bow which you can shoot acceptably, look for the longest bow you still like to shoot. 

A lot of the finger shooters are concerned with the perception of shooting a 20 or 30 year old bow. The truth of the matter is that those longer bows are likely to be more accurate shooting with fingers than most of the modern bows you can buy today. That extra long ATA really gives you a far more forgiving release. OK the modern bows with their parallel limbs have a lot less hand shock and can be comfortable to shoot but it's difficult to find one that is long enough to be a good finger shooter. Keep in mind that the parallel limb bows compress the limbs straight up and down so that creates a sharper string angle at full draw as well. The older bows flex the limbs backwards making the string a lot more shallow. 

So older longer bows tend to be better finger shooters so don't get too deflated when you can't find a new bow you like. 

One of the longer parallel limbed bows that was ever released was the Martin Shadow cat (2010 ish). 41.25" I re-string mine to get them to more like 42" They are low hand shock and long ATA. Even still I'm not sure they are the best choice.


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