LAST UPDATED: May 8th, 2015
The older I get, the less I like change; particularly when it comes to my bowhunting gear. It is an emotion that I try hard to reverse. Nevertheless, as a regular contributor to Bowhunting.com and Bow and Arrow Hunting magazine, I am often asked to try different products and offer an opinion. Sometimes, these products must replace an “old favorite” that I have grown accustomed to using and trust very much when it comes to filling tags. Such was the case with my latest gear review.
First on the list is the new Apache Arrow Rest from the fine folks at New Archery Products (NAP). On the surface this rest looks very similar to other drop-away rests on the market. However, when you consider the features found on the Apache, compared to the cost, what you have is anything but a comparable, run-of-the mill drop-away.
The NAP Apache Arrow Rest is big on features and low on cost.
As the NAP Apache was being installed on my Mathews eZ7, I honestly had mixed feelings….stemming mainly from the price of the unit. I know, I know, I shouldn’t feel that way and I hate to admit it. But hey, the arrow rest that it was replacing had been with me a long time and cost 3 times as much! Sorry, but I’m only human. Besides, I think readers deserve an honest review, and that was my thoughts. At any rate, in a matter of minutes the Apache was set up and I was headed to the range.
Built from precision-machined aluminum, the Apache is lightweight and will function flawlessly under tough hunting conditions. In addition, the tool-free adjustments, and laser-etched graduation marks offer precise in-the-field fine tuning.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that this arrow rest was deadly quiet, and launched my arrows as accurately as anything I had previously tested; my feelings of discontent were slowly starting to erode. Shot after shot, my arrow groups proved to be nock busting tight. Suddenly, change didn’t seem so bad after all. The confidence I thought I had lost was quickly being restored. Happy with the results I was seeing, I decided to move on to the next product on my list.
The Apache drop away provides total arrow containment. Complete with a 360 degree sound-dampening pad and a pre-installed felt silencer on the v-launcher. Combined, these features guarantee a smooth, whisper silent draw.
Once again, the next test item in question was poised to replace a favorite piece of equipment in my gear bag. Opening the package of QuikFletch arrow wraps and vanes I was again skeptical. But this time it had more to do with precision than anything else. You see, the control freak in me loves to build arrows. That way, I can wrap each one myself, and glue each vane on individually using the same fletching jig. This meticulous attention to detail increases the likelihood that all of the arrows in my quiver will perform the same no matter which one I reach for. The thought of applying an arrow wrap and vanes all at once, in a matter of seconds, left a huge doubt in my mind regarding the precision and accuracy of these things. But, in the name of good journalism, I decided to give them a shot, no pun intended.
The author was understandably skeptical given the simple nature of the NAP QuikFletch system.
It would have taken me longer to open up a tube of fletching glue than it took to make my first arrow, complete with a wrap and 3 vanes. Placing my arrow in a pot of boiling water, with the QuickFletch in place, the job was done in literally 10 seconds flat! The smile on my face could be seen from my treestand, miles away from my kitchen stove. There was only one thing on my mind now.
As a father of 3, time is something I have very little of. What I was holding in my hand was the mother of all time savers! Suddenly, I saw a vision of endless arrows, all perfectly fletched and ready for action. No longer would I be forced to build my arrows late at night, when the house was quiet and everyone was sound asleep.
The QuikFletch system can literally create a finished arrow, complete with wrap and 3 vanes in a matter of seconds! Creating more time for additional bowhunting tasks.
However, the big question still remained. How accurate would my newly made QuikFlecth arrows be? After all, saving time becomes a moot point if a product becomes a liability in the field. So again, off to the range I went. It only took a round or two to see for myself that this product performed better than I ever dreamed it could. I had never shot tighter groups in my career; especially from a bow that I was still breaking in! Yet, there were my arrows, in the target butt, waded together like a tightly-nit sweater. I was literally amazed that something so simple could produce such great arrow flight.
Not only is the NAP QuikFletch fast and simple, it is deadly accurate as well. With a combination of NAP’S patented microgrooves, kicker and super-tough material, the Quick-Spin vane provides a flatter trajectory than standard vanes and increases arrow spin by as much as 300%. This would explain the exceptional accuracy I was achieving.
Last on my list was the NAP Bloodrunner Broadhead. You would think by now my cynical attitude would have changed. But, I have shot enough broadheads in my day, each promising accurate flight, to realize I shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Carefully screwing the razor-sharp broadhead to the end of my Gold Tip Pro Hunter shaft, I stepped back to a comfortable 30 yard distance and came to full draw.
A lot of broadheads claim accurate arrow flight but don’t necessarily deliver. Would the NAP Bloodrunner prove to be different?
Not knowing what to expect, I slowly squeezed my release trigger until the bow jumped forward. The arrow impacted in nearly the same hole as my field points! Awesome, a broadhead that didn’t fly like a wounded duck! Deciding to launch another shot downrange, I eased back the little “e” and settled in for the shot. Upon impact I knew something had happened. Walking up to the target face I was astonished at what I found. I have shot several Robin Hood’s in my day, but never with broadheads. That was all I needed to know about the accuracy of this particular head. It was an expensive lesson, but the results would make for a great conversation piece.
Thanks to the hybrid design of the Bloodrunner, you get a broadhead with a low, in-flight measurement of 1 inch; providing pin-point arrow flight. Upon impact, the broadheads piston motion opens up the blades to a devastating 1 ½ inches.
With three tough, scary sharp blades, the Bloodrunner can slice through soft tissue and organs with little effort while handling the toughest impacts with bone.
There is little doubt that the NAP combination I’ve recently discovered has just become my new favorite! I can’t argue with the results, regardless of my reluctance to change. If, like myself, you’ve been thinking that low cost, simple setup, easy application and uncomplicated design equals less accuracy, forgiveness, precision, or confidence….think again. NAP has a number of products that shatter that myth. Check out their latest batch of goodies at newarchery.com. You won’t be sorry you did.
