Huge thanks to Mike Loades for his collaboration on this project. The Chinese spur ring is an unusual historical design, originating from the Zhou Dynasty, and characterized by a large spur on the side of the ring which contacts the arrow. While it looks odd, these rings are actually remarkably easy and intuitive to use, much more so than many other designs. For this reason, out of all our ring designs, this is the one we recommend to beginners.

So how does it work? In essence, the "spur" part of the ring points upward, and presses against the arrow shaft just in front of the nock. There are a number of hypotheses regarding its function. Some are to help grip the arrow, or to counterbalance the force applied to the arrow by the index or middle finger. Our hypothesis is that, while it may do these things, it also acts as a string stop. You see, the spur presses against the arrow, which is attached to the string, thus preventing the ring for moving any further forward onto the string. Thus you have the string positioning of a grooved or lip ring, but without the associated disruption to release. When you release with this ring, the string leaves with that fast "SNAP" and clean release associated with the later Ottoman style ring.

There is another aspect to this which bears mentioning however: spur handed-ness and positioning. Having the spur on only one side of the ring, it only functions on one hand, so when checking out please select the hand you intend for it to go on. When flipped, the ring functions fine, the spur simply doesn't engage the arrow so the shooter must revert to balancing the string unaided. Furthermore, in order for the spur to function, some combination of wrist angle, string diameter, string positioning, arrow diameter, etc all must converge. Typically string positioning and wrist angle give you the leeway you need to achieve the grip and release you want. In some cases however, you may find yourself wanting to use a small file to adjust the spur's positioning to suit your particular application.

We custom-size every ring on a continuous spectrum for your perfect fit—no more settling for generic sizes. For the most accurate measurement, we strongly recommend using our Ring Sizer and ordering a set of three closely sized rings. For complete sizing guidance, see our Sizing Information.

Want to add visual flair? Check out our Ring Decoration service for metallic coatings and carved patterns.