How to Easily Set Up a Drop Away Arrow Rest
Installing a drop away arrow rest is one of the best ways to improve your accuracy and consistency when shooting a bow. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of installing a drop away arrow rest on your bow. We will also discuss some of the benefits of using a drop away arrow rest, and provide tips for getting the most out of your shooting experience.
Drop away arrow rests are a type of rest that guarantee your arrow is upright during the draw cycle and then “drops away” upon release. This way, there’s no chance of any interference with its flight path or accuracy. A launcher arm provides support to the arrow and can move up and down with ease. Upon firing the bow, this arm conveniently drops out of sight in order for you to make an accurate shot!
Benefits of a Drop Away Arrow Rest
Drop away arrow rests are very popular in the archery world, used by competitive shooters, bowhunters and target archers alike. This is due to their many advantages – accuracy being one of them. Thanks to its design, the arrow can leave the bow unobstructed which ultimately means more speed with no possibility for deflection during the flight! Combined these benefits make drop away arrow rests an attractive choice for any type of precision shooting.
Drop away arrow rests come with several impressive benefits, such as the full-containment system deployed by many models. This ensures that your arrows remain in place when you aim – no worry of them slipping off or out of the rest! As a result, hunting trips are made smoother and more precise for hunters looking forward to bagging their prizes without any hiccups along the way.
Types of Drop Away Arrow Rests
There are two distinct types of drop away arrow rests, but many archers may not know the difference between them. Each type is connected to a bow using a small draw cord that activates its “drop away” function.
Cable-driven drop away rest
Cable-driven drop away rests operate by connecting their draw cord to the bow’s pull-down cable. When drawing back on the bow, this tension is transferred to the rest’s arrow arm and lifts it into position. Then, as you release the shot, that tension dissipates–allowing for a clear path for your arrow!
Limb-driven drop away rest
Limb-driven rests operate similarly to cable-driven rests with the one difference being their connection on the bow. As suggested by its name, these drop away rests connect to the limbs of your bow via a wire. When you draw back your bowstring, this causes tension to be released from the cord and raises the launcher arm simultaneously. Then when you take aim and fire at your target, this triggers an instantaneous reaction: The arms will bounce outwards which drops down that same launcher arm—all before even giving time for those vanes on your arrowhead enough space!
How To Easily Set up a Cable-driven Drop Away Arrow Rest
I. Install the arrow rest onto your bow’s riser.
To begin, securely attach the drop away rest to your bow’s riser using the screws and washers that come with it. After doing so, you should still be able to adjust both its horizontal and vertical blocks for further customization if needed.
II. Locate and secure the center shot.
Now, you’ll need to find and set the center shot. Start by nocking an arrow on the bowstring and placing it on the arrow rest in its upright position. Make any necessary adjustments left or right with your horizontal block until it’s correctly aligned. Once that is done, make sure to tighten down the head screw and lock it into place so all settings are secure.
III. Level out the arrow and nocking point.
Position your desired height of the nock or D-Loop to the bowstring. With an arrow firmly in place, raise up the armrest upright and reach a full draw position. Utilize an arrow leveler for making minor adjustments to secure that it’s horizontal from both ends; if needed, there will be more chances available during tuning phases afterward.
IV. Connect the rest’s draw cord to the bow’s cable.
It’s time to connect the arrow rest draw cord to the bow’s cable. To do this, you can use a few techniques; most rests come with small attachments that clamp together using an adjustable screw and are typically shaped like a football. This allows for it to be firmly secured around your bow cable in whatever location works best for you!
A second method of attaching the draw cord to the cable involves tying a double-half hitch knot. This particular knot is tensioned yet still allows frictionless movement. For added security, you may even want to add serving above and below it as well. Lastly, if you’re feeling ambitious, threading or passing through your draw cord with a bow press can also be achieved for maximum stability; however, this does require additional time and effort using specialized equipment.
Regardless of the attachment method you select, make sure to position the draw cord about one inch below the lower part of your rest. Leave some slack – at least two inches – in order for it to be adjustable in subsequent steps.
V. Time the rest and adjust.
Next, time the rest and adjust. To begin, pull back the bowstring with enough tension so that it doesn’t strain or bulge against where it meets the down cable at full draw. Letting go of your string should result in both a drop from its current position as well as an arm movement on your arrow rest– if you’re struggling to do this alone and need some help, consider asking for assistance from those around you!
As you draw and release the bowstring, they can watch out for timing. If adjustments are necessary, adjust the draw cord slackness to your preference. When placement is satisfactory, secure down or tie off that string entirely to ensure accuracy in shooting.
VI. Shoot and evaluate your bow.
Now it’s time to see just how far you’ve come! The best way to test the bow is paper-tuning – shooting through a large piece of paper that allows for easy observation of accuracy issues and other problems in tears or contact between the arrow and rest as the shot releases. If something isn’t quite right, make small adjustments to draw cord tension until your flight path is spot on; alternatively, try dusting the athlete’s foot spray over everything before aiming so any places where fletching makes contact with parts of the bow will be highlighted after firing.
If you need to make adjustments, simply loosen the screw on the football and move it slightly higher. If you have knotted the draw cord before, undo that knot and change its position. Take incremental steps while doing this; ensure that the draw cord doesn’t tug at your bow’s cable.
How To Easily Set Up a Limb-driven Drop Away Arrow Rest
Want to learn how to quickly and effortlessly construct a limb-driven drop-away arrow rest? Follow this simple guide for easy assembly.
Step 1: Mounting the Arrow Rest to your Bow
In order to properly install a limb-driven arrow rest, use the supplied hardware to secure it on your bow. Make sure that you leave room for both horizontal and vertical adjustments; these will be adjusted in later steps of this process!
Step 2: Locate and Secure the Center Shot.
Now you have to set your center shot! Load an arrow onto the bowstring, and secure it in place on the arm of your arrow rest – inclined as if ready for shooting. For optimal results, make slight adjustments with your horizontal block until you find and fasten the perfect center shot position – then tighten down that head screw so that it remains in its spot.
Step 3: Balance the arrow.
Set your nocking point or D-loop where you’d like it situated. With an arrow in place, rest the arm on the arrow’s rest and use a level to make minor adjustments until the vertical block is leveled with its surroundings. You may need some slight tweaking later down the line but typically get yourself ready for shooting by producing a straight shot from its nock to its resting spot!
Step 4: Attach the drawcord to either the top or bottom limb.
Next, attach the draw cord to either the upper or lower limb of your bow depending on its model. Align and secure it so that when you pull the bowstring back, the launcher lightly meets with either the shelf of your riser’s arrow rest or its bottom side; if tightened too much or not enough, simply adjust until the perfect fit is achieved before fastening it with a double-half-hitch knot.
Step 5:Time the arrow rest and adjust accordingly for optimal performance.
To ensure proper functionality of your drop away rest, draw the bow and check its performance. While at full draw, you should observe the launcher arm raise up to hold the arrow in place securely. As soon as you let go of the string, it should quickly begin to drop down for correct timing. In case adjustments are required due to any discrepancies observed during testing, use the tightness or looseness of the cord connected with your limb – this will help adjust time accordingly!
Step 6: Shoot the bow and try out the arrow rest.
The last step of the process is shooting your bow and testing the arrow rest. If contact between them occurs before leaving, you may have a timing issue and must make adjustments. Easily rectify this by adjusting the tension in its draw cord located on the limb of your bow. With some effort and experimentation, you can achieve ideal settings!
Best Drop Away Arrow Rests
UHXBK-R Quality Archery Products HDX Arrow Rest
As one of the first drop away rests to come on the market, the UHXBK-R HDX Arrow Rest
arrow rest has been a favorite among bow hunters ever since! Offering high-quality gear at an affordable price tag, this cable-driven drop away will not only save you money but also provide lasting performance for years to come – making it an ideal choice for any avid archer or hunter!
Ripcord Drive Cage Drop Away Arrow Rest
The Ripcord Drive Cage Drop Away Arrow Rest is the perfect choice for those seeking a top-notch limb-driven drop away rest. With its straightforward design, it’s dependable and has full containment capabilities – an absolute must for bowhunters who want to keep their arrows on hand when stalking prey.
Vaport Trail Limbdriver Pro Drop Away Rest
The Vaportrail Limbdriver PRO DROP AWAY REST is one of the most accurate limb-driven rests and its sleek design will surely draw attention. It’s easily adjustable to fit both top or bottom limbs depending on your preference, but it doesn’t feature full containment like many other models currently on the market – perfect for those preferring a different style!
Trophy Ridge Sync MD Drop Away Rest
The Trophy Ridge Sync MD Drop Away Rest is a must-have for those looking to fine-tune and customize their shooting experience. It boasts micro-adjustments in windage and elevation, giving you the most accurate rest available. Additionally, its cable-driven design features a removable containment arm – offering even more possibilities for adjustment. With this drop away rest, you can take your archery game to the next level!
Final Thoughts
Drop away arrow rests are the most popular choice amongst archers, yet require practice and expertise to install. With a bit of dedication and knowledge though, you will soon be able to take full advantage of all the features these rests offer! Installing your next drop away rest shouldn’t present any issues as long as you have some patience and know-how at hand.
