Keith Barner designed and marketed the first drop-away arrow rests back in 1981. If you’ve been in the sport for a few years you likely remember Barner’s inertia rests. The recoil of the shot caused the launcher to fall on release clearing the way for the fletching in the process. Acceptance was not widespread: some target archers used them including myself. I won the FITA World Championships, held in Norway using the Barner rest. But, in bowhunting circles, Barner was simply ahead of his time.

Today’s resurgence of interest in drop-away rests has fueled renewed innovation. Bowhunters are now ready and willing to take another look at this important category of arrow rests. At least10 companies now offer good drop-away rests (up from five companies last year) and the number is expected to continue to grow.

Drop-away rests eliminate contact between the rest and the arrow’s fletching for more consistent, more accurate arrow flight. The rest’s launcher is pulled down by a spring at the moment of release. In some cases, the rest’s collapse is triggered by the bow’s recoil while in other cases a chord, rubber tube or mechanical assembly attached to the bow’s harness system lifts the rest when the bow is drawn and permits it to snap down when the string is released. Regardless of the mechanics involved, the result is the same: the launchers lose contact with the arrow shortly after it begins to zip forward.

EASIER TUNING

By eliminating the number one cause of poor arrow flight – fletching contact – drop-away rests simplify bow tuning. This is especially critical for bowhunters who use carbon arrows. Because the carbon shafts are small in diameter they require that the rest’s support arms be brought close together. This necessity complicates the tuning process with conventional rests because it is very difficult to get one of the fletchings to pass cleanly through such a narrow gap. However, with the drop-away rest you can use five-inch fletching with the most aggressive helical you can apply with little concern about contact.

OTHER ADVANTAGES

A good rest must not only deliver clean flying, highly accurate arrows but it must also hold the arrow well so it doesn’t fall off either before or during the shot. There are conventional rests that securely hold large diameter aluminum arrows, but it’s tough to find a truly secure cradle for carbon that doesn’t also cause fletching contact.

Drop-away rests offer a great solution to this problem. They hold the shaft with total confidence before and during the shot with zero worry of fletching contact after the release.

In a nutshell, drop-away rests are a great choice for hunting arrows and especially for bowhunters using carbon arrows. If you’re looking for ways to simplify bow tuning and improve your accuracy give this new category of rests a try.

WHO MAKES DROP-AWAY ARROW RESTS

Golden Key Futura Mirage: (970) 249-6700, www.goldenkeyarchery.com The new Mirage employs a U-shaped wire launcher called the Super Scoop that is connected to one of the harnesses via rubber tubing. Because the arrow is picked up and centered automatically by the Super Scoop it can’t fall off and will always be in the right position for the shot. This is the rest I’m currently using for both hunting and competition.

Cavalier Equipment Avalanche Fall-Away: (480) 497-2977, www.cavalier-archery.com One look at the practical application of this rest and you can see that Dick Tone has designed it. Dick always puts a lot of thought into his products. The new Avalanche utilizes a chord with a short piece of rubber tubing that attaches to the included cable guard slide. It also features a slight overdraw with a side shield that keeps the arrow on the rest shelf and quiet.

Golden Key Futura Free Fall: I used the Golden Premier version of this rest last fall on my hunting bow with great results. It also worked very well on my tournament bow while shooting the ESPN Great Outdoor Games last summer. The Free Fall can be locked in the up position to hold your undrawn arrow just like a conventional rest. A thin rope or rubber tube attached between the rest and one of the harnesses raises the launcher enough to free the lock before the string reaches full draw. Spring tension pulls it down when the string is released.

Trophy Taker: (406) 678-4086, www.trophytaker.com Avid Bowhunter and huge elk slayer Dan Evans designed this rest. It was one of the first of the new generation of drop away rests on the market and is very popular among western bowhunters and target shooters. A chord connects the rest to one of the bow’s harnesses. As you draw the bow the rest is pulled up against spring tension. When you release the string the rest snaps forward out of the way of the arrow.

Montana Black Gold Trap Door: (406) 586-1117, www.montanablackgold.com Keith Barner designed the Trap Door. The rest locks in the up position and recoil from the shot disengages the rest’s inertial mechanism causing the launcher to snap downward out of the way of the arrow on release.

Muzzy Zero Effect Rest: (770) 387-9300, www.badtothebone.com The Zero Effect is attached through a hinged lever to the bow’s cable slide. It has a large upsweeping hook-shaped finger that cradles the arrow on the shelf until the string is drawn, whereupon the finger rises to a preset position and then is forced downward when the string is released.

Savage Systems Derringer Drop-Away: (318) 428-7733, www.savagearchery.com The Derringer Drop-Away is also an inertial rest. A magnet holds the launcher in the up position until release when the impulse of the bow’s recoil causes the magnet to break contact. A torsion spring then snaps the rest downward.

New Archery Products QuikTune Drop-Away 4000: (800) 323-1279, www.newarchery.com NAP’s new entry into the drop-away market includes two new rests: the QuikTune Drop-Away 4000 and the more economical Drop-Away 2000. The 4000 is micro-adjustable, but both feature easily adjusted thin steel cables that attach to the included cable guard slide to raise and lower the rest. The upturned launchers also serve as arrow holders before the string is drawn.

Tiger Tuff Power Drop-Away: (864) 370-1500, www.tigertuff.com The Power Drop-Away is built on the company’s very popular Tuffy Hunter platform. Rubber tubing attached a harness controls the timing of the rest. It also features upturning rest launcher arms and a built in Stealth arrow holder for total arrow retention before and during the shot.

Scout Mountain Equipment Fall-Away Arrow Rest: (207) 284-7111, www.smequip.com Scout Mountain’s new rest uses a mechanical linkage attached to the cable guard slide to lift and lower the rest arm. The arrow snaps into the launcher when it is in the down position but pops out when the arrow is raised. This results in 100% arrow control before and during the shot.

Martin Dalton 2000 Arrow Rest: (509) 529-2554, www.martinarchery.com The new Dalton 2000 relies on a chord attached to one harness to time the rise and fall of the launcher. With one simple adjustment, the spring tension can be reversed and the rest can be used in the conventional mode.