How about trying something new and exciting this season? No, I’m not talking about the lovely young lady in the photo. I’m talking about the arrow rest she is holding, of course.

If you are currently using a time-tested two-prong style arrowrest and are tired of fumbling with additional arrow holder add-ons, take a look at the APA Innovations line of total arrow containment arrowrests.

APA’s Ultimate Mico-Release arrowrest features a “total arrow containment system” and is micro-adjustable. Nibal Achkar, the president of APA Innovations, is a Canadian with more than twenty years of bowhunting experience under his belt. He set out to improve the two-prong rest with hunters’ needs in mind. Nibal sent me an Ultimate Micro-Release arrowrest and I gave it a whirl. Here’s what I found:

The first thing I noticed right away was the “total arrow containment” design. The rest looks like an upside-down, turned inside-out two-prong rest. The idea is ingenious in concept, yet quite simplistic in design. Having an arrow slip off your two-prong rest as a result of clumsiness or the nervous jitters is a thing of the past. 

The arrow containment bar comes standard with factory installed rubber “hush” tubing. If you bump your arrow against brush or the side of your treestand, the soft rubber tubing, that covers the containment bar, dampens any game-spooking noise that may be generated from arrow-to-arrowrest contact. The rest also comes with fleece prong wrap that can be installed to create a perfectly silent draw. If you are partial to Teflon prong guides, they too can be installed.

The next thing I noticed was how few parts the entire rest contained. No fancy springs, no moving parts and only two setscrews that can be adjusted with a single size Allen wrench.

Etched into the solid aluminum frame are tiny reference marks; micro adjustments are a snap. The Ultimate Micro-Release arrow rest isn’t bulky and it is very lightweight. Everything on the rest is either anodized aluminum or stainless steel; it’s a durable rest indeed.

Although the Ultimate Micro-Release arrow rest can be used on nearly any bow, it is designed to work best with bows that exhibit near-zero nock travel such as bow equipped with dual cams or hybrid cams.

The set-up of the rest was a snap. I loaded the Ultimate Micro-Release arrow rest onto an Archery Pro “Newberry” LB1 test bow and made sure the arrow support prongs were level with the riser’s Berger hole. Next, I tied on a loop nock with a 1/8-inch high nock position, as recommended by APA Innovations. I simply eye-balled the windage (left to right) adjustment and started paper tuning with a bare shaft. After a few windage adjustments, I was shooting bullet holes. I never once had to adjust elevation. The 1/8-inch high nock position was perfect.

After I completed my paper tuning, which took only a few minutes, I tightened down the two setscrews and I was ready to sight-in. The ease of set-up was impressive. After only two days of getting comfortable with the test bow and new arrow rest set-up, I was consistently shooting 3-inch groups at 35-yards on level ground. Keep in mind this is with standard hunting sights and no fancy tournament stabilizers.

For a hunting bow set up with such a short break-in period, I was personally elated. The Ultimate Micro-Release arrow rest is without a doubt a no-fuss, no-muss rest.

To view the Newberry LB1 Bow Review click here: http://www.fastestbows.com/reviews/newberry_lb1.htm

APA has several other arrowrest models to choose from, including a few drop-away styles and a few developed for finger shooters, all of which are based on the innovative “total arrow containment” design.

APA also produces a handy accessory item called the Bow Grip. The Bow Grip easily installs on the riser under your arrow rest-mounting frame. It provides for a comfortable ergonomically correct grip extension that you will truly appreciate on that next long walk to your stand or stalking adventure. It comes with a built in broadhead wrench and a large rubber O-ring that fits on your waist belt. Simply insert the bow grip handle through the O-ring on your waist belt and presto! It serves as no-fuss hands-free bow holder.

At first I was hesitant to install something like the Bow Grip under my arrow rest-mounting frame, for fear of it slipping and knocking my arrowrest out of tune. However, the Bow Grip comes with two additional setscrews that lock it tightly to the riser and eliminates any possibility of slippage.

Fantastic job APA Innovations!

Before you purchase a new arrow rest this season, check out the APA Innovations web site at http://www.apaarchery.com. They have a full line of innovative “total arrow containment” arrow rests to fit your needs.

• APA Ultimate Micro-Release Arrow Rest
• Features a total arrow containment design
• Durable; machined aluminum and stainless steel components
• Precise reference marks for windage and elevation adjustments
• Adjustments made with single Allen wrench
• No fancy springs or moving parts
• Easy installation
• Comes with factory installed rubber “hush” tubing and fleece prong wrap
• Limited Warranty due to any manufacturer’s defects