Navy....I better clear my post up a little. You' re right metal on metal does make a noise. I bought the shakey hunter but then ended up ordering the original launcher for it and i have my trophy taker set up to fall just behind the riser floor instead of on it and it is whisper quite. I did this to allow myself to shoot arrows that i already cut which were to short to use otherwise instead of buying new ones. When i buy new arrows i may move it forward on the riser floor or leave it like it is because it works great.

When the trophy taker is set to land on the riser floor sometimes the noise you hear is made from the tab on the launcher (where the cable connects) hitting the travel groove on the windage block of the rest and not the launcher actually hitting the shelf, just depends on how it' s set up. If it' s set this way and you make sure the launcher stops before the tab contacts the windage block it is quiet. First thing is to lift up the launcher with your finger and see if the tab contacts the windage block when you release it before the launcher lands on the shelf. If your launcher is in the down position then there should be a slight gap between the tab and the windage block. If thats the case then the noise is surely coming from the launcher hitting the riser floor like you say (metal to metal).

I have several friends who i' ve helped that use the shakey launcher which are also quite with the launcher hitting the riser plate but not as much as the ones that fall just behind it. If your set up has the launcher landing on the riser floor then here are a couple of ways i made them alot quiter............I set the launcher so that only 1/4" -5/16" of the tips land on the floor plate. I' ve found that the more metal from the launcher that hits the plate the louder it will be, (imo the original launcher is much quieter than the shakey launcher when hitting the floor plate) . Next i take a simms limb savor and cut two small pieces about 1/8" thick and cover with fleece and stick them on the plate where the launcher will land. Next you can either wrap the tips with fleece material or something that works good too is take a limb saver and cut a piece out big enough to cut a small hole in and then slide it over the tips of the launcher with a tad of glue to hold them in place and that works even better.

Hope something here helps! Good Luck!