Arrow contact on rest

[William P]

Should the rest be set up where the arrow sits on it right at the button? My arrows contact the wire rest arm forward of the button. Does it matter?

[Tropicalshot]

my wire rest is forward of the button if you look at it side on, but looking from the rear of the arrow to the tip the rest would be sitting 1/32 - 1/16 over the centre line of the shaft to get minimal contact.

[whiz]

Originally Posted by William P

Should the rest be set up where the arrow sits on it right at the button? My arrows contact the wire rest arm forward of the button. Does it matter?

Nope.
The rest is not a guide. Chances are that the arrow won't be touching it much after the first few inches of power stroke from the string.

[Cimbian]

William,
It is not as critical as you may think.

Adjust your rest to ensure that the centre-line of the shaft lines-up with the centre-line of your plunger tip and adjust your rest so that you will have clearance to the outside (it should be just outside the edge of your shaft). After this ensure that you have enough arrow forward of the rest to make sure you cannot pull it over-and-off the rest.

This will likely not produce a position where shaft contact with the button aligns with shaft contact with the rest but it is safe, efficient for the plunger and efficient for vane clearance.

[William P]

Thank you all. I have clipped the wire to barely accept the arrow shaft and it is centered on the button. There is room to move it forward or back a little though.

I asked this question because in my traditional recurve bow circles it is considered critical to have the arrow resting exactly at the pivot point of the bow which is above the deepest point of the grip. The shelf is carefully built up with a match stick under the shelf material to create this pivot point. The thought is to reduce torque.

Since getting interested in the FITA style bows I've found little things like this are major points of discussion. I'm glad to know I can quit worrying about this little detail and get on with shooting.