ORIGINAL: Rhody Hunter
why not have it release like a bow trigger and have a rest that contains it ? seem like it would be a lot quieter that way
One reason the trigger is the way it is; the force it is holding. You can't load that kind of draw weight onto a sear/trigger engagement and have it hold without stiffening it up. The reason for the increased draw weight is because of the less efficient power stroke generated by the shorter limbs. As far as string travel across the deck, it ensures that the string stays in contact with the shaft. I suspect that the arrow isn't mounted on a rest like a compound with the string free floating behind it has something to do with the amount of force on the limbs and needing them to be more in line with the stock but I'm sure there are ways to engineer that problem out. It just may not be as efficient in energy transfer and the system is plenty inefficient already. I doubt that it would be quieter either. You're not hearing the string going across the deck, you're hearing all that latent energy that didn't get transferred to the shaft as it escapes the limbs. If the system becomes more inefficient it would actually get louder.