# drop away rest



## 1grip (Mar 17, 2014)

How do you guys feel about Drop away rest. I shoot a spring steel for target and 3d. Im thinking of switching. would like imput. Thank you


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## Padgett (Feb 5, 2010)

I love my original limb driver, I have shot a blade all winter and I just don't like it. I personally think the longer the limb driver is around it is going to take hold, the hamskea is the one that is already making its way into the pro type ranks.


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## D-Bak (Jan 17, 2005)

I use a micro elite and although I am not nearly as accurate as some, I honestly can't imagine this rest being the reason I am held back.


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

I think the limb driven ones are where it's at.
You get the adjustable support, and still get drop away clearance.
Now with several having micro adjust, variable tension, and even adjustable top and/or bottom stops.... Best of all worlds.


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## stromdidilly (Jan 8, 2014)

My only issue with the micro elite is that it beat the crap out of my hand...to the point where I had to stop shooting.


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## Suock (Jul 10, 2012)

I have put Hamskea Versa Rest on all my compound. 
All set up limb driven. There so easy to set up. 
Never had an issue with one.


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## northern rednek (Oct 24, 2008)

I shot a blade for years. I to have switched to the original limbdriver. The blade served its purpose but the limbdriver is so easy to tune and I found no change in accuracy. I love my qad for my hunting rig tho, but if my limbdriver was quieter that's what I'd use.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

as far as drop-aways go, I think the limb driven rests are the way to go. there's no chance, other than a pull chord failure, that the launcher cannot be down, out of the way, when the fletching gets to the rest and the launcher stays up for guidance, as the arrow gets it's start. 
they typically demonstrate all the attributes, that a good rest should have.....

launcher up, as the arrow starts out.....
launcher down, out of the way, once the arrow is well under way and guidance is not needed anymore.....
super easy to set up and time....
no reliance on spring strength, to get the launcher out of the way.... fully mechanically driven by the bow itself. the faster the bow, the faster the rest.

couldn't have a better set of conditions.


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## 1grip (Mar 17, 2014)

ttt


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## bullsi (Jan 18, 2006)

I have an original limb driver on my 3-D bow. Easy to set up and tune.


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## jwrigley (Nov 8, 2012)

Why are you thinking of switching? What is wrong with your blade rest?

If you want to know what rest type is the most accurate, take a look at what the pros target shooters are using. I'll save you the trouble, they're all shooting blade type rests. Anyone who isn't is very much the exception.


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

More of a personal preference. I shot some of my best with a QuikTune 3000 (very adjustable). The blade or lizard tongue has been used for years and most likely due to a good reason. Drop rest came and it seems the limb driven are taking hold and yet, the limb driven and blade combination is making headway.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

jwrigley said:


> Why are you thinking of switching? What is wrong with your blade rest?
> 
> If you want to know what rest type is the most accurate, take a look at what the pros target shooters are using. I'll save you the trouble, they're all shooting blade type rests. Anyone who isn't is very much the exception.


 I have to agree. my preference for the limb driven rests, is oriented towards the question , as far as advice about, "what drop away works best ?" ....
the reason the pros and most target shooters use a simple blade, is because they understand,... a drop away, of any kind... is simply not necessary.


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## CGcook (Nov 25, 2012)

So long as the rest is properly tuned they work great. Its all preferance a properly tuned blade will perform the same as a proper tuned drop away. I prefer a blade rest, less moving parts to ware out over time.


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## Carbofastdirect (Nov 25, 2013)

Ive done a lot of testing on blade vrs drop away. When both are set up correctly there is zero difference in accuracy. On occasion on windy days ive had arrows blown off blade rests where with the drop away I don't have the issue. No need to change blades when going indoors just lower it with the micro adjust and your good to go
Limbdriver Micro elite is my choice, i've never had one fail they just work flawlessly everytime


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## 60435 (Mar 20, 2012)

a properly set up blade is more forgiving and is a little more accurate, the key is properly set up , just enough spring tension to hold the arrow up at full draw


Carbofastdirect said:


> Ive done a lot of testing on blade vrs drop away. When both are set up correctly there is zero difference in accuracy. On occasion on windy days ive had arrows blown off blade rests where with the drop away I don't have the issue. No need to change blades when going indoors just lower it with the micro adjust and your good to go
> Limbdriver Micro elite is my choice, i've never had one fail they just work flawlessly everytime


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## MiniJCW (Apr 27, 2014)

I like the idea of a drop away rest so i could use spin wings shooting from my compound. Have not tried it as yet but it is certainly on the to do list


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

60435 said:


> a properly set up blade is more forgiving and is a little more accurate, the key is properly set up , just enough spring tension to hold the arrow up at full draw


So what if the drop away used a blade and/or had adjustable tension to just hold the arrow up at full draw?


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

MiniJCW said:


> I like the idea of a drop away rest so i could use spin wings shooting from my compound. Have not tried it as yet but it is certainly on the to do list


I have done it, and love it!
I am swapping out the vanes on my indoor (fat shafts) to Kurly vanes as well!


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

Mahly said:


> So what if the drop away used a blade and/or had adjustable tension to just hold the arrow up at full draw?


that's the good thing about Limbdrivers...they do just that. many people don't realize this feature about them,......when the chord is relaxed, as at full draw, the launcher is under the spring's up pressure and that pressure is tunable, in the same manor as the old prong rests were. and you can tune that spring pressure just like you tuned the spring pressure for those prong rests.
so you have the best of both worlds......
at full draw the launcher is sprung for the arrows weight, but still moveable under that pressure for some forgiveness, so on the shot, the rest acts like the old prong rests, then as the limbs reach their brace condition, the launcher is pulled down, out of the way by the time the arrow leaves the string, so there is nothing in the way of the fletching. 

the only question I have, is whether or not curly vanes have any specific advantage at 20 yards under the speeds of today's target bows. I think arrow speed even from typical target bows is high enough that an extra revolution or two that you'd get out of the curlies doesn't have much influence in that short fight time. curlies were designed to benefit longer shots from slower speeds where spin rate has an appreciable impact on stability over the time in flight.
simply put, they are more effective on longer shots out of slower bows. they were originally developed for use on Olympic style recurves. people wanted a way to get away from all the offset in their fletching causing problems with the rest contact of these bows. the curlies allowed less to no offset, which reduced contact and still induced high rates of spin over the longer flight times of typical shot distances those bows were used on. 
maybe it's a horse apiece.......I suppose it can't hurt to use them, but I suspect the potential advantage isn't as influential as you might think at compound speeds, especially at typical indoor flight times.


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## Carbofastdirect (Nov 25, 2013)

60435 said:


> a properly set up blade is more forgiving and is a little more accurate, the key is properly set up , just enough spring tension to hold the arrow up at full draw


To each their own I guess. I saw no difference in scores or groups out as far as 90 Meters


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## northern rednek (Oct 24, 2008)

I just went back to a blade. Was using a limbdriver and really love it but I had a launcher blade break on me this weekend and blew my score and I couldn't finish. I know this can happen with any rest but I never had a failure with the good old Blade. .


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## 60435 (Mar 20, 2012)

i notice the score at 20 yds


Carbofastdirect said:


> To each their own I guess. I saw no difference in scores or groups out as far as 90 Meters


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## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Previously, I think the principle of "if a mechanical part is moving, it's wearing out" held true for drop-a-ways. Most drop-a-ways were not designed with the target shooter in mind. We didn't feel like they were durable enough for the huge volume of arrows that we shoot. Some probably were, but we were not willing to test them to find out. There was also the learning curve in figuring out how to set them up for best results.

However, in the last few years, they have gotten better and I think a few of them are plenty durable for target and may even have the potential for slightly better accuracy. Certainly they avoid the problem of arrows being blown or knocked off the blade. And you won't cut yourself on a sharp launcher blade either. 

We will probably see more and more drop-a-way rests in spot target competition. 

Allen


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## Carbofastdirect (Nov 25, 2013)

60435 said:


> i notice the score at 20 yds


Are you sure your blade was dropping?? lol.

