Compound rest

Easytigers

New member
Hi there,

Moving over to compound. I'm pretty much set up apart from the arrow rest. There seem to be a few main types:
Whisper biscuit that holds the arrow in place (sorry if that's a very basic description!) through lots of fibers
Blade that holds the arrow in place (does this fall away???) e.g. Trophy Taker
Prongs that hold the arrow in place and you have to make sure the fletches are correctly positioned
Fall away (some of the above) and a cable attached to the string pulls the rest up and drops it at the correct time
As you can tell...my knowledge is very limited and am wanting to make a good choice with my first bow...
Any advice more than welcome and gratefully received.
 

buzz lite beer

Well-known member
What is the intended purpose of the bow?

Whisker biscuit rests are favoured by hunters and some Field shooters reduced noise and secure arrow location can loose between 10-15fps of arrow speed.

Blade rests are very popular with target shooters, some archers have issues with clearance and may have to change blade strength, arrow spine and nocking point to correct this (Trophy Taker) others blade rests offer additional adjustment in the form of rotational tensioning adjusters (Spot Hogg is one example).

Prong style rests if you use them in the way they are intended with the cock/index fletching downward you can be punished if you do any form of bow hand torqueing as the fletching has to pass cleanly through the gap for a good arrow flight.

Fall away rests if set up correctly offer unhindered arrow flight, can be tricky to set up and sometimes fail to activate (drop down) being their biggest possible issue if the cord slips for example of have mechanical failure.

Personally I like the simplicity of the Trophy Taker
 

Easytigers

New member
Hi there,

Thanks for the pretty comprehensive answer. I guess that all have their pros and cons. I'll be shooting target with a release aid. I'm thinking that either the blade or the prong is the best place to start. I read on another thread that the Decut blade rest is pretty good and cheap so will start there and see how I go!
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
Hi there,

Thanks for the pretty comprehensive answer. I guess that all have their pros and cons. I'll be shooting target with a release aid. I'm thinking that either the blade or the prong is the best place to start. I read on another thread that the Decut blade rest is pretty good and cheap so will start there and see how I go!
I would have suggested the Trophy Taker as well, but I just checked out the price of the Decut. I couldn't even buy the aluminium to machine one at those prices. I can't see how you could go wrong.
If you have not fitted one before it's worth checking out Liam Grimwood's video. It's posted here on YT...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AvHhNPCFP4

I also fit a pad of thin leather under the rest block where it bolts to the bow. It protects the bow being marked by the rest. I do the same with the sight block as it adds a bit of shock resistance to the sight and again stops it marking the bow but, of course, it is not essential. :)
 

urbin

Member
I've got the Decut. It takes Trophy Taker blades and has micro-adjustments. I put loctite on all the screw threads and it hasn't budged since I installed it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
The blade rests are popular, but some beginners find the arrows fall off as they draw. That often leads to advice about getting your draw form improved; but it can be frustrating at the time. A drop away version of the blade can be a better option as the fact it drops means the blade can be wider and have a deeper v, which can hold the arrow more securely during the draw. Once your form improves the blade can be changed and the drop away function can be removed.
 

buzz lite beer

Well-known member
Hi Geoff, sometimes arrows fall off the rest for one (or both) of the following two reasons. Nock fit to tight, and nocking points too close together, these reasons usually outrank an erratic drawing method :)
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I agree about nock fit causing fall off problems.
From my own shooting, and watching others,( specially those new to compound) that the draw form can cause the same thing, and having a very narrow/shallow V can make it worse.Beginners with recurves sometimes get problems with arrows falling off the rests and it shakes their confidence at a time when they least need problems.
Drop away rests allow for much more secure blades without the dangers of fletching contact.
 

AndyW

Well-known member
Just to throw a curve ball I love the bodoodle pro 500 off fingers but for a release I guess a pro lite would do just as well and wouldn't suffer from the falling off the prong issues.
 

big-bill3

Member
I've listened to this thread and bought a Decut rest. Liam's video explains how to set it up but which blade should I use? Should I use different blades for different arrows? I have X10 but also X7 2114 which are much thicker?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Aleatorian

Member
I've listened to this thread and bought a Decut rest. Liam's video explains how to set it up but which blade should I use? Should I use different blades for different arrows? I have X10 but also X7 2114 which are much thicker?
I have the Trophy Taker SS 2, for outdoors I've got ProTours and indoors I've got X7 2315s, only thing I change is the rest thickness from the 0.0010" to the 0.0012" due to the heavier arrow weight. I only started in October with the compound, I found if i got too aggressive with the draw this is what caused the arrows to be pulled off the rest.

I did try a wide blade, but looking at where the fletchings sat on my X7s this blade would have caught the feathers
 

Shirt

Well-known member
I've only ever used the .10 narrow blades. Outdoors (X10 380/Nano 400s) or indoors (2315 w/ 200 grain points) and it seems to make limited difference at my ability level. If I was interested in putting the effort into breaking the 580 mark indoors it might be worth looking at, but otherwise... :)
 
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