The present invention relates to an archery drop-away arrow rest and a related method of manufacture.
Most archery bows include an arrow rest that holds an arrow before it is shot from the bow. An increasingly common arrow rest is referred to as a “drop-away” arrow rest. This rest precisely and accurately positions the arrow when the bow (and thus, the bowstring) is at full draw, but drops rapidly forward and away from the arrow upon release of the bowstring. Accordingly, the rest does not to contact the arrow or the arrow's fletching and divert the arrow from its intended trajectory as the arrow is shot from the bow.
A variety of drop-away arrow rests exist. The common elements of such rests are: (a) an arrow support that holds the arrow shaft in a loaded position at full draw and subsequently drops forward or falls away forward (away from the archer/bowstring) to a relaxed position upon release of the bowstring; (b) a mechanism for moving the arrow support to the loaded position; and (c) a spring that moves the arrow support to the relaxed position upon release of the bowstring.
In moving between a loaded or cocked position and a relaxed position, most conventional rests pivot arcurately forward (away from the archer/bowstring) and downward, rotating about a horizontal axis that is itself perpendicular to the axis of a supported arrow shaft.
A recent, less conventional drop-away rest design, in which the arrow support drops in a different manner—specifically along a straight vertical path, is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,856 issued to Rager. There, the support is urged to a relaxed position by a spring. The support is secured with a cord to a downwardly moving portion of the bowstring. As the bowstring is drawn, the downwardly traveling portion pulls the cord and subsequently urges the arrow support vertically upward on a guide rod, against the force of the spring, until the arrow support is in a support position. When the bowstring is released, the spring forces the arrow support vertically downward, out of the way of the arrow.
Another drop-away rest is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,007 to Saunders. This rest includes a pivoting arm, a boss and a grooved quadrant block that pivots about a vertical axis. The arrow fits between the boss and the quadrant groove. When the bowstring is drawn then released, the arrow frictionally engages the groove of the block, which causes the block to rotate. After the guide block rotates about 180 degrees, it releases the pivoting arm, which thereby pivots and falls via gravity. With today's faster bows, however, the pivoting arm has difficulty falling fast enough so that it does not interfere with the shot arrow.
Although the aforementioned rests frequently perform satisfactorily, they suffer several shortcomings. First, the devices are somewhat complicated and require multiple parts, which can increase the weight of the rests. Second, the adjustability of many arrow supports is severely limited. Third, the support arms of many rests simply do not move fast enough out of the path of a shot arrow.