# Possible Barebow Upgrade - Zniper Arrow Rest



## LVVW (Feb 21, 2017)

My wife and I both shoot the Zniper and like it a lot. I had a Shibuya rest and she had the spigarelli mtr which we had issues with tuning and keep it tuned properly, which was probably user error. The Zniper is a great quality rest, especially for string walking. As far as what to upgrade next I'd have to know more about your set up. Riser, limbs, arrows?


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## Elmosaurus (Sep 15, 2010)

It works. It's different.

For some, they like the different. For others, they don't. 

I know that's kind of vague and subjective, but that's what it is. It'd be like asking your friend whether this brand of sneakers is better than that brand... personal preference.

I will say, learning to tune the Zniper is a little different and a tad more tricky at first. Once you learn how, it's not that big a deal. But it is... 'different'. There has been some great info shared about how to do it lately, so just gotta look around.

Myself, I moved over at the start of last indoor season, and never changed back through the whole season. Got used to it over the past 6 months, and don't see a reason to change back to a ZT. Getting another one installed on my outdoor bow tonight, actually, for 50m and Field duty.

There is one nice perk of using it over a typical horizontal movement rest; I fold the wire down before storing the bow, and I basically never worry about the wire getting caught on something and being pulled out of position. (happened on ZT maybe once or twice? so rare. But, did happen)

- Elton


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## bowproPat (Jul 11, 2002)

Most of the top shooters in barebow shoot a springy -- bullet proof


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## SpenserEller (May 1, 2017)

Thanks for the feedback. My current setup is a 25in Hoyt Epik, with 30lbs medium WNS a-carbon limbs. I have a Shibuya plunger, Spigarelli ZT rest, and a couple of Yost barebow weights. I'm also considering upgrading to a Beiter plunger.

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## leatherback (Jun 7, 2017)

If you string walk there is nothing that beats it.

Well...a gabriel bidrop is close. 

If you only shoot under the nock then it will still work well but not a necessity.

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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

I've had nearly every rest and the only two I like are the basic AAE Free Flyte and the Zniper.
The ZT is too stiff for me to get a decent tune and the GUX wasn't consistent.

You do need to spend time figuring out the Zniper and there are a few options for setting it up. Following some advice I've got it set to not drop 3 under but as soon as I crawl a bit. Seems to work extremely well without any false drops when drawing (shows the force even a small crawl puts into the rest).

For indoor I wouldn't personally bother with one. But I doubt I'll ever take it off my outdoor setups.


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## Elmosaurus (Sep 15, 2010)

SpenserEller said:


> Thanks for the feedback. My current setup is a 25in Hoyt Epik, with 30lbs medium WNS a-carbon limbs. *I have a Shibuya plunger, *Spigarelli ZT rest, and a couple of Yost barebow weights. I'm also considering upgrading to a Beiter plunger.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Based on this, I'd suggest you upgrade to the Beiter plunger first.

Way more 'bang for the buck' in your situation.

- Elton


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## j.conner (Nov 12, 2009)

Elmosaurus said:


> Based on this, I'd suggest you upgrade to the Beiter plunger first.
> 
> Way more 'bang for the buck' in your situation.
> 
> - Elton


I agree - the click-adjustable plunger is a great upgrade.

In terms of rests, the Spig ZT or the simpler Cartel Hunter 301 are great choices. I found the AAE to be too fussy and complex. Springy rests are virtually non-existent, rarely seen in competitive barebow.


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## SpenserEller (May 1, 2017)

Elmosaurus said:


> Based on this, I'd suggest you upgrade to the Beiter plunger first.
> 
> Way more 'bang for the buck' in your situation.
> 
> - Elton


Thanks everyone for the feedback. I really appreciate it. 

Elton - would you mind elaborating on why the Beiter plunger would be a better upgrade than a fall away style rest? I'm normally a compound shooter and I'm new to recurve archery. I know the Beiter is renowned as being the best, but not much more beyond that. 

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## Elmosaurus (Sep 15, 2010)

SpenserEller said:


> Thanks everyone for the feedback. I really appreciate it.
> 
> Elton - would you mind elaborating on why the Beiter plunger would be a better upgrade than a fall away style rest? I'm normally a compound shooter and I'm new to recurve archery. I know the Beiter is renowned as being the best, but not much more beyond that.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


In the Barebow world, the spring tension on your plunger can be used for minute changes in windage typically. If you're having a slightly off day and everything is going a smidge to the left, you can weaken the spring to bring things over to the right. (RH shooter) To put it BACK to where it was easily, you want to have precise notation of the original spot. If you make multiple adjustments over the course of the day, getting it back to the original position can start to become difficult. This is where the Beiter proves it's worth; restoring a setting is as simple as noting the numerical position, and spinning the adjustment knob to place. Not as feasible with the Shibuya, as your adjustment is defined by the position of a threaded rod/set screw and nothing more; if you lose track of where you're at with that style.... good luck.  

