Brace height, as I understand it, is the distance between the sring and the deepest part of the grip that would split your thumb and the rest of your hand. Higher brace heights allow for greater accuracy but reduce arrow speed.

If I were you, I' d start out with a longer bow because they are more forgiving. Unless you' ll be shooting turkeys from a treestand or in dense brush, a short bow probably isn' t necessary. These days, most bows seem to be shorter. I guess that' s what the public wants. For example, as far as I know, the longest bow currently available is only 45" axle to axle (ATA). By way of contrast, I have a 12-15 year old Pearson compound with a 48" ATA. This bow, when I was strong enough to pull it, was a tack driver and much of this accuracy stemmed from the bows design. It is inherently accurate.

The only bows that usually don' t use an arrow rest are long bows and recurves. This is because the arrow rests on the arrow shelf, i.e., the cutout in the riser through which the arrow travels when released. I use the Trophy Taker Shakey Hunter on my bow. It is well thought of and has worked flawlessly for me.

I shoot aluminum arrows. I' ve never used carbon arrows because I believe they are more costly and I' ve read there is less consistency with regard to straightness from arrow to arrow. I bought my last arrows from Eders Archery. I need a 32" arrow due to my 31" draw length and Eders cut and fletches them for me. Eders is a nice online organization with which to work. (Bass Pro Shop didn' t stock arrows longer than 31" .)

Look, I have an archery range of sorts set up in my garage. If you would like to, you and your sons would be welcome to come over some evening or weekend and give it a go. I have a couple of bows that belonged to my kids when they were young that your sons might be able to handle. Let me know.