UltraView Archery continues to innovate and release new products and on Friday, August 19, they launched a new handheld thumb trigger release called the "UV Button.”

The UV Button was developed with the bowhunter in mind, and according to the team at UltraView, they plan to continue to research and develop more products built for the demands of bowhunters. UltraView expanding into the hunting space is a very good thing for bowhunters; they produce well-designed, durable products that can definitely make you more effective in the field each fall.

The UV Button release is available now in the GOHUNT Gear Shop! If you're considering a new release or perhaps you are making the switch from an index finger release to a thumb button release, this review can help you decide if the UV Button is right for you. I was lucky enough to shoot both the aluminum and stainless steel version of the release for the past few weeks (and then a full archery antelope hunt last week). Before I dive into my thoughts about how it feels and shoots, let me touch on the details of the UV Button release that are new and noteworthy.

Sear/release

The UV Button is equipped with ULTRAGLIDE bushing technology. ULTRAGLIDE is a self-lubricating, internal bushing system that isolates all unnecessary metal-on-metal contact which, according to UltraView, results in an incredibly low maintenance, smooth, reliable release. Although you don’t see any of this new technology since it’s located in the guts of the release, the ULTRAGLIDE tech yields an incredibly crisp release. One the shot, it’s very smooth.

The UV Button’s trigger is easily adjustable for a wide range of tension and length of travel. The force can be set as feather-light or super-heavy without needing to swap springs. There are two set screws on the face of the release. All you have to do is insert the allen wrench provided and turn it clockwise to increase the travel or the tension. Conversely, turn the set screw counter-clockwise to decrease the length of trigger travel and tension required to activate it. You can work with the two settings to find the perfect feel for you.

One of my favorite features of the release is the large contoured knob. The thumb knob is ergonomically dished with non-slip spiral grooves that offer a great feel on your thumb. The spiral grooves make the difference for me, they grip your thumb in a way that makes it incredibly easy and consistent to relax and pull through to activate the shot with smooth tension rather than feeling like I have to pull it like a trigger. I’m hearing they will offer other thumb barrels in the future, but truly the barrel on the UV Button is one of my favorite features of the release. The thumb button is also adjustable, offering you the ability to increase the length of the barrel, and you can also rotate the barrel to different positions. The angle of the barrel cannot be adjusted like some of the releases from Stanislawski, but I didn’t find this to be an issue. The adjustments to the location of the thumb barrel can be made easily with an allen wrench. You do not have to exchange parts, both adjustments can be made by loosening the two set screws, moving them to the new location, and tightening those screws. This makes it easy to find the best fit for you through trial and error at the range.

Another great feature is the spring-loaded d-loop retainment. When hooking up the release, you slide your d-loop across the retainer and under the hook. The retainer then pops back in place, containing your d-loop completely. You can keep the release hanging from your d-loop, leaving your hand free to use your rangefinder or look through binoculars. This feature is critical for hunting out of a tree stand or from a blind. The release is always ready; all you need to do is grab the release, quietly draw your bow and release the perfect arrow.

When cocking the release, there is an audible “click,” but in saying that, with the way the release works, you can click it into place beforehand and then when you need to load it on the d-loop you simply slide the d-loop through the retention spring and there is no noise at all. In a hunting situation, if you had to click it into the position to load, but as previously stated, you can leave it in the ready position, and loading the d-loop is very quiet and smooth.

Fit and Feel

The UV Button feels sturdy and well built with extremely tight tolerances. There are no rattling or loose parts. You can handle it freely, shake it as hard as you want, drop it even (don’t ask me how I know), and it remains unaffected. One of the first impressions I had when I picked it up, was how well built it felt. I have no concerns about its durability, the UV Button feels bomb-proof.

To continue further into the feel of the release, the UV Button releases have a matte-colored cerakote finish. The aluminum version is smoke grey in color, while the stainless version is matte black. Neither version is shiny or reflective, and the cerakote finish feels good in the hand. It’s not slick, nor does it feel particularly tacky, even when the weather is warm and humid as it was this morning when I was shooting. The cerakote finish should wear well over time also.

In my hand, the release is very comfortable. Currently, UltraView is producing the UV Button in size medium, but will offer a large in the future. The medium is almost perfectly sized for my hand. I much prefer a release when the finger grooves are closer and not so widely spread out and the UV Button is perfect for me. For reference, my hand is 3 ⅞” wide by 8” from the base of my hand to the tip of my middle finger and I’m 6’2” and about 190 lbs. Measurements for the release are listed below.

Measurements

Weight

Lastly, the UV Button does not come with a wrist strap, but it does have a couple of cut-outs that you could attach a lanyard that can go around your wrist if you are afraid of dropping it or setting it down and walking off without it. One cut-out is in the cocking lever, the other is located above the ring finger portion of the release.

UV Hinge 2 and the UV Button

If you are familiar with the UltraView Hinge 2 release, the UV Button has the exact same profile and feel in your hand. The fact that this release matches exactly the HINGE 2 allows you to switch between the two seamlessly. More and more bowhunters are becoming aware of the benefits of learning to execute a shot with a hinge release. For example, many years ago, I developed and battled a significant case of target panic. I was shooting an index finger release at the time, as most new hunters do. Initially, I attempted to beat my anxiety issues by buying and shooting a thumb button release. Relatively quickly, I found that I could hammer the trigger on that release almost as easily. I didn’t fully realize that I needed to relearn the process of activating a shot. A friend loaned me a hinge release and talked me through the process of shooting it properly. I quit shooting every other release and just shot the hinge at close range for months and months. In time I retrained myself and began to shoot much better, and shooting my bow became fun again.

If you are battling target panic, I would highly suggest you purchase a UV Hinge 2 release and commit to learning to shoot it. Doing so will allow you to relax, aim better, and shoot more consistently. Afterward, the UV Button release can be used for both hunting and target, and switching between the two is very easy because they have the exact same fit and feel. In a hunting situation, the UV Button gives me a bit more control and the ability to hang it from my d-loop, where it’s always ready to go when the shot presents itself. The fact that the UV Button and the Hinge 2 have the same profile is a big selling point for me. Buying both is a real investment, but one I believe is very much worth it if you are serious about becoming a better bowhunter.

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Conclusion

I fully recognize the potential benefits of shooting a trigger-style release for hunting. I believe a trigger gives you more versatility when hunting. Compared to a hinge, it allows you to activate a shot more easily in breezy conditions or when you are trying to time a shot in the field. I have tinkered with many trigger releases over the past ten years, and even though I can logically see the benefits of hunting with one, I have not been able to find one that I could shoot well. I could not mentally manage the activation of the shot in a way that produced the results I was hoping for…until now.

I know that the above statement seems somewhat loaded, but in complete transparency, I have found the UV Button to be incredibly easy to shoot accurately. When I received it, I expected to like it but did not think I would be able to shoot it well enough to consider hunting with it so soon, but I love it and will indeed be switching over to it this fall. It may be a combination of the barrel, tension and travel adjustment and fit for my hand, but my shot timing is good and I love having the control a trigger provides me. I’m also finding that with the UV Button release, I am able to relax my release hand/arm and pull more smoothly through the back wall, resulting in a more steady aim and a smoother release. My preference is the heavier stainless steel version. I feel like the added weight allows me to have a more relaxed release hand. If you are considering a thumb button release, the UV Button should be near the top of the list.