Because the Beiter is precision machined with definitive click stops, if you have to weaken the spring, lets say four clicks, you can move it back exactly the same four clicks before you start the next practice session. Because it is marked in such a way, even if you remove the adjustment knob ENTIRELY and want to try out a different spring rate (includes three rates) you can easily just return to the original spring, and spin the knob back to your first number, and off you go.

Where this adjustment really shines, is when you are using the bow at multiple distance crawls outdoors (Field archery/3D) For example, if your tune isn't ideal, you can accommodate for shots that go a little left at closer distances and then adjust the tension stronger at longer distances when the shots want to go right. (this is pretty common in WA Field) You can spin the knob back and forth all day long as you take shots at varying distances, and the setting will basically be exactly the same tension at a given number, every time.

The Zniper has it's benefits for sure, but primarily I've found it only dampens vertical release errors a little; that's all really. If your nocking point is set reasonably well on a ZT, the length of the ZT wire will do a little dampening as well... not as much as the Zniper, but enough to get by. The ZT has an incredible track record for winning tournaments, and it's easy to set up and maintain. (and very affordable to boot) Also, some people don't like the idea of having to reset the Zniper after every shot, so they just prefer the ZT for simplicity sake. Like I said earlier, personal preference on that. 

So, yes, the Zniper may improve your forgiveness/tuning tolerances a _little_, but the Beiter plunger's adjustability gives you _way_ more range to tune easily and improve your shooting, IMHO. 

Cheers,
Elton


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## PNWMaker (Feb 7, 2019)

I'm WA barebow and shoot with the Gabriel BiDrop, which is a similar design. It's been sturdy enough when drawing but definitely drops away when I crawl. I shot with a shibuya wire rest for a long time and I didn't have too many issues, but my arrows would sometimes fall off of the rest when drawing because of the weird torque from crawling. Beyond that, a wire rest like the BiDrop or Zniper are easy to adjust because they're such a large and sturdy wire. I'm not using a beiter plunger so I can't really weigh in, but I've heard great things about them and I do find myself tuning my plunger much more often than my rest, so as Elmosaurus points out, you might want to buy that first


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## SpenserEller (May 1, 2017)

Elmosaurus said:


> In the Barebow world, the spring tension on your plunger can be used for minute changes in windage typically. If you're having a slightly off day and everything is going a smidge to the left, you can weaken the spring to bring things over to the right. (RH shooter) To put it BACK to where it was easily, you want to have precise notation of the original spot. If you make multiple adjustments over the course of the day, getting it back to the original position can start to become difficult. This is where the Beiter proves it's worth; restoring a setting is as simple as noting the numerical position, and spinning the adjustment knob to place. Not as feasible with the Shibuya, as your adjustment is defined by the position of a threaded rod/set screw and nothing more; if you lose track of where you're at with that style.... good luck.
> 
> Because the Beiter is precision machined with definitive click stops, if you have to weaken the spring, lets say four clicks, you can move it back exactly the same four clicks before you start the next practice session. Because it is marked in such a way, even if you remove the adjustment knob ENTIRELY and want to try out a different spring rate (includes three rates) you can easily just return to the original spring, and spin the knob back to your first number, and off you go.
> 
> ...


Thanks Elton for taking the time to write this explanation. I learned something new and you've convinced me. I placed the order for a Beiter plunger. I still think I'll get the zniper eventually. 

Thank you to everyone else who replied. I really appreciate the information. 

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## drolander1 (Aug 8, 2016)

grantmac said:


> I've had nearly every rest and the only two I like are the basic AAE Free Flyte and the Zniper.
> The ZT is too stiff for me to get a decent tune and the GUX wasn't consistent.
> 
> You do need to spend time figuring out the Zniper and there are a few options for setting it up. Following some advice I've got it set to not drop 3 under but as soon as I crawl a bit. Seems to work extremely well without any false drops when drawing (shows the force even a small crawl puts into the rest).
> ...



Having the rest set not to drop 3 under don’t you risk having your fletching hitting the wire? I thought that was the point of the Zniper rest.


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

drolander1 said:


> Having the rest set not to drop 3 under don’t you risk having your fletching hitting the wire? I thought that was the point of the Zniper rest.


I thought so too. Especially given I've struggled for clearance in the past and the Zniper needs a lower NP than I've ever run. But in practice it hasn't been a factor. I get a very rare drop 3 under which I think may be caused by fletching contact although I think a slight variation in technique is more likely.


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## Bolla (Feb 27, 2019)

what kind of nock point is suggested for this rest? What is considered low?


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