Drop Away

[bucknduck]

I have the Hoyt Vortec 2001 model and I'm still shooting aluminums and have no imediate plans of switching to carbons. The bow still shoots nice after year round shooting for the last few years, but my question relates to the arrow rest, I was looking at upgrading to a drop away rest and noticed that there are quite a few different models to choose from. I would like to know what good/bad experiences you have had with the rest. Is the cable design better than other designs etc...


Thanks in advance for your input,
Rich

[Swamp Monster]

I have a Trophy Taker Shaky Hunter on my UltraTec and I am very happy with it. It's the only drop away I have experience with so I can't give any comparisons. There are lots of different designs, some simple, some not so simple. The Trophy Taker is no technical marvel for sure, just simple and rock solid. It uses a string attached to the cable. It was easy to set up and tune and works like advertised. I'm completely sold on drop away rests now, but I was a bit hesitant at first. Moving parts on bow accessories normally don't do anything for me, I like simplicity for the most part. I originally wanted a Whisker Biscuit but it was 50/50 like-dislike among those that had them so I stayed away. Those that love them though, really love them so they work as well. I know some that have the Trophy Ridge Drop Zone, and like it, but it has more internal moving parts that I just don't trust, plus it was $40 more than my Shaky Hunter.
Once you find one you like, I don't think you'll be dissapointed.

[deputy]

Muzzy Zero effect very quite very robust no little strings to were out or break! i know most wont shoot enough to break the cord, but last season i watched a buddy of mine break his while walking through the woods it actually snaged and broke ( dont ask me how)

[East Shore Jon]

i also have a zero effect rest. I absolutley love it. No problems. Perfect arrow flight.

[One Eye]

I have shot the Muzzy Zero Effect, Trohpy Taker Shakey Hunter, and the Drop Zone. All worked fine. For the price and ease of setup, I would vote for the Trophy Taker. Very rugged, simple, and effective.

Dan

[outdooralex]

I just got back from the archery shop at lunch. I was all set to get me a fall away rest until the guy at the shop told me the only draw back to those rest are, if you start to draw back on a deer and then let up, the rest will fall down. I know to some that might sound like a big deal but I had a few occassions last year when I had to let up on my draw. With my luck it would happen with an opportunity at a big buck. I chickened out and kept my two prong rest and just bought new tips. I guess I like to keep it as simple as I can. :)

[One Eye]

None of the dropaways that I setup made any noise when letting down. Perhaps they did not have moleskin on the riser where the rest contacted??

Dan

[Swamp Monster]

What One Eye said! Thats not a drawback with proper set up. I have a rubber arrow holder on my riser shelf as well that holds the arrow in place. I can hold my bow horizontal and the arrow will not fall off.

[deputy]

What the hell kind of shop is that! i have let up on a few nice deer and never had an issue, sounds like he just doesnt like them, your movement will be the issue not the arrow rest or arrow, go back take it back and get the drop away, tell him to let you worry about it

[outdooralex]

I am not sure why he would tell me that because I was all set to spend the $65 to buy it. I forget the brand he had. It was the only one he had that would work on my bow, I have a low cable guard. I am new to these fall aways, so I just took his word for it. Not only did he lose my $65 my buddy that was with me got turned off of them also. If thats not the case maybe I will get one after all.

[bucknduck]

Wow, i just got back from lunch and I had to take some extra time to read through the replies. Thanks for suggestions.

Deputy-I stopped by a local archery shop and while i was there I had a similar experience to what Outdooralex had. I spoke to 2 different reps independently on the subject and one couldn't give me much info, and told me to stay with what I had, the other basically told me there wasn't much difference except the price. I have always recieved great help from the shop, but this time, I don't think either person much experience with these style rests.

I wasn't sure what would happen if I had to let off, would the rest drop?

Rich

[Trushot_Archer]

The majority of the drop aways out there work from your cables. Whether it's in some way affixed to the slide, a rope attached to the down cable itself most use some moving part already inherent in the bow. (trap door excluded)

So if you let down easy....the rest lets down easily as well.
NAP2000, 4000, Muzzy, Trophy Taker, Drop Zone, Rip cord....all the same.

I would be more concerened about the rest making noise from a normal arrow release without it set up with a holder, foam or moleskin or something. You can ease it down from full draw; when you shoot the thing is when it's going to be loudest.

