Death Grip?

[turtle]

I have a 54" bendy handle Osage bow that pulls 55#@26"  I'm only shooting it at about 25" draw though for some reason its just not comfortable to me at 26" even though i normally shoot my longer bows @ 27". The handle/arrow pass is the widest part of the bow at 1 1/2". I could never get consistent groups from it no matter what arrows i used or how much i shot it so it hung on the rack for a long time. I recently decided to try to hunt with it this year (season starts tomorrow ) so i have been shooting the heck out of it. I was getting mad and frustrated one day when i couldn't get consistent groups so i squeezed the grip as hard as i could in a death grip and tried to force my arrow to go where i was looking, and to my amazement it worked. I soon found that as long as i had a very hard grip on the bow that my groups would settle right down. I shoot my stiff narrow handled bows with a much looser grip. Anyway i was wondering if the death grip is what is usually used on this type of bow or if its just a quirk on this particular bow??

[PrimitiveTim]

I don't shoot my bendy handles like that.  I hold fairly loose

[Parnell]

I barely hold mine.  Literally have it pinched between my middle finger and thumb with my pointer for arrow resting.

Post a picture of the bow.

[turtle]

Sounds like i just made a tempermental bow.
Heres your pictures Parnell.

[TacticalFate]

maybe the death grip is getting your bow arm to stay still, Its always a conscious effort with me to keep my bow arm still. If I don't think about it, I get lazy, my bow arm starts to wobble, and my groups get sloppy. 

[H Rhodes]

Does the bow have a rest or are you shooting off your fist?  If I am shooting off my fist I seem to grip the bow a little more deliberately, mostly to insure that I am holding the bow in the same way every shot, but I don't grip it too hard.  I may try it.  

[turtle]

Does the bow have a rest or are you shooting off your fist?  If I am shooting off my fist I seem to grip the bow a little more deliberately, mostly to insure that I am holding the bow in the same way every shot, but I don't grip it too hard.  I may try it.

It doesnt have an actual rest but it does have a small piece of leather inserted between tha handle wrap and the side of the bow that acts a a sort of rest but the arrow still rides partly on my fist. It just helps me to get the arrow in the same spot on the bow every time.

[nclonghunter]

Is that an Osage tree in the picture...

[turtle]

Is that an Osage tree in the picture...

No, its a willow. But i know where there is an Osage tree thats over twice the diameter as this willow.

[mullet]

Steve, I'd say try some different arrows. Maybe a little longer then what you normally shoot, or different weight points.