Wont see much difference with any rest at 20yrds. true test for me starts at 50 meters +


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

ron w said:


> that's the good thing about Limbdrivers...they do just that. many people don't realize this feature about them,......when the chord is relaxed, as at full draw, the launcher is under the spring's up pressure and that pressure is tunable, in the same manor as the old prong rests were. and you can tune that spring pressure just like you tuned the spring pressure for those prong rests.
> so you have the best of both worlds......
> at full draw the launcher is sprung for the arrows weight, but still moveable under that pressure for some forgiveness, so on the shot, the rest acts like the old prong rests, then as the limbs reach their brace condition, the launcher is pulled down, out of the way by the time the arrow leaves the string, so there is nothing in the way of the fletching.
> 
> ...


The benefits other than a fast spin rate are increased FOC, and speed ( lighter than feathers ), lower profile for those who wish to move the cable guard closer to the arrow for less torque, or who may have a face contact issue.
They are overlooked on compounds, and I think thats a mistake. I Believe it was Chris White who set a record (field?) with them.
To me, to hit at 90, means you gotta be accurate at 20. 
I have used them hunting with 4 blade fixed heads, and they were amazing. Very easy to keep broadheads/FP grouping at 40 yards @ 305fps.
I've used them for 3-D, hunting, and spots... I have never seen a downside (as long as you don't shoot through targets) other than needing a drop away arrow rest (See, I AM on topic LOL!). I have found the combination of Kurly/Spin Wing vanes and a Limbdriven arrow rest to be as forgiving as any I have tried in 30 years.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

very true, given that whatever rest is used, is properly set up. 
I agree that simple blade rests have the best potential for reliability and for practical purposes, are every bit a good as any rest made. 
drop aways are just another alternative,.... if and only if,..... you have the ability to set them up and tune them to work well. 
it's kind of a "catch-22"....they're marketed as rests that eliminate problems associated with the complexities of more traditional static rests, but the people that tend to buy them, for that reason, don't have the knowledge and skills to set them up right, so the whole aspect of their advantage, is moot. the problem is that those people will expect the shop to install and set them up properly, but the irony is that the shops can't afford the time it takes to set them up to their best operation or don't have people that are capable and the vicious circle is completed. 
add to that the aspect that it is true that they really show their advantage on the longer shots, which the majority of users try to avoid, and their real usefulness fades quickly.
the bottom line, is that "archery" is sport where the shooter must have a minimum of competent knowledge, because it's not a "take the bow in to the shop, for service, put this or that part on and you're good to go" sort of activity....it's way more personally, and/or individually oriented, than that. bottom line is,....what works for me, won't necessarily work for you, given my stuff is set up the same as your stuff.
that's where the individual, has to have that minimal amount of knowledge and skill, to be able to set the stuff up to work for them and their equipment, personally.
I think most people don't realize this and that's what fills these forums with questions.


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

FOC is certainly an aspect that needs to be addressed, but their is a fairly wide range, or spectrum, where it will do what it is supposed to do. curlies do certainly afford more FOC, but within that "workable range of FOC" the advantage of a "specific value of FOC", doesn't have much influence in performance, until you get to either end, and especially the lower value end of that "workable range". paper calculations and internet information, has a tendency to make specific numerical values too critical and absolute. 
ie.,.... you're not going to see significant improvements from 14 or 15% FOC, when you're already at 11 or 12%. the difference is apparent on paper, because the only way to display the difference , is with real numbers that clearly display a specific value. the real differences there are seen in the somewhat harder to recognize, differences of dynamic spine, that increasing FOC brings forth.... and it is all but impossible, to assign a specific value to those differences. the more recognizable value, comes only if you are having specifically "spine oriented" problems, to begin with. then, knowledge that "increasing the FOC, will potentially solve the problem, but the amount of specific increase, is a matter of trial and error that can only be derived on paper statically.


