The latest Whisker Bisquit thread got me thinking... Bad thing to have happen, for sure, but that's how it is.
One comment in particular got my attention, something about going simple and sticking a 'centershot' flipper rest on the bow. I figgered the poster meant 'Centerest'. So, I got to digging around in the depths of one of my old archery tackle boxes and found an old NAP Plungerest. Remember those? A flipper mounted directly onto a plunger. It had the small head on it, from the days of the ol' pultruded carbon arrows. It's too small to work with anything but a pultruded arrow, and that's why I tossed it in the box.
Well, the great experimentor came to the fore. I pulled off the old head and replaced it with a new head from a Centerest flipper. Sonuvagun! It fit!! I stuck felt on the side plate, bent the last 1/8" of the flipper arm up slightly for containment and slid a teflon sleeve over the arm. Stuck the rest on my ProTec and eyeballed centershot.
About 15 minutes later, after tweaking the spring tension in the plunger a bit, I was shooting 3-arrow groups, all touching, at 30 yards with fingers release. Excellent arrow flight. I didn't bother trying a release. I didn't want to mess with a good thing and, besides, I've shot releases over flipper rests many times before and had nothing but good results.
I've got a boatload of springies too. The only drawback about springies is, it's not wise to shoot plastic vanes with them. Found that out the hard way when a nicked vane grabbed the springie. The arrow stuck in the dirt 10 yards in front of me and turned the coiled springie into a piece of wire sticking straight out from my sight window. But it only cost me a tournament championship instead of a big deer.
GKF still makes a springie mounted on a plunger. It costs about $12. I let my old one get away from me on a bow swap I'd made some years back. Gotta get a couple ordered in. Very simple, accurate and reliable rests. That is, as long as you either shoot feathers or keep your vanes in excellent shape.
Then there's the Golden Premier, Star Hunter, ArrowTrac, Huntmaster Supreme, TM Hunter, Cavalier FreeFlyte... various others whose names I've forgotten, even an old leather backed Hoyt stick-on rest in that box. Still got an original Berger Button plunger or two. A bunch of old broadheads of various varieties. My own little private museum in a box. LOL
Anyway, of all the rests I've used over the years there's still nothing that is quite so simple to use, nothing that's as versatile, nothing quite so reliable or accurate as a plain ol' flipper rest. Fingers or release, it doesn't matter. Seems like I always try new stuff and wind up right back with a flipper on my bow. (I actually took off a flipper to put this Plungerest on my bow!) Maybe that's why I'm so slow to try new stuff nowadays. I've been around the block too many times and wound up right back where I was, only with less money.
