There’s been some discussion in our archery club lately about which type of arrow rest is best. There are all types of rests on the market (wedge, prong, drop-away, capture, lizard tongue). All of these will do the job. But if you are looking for what I feel is the best accuracy out of your
set-up, an arrow rest that has the least affect on arrow flight is going to be your best bet….and for that, I recommend the drop-away arrow rest.
As you come to full draw, a drop-away rest is raised to lift your arrow into launch position. As the string goes forward at release, then tension on the drop-away rest is removed and it drops out of the arrow flight path. Set up properly for the quickest possible drop, the arrow travels over the drop-away rest for a very short distance before the rest is completely free of the arrow. At that point, the only thing touching the arrow for the remainder of the shot is the string.
For the other arrow rests, the arrow literally bounces over them for the ENTIRE distance of the arrow. If you were to magnify the rest and arrow contact point and watch it in slow motion, you will see considerable movement of the arrow as it passes over or through the arrow rest. Then,
the vanes or feathers have to pass over/through followed by the nock.
All of this high speed bouncing around affects arrow flight which in turn affects a consistent impact point. There is much less arrow/arrow rest contact with a drop-away rest. This will result in a more consistent arrow flight and then more consistent impact points. Consistent arrow groupings are what we always strive for.
In addition, with non drop-away rests, you have to hold your follow through position in place until the ENTIRE length of the arrow clears the rest. While we all should hold our follow through position until arrow impact, the drop-away rest gives us that little margin for error. And believe me, when that buck walks in to our shooting lane, we’re going to want as much margin for error as we can get!
There are places for all types of rests as there are many hunter and shooter preferences.
Some arrow rests may be used out of necessity. If you are in a stand where deer have to be shot almost directly below your stand, a capture rest (such as a Whisker Biscuit) is a must. No matter which angle you have to tip the bow, the arrow will not fall out of or off of the rest. I also recommend capture rests for youngsters who are just starting out. It seems the hardest thing for some of them to do it to keep the arrow on the rest when coming to full draw.
If you are having problems getting consistent groupings and your set up does not include a drop-away arrow rest, consider giving one a try.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Nerves or Lack of Focus?
About a week ago, our archery club held a grocery shoot as a fund raiser.
The last round of the night was for a very nice bow stabilizer. We had a shoot-off and soon it was down to two shooters….a friend of mine from the club and a shooter from another club.
My friend and I were shooting on the same lane all night and he had put his last five arrows in the bullseye. His opponent shot first and was well outside the bullseye ring….all my friend had to do was come close. But then
he did something he hadn’t done all night…he came to full draw, aimed…..and let down. He did this twice. His nerves were getting to him.
Instead of letting his body do what it knew how to do, his mind took over.
Instead of focusing on the tiny little “X” in the middle of the bullseye,
he was worried about other things.
Have you ever watched a little child carry a plate of food across the living room or out in the yard during a picnic? If the child does not focus
on that plate the entire trip, the plate begins to dip until it is at an alarming angle.
Have you ever been driving and so lost in thought that when you snapped out of it, you don’t remember driving the last few miles?
Have you even been watching CNN and tried listening to what the reporters were saying while trying to read the scrolling news stories at the bottom of the screen….at the same time. I can’t do it!
Have you ever had a tall 8-point come in to your shooting lane at 7:15 AM, come to full draw, and sail the arrow over his back…only to realize later
that you honestly didn’t remember where your kisser button was when you were at full draw?
My point is…we can’t truly focus 100% of our attention on more than one thing at a time.
When its crunch time and your nerves are screaming at you, there’s only one thing you can do….relax, find that aiming point, focus all of your
attention on it, and let your body release the arrow like you’ve trained it to do.
As for my friend…he still has his old stabilizer on his bow
The last round of the night was for a very nice bow stabilizer. We had a shoot-off and soon it was down to two shooters….a friend of mine from the club and a shooter from another club.
My friend and I were shooting on the same lane all night and he had put his last five arrows in the bullseye. His opponent shot first and was well outside the bullseye ring….all my friend had to do was come close. But then
he did something he hadn’t done all night…he came to full draw, aimed…..and let down. He did this twice. His nerves were getting to him.
Instead of letting his body do what it knew how to do, his mind took over.
Instead of focusing on the tiny little “X” in the middle of the bullseye,
he was worried about other things.
Have you ever watched a little child carry a plate of food across the living room or out in the yard during a picnic? If the child does not focus
on that plate the entire trip, the plate begins to dip until it is at an alarming angle.
Have you ever been driving and so lost in thought that when you snapped out of it, you don’t remember driving the last few miles?
Have you even been watching CNN and tried listening to what the reporters were saying while trying to read the scrolling news stories at the bottom of the screen….at the same time. I can’t do it!
Have you ever had a tall 8-point come in to your shooting lane at 7:15 AM, come to full draw, and sail the arrow over his back…only to realize later
that you honestly didn’t remember where your kisser button was when you were at full draw?
My point is…we can’t truly focus 100% of our attention on more than one thing at a time.
When its crunch time and your nerves are screaming at you, there’s only one thing you can do….relax, find that aiming point, focus all of your
attention on it, and let your body release the arrow like you’ve trained it to do.
As for my friend…he still has his old stabilizer on his bow
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