Best Recurve Bow Finger Tab

Finger tabs are the simplest but one of the most important pieces of gear, but it can easily get overlooked.

In this article, you’ll learn exactly what a finger tab is, why it’s important and what the best one is for your recurve.

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What is a Finger Tab?

A finger tab is one of the simplest pieces of equipment for shooting a recurve bow.

In the simplest terms, it’s a piece of material that goes between your fingers and your bow string.

Many of the finger markets on the market today are made with either leather or calf hair.

Finger tabs vary wildly in quality and construction, with different levels of thickness and shape depending on your shooting style.

One thing you have to keep in mind with finger tabs is that you have to get the right one for your shooting style.

With recurve bows there’s two main ways to hold your bow string, ‘3 under’ or split finger.

3 under means you have 3 fingers on the bowstring below the nock of the arrow.

Split finger style means you have your index finger above the nock of the arrow and your middle and ring fingers under the nock.

Some finger tabs are made for shooting split finger style so they have a space cut out for the nock of the arrow, but you can still shoot 3 under style with these tabs.

If you get a finger tab without a split, the only shooting style you can use is 3 under.

Why Do You Need a Finger Tab?

The main purpose of a finger tab is to help protect your fingers when you’re drawing your bow.

But a finger tab also makes a smoother surface for your bow string to slide across than if you shot bare handed.

This helps to minimize unnecessary vibration in the bow string and leads to more accuracy.

Technically, you could probably shoot without a finger tab, but in the long run you wouldn’t be as consistent or as accurate.

Finger Tab vs Finger Gloves

Finger tabs aren’t the only way to protect your fingers and get a smooth release.

Some archers shoot with finger gloves, which accomplish the same goal, but stay on your hand.

Archers are always debating which is better and ultimately there isn’t actually an answer to that.

It really just comes down to personal preference because both will get the job done and both have advantages over the other.

Best Recurve Finger Tabs

Finger tabs come in all different shapes and sizes, here’s some of the best you can get for your recurve bow.

Bicaster Archery ASA Finger Tab

The Bicaster ASA Finger Tab is a highly adjustable Olympic style finger tab.

The base plate of the ASA tab is aluminum and features anchor points for your pinky and thumb.

Both of these anchor points have multiple different settings so you can adjust them to fit your hand how you like.

The finger tab itself is double layer leather in a split finger style with a slit cut out for the nock.

Similar to other premium split finger tabs, the ASA has a spacer that goes between your index and middle fingers to prevent nock pinching.

On top of being extremely adjustable the ASA comes in 3 sizes, 2 colors and right or left hand so you can find the perfect fit for you!

SAS Elite Finger Tab

The SAS Elite Finger Tab is a premium Olympic style finger tab.

It has an aluminum base plate that holds the actual leather finger tab.

Having an aluminum base plate gives you a more solid and consistent place to anchor your hand around.

There’s also resting points on the tab for your thumb and pinky, so you can hold the tab with your whole hand.

The Elite Finger Tab is designed for a split finger style release, so there is a slit in the leather for the nock as well as a spacer to prevent your finger from pinching the nock on release.

It even comes in 3 different colors.

The downside to this release is that it’s only available for right handed shooters.

Allen Premium No Pinch Shooting Tab

This is a more traditional split finger tab.

It is literally just 2 pieces of leather sewn together with a spacer for your index and middle fingers.

If you’re wanting a more traditional look, but still want a split finger tab, this is your best bet.

The only slight downside, is it’s only available for right handed archers.

SAS Barebow Suede and Leather Finger Tab

This SAS Barebow Tab is specifically designed for shooting the 3 under style.

There is no slit in the leather for your nock to sit in.

The Barebow Tab is also made for a more traditional shooter, there isn’t a base plate at all, it’s just a piece of leather with an elastic string to hold it on your finger when you aren’t holding the bow string.

It’s about as simple as you can get!

Because of its simplicity, you can shoot this tab for right or left handed shooters, and it’s available in 3 sizes.

If you’re wanting a super traditional look and shoot the 3 under grip style, this is a great option.

Bicaster Barebow Finger Tab

The Bicaster Barebow Finger Tab blends the base plate of an Olympic style finger tab with the simplicity of a 3 under style grip.

The tab itself is simply 2 pieces of leather attached together.

On the back end is a very simple base plate that has an adjustable part to help you get the right spacing between your palm and the end of the leather tab.

The base plate also helps to give you a little more consistency in your grip, improving your accuracy.

Other than the base plate, it’s a very simple release for any archer shooting with a 3 under grip.