Specs:
Review:
Of the several different "Fall-Away" style rests that we have tested or are in the process of testing, the Trap Door was definitely the easiest to get set-up on the bow - both in time to install it, and time to adjust it to where arrows were shooting well. There are no cables, tubes, strings or arms on the Trap Door. In fact, to the casual observer, it looks very similiar to your average "shoot-through" prong style arrow rest. The difference is in the function.
The main advantage of using a "Fall-Away" arrow rest is that it has absolutely no contact with the fletches on your arrow, thus eliminating some of the "tuning" and accuracy issues of the past. When I started using the Trap Door I immediately noticed that a larger weight range of arrow/broadhead combinations would fly well with the same draw weight on my bow. Since I am someone who likes to tinker with a bunch of different broadheads, I liked this very much. Out to about 30 yards, practically all of these different broadheads were hitting the same point of impact as my field points, too, also a very desirable trait.
Installing/mounting the Trap Door was extremely simple, I'd say foolproof. There were no half hour instructional videos to deal with, no cords, strings, cables or arms to measure, cut, tie-off, etc. Once I had the rest mounted, I had to shoot less than 10 arrows and make only one or two slight adjustments before I was getting perfect arrow flight.
I took this Montana P&Y Whitetail in 2002 while using the Trap Door Rest
There are two primary ways that the Trap Door is different from other "Fall-Away" arrow rests - and they are connected. First, the Trap Door launcher isn't raised into the shooting position by a cable, string, arm, etc. It must be manually "cocked" with a finger or two. Second, the Trap Door doesn't "Fall-Away" because the bow is no longer at full draw - it falls away by "Inertia". In other words, the "vibration" of the bow being shot is what drops the launcher. I was pretty skeptical when I first saw it, but let me tell you, it works. I shoot a Martin Jaguar, and have shot at least 1,000 shots through the Trap Door. I have never had a single shot where the rest didn't drop as it's supposed to. Since different bows have different amounts of "shock" created when the shot is taken, the Trap Door has sensitivity adjustments. They even have a new rest for 2003, that is specifically for Low Recoil bows. The one I tested was the original.
There were a few things that I did not like about the Trap Door. When cocking the rest into the "shoot" position, it makes a metallic "cocking" sound. Not as loud as cocking the hammer on some guns, but easily as loud as clicking off the "safety" on most guns. You know the sound I'm talking about - "snick". The rest also makes a metallic noise when it drops - it's basically making the cocking sound in reverse. I hunted mostly from a treestand while testing the Trap Door, and so I just cocked the rest right when I got set in my treestand. As long as you don't "vibrate" the bow or hit it on something hard, the rest will stay up. The noise made when shooting the rest is probably inconsequential when blended in with the overall amount of noise that a bow makes when shot, even the quietest bows. If you're hunting especially spooky deer or are in a stalking situation where you can't really leave the rest cocked, the cocking noise at close range to an animal "may" come into play. Trap Door has come out with a new model this year that they claimed eliminates the noise. A friend has this model, and while it does diminish the noise from the model I have, it does not eliminate it. Probably, the noise will not make a difference in most situations. I killed several animals while using the Trap Door and they didn't complain. One other thing I didn't care for much was that the launcher "cradle" was somewhat smaller than I would have liked. However, Trap Door has come out with a new launcher this year that is deeper, wider and supposedly quieter for the arrow draw without having to add moleskin or shrink tubing. That would eliminate my complaint on that account.
Overall, I'd give the Trap Door a hearty recommendation. I found it to be very reliable, sturdy and easy to set-up. It definitely increased my accuracy and options on shooting different broadhead makes and weights. I'd recommend it to all bowhunters without hesitation.
Pros:
Sturdy, easy set-up/operation, accurate
Cons:
Slight "cocking" noise
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