the open position illustrated in broken lines at 42a of fig2 thereby releasing the bow string the latch device is best illustrated in fig7 through 14 the device 23 includes a housing 60 which consists of a generally rectangular cross section elongated rectangular member having a top wall 61 side walls 62 and 63 a partial bottom wall 64 extending outwardly beyond a back wall 65 and a partial front wall 66 the interior is hollow the side walls 62 and 63 have off center slots therein 41 which are open to the front of the housing the pivotable retaining member 42 constitutes a sear latch which is pivoted around a pivot pin 69 mounted in the side faces 62 and 63 the member 42 preferably has a rounded nose portion which spans the area between the slots 41 on one side of the pivot pin and a tail portion 70 best illustrated in fig9 and 14 which has a slightly rectangular cross section adjacent the pivot pin with a curved or chamfered end edge 71 and a flat wall portion 72 disposed within the housing is a latch member 73 which has one end pivotably supported around a pin 74 mounted in the side walls 62 and 63 the latch member has a nose end remote from the pivoted end the nose end terminating in a flat surface 76 and having a chamfered or undercut.