I’ve always been a shoot off the shelf, instinctive shooter. Therefore, I’ve never had much use for elevated rests. But I got my hands on a Bear 59 Kodiak this year, which comes with the well-known Bear “Feather Rest” installed. If you’ve ever shot with one, you’ll know that they offer great fletching clearance and are terrific for bowhunting. But you’ll also know that they don’t last very long! So here I am, in the middle of hunting season and needing to replace my feather rest. I had already added the replacement rest to my cart while on the 3Rivers Archery website…and then the Good Idea Fairy landed on my shoulder and began to whisper into my ear.

I’ve noticed the trend lately for shooters to be running some sort of “springy rest” on their bows. They are usually three under, gap shooters and more in tune with the technical side of archery. I probably don’t fit in very well with that crowd. I’m definitely not a three under shooter. I tried that method, but it just didn’t suit me like split finger does. But one aspect that does resonate with me is the fact that I’ve always been concerned with being as accurate as possible. And while I’ve always been an instinctive shooter, it occurred to me at some point along the way, that I definitely do use a gap method when shooting beyond twenty-five yards. Heck, I’ve even played around with Trad Vanes this year. I guess if I’ve gone that far, I might as well go all the way off the rails, right?!

To a degree, the thought of using anything other than original factory equipment on an iconic bow like the ‘59 seems a little like heresy. So, when looking over the different styles of rests that are available, the small profile of the Magnetic Adjustable Rest from Western Archery appealed to me. The cost was affordable ($18.50), so I figured that it would be worth the time to give it a shot. And if I didn’t like it, I could just chalk it up to “science”, and therefore a worthy cause.

The rest comes with clear plastic tubing to cover the thin metal “flipper” arm, as well as extra adhesive backing for any necessary reapplication. The elevation can be adjusted via a screw on the face of the rest that allows the flipper arm to be moved up and down. This screw is also what the arrow slides along in lieu of making contact with the bow’s sight window, or whatever you might be using for a side plate. I was immediately concerned with the arrow being pushed outwards an extra eighth of an inch (+/-), and how it might affect my tuning. But so far as my arrow setup goes, I see no ill effect. I’m shooting full length shafts, with three, five-inch feathers and vanes. A very forgiving configuration. This may have something to do with the arrow flight and accuracy being seemingly unaffected.

I shot close to three hundred arrows during the proving phase. It didn’t take long for me to notice a couple of things. 1. Shooting with this type of rest takes some getting used to, and needs extra consideration when used during hunting situations. 2. The very metallic sounding “schreeeeeenk” as the arrow slides across the adjustment screw needs definite attention before drawing down on a jumpy whitetail. The first point just needs time and familiarity to overcome any initial misgivings. But I am thinking seriously about adding something like a Kwik-Lok Arrow Holder, just to keep the arrow on the flipper while sitting in a treestand, or while stalking.  And the second issue was quickly solved by applying a small bit of AGrip material (see product review HERE) over the adjustment screw. The noise issue was instantly solved with this easy fix. Everyone’s situation, and individual needs will vary, but these are just my thoughts on what I noticed, and what I did to address them. All and all, the Adjustable Magnetic Arrow Rest seems like a decent option for the very small investment. Who knows, I may end up going back to the Feather Rest before next hunting season. But then again, at $16.50 a pop for some turkey feathers with a very short life span, this flipper rest is looking pretty darn good from where I’m sitting. After all, it’s all in the name of “science” like I said, right?!