Arrow rests for recurve bows

June 4, 2009 10:31 AM

Archery question: what arrow rest should I use for a recurve bow?

After a decade and a half hiatus, I've decided to get back into target-archery. My previous bow was a 40 year old recurve with no attachment points, so I just shot right off the riser. I've been doing that with my newer bow, but it does have a brass mounting points for different accessories, and I'm wondering if I should be using something more sophisticated.

The problem is that I most accessories seem to focus on either compound bows, hunting, or both. I've heard that some people who use finger release (I prefer this to the mechanical kind) have a device called a "compression plunger" but I have no idea exactly how one of these works in actual practice.

Should I keep shooting right off the riser, get one of those flipper style rests, or would a plunger be a good idea? Or is there something else that would be even more ideal?

posted by quin to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 comments total)

I've never liked the compression plunger. I got to discernible benefit from it. As far as I could tell it was just one more mechanical failure waiting to happen. Go with the of the metal flipper style ones.
posted by valadil at 12:21 PM on June 4

Their are compression buttons that have to be installed all the way through the riser in a threaded hole, and I have good luck with these taking a lot of the porpoising out of the arrow on release(this is when the arrow whips back and forth along its length but flies in a straight line).
For an actual arrow rest I like the flipper rest design that glues on the riser. I also use a glove. I get to shoot about 5 times as many arrows as my buddies when we go shooting and they all have fancy compounds with releases and rests and such. Of course i can't always hit the bullseye as consistly as they can...so take your pick.
posted by bartonlong at 1:11 PM on June 4

Are you shooting feathers or vanes?

Feathers - go ahead and keep shooting off the shelf with a hair rest. Vanes - you will probably get better performance with a stick-on flipper rest, but mount the rest as low as possible.

Either way, resist the urge to complicate your shooting with sights, stabilizers, and releases. I'm just getting back into barebow shooting after a long time shooting compound only, I rue the day I picked up that first infernal contraption with pulleys, cables, and fiber optics.
posted by ArgentineBlonde at 2:32 PM on June 4

I used to shoot recurve with a little leather finger guard (not a glove, not a release aid); I alternated between a compression button and a little plastic stick-on flipper rest; tuning the compression button for different arrows always took a few ends in the beginning, but once set up, did improve the flight of the arrows. I used to shoot both target and clout, but this was, um, 20 years ago.

Now you've got me wondering whether there's a local archery club :)
posted by 5MeoCMP at 4:34 PM on June 4

In no particular order: Beiter. But before investing in a rest and plunger, read Tuning For Tens and Controlling Bow Behavior with Stabilisers for a good explanation of what all those doodads and geegaws do for you. Also highly worth the read is Total Archery by Kisik Lee. The core of his philosophy can be found on the KSL International Archery website. You might take a look at Centenary Archers and the Texas State Archery Association for a wealth of knowledge, then head over to Lancaster Archery Supply to check out the absolutely HUGE variety of tools and toys available for the target archer. Welcome back to the Line.
posted by EnsignLunchmeat at 4:37 PM on June 4

My big concern was that with the new bow, the fletching/vanes were passing really close to my hand and I didn't want to get bit, so I picked up a simple adhesive flipper rest yesterday. This will work for me till I can do some research and order something better from Lancaster (I'm thinking it'll probably still be just a basic flipper, but one that attaches to the center mount instead of sticking on with tape, but we'll see...)

Thanks all!
posted by quin at 7:36 AM on June 5