I am not new to shooting trad bows as that is all I have shot and hunted with for approx. the last 25 years. Having said that, I am getting ready to order a new recurve and wanted to know what your thoughts are of shooting (hunting) with a plunger instead of shooting off of the shelf (as I have always shot). Keep in mind, I am mainly talking about hunting situations and not 3D shoots. Any advice and / or comments would be appreciated.

Why do you want to change from something you have been doing for 25 years?
Are you not proficient with your shooting and need to get better, or are you like most of us men and just want to fiddle with something new?


I'd keep it simple and have no plunger.
But none of my bows have a place for a plunger anyway.


God Bless,
David B.

Thanks for the reply. Actually, I shoot pretty well; certainly better than average. i really don’t want to use a plunger unless it would be a game changer. Like you, i would prefer to keep it simple unless (as said before) it would be a game changer

If you shoot instinctive with a canted bow a plunger setup will change your shot dynamics quite a bit.(arrow will be higher from the top of your hand). I would stick with the shelf shooting

bodice. that is exactly the type of info i was looking for. Although my can’t is typically a small cant, i do like to have the ability for a larger cant should i need to do so.

I have bows with and without rest and the only real advantage ,assuming the arrows tuned, to me is I can shoot vanes with one and not the other. They do make tuning easier and are more forgiving of a bad release but that’s it for me personally. As far as an actual plunger button , i played around with them but I guess I’m not good enough to benefit from them.

I’d get a reflex deflex longbow and keep shooting off the shelf for hunting. They can be had at recurve lengths these days. Recurves are great but reflex deflex longbows are just as quick and quieter.

thanks for the reply. as stated earlier i shoot decent at 20 yards and in. since a plunger does not sound as if it would be “THE” game changer i will continue to shoot of the shelf.

FG1, thanks for the reply. i agree the RD longbows are quieter due to where the string makes contact with the bow and have very similar performance to a recurve, but, i am going to stick with a recurve.

I used a Bear Weather rest back in the 70s off and on. I shoot instinctive amd shoot with a canted bow.
I prefer shooting off the shelf just for the simplicity but a rest will work fine also. I use to cut the rest down to where the arrow wasn't as far from my hand.
I've never used a plunger so I can't speak with any experience on the plunger.

Lot of folks hunt shooting off a rest and off the shelf.
I used a rest at times but mostly off the shelf.
Personally, I like shooting off the shelf with a can't to mt bow.
You can can't the bow and shoot off a rest...as far as a plunger, I've never used one in my 47 years of archery so I can't comment.
For me, simplicity works well in the field.