T.R.U. Ball Releases: Wrist Strap and Handheld Release Aids

What T.R.U. Ball makes for bowhunters

On this site, T.R.U. Ball covers one product type: release aids. A release aid is the small trigger device you hook to the string (usually to a D-loop, the little rope loop tied on the string) so your fingers never touch it. The bow fires when you press the trigger, not when your fingers let go.

The grid above holds two styles:

• Wrist-strap releases: the Outlaw XT and the Bone Collector Scout, plus the youth-sized Shooter
• Handheld thumb releases: the Stalk'r, Rave, Bone Collector T-Rex, Max Hunter and the Flex Max Pro

The same company sells sights, scopes, stabilizers and finger tabs under its AXCEL name, and its own store carries hinge and back-tension handhelds too. This page sticks to the T.R.U. Ball releases in the grid.

The grid filters by type and changes as listings come and go. So I'll write about the models and what separates them, not about how many are listed this week. Specs in the grid are marked when they come from Amazon. Where I could read the maker's page, I've used that.

Wrist strap or handheld: the first choice

Here's what actually changes between the two styles. Archery 360, the Archery Trade Association's site, lays it out clearly.

A wrist-strap release is a caliper head on a padded strap around your wrist. You fire it by pulling a trigger with your index finger. The strap carries most of the draw weight, so the finger can relax. It works with gloves, and since it's buckled to you, it's hard to lose. The catch: your index knuckle doubles as an anchor point, so as that finger moves, the anchor can shift a little.

A handheld thumb release sits in your string hand with three or four fingers wrapped around it. You fire it by pressing a thumb barrel. Archery 360 notes the anchor sits between the index and middle knuckles, independent of the thumb, which is why target archers favor it. The catch here is the opposite: you know exactly when the shot breaks, and some archers start to anticipate it.

Neither is easier on the body by default. A strap moves the load to your wrist. A handheld spreads it across your fingers. Your joints will tell you which one they prefer within a few practice sessions.

Lineup notes: T.R.U. Ball wrist-strap releases

The Outlaw XT

The Outlaw XT is a caliper release. Per the maker, its jaws are fully independent standard caliper jaws: "Pull the trigger to open, let up to close." A single screw sets how far the trigger travels before it fires.

What else the maker lists:

• Connection: flexible "Flex Grip" rubber tubing with a Red Keeper Lock for tool-free length changes
• Strap: a hinged aluminum T-connector, so the head folds and tucks into your sleeve
• Strap styles: black leather buckle with 8 sizing holes, or camo hook-and-loop
• Sizes: Junior, Large and X-Large
• Grip: machined knurling, which the maker says works wet or with gloves

The grid's version is the Tactical buckle model. On the maker's page, the Tactical Bowhunting Edition uses a green rope connector in place of the red one.

The Bone Collector Scout

The Scout uses the same style of independent caliper jaws and the same single travel screw. The maker says its head comes from its Assassin caliper head. The difference is the connection: a nylon cinch web strap with a locking cinch connector and a plastic keeper, which the maker says stays tucked away until you shoot.

Strap choice is the same idea as the Outlaw: hook-and-loop or leather buckle with 8 holes, in Junior, Large and X-Large. Quick version: Outlaw for the rigid fold-away neck, Scout for the soft web connector.

The Shooter, sized for kids

The Youth Shooter in the grid matches the maker's Shooter. The maker says it's engineered for small hands, with a shorter overall length, and sells it in Junior and Large. It has the same caliper jaws, the travel screw, a flex cord with a Red Keeper Lock, and a hinged T-connector that tucks into a sleeve.

If a young archer is moving off fingers onto a compound, this is the release built for that hand. Youth bows are on the youth compound bow page.

Lineup notes: T.R.U. Ball handheld releases

The Rave and the Stalk'r: three or four fingers

These two are siblings. The maker calls the Rave a 3-finger, pinch-to-close release, and says the Stalk'r shares its design with a fourth finger added. Both have:

• a multi-position thumb barrel linked to the firing mechanism
• a sensitivity screw for trigger weight and a travel screw, each with lock screws
• a pinch-to-load jaw that closes around the D-loop
• a built-in lanyard
• Black or Tactical Bowhunting Green

The maker describes the Rave as ultra-quiet and the Stalk'r as rubber-silenced. The grid's "Tactical" versions are the green color option. Three fingers or four is mostly a hand-size question. A fourth finger adds a grip point and changes where the head sits against your jaw. (Uncle Walt asked if a 4-finger release is for people with four fingers. I told him most of us qualify.)

