# 3 or 4 finger hinge



## Deputy Archer (Apr 12, 2009)

Personal preference...... I choose a 3 finger over a four, I have a four I shoot with three fingers. It feels like the less fingers the more consistent the pressure is applied. Plus if I put my pinky on there I want to slam it just like a thumb trigger!


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## montigre (Oct 13, 2008)

Not correct. Do a search in General Archery on the pros and cons of 3 versus 4 finger hinges.


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## Deputy Archer (Apr 12, 2009)

Posted my personal opinion and experience, pretty sure everyone is entitled to an opinion


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

personal preference, yes, but that preference is based on something "personal"....... 

depending on the amount of rotational input you get out of your back tension swing, a four finger will have a bit more input to the rotation at the release body, because there is one more point of contact, for better leverage, further out from the bail's pivot, than a three finger.


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## Joe Schnur (Mar 22, 2012)

You all said the same result 3 finger is more likely to allow proper back tension 4 finger has more leverage and is easier to punch with the hand due to lever arm.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

one, does not make it "easier" to punch than the other. you can rotate either one with your fingers just as easily, if you want to punch the release. the reason they make both, is because some people get less rotational input, out of their BT swing, than others, and the additional finger located further away from the bail pivot, helps transfer that rotation to the release body. the personal part of the decision is based on the individual's needing the extra input from a fourth finger on the outside of the release. 
I've always had a pretty good input and have had no problems, even with a two finger release.


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## jelmore (Sep 24, 2013)

thanks.


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

Each person different and a different something needed or liked....


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## ILOVE3D (Feb 4, 2009)

For me I have tried both 3 and 4 finger and for sure the 4 finger with the pinky is much easier to make the release happen and I believe without proper BT. I think it is because the little finger is shorter, therefore when it is on the release it is also the first finger or should I say the finger furthest out from the hinge thus less leverage is required at that point to get it to go off. That's just me though and it could be because the release's were set up to go off the same as a 3 finger.


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## Padgett (Feb 5, 2010)

Just get one of each, almost all of us have more than one hinge for training purposes and when you choose which o e is better for you get rid of the other one in the classifieds.


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## Garceau (Sep 3, 2010)

I went with the 4 finger to give my pinky some place to land. Watching myself on tape at times my pinky was curled, other times extended and you could see tension in it. When I gave it some place to go my entire hand stays more consistent from shot to shot.

It is barely touching....but Chance really puts his pinky onto the release with his grip.


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## jaredjms (Oct 24, 2007)

Garceau said:


> I went with the 4 finger to give my pinky some place to land. Watching myself on tape at times my pinky was curled, other times extended and you could see tension in it. When I gave it some place to go my entire hand stays more consistent from shot to shot.
> 
> It is barely touching....but Chance really puts his pinky onto the release with his grip.


I prefer the 4 finger for the same thing-- just so the pinky has a place to call home. If you curl the pinky more or less from one shot to the next it changes tension on third finger. Having all 4 on makes ME feel more comfortable and consistent. Try them both and see how the differences line up with your preferences/feelings


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

ILOVE3D said:


> For me I have tried both 3 and 4 finger and for sure the 4 finger with the pinky is much easier to make the release happen and I believe without proper BT. I think it is because the little finger is shorter, therefore when it is on the release it is also the first finger or should I say the finger furthest out from the hinge thus less leverage is required at that point to get it to go off. That's just me though and it could be because the release's were set up to go off the same as a 3 finger.


 then you are just someone who needs the extra input of rotation from that fourth finger on the release. there's nothing, "good" nor, "bad",...or, "right" nor, "wrong", about that. 
everybody gets different rotational input out of their backtension execution. some need the extra input of that fourth finger on the release, some don't. some need it some days, and not others, as they are learning back tension with a hinge, as well.
I have a carter solution 2 that is three finger, but I made a forth finger "hook" for it, that is removable, because, for me, there are days that the fourth finger feels better on the release and days that it doesn't. it all boils down to how well my rotation is running on any given day. I have ,in the past, done well with a 2 finger release, just the same. 
I will say that a 3 finger release is probably considered the "standard" by popularity, if you must give finger count, a "rank", but that , in itself, means very little.
all said and done, i will venture to say that the 3 finger is probably most popular, with advanced hinge shooters, simply because their rotation is well developed.
if you're finding that four fingers is making the release go off too easily, you are either lucky to have good rotation or cheating the release off with finger manipulation. even that is of little matter, if your shots are going in without too much effort.


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

Using a hinge gets told of so much and the bottom line is what you can execute smoothly and consistently, whether using real back tension or cheating. Daniel Boone's Thread over in General Discussion has every conceivable use of the hinge and cheating stands out.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

yea, i'll admit to being a decidedly "pure rotational back tension" guy, simple because I learned it, and the "proper form", for shooting a compound, 40 years ago and it has always worked for me.
therein, is my "personal preference" statement !. 
the honest and open truth is,... whatever works and produces good repeatable results,.... is what is best for the individual. as with coaches, there are some that teach one way, and some that teach another. when you look for a coach, you look for one that coaches in your respected methodology.
I know a guy that fingers a hinge so completely, that he almost looses it from his grip, when the shot breaks.....he also shoots 60, or near 60 x's all the time. whatever your head can handle, I guess !. at the same time, I could not and would not recommend some, to his way of shooting a hinge.


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## ar1220 (May 18, 2014)

I have tried 2,3,and 4 finger tension releases and I feel more comfortable shooting a four finger my pinky has to have somewhere to land I know guys that shoot 2 and 3 fingers really well but I like a 4 finger


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

I think a lot of one's preference is influenced by what he tries the first time he tries one. 
it's only after he's been shooting one for a while, that he looks more seriously at different release styles and starts to evaluate his own process. 
in my opinion, these guys that go out and try several different releases as soon as the start learning, in the interest of "finding that release that works best for them', are actually stubbing off their progress to learn how to use the release. stick with one release and learn the process well, with that same release, before jumping into the complications of different methods and release styles. once you have a basic foundation for your execution, you can then use that as the comparator, to evaluate if one way works better for you or not. if you don't have that "comparator", you don't have any reliable way of evaluating what works and what doesn't.


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

I agree, ron.


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## evokiller75 (Dec 22, 2014)

4 is what I use, I just shoot it better.


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