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Glove size alterations:

Will you alter gloves I have purchased in the past, or from others, to my specifications if I send them to you?

Yes, we will alter gloves. The minimum price for alterations start at $15.00. It would be cheaper, however, if you ordered the glove directly from us with pre-specified alterations or measurements beforehand.

	American Leathers Quivers How should my quiver fit? You should have free range of movement, as this is critical for quiver performance. Never too tight, it is always better if a backquiver fits a little loose than too tight.	Quiver slung under arm
	Under Arm-Front Crouching Sneaking	One should be able to slide the backquiver from back to front of body smoothly. Why? Because as any true hunter knows, a functional quiver must be manueverable in a variety of hunting situations. Examples are sitting, running, walking, crouching, crawling etc. Take running for example, one must be able to slide the backquiver from his back to his side to control the arrows and the quiverís movement. Sneaking or crawling, the quiver must be able to avoid branches, limbs and other obstacles that might break an arrow or cause arrows to spill on the ground. These things can happen when quivers are fixed or too stationary on one's back. In many a hunting situation, I have easily manuevered my quiver to a better position, thus giving me a better shot. Manueverability and easy arrow access is what these quivers deliver. If you want to see more of their function, look at John Schulz's video, Hitting'em Like Howard Hill.

I can't reach my arrow, is my quiver position wrong or do I have a bad shoulder? If a quiver is not working for your desired reach, especially a backquiver, there can be multiple problems. Maybe it's too tight, won't move on your body, or the strap might be in the wrong position. Regardless of these, if the quiver fits loose enough, you should be able to take your bow hand and bump the bottom of your quiver in an upward or to the side motion. Bump the bottom of the quiver so as to enable you to grab the knock of your arrow. (see photos below)
Reaching	Bumping quiver up
Does my arrow length determine my quiver length? Yes it does. This is a very good question, and one that is disregarded by scores of bowhunters and archers today. Arrow length is critical to proper spine. Too many archers are shooting arrows much too long and ordering quivers to match. This will cause problems with quiver and arrow performance. Hopefully I can give a few tips learned from my dad, John Schulz, that he learned from Howard Hill. Quiver length is usually determined by arrow length or draw length. Arrow length should be measured by placing a yardstick on your sternum, closing your eyes and reaching towards the mark (not stretching), with both hands. Do this three times, and take an average. Have someone hold and read the yardstick for you so you don't cheat. Combine this average with this next example. Take a full length shaft with a knock on it and pull it with your eyes closed. Have someone else mark the shaft when it is flush with the arrow shelf of the bow. Do this three times and take an average also. With this combined average, one should be relatively close to his arrow length. Some broadheads can alter this a little, but not much. Howard's blunt arrows came flush with the shelf of the back of his bow. This is proper arrow length. One inch more will change the spine of an arrow. Iíve seen guys shooting 29" arrows that averaged 26" on both measurements. This definitely will make a difference on good or bad performance.
Yard stick measurement	Bow pulling measurment
After proper length is determined, proper quiver length can follow. Usually I subtract 5 or 5 1/2 inches of arrow length to get the total quiver length. For example, a 27" arrow length will produce a 22" quiver length. Invariably this will give you, the archer, proper quiver fit and function. Remember, these quivers can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the shoulder strap, for bigger or smaller frames. (Just a note on American Leathers Backquivers - we offer the foam bottom insert as an added safety measure and broadhead protector. The foam bottom works very well, keeping broadheads very sharp, as well as separated in the bottom of the quiver. Also, in some cases where an individual falls or trips, and could possibly injure himself on falling broadheads, this foam helps keep broadheads from falling out of the quiver. But please, do not depend on it as a foolproof safety feature. Broadheads can sometimes will unlodge from this foam. Experience has taught me that riding horses with a backquiver on your back is never a good idea, regardless of Howard Hill's example and all the indian movies. If this warning doesn't apply to you, so be it.)
How should a shooting glove fit? There are so many styles of shooting gloves that it is hard to make an exact statement. So many archers have formed bad habits by shooting sloppy gloves, hard glvoes, stiff gloves, etc. I will try and describe a few Deep hook Proper release styles we produce and try to show how proper fit and comfort will produce a better, consistent shot. If a glove is loose and sloppy, (such as gloves that look like a work glove), it will cause blisters and calouses on the fingers. It may also twist. These problems can create the bad habit of hooked or clawed fingers. Some describe their release as a (deep hook) as if this is an acceptable form of release, when in truth, it is not. I would rather that traditional shooters had a little less hook or claw. Why? Because the more resistance from glove to string, the more room for error on the shot. Howard Hill shot off the ends of his fingers, and proved a smoother release is more accurate. The reason a mechanical release works well is because there is no resistance across the string. The Big Shot and Slick Shot produce the ideal finger release. It maintains extreme smoothness with very little resistance over and over with each shot. All of our gloves support good habits as they do not allow the shooter to take a deep hook. The Big Shot will stretch a little, but not a lot. This glove should fit pretty snug as it will break in over a few dozen shots. The Slick Shot glove is made from a slightly stiffer leather than the Big Shot. It is for those archers who desire a slightly stiffer leather on their glove. This glove leather is 3-4 oz cowhide, where the Big Shot is 4 oz. elkhide. There is a big difference between leathers on these two gloves as the elk hide is alot softer. Both of these gloves have the nylon overlay on the finger stall. Besides the difference in leathers, the back of the Big Shot is noticeably different than the Slick Shot. Instead of elastic or leather as choices of the Slick Shot, the Big Shot has neoprene that stretches over each knuckle and creates a more comfortable, full bodied glove on the hand. The Big Shot glove will strech a little but will usually settle in for proper size after a few dozen shots. I suggest getting a snug fit when ordering this glove. Big Shot Neoprene knuckles The American Traditional or Original, open or closed end, are the old style of gloves. These come with or without plastic inserts. The finger stalls are not so long that they allow for a deep hook, but they are of a little heavier glove leather. These should fit snug and shouldn't stretch to more than the form of your fingers.
How do I insure a proper size when ordering a shooting glove? When taking orders for custom gloves, I have had various kinds of measurments given in attempts to help me find a proper size for the glove hand. I have even had plaster of paris finger moulds sent to me. This is an excellent way to show the exact dimensions of a finger, but this is not as readily accessible for every person . The easiest way for you, the customer, to give us a very close size of your hand is to place your glove hand on a sheet of paper and trace as closely to your outline as possible. Be sure you trace all the way down to where your wrist strap goes around your wrist. This is very important as it gives us an accurate length for your glove. The outline is seen best when a black pen is used. This outline should be either faxed or mailed to us at your convenience.