The Bone Collector T-Rex

The T-Rex is a 4-finger handheld with the same pinch-to-load jaw idea. The maker lists a sensitivity screw and a travel screw with lock screws, a thumb barrel with 90 degrees of rotational positioning, a rubber silencer and hardened internal firing parts. It comes in black only.

The Max Hunter and the Flex Max Pro: rotating heads

The Max models switch to caliper jaws on a head that turns. The maker's Max Hunter PLUS is a 3-finger release with a push-forward thumb trigger, which the maker says was repositioned to cut the risk of early release. It has a 360-degree rotating head that aligns itself, dual independent caliper jaws, a travel screw and a built-in lanyard.

The Flex Max Pro in the grid lists four fingers. The maker sells a Max Pro Flex whose "Flex" refers to what it calls Comfort Flex adjustable finger technology: the lower finger supports rotate forward and back so the handle fits your hand. Its page also lists 45 degrees of thumb-barrel rotation, a travel screw, caliper jaws and a 360-degree head. Read the grid listing to confirm it's the model you expect, since the listing name puts the words in a different order.

Kitchen version of the two jaw styles: a caliper jaw is a pair of salad tongs that open and close on the loop. A pinch-to-load hook is a chip clip that you snap shut around it. Both hold the bag closed. They just feel different in the hand.

How to choose within the T.R.U. Ball lineup

Pick the style for how you hunt

My one opinion for this page: if this is your first release and you hunt from a stand, start with a wrist strap. The reason is in Archery 360's breakdown: the strap carries most of the draw weight, it lets you hold at full draw a fairly long time without finger fatigue, and it's buckled to you, so it doesn't drop 20 feet into the leaves. Handhelds can come later, once your anchor is steady.

Then the finger count

On the handhelds, three or four fingers. That's a hand question, not a spec question, so hold both if you get the chance. The maker's Flex design, with finger supports that rotate, exists for hands that sit in between.

Then the jaw and head

Caliper jaws (Outlaw XT, Scout, Shooter, Max models) open and close on the loop. Pinch-to-load hooks (Rave, Stalk'r, T-Rex) clip shut around it. The Max models add a head the maker says rotates freely and aligns itself.

Then the adjustments

Every model I read has a travel screw. The Rave, Stalk'r and T-Rex add a sensitivity screw for trigger weight. Make changes in small turns, then lock the set screws. More on release types and setup is on the bow release page.

Who should skip a release entirely

If you shoot a recurve or longbow with fingers, you don't need one. Traditional bows are on the hunting recurve bow page. If you're switching from fingers to a release on a compound, expect your anchor to move, and check your draw length again with the release on.

Setup, care and warranty basics

Fit the strap and length before you shoot

On the strap models, adjust the connector so the trigger sits where your index finger falls naturally at full draw. The Keeper Lock and cinch connectors exist for exactly that. A release that's too long or too short pulls your anchor out of place every shot.

Replace the strap

The maker's warranty page excludes wrist straps and recommends replacing them yearly. The strap is the part that wears, like the elastic in old sweatpants.

Safety

Always clip the release fully onto the D-loop before you draw, and keep your finger off the trigger until you're at anchor and on target. Archery 360 warns that dry-firing (releasing the string with no arrow on it) can damage cams, limbs and string and throw parts near your eyes. If it happens, have a shop inspect the bow before you shoot it again. On a handheld, wear the lanyard: the maker's warranty excludes releases that were shot through the bow after the archer let go of the handle.

The warranty, in plain words

The maker lists a limited lifetime warranty on releases, for the original owner, against defects in materials and workmanship. You need the sales receipt. A release that was taken apart, modified or abused isn't covered. Claims start with a return authorization number by phone or email before anything ships.

T.R.U. Ball facts

Here's what I could verify on the maker's pages:

• Name: T.R.U. stands for Tomorrow's Resources Unlimited
• Founded: 1985, as a machining job shop started by Greg and Margaret Summers
• Releases: the T.R.U. Ball release line started in 1995
• AXCEL: sights and scopes added in 2007, stabilizers and finger tabs a few years later
• Where: Madison Heights, Virginia
• Ownership: Greg Summers retired from daily operations in 2024, and Ben, Brian and Kelly Summers Reyes took ownership, per the about page
• Made: the product pages carry a Made in U.S.A. mark

Keep the receipt in the release case. The maker won't fix a release without it, and nobody remembers where a receipt went by next September.