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OBSERVATIONS ON PUTTING YOUR ARROW TO REST

At BLADERUNNER ARCHERY, INC. we are constantly researching and testing the many variations of bow accessories to determine what works best with the BLADERUNNER bow. Of course, we understand up front that the selection of a particular type of accessory for your bow can be a matter of personal preference based on your own prior experiences, research, shooting form and so forth. But, because the BLADERUNNER ISO-FORCE incorporates such a uniquely new type of bow geometry that produces highly advanced results in terms of performance, accuracy, ease of tuning, and overall improvement in shooting characteristics, a fresh look at the various types of accessories along with their benefits or possible shortcomings is needed. There are many very innovative accessory devices on the market today that are designed with the conventional compound bow in mind. Among these are devices that specifically target one or more of the inherent problems associated with conventional compound bow geometry and dynamic performance. If you are familiar with the BLADERUNNER ISO-FORCE, you are aware that the entire focus of its unique design is that of providing a geometry that completely eliminates all of these previously unaddressed problems. If you have had an opportunity to actually shoot a BLADERUNNER, you know that we have been very successful in accomplishing our goal. So, making a new assessment of the particular features of various bow accessories just makes sense. After all, if a particular accessory is specifically designed to compensate for problems that just don't exist on a BLADERUNNER bow, then (other than a purely subjective affinity toward that particular type of device) there is no logical reason to use it, and certainly no reason to fork out a lot more cash if that is the case.

Before I continue, let me state that the purpose of presenting the information that we uncover as a result of our ongoing research is primarily to provide the reader with additional information that may be beneficial in making decisions regarding the selection of accessories for the BLADERUNNER bow. It is not our intention to promote one product over another, but just to inform the reader of what we have found to work the best. Even if you don't shoot a BLADERUNNER, you may find some important things that you have not previously considered within this information that will help you to refine your personal relationship with your archery equipment and make you a more successful archer and bowhunter.

One of the most critical accessory components of your bow is your arrow rest and we will address this particular accessory in this article. While a comprehensive analysis of the history and evolvement of technology of the arrow rest and the fine points of how it relates to the dynamics of launching an arrow (internal ballistics) beginning with the primitive self-type bows in necessary toward fully understanding all of the aspects of consideration for modern arrow rest devices, covering all of these details would not be practical here. But with such study and research as a background, we will fast-forward to deal specifically with the arrow rest devices that are commonly used on today's modern compound bows.

Let's break down the various types of arrow rests that are most commonly used into general categories. (I am omitting the types of rests that more closely resemble "off-the-shelf" methods such as those that mount to the arrow-pass wall or extend into the arrow-pass area of the riser from the plunger button hole because of their relatively infrequent use.)

The first category is commonly referred to as "launcher" type rests. In this form of arrow rest, the arrow shaft is supported from underneath by prongs, blades, rollers or the like and can be configured as inward or outwardly projecting forks or v shapes. The supporting means is normally spring loaded or fashioned from a spring like material designed to compensate for and dampen any downward force from the arrow shaft that may be produced during launch. Some of theses rests have a provision for the adjustment of the spring tension while some do not. Some launcher type rests are micro-adjustable while others have varying degrees of coarse adjustment for windage and elevation. Launchers, like most modern arrow rests are supported by a bracket that mounts to the 5/16-24 thread hole (plunger button hole) at the arrow-pass location of the riser. We have tested a wide variety of launcher type rests on the BLADERUNNER ISO-FORCE bow. A summary of our conclusions and observations will be presented later in this article.

The next general category can be defined as full-capture type arrow rests. These include the biscuit or "disk" type rests as well as the type that support and secure the arrow shaft with multiple supports from multiple angles so that the shaft is mechanically captured on the rest to prevent it from falling off or being dislodged as a result of tilting the bow or from possible torque induced by the draw process. The "full-capture" type rests normally mount in the same manner as the "launcher" type rests. Some full-capture rests utilize arrow support means similar to the launcher type rests such as blades or arms while the "biscuit" or "disk" type utilize a resilient material that either fully or partially encircles the arrow shaft with some provision for the fletching to pass through during the launch. Like the launcher type rests, we have tested most of the different "full-capture" type rests on the BLADERUNNER and a summary of our findings will follow in this article.

