Whaddaya mean you can't get a broadhead to fly???

[Molson]

Reading some of the posts on broadheads, I've got to ask the question.  I really don't understand it.  I have never had a problem tuning any broadhead I wanted to shoot. Not back in my compound days and not in the past tweleve or so years of tradbows.  I've had individual arrow shafts that won't tune, but that's no fault of the head.

I must confess to being somewhat of a broadhead junkie.  As far as trad heads go, I like about all of them for one reason or another.  I have my favorites for sure, but tuning issues