Tru-Fire Release Aids for Compound Bows

What Tru-Fire makes for bowhunters

On this site, Tru-Fire covers one product type: release aids for compound bows. A release clips onto the D-loop (the small string loop tied onto your bowstring), holds it at full draw, and lets it go when you fire it.

The Tru-Fire releases in the grid fall into three styles:

• Wrist-strap index releases: Patriot, Patriot Flex, Bulldog, Edge, Hardcore and ThruFire, plus two Spark youth models
• Handheld thumb releases: the Synapse models
• Handheld back tension releases: the Sear models, plus the Rivet, a handheld the maker calls link style

The grid filters by these and changes as listings come and go. So I'll write about the families and what separates them, not about how many of each are up this week. Most specs in the grid come from Amazon listings, and the grid marks them. The rest of what's below comes from the maker's own product pages.

The three release styles, in plain words

Archery 360, the Archery Trade Association's site, splits release aids by how you fire them. Here's what actually changes from one style to the next.

Wrist strap (index finger). A strap goes around your wrist, a stem runs to a head with jaws, and you squeeze a trigger with your index finger. Archery 360 points out that the strap carries most of the draw weight, so your finger can stay relaxed. It also notes the release stays attached to you, so you can't drop it out of a tree stand.

Handheld thumb button. You hold the release in your fingers and fire it with your thumb. Archery 360 says it lets more of the back of your hand touch your face at anchor, which helps consistency.

Back tension or hinge. No trigger to push. You rotate the release by pulling through the shot until it goes off. Archery 360 says top target archers favor this style for its consistency. The shot surprises you, which is the point.

Kitchen version: a wrist strap is a pot with a handle, a thumb release is a mug you grip, and a back tension release is a jar lid that pops when you've turned it far enough. All three hold coffee. They just feel different in the hand.

Lineup notes: Tru-Fire wrist-strap releases

This is the biggest group in the grid and the one most bowhunters start with.

Patriot and Patriot Flex

The Patriot's listing marks an ambidextrous release on a hook-and-loop strap with an adjustable trigger. The Patriot Flex adds what the maker calls a dual caliper head on a nylon webbing strap, with the length set at the webbing. These are the plain, adjustable-strap models of the lineup.

Bulldog and ThruFire

Both list buckle straps and adjustable triggers. The Bulldog's model code, BDBF, reads as buckle foldback, and its listing marks it ambidextrous. The ThruFire's values come from its listing, and the grid shows them.

Edge FT and Edge Buckle

The Edge releases step up in adjustment. Per the maker:

• Edge FT: leather buckle strap with FoldBack, auto-closing jaws on what the maker calls a closed-bias dual-caliper head about the size of a dime, more than 1 inch of lockable length adjustment, and adjustable travel and tension
• Edge Buckle: leather FoldBack strap, more than 1 inch of length adjustment with a lockdown set screw, and adjustable travel on a linear bearing

The maker says the Edge FT's forward trigger adds nearly 1 inch of draw length compared with the original Edge. Quick math: if your bow is already set to your draw length, a release that's an inch longer changes your anchor. Check it before you hunt.

Hardcore 2.0 Extreme

The Hardcore 2.0 Extreme is the open-hook model. Per the maker, the hook clips onto a D-loop quickly, the head rotates 360 degrees, length adjusts by almost an inch, and the hook has a nickel boron coating to reduce friction. It uses a suede buckle strap with FoldBack and a TrapTab that keeps the strap from pulling back through the buckle. Trigger travel and pressure both adjust.

Hook or caliper? A caliper has jaws that close around the loop. A hook is a single open hook that the loop sits on. The bow release page explains both across brands.

Spark youth releases

The Spark Youth Foldback and Spark Extreme Youth are the small-wrist models. The listings mark adjustable triggers, and the Foldback lists a buckle strap. The maker's FAQ gives the Spark lineup up to 2 inches of length adjustment. Its current Spark buckle page describes a fit made for smaller hands and wrists, a shorter starting length and stainless steel jaws. If you're setting up a kid, pair it with the youth compound bow page.

Lineup notes: Tru-Fire handheld releases

Synapse thumb releases

The grid lists the Synapse Thumb Release and the Synapse Dual Sear. Per the maker's Synapse page:

• Firing: true double-sear operation
• Adjustment: trigger travel and pressure, both lockable, with pressure from about 1.25 to 20 ounces without changing springs
• Fingers: a hook that wraps the ring finger for three-finger use, or a fourth-finger extension
• Handle: weighted brass with an anodized aluminum cover, and a multi-position thumb button

Sear and Sear-X back tension releases

The Sear Hinge and the Sear-X are back tension releases with sear-type mechanisms. The Sear-X listing marks it ambidextrous and convertible between three and four fingers. The maker's Sear page lists a heavy brass handle, fully machined parts, a four-sided sear with several click options, an adjustable hot and cold setting, adjustable fourth-finger position and three thumb positions.

Hot and cold, in plain words, is how far you have to rotate before the shot goes. Hotter fires sooner. Colder takes more rotation. The click is a small bump you feel as you approach the firing point.

Rivet

The Rivet is the maker's link-style handheld. Per its page, it ships as a three-finger release with a fourth-finger attachment and closes fully around the D-loop. You push the thumb barrel forward to close it. Tension adjusts from 1.75 to 50 ounces, and trigger travel, the thumb post and the thumb barrel position adjust too. The handle is machined aluminum, and the maker says it works with its Wrist Assist strap. The grid's listing marks three- and four-finger use.

How to choose within the Tru-Fire lineup

Pick the style before the model

Here's what actually changes your shooting: the style, not the name. Decide wrist strap, thumb or back tension first. Then the model choice narrows to a handful.

For a wrist strap: strap, then head

Strap options in the grid run from hook-and-loop (Patriot) to nylon webbing (Patriot Flex) to buckle, leather buckle and suede buckle (Bulldog, Edge, Hardcore). A buckle sets the same fit every time. Hook-and-loop is quicker to adjust over a heavy glove. Then pick the head: dual caliper jaws (Patriot Flex, Edge) or an open hook (Hardcore).

For a handheld: thumb or rotation

If you like to choose the moment the shot goes, look at the Synapse. If you want the shot to surprise you, look at the Sear models. The Rivet sits in between with a thumb barrel and a wide tension range. Archery 360's advice is to try several at a local pro shop before you buy, because preference is the main factor.

Fit the length to your hand

Bowhunter's release how-to, by Larry Wise, says to set the stem or strap short enough that you can curl your whole index finger around the trigger, not touch it with the fingertip. For a thumb release, he says to set the trigger so it sits against the base of your thumb. He also recommends a medium-heavy trigger, never light. Every Tru-Fire wrist strap in the grid lists some length adjustment, so use it.

My one opinion on this page

For a bowhunter buying a first release, I'd start with a wrist strap. The reason is the one Archery 360 gives: a strap release stays on your arm, so it can't fall out of a tree stand or get left on a stump. Handhelds are great. They're also the easiest thing to drop in the leaves at 6 a.m. (I've watched one go down a ladder rung by rung. It was quieter than you'd think.)

Setup, safety and care

Safety at the bow

Keep your finger off the trigger or release until you're ready to shoot, as Wisconsin DNR's archery safety tips put it. Point the bow only in a safe direction and know what's beyond your target. Check that the jaws or hook are fully closed on the D-loop before every draw. Never dry-fire a bow.

Learning a new release

Practice up close. Bowhunter's article suggests a blank bale at short range, or a rope loop set to your draw length, until the new release feels normal. A rope loop is a cheap way to learn a back tension release without launching arrows across the yard. Bowhunting rules vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency before the season.

Care and the warranty

The maker's warranty covers mechanical components against defects for the lifetime of the release, for the original owner. Straps get one year with proof of purchase. Discontinued items get one year from purchase. It doesn't cover normal wear, misuse or poor maintenance, and it's void if the release has been taken apart, modified, abused, or shows dents, bent parts, rust or non-original parts. To claim, you get an RMA number first, send a photo of the whole release and include proof of purchase where required.

Two practical notes come straight out of that. Don't take a release apart to see how it works. And keep it dry, since rust voids the coverage. A wet release goes on a towel by the woodstove, not back in the pack.

Who's behind Tru-Fire

Tru-Fire is sold on the site of FeraDyne Outdoors, which lists an address in Superior, Wisconsin. Grand View Outdoors reported in December 2013 that FeraDyne had acquired Tru-Fire, then based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. A 2012 Grand View Outdoors profile named Steve Tentler and his wife, Cheri, as the owners at that time. The maker's brand page says it designs its releases for years of trouble-free use and uses the same metal and hardness for all its release firing components.

Style, strap or handle, then length. Write the setting on a strip of tape inside your release case, because in August you won't remember which screw you turned in March.