Hot Fix: That's Rough

When you shoot a bow, you only touch it in two places: Your hook on the string, and the handle on the riser. We’ve talked about grips before — whole articles, diagrams, the usual descent into madness — but this is a Hot Fix, so we’re ignoring everything except one problem: slippery handles.

Two usual suspects are Compound grips (bare metal, designed by someone who hates friction) and Recurve wooden handles (lovely until they turn into a bar of soap the moment the Scottish weather moves to liquid sunshine mode).

Sweaty hands, rain, or — if Captain Sausage is on the line — a light coating of pork grease can all turn your grip into a liability. (Note: Cap's hands aren't “slippery”, they're marinated.)

So what’s the quick fix?

Grip Tape: The Hero We Deserve, Not the One Our Skin Wants

Skateboard grip tape or non‑slip tape is a brilliant, minimally intrusive solution… though your skin may initially file a formal complaint. It’s thin, rough, cheap, and trims to shape easily. It adds a huge amount of traction, especially in wet weather, and makes the bow far less likely to shift around in your hand. However… you know what’s coming. In archery, there’s always a “but”. Usually technical. Occasionally medical.

Exhibit A: why “breaking in” grip tape is a real concept.

Because here’s the catch: grip tape is basically aggressive sandpaper.

Until your hand toughens up, it’s going to feel like the bow is exfoliating you every time you shoot. On the bright side, it does save money on skincare. On the downside, it does so like it has a grudge.

Which Brings Us to Finlay…

Grip tape works. It works very well. Finlay would prefer it worked slightly less enthusiastically.

Check out the photo to the right. Let’s just say: That’s a reasonable amount of Finlay on that tape. The tape is naturally black, Finlay isn't. If the police ever need to identify him, they won't need fingerprints — they'll just need his riser.