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## Padgett (Feb 5, 2010)

One thing I will say about my limbdriver is that about 2.5 years ago I was struggling to pick a 3d shaft to commit to and I shot a variety:

1. Carbon tec cheetas with 400 spine and 75 grain pts 100grain pts

2. gold tip ultralight 400's with 100 and 125 grain points

3. harvest time redemption 400 spine with 100 grain pts

4. carbon express x jammers with .299 spine and 100 grain pts and 12o grain pts

My specialist had been tuned for the cheetas with 100 grain screw in points and hadn't been tuned in a while and it shot each and every one of these arrow choices perfectly with absolutely no tuning and would shoot them bare shaft out to 30 yards and produced bullet holes in paper with each of them. When I got my xxx shafts that winter I shot a 300 58x with them as bare shafts. All of this was done with my limbdriver.

Now this fall I had moved my limb driver to my new cpxl bow and I have a blade rest on my specialist and for the first time in 4 years I had trouble tuning it. I spent a good chunk of time trying to get it to tune and it just refused to do so which has never been the case for that bow. It isn't a bad tune but when you have shot a bow that long and you know what it is capable of and you see it struggle it doesn't take long to put a finger on the cause of the problem and it was the blade rest. The problem is me not being able to do the job but all I can say is that the job of tuning that bow to perfection with a limb driver was alway a joy instead of beating my head against a wall like it was with the blade.


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

FOC needs put in place. Said is 6% is used in 3D. My arrows have a FOC of 6.04%. From pictures posted in this forum my arrows are doing just as good as any one else's.
Indoor arrows. Lord! 200 and 250 grains up front. What's the FOC of these arrows? For Indoors or back to 30 yards, where is the breaking point? I did some testing of my HT3s in .400 spine. 80 grs (6.04& FOC) to 192 grs for the same arrow with Shield cut 1 3/4" vanes and accuracy remained outstanding back to 30 yards. Unreal was only vertical adjustment needing take place, no horizontal at all.
Vanes. I've ripped off one vane on purpose and hammered the X ring from 20 yards. I've fletched arrow backwards and still hammered the X ring back to 30 yards.
Vanes again. I've used Mini Blazers to 4" vanes shooting all venues and couldn't tell the difference in accuracy. I just feel vanes are a personal preference. All one summer I tested vanes, over a dozen different brands and models. The smallest were the Mini Blazers and the largest 5" standard profile. The only thing I could tell the difference of was noise.....

Rests in general. Some of my finest shooting was done with the NAP QuikTune 3000. I used the prongs for all, but also tried the hard lizard tongue that comes with the QT3000. I didn't care for the lizard tongue, not that it didn't give accuracy. The 3D Rover and Spot Hoggs were as good as the QT3000. Trophy Taker and other drop rests proved as good. The Bodoodle Doodle Drop is something else. It uses a lead weight to drop the cradle. I used it as successfully as any rest. I went with a Limb Driver and stayed with them. Yes, they do have a blade, but it isn't soft by a long shot. I can tell no difference in accuracy by adjusting the spring tension. Right now I have the spring tension as tight as it will go and have ever since 3 years ago. I've got two models of the Limb Driver, the original and the Pro version. There isn't a difference between them other than one can work from either the top or bottom limb. All mine are driven by the top limbs.


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## hoosierredneck (May 10, 2010)

This is a good topic,was looking to change from a blade rest to a drop-away like the limbdriver and was curious about what to expect.mine will be used primarily for 3d shooting.


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

I haven't heard anything to make me believe a drop away (specifically a limb driven model) is any less accurate than a blade.
I have seen them used in World Cup medal rounds, and don't see how they are holding anyone back.
Some you can even mount a blade to and have the best (and worst) of both worlds.
I suspect many pros have become masters at setting up blades, and as such, see no reason to change, or learn to set up a different style rest.
There is the contingent that looks only at the possibility for failure (KISS), but for anyone serious about competition, there is virtually no excuse for a rest failure, save maybe for (ironically) a blade failure. You just have to take care of your gear.


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## Cbfastcar (May 19, 2015)

I use a ripcord for my shooting which is outdoor and indoor lizard tongue I would use it for indoors not much the arrow sits on 3d shooting I would recomend a whisker biscuit or a ripcord definatly not a lizard tongue and the ripcord that's for hunting would work more area for the arrow to sit on and because the terrain is all different angle shooting your arrow might fall off with a lizard tongue but they are great for shooting at regular angles


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