ARROW RESTS
When asked about the accuracy of their archery gear, most bowhunters would begin to talk about archery sights or maybe even shooting form. What many hunters fail to realize is the impact an arrow rest can make on accuracy. Arrow rests, like most bowhunting equipment, have come a long way in the past 10 years. As we begin to better understand the flight of our arrows and the situations under which we regularly use our bow, it becomes clear that selecting an arrow rest is no easy task - especially for the beginner in bowhunting.
The premise behind an arrow rest is to stabilize the arrow until it is released from the string. The fletching or feathers on your arrow shaft must clear the riser of your bow to avoid making the arrow wobble or twist in it's flight to the target. This si where an arrow rest comes in. Arrow rests serve as a launching platform for yoru arrow.
There are many types of arrow rests on the market, but you can break them down into a few basic categories. Shoot through, fall away, and standard rests encompass most fo the arrow rest choices on the market today with a handful of arrow rests combining these attributes and graying the lines a bit.
Shoot through rests are my preference - in particular the Whisker Biscuit style rest. Thsi rest uses a disk of stiff bristles with a hole in the center that your arrow shaft fits into. Many of the early problems with the biscuit style arrow rest ripping fletchign formt he arrows are gone now as the bristles have been engineered to better suite the needs of the archer. These rests keep contact with yoru arrow until the very end of its flight from the bow string providing maximum stability before the arrow takes flight on its own. Since it touches the arrow until the last minute some would argue that if you have poor shooting form like dropping your arm after a shot, the arrow rest will magnify that problem downrange on the target. I haven't found that to be the case, but the argument makes sense. You will lose about 2 feet per second (FPS) of arrow speed with this type fo rest. However, I will tell you that it is easily adjustabler, it holds your arrow securely which is great in a treestand, and is quiet to shoot. Not a lot to go worng with this arrow rest which makes it very popular.
Fall away arrow rests are new on the market and do just as the name implies - they fall away before the fletching on your arrow passes the arrow rest, so no contact is made with the fletching. The rest is attached to a small cord that as you draw your bow, pulls the rest into position. Many new archers have trouble keeping the arrow on the rest as they draw, and it does take some practice. The upside to this arrow rest is that it has absolutely no contact with the fletching of your arrow, however, you have to tune the arrow rest precisely so that it drops at just the right moment or you will not have enough contact with your arrow shaft to ensure stable arrow flight downrange. It can be tough for the beginner. These arrow rests will also allow you the maximum feet per second (FPS) in arrow speed because they have so little contact with the arrow.
Standard arrow rests are typically a flipper or two prong design that has your arrow sitting on a small, usually spring loaded arm made from a wire or metal covered in plastic to deaden any noise. Your arrow makes contact at some point with the rest so many of todays bows shooting at faster speeds struggle with these arrow rests. They are very forgiving to poor shooting form and are generally easy to tune, but the technology has simply moved beyond them at this point. The new shoot through and fall away arrow rests provide the opportunity for much better arrow flight and accuracy.