The third and newest category of arrow rests is the "drop-away"type rest. In this form of arrow rest, an arrow support means (similar to those found on the launcher type rest) is rotated downward at brace, and then rotates upward during the draw in order to place the arrow in the correct position for launch. Upon launch, the arrow shaft is temporarily supported for a short interval and then quickly rotates downward and away from the passing shaft and fletching in order to insure that no contact is made between the fletching and the rest. A variety of methods are employed to facilitate the "drop-away" feature. Some of these type of rests are operated by means of chords attached to the buss cable that act against a spring loaded launder arm while others use mechanical arms attached to the cable guard rod slide and are activated by the lateral motion of the buss cables. Still others employ magnets or other devices intended to be activated by inertia. Regardless of the type of support for the arrow shaft or the method of activation used, the objective is the same. That is to get the rest clear of the fletching as they pass. Again, we have tested various "drop-away" type rests and have drawn some conclusions.

Before we get into the summary and conclusions that we have made regarding the different types of rests, it is important to note that although the BLADERUNNER bow is most assuredly the easiest and quickest bow to set up and tune that you will ever experience, this fact relies on the use of an arrow rest that is free from any quirks that might make the rest difficult to tune. Also, it is always necessary to have good working knowledge of the fine points of tuning a rest. Within any of the categories of rests, we have found (as will you) that some rests are much easier to tune that others. This will often be a result of the design of the rest, but it can also simply be a result of the overall set-up of the bow, shooting form, or other factors that are particular to an individual application. This will be the case for any bow, so a thorough knowledge of tuning a rest to your unique application is essential.

With respect to the "launcher" type rest category, we have found that most of the well made launcher type rests available were very easy to set up and tune and functioned as well or better on a BLADERUNNER as on other bows. In fact, we use one of the more popular of these types of rests to perform all of the test shots on our production bows. One thing to keep in mind; however, is that precise orientation of the fletching in relation to the nock in order to keep fletching contact to an absolute minimum is critical with this type of rest. Contrary to some beliefs, just sighting down a nocked arrow and aligning the vanes or feathers so that they look as though they will clear the rest in the nocked arrow and aligning the vanes or feathers so that they look as though they will clear the rest in the nocked position is not usually going to be sufficient. Determining the position of the fletching at the point at which they actually pass the support(s) is the key and this most often takes some experimenting. Keep in mind also that any substantial variation in arrow weight, spine, balance, arrow construction, or your shooting form can cause one arrow to react differently from another during launch. The window to avoid fletching interference is relatively small on a launcher type rest, so arrow and shooter consistency is very important. These considerations demand the same attention regardless of the bow, but because the BLADERUNNER is a true, center-shot bow that delivers precisely centered and balanced force to the arrow shaft itself, which is normally a result of arrow distortion during launch with conventional bows is eliminated. Lateral loading of downward loading from the arrow shaft onto the rest support or supports can cause real tuning difficulties, even when the fletching clearance is optimized. Because the BLADERUNNER virtually eliminates arrow oscillation on launch, you will find that tuning a launcher type rest is much easier than with conventional bows.

Regarding the micro-tune feature available on some models of launcher rests, we have found this feature to be a real benefit due to the fact that we are constantly testing a wide variety of different diameter arrows and the micro-tune feature allows for quick and easy compensation for the different size shafts. Of course, if you intend to stick with one shaft size, or only experiment on an infrequent basis, you may not want to bear the extra cost. With respect to spring tension for the rest supports on a BLADERUNNER bow, the only consideration is that of ample support of the arrow shaft through the draw, dampening of downward forces from arrow oscillation of non-level nock travel is not an issue.

Our conclusions regarding the "full-capture" type rests are mixed. Based on our observations and tests, it seems that the performance characteristics relate more to the particular design of the rest rather than a particular rest used specifically with a BLADERUNNER bow. In other words, some of these type of rests provide particular benefits that would apply to any bow while some have distinct draw-backs that would be encountered when used on any bow as well. The "full-capture" type rests that utilize three or more individual supports, such as ramp type blades or points of individual mechanical contact with the arrow shaft demand a somewhat higher degree of attention to eliminating fletching contact than is with the "launcher" type rests. This is due simply to the additional point or points of contact with the arrow shaft. Or course, if very deliberate efforts are made toward fine-tuning this type of rest, satisfactory results can be obtained and, we might add, with much greater ease on a BLADERUNNER bow for the same reasons stated earlier regarding the launcher type rests. Regarding the "biscuit" or "disk" version of this type rest, on the other hand, tuning becomes remarkably easier due to what we feel are some very logical reasons. As mentioned earlier, variations from one arrow to the next, variations in shooting form, as well as other factors can make one arrow react differently from another upon launch. Such a variation in the dynamics of individual arrows can mean that one arrow may realize virtually no contact with the rest while the next arrow may be prone to some minimal contact and the next arrow may yet experience more severe contact making each arrow react differently in flight. With the "biscuit" type rest in particular, the fletching contacts the supporting medium surrounding the shaft under exactly the same conditions with each slot. In other words, the fletching "sees" the rest in exactly the same way each time they pass without influence from the possible variables. Consistent arrow flight is much easier to obtain when the influence of the arrow rest is exactly the same for each shot. When used on a BLADERUNNER bow, the "biscuit" type rest is unbelievably easy to tune owing to the distinct advantages provided by the true center-shot design discussed earlier. With the arrow free of oscillation during launch, interference between the shaft and the surrounding medium that might otherwise be present with a conventional bow is eliminated further contributing to making tuning a snap. An added advantage of the full-capture type rest is, of course, the fact that such a design helps to eliminate the possibility of the arrow falling off of the rest (particularly in bowhunting situations). Like other categories, some full-capture rests allow for fine adjustment for windage and elevation while others do not. Again, the fine adjustment feature may or may not be beneficial to your individual situation. In summary of the "full-capture" type rests, while all can work well on a BLADERUNNER bow, just as they can with other bows, some are exceptional in our opinion.

Finally, with respect to the "drop-away" category, we have examined and tested a number of examples. Our examination and testing in this category has not been as extensive as it have with the other categories of rests for one simple reason. While the "drop-away" concept does provide a substantial benefit in preventing arrow and fletching contact on conventional bows where dramatic arrow distortion can occur during launch, such a feature is simply unnecessary on a BLADERUNNER bow. Given the additional rigging required to make the drop-away rest function as intended, it just doesn't seem reasonable where such a feature is not required. With respect to those versions of "drop-away" rests that we have tested, we have found that, although some cable activated versions required some creative rigging, all seem to work with satisfactory results. So, with the knowledge that a drop-away rest will not actually provide any substantial benefit when used on a BLADERUNNER bow, if you still feel more comfortable using one and don't mind the extra tinkering involved, it remains an option. Now don't get us wrong, we feel that the drop-away rest concept provides an ingenious approach toward addressing certain problems associated with conventional bow design, it's just that the BLADERUNNER doesn't require it.

In all, you will find many distinct features in each category of arrow rest. Some are uniquely to a particular version or model while others cross over from category to category. There are some within each category that our test results tell us are superior to others in terms of design, ease of tuning, construction and quality. We believe; however, that you will find that any rest that you ultimately choose will be easier to set up and tune on a BLADERUNNER bow. Now, while we stated earlier that it is not our intention to promote one product over another, we don't mind stating that we do have a favorite for an all-around best pick. The "Whisker Biscuit, Deluxe QS" from CAROLINA ARCHERY PRODUCTS was the easiest to set up and tune, always provided dependable performance, and made the most sense to us an a smart choice for a bowhunting rest. This might not be your preference and that's okay, there are many fine rests available in each category that will serve you will on a BLADERUNNER bow.

We hope that the information provided here is beneficial to you in your quest for an ultimate archery set-up that meets your particular requirements. At the least, we hope to open some new avenues of thought along the lines of choices in archery gear. Regardless of the choices that you ultimately make, we wish you good hunting.

 

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