[Swamp Monster]

My Trophy Taker has moleskin on the actual launcher and on my riser. If I let off slowly, (as Trushot mentions) the arrow and the rest slowly go down against the risor. Even if I abruptly let down it's still quiet. My bow is already is very quiet at the shot so the drop away does not caue any problem here either. My whole sight window and arrow shelf is moleskin, except where I have the rubber arrow holder, so there is not chance my arrow will make anynoise upon letting down unless if falls off the string.....if that happens your SOL anyway.
If you are uncertain, get to tha range(s) and find some guys with drop aways...shouldn't be too difficult, as almost everybody I know that as made changes in there set up in the last two years have all gone to drop aways.
I'm sure there would be plenty of guys willing to demonstrate the brand they have.

[bucknduck]

I was out taking a look at a few of the rests and found the Ultra-Rest by Quality Archery Designs. Here is a link to the site. http://www.qadinc.com/ultra-rest.htm
This weekend, I will take a look at a few of the other rests that were mentioned and maybe get a chance to shoot a bow with one installed. Any excuse to get out and shoot!

Rich

[Swamp Monster]

Looks interesting, but looks like it has lots of internal parts to cock etc, but maybe not. One question I have about it is once you pull back and it is "cocked" can you still let down without the the rest dropping fully, leaving your arrow unsupported?

[bucknduck]

According to the website, the rest has technology called VDT:
Here is the info from the site.

VDT (Velocity Drop-Away Technology)
A patent pending feature that allows the UL­TRA-REST to fall away only when the bow is fired.

[Trushot_Archer]

My buddy got a Rip Cord in at the shop. About the same rest, nearly identical...pretty neat. It will work as a conventional fallaway with the launchers on a spring and raised by the down cables after being served in.
Or...you can manually (like, with your hand) bring it up in which case it "locks" into postion untill you come to full draw which releases the lock, but the down cable still supports it so it's still in the UP position untill you shoot.

I shot it a dozen times or so...he doesn't have much faith in it(he's VERY Skeptical of EVERYTHING) it seems great but I'd have to put a couple thousand shots through it to recommend it and feel good about it.

http://www.mountain-archery.com/ProductImages/Rip%20Cord/Rip%20Cord.jpg

[fairfax1]

Dropaways work for me. My shooting has improved since I switched from a NAP prong style rest in 2003. To be sure, I don't have the most rock solid form out there...if you are already a great shooter with excellent form perhaps a dropaway won't be as impressive.

Here's my experience:

I first tried the GKF Power-Drop. A dropaway with a piston that is struck by the buss cables upon release which activates the prong rest to, you guessed it, 'drop away'. When it worked it was fine. It proved to me right away that my shooting could improve with a change in rests. But then the mechanism became problematic...it got out of adjustment relatively easy, in really cold weather (and I used this rest during all of the 2003 hunting seasons) it stuck sometimes. In short, I was sold on the concept of a dropaway but not on this particular flavor.

I then bought a GKF TKO and a Trophy Taker Shakey Hunter. Each of these rests worked much better than the Power-Drop. Both shot about the same, were as easy to set up, and one was as quiet as the other. I liked both. But, my local pro shop 'supports' the Trophy Taker more. And it shows. They are really really knowledgeable about what makes it tick, how to adjust it, how to customize it, in short, they are my local 'tech staff'. So, knowing that if anything ever went wrong these guys would make it right in a hurry....I chose to go with the TT. And I'm bullet-holing easily now; by broadhead flight is the best it has ever been in my 38 years of bowhunting.

Now with all of that said: At the GR QDMA convention a couple of weeks ago I examined the Copper John Alley Cat dropaway. I think this is a really really elegant design that, if I hadn't already committed to the TT, I'd test drive immediately. It has some great features.

[Trushot_Archer]

Sounds like you need more bow(s) fairfax :D :evil:

[farmlegend]

I really like my Muzzy ZE arrow rest except for one thing.

Man, is it ugly. But then again, so are most drop away rests.

The Trap Door at least looks good. I just have a thing about having to rely upon a connection to the cable. But I've heard it isn't 100% reliable on actually dropping away cleanly. Anyone know?

[Trushot_Archer]

Man I don't know about those FL.

I don't like the idea of stuff on my cables either but I understand how that works. The trap door is just...magic? Inertia?? Hell I don't know but I know 3 guys that were very hot for them and talked and talked and talked about how great they were and "doesn't attach to anything"...for about a month.

Than the problems started. One guy...one out of 10 it'd drop slow or not at all. Another every other shot. All three lost faith very quickly. I've heard they made changes to them but don't know more than that.

Function is beauty my friend :D