arrow rest or shooting off the hand?

[colejack3]

Which one do you guys use?

[walkabout]

depends on the type of bow i am building. if im building a selfbow then i add a floppy rest, which isnt really much of a rest at all more of a "dont have to worry about fletchings going through your hand".  if im building a bow for say my sister, cousin or any other new shooter i add a shelf. it gives them one less thing to have to deal with while learning good form. sometimes i will build a rest into a laminate, however im more likely to build it off of the handle with layers of leather and superglue, or wood rather than cutting into the handle.

[George Tsoukalas]

I use leather rests and off my hand  too. If you are going to shoot off your hand be sure you skyve the leading edges of the fletching. I also wrap the feather front and bak and through so I really don't shoot off my hand. Jawge

[KenH]

I shoot off the hand, and if I'm gonna shoot more than a handful of arrows, I wear a fingerless glove to avoid feather splinters.

[colejack3]

Cool I have been shooting off the hand and all the "traditional archers" at the bow range say that bows are no good with out a rest.  Thanks guys I thhink ill stick with my hand

[bubby]

Don't ya just love the way people will generalise some thing, like "trad archery", into their own, sometimes narrow point of view. Shoot what ya want, how ya want and leave others be.

[Del the cat]

Being from the UK I shoot off the hand as that's the longbow tradition, it also seems more 'primitive' to me.
I don't think any native bows have arrow rests do they?
Mind if I was making an AFB I'd do it with a rest.
(I generally use a fingerless leather glove on my bow hand)
Del

[half eye]

Shoot what ya want, how ya want and leave others be.

couldn't have said it better
rich

[Kegan]

I use a small glued on leather shelf. Lets you be lazy about the grip on the bow

Off the hand is equally effective though. Hill shot that way, and your buddies from the range would be able to shoot half that well

[colejack3]

Thanks everybody! I agree that shooting fiberglass bows is hardly traditional... Kegan could you please explain how you make the leather arrow rest? Thanks

[tombo]

Off the hand (finger).....only way.

[colejack3]

im using a floppy rest as of now. I like it

[Justin Snyder]

However you feel comfortable, it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks.     I like shooting with a rest.

[Kegan]

I use two or three small pieces of thick top grain leather. I glue them together, adn then glue them onto the side of the handle, where I want the arrow to go. Serves as much for a locator as an arrow rest, since I cut them so low. When the glue dries, I carve the bottom down so my hand slides up snug, and round the top for less arrow contact.

[Frode]

In the beginning, I always put on a shelf or rest (like walkabout said, one less thing to worry about), but the last couple of bows didn't have them, one for someone who wanted to shoot off the hand, the other for me and I just never got around to fitting the rest.  To tell the truth, I think I prefer off the hand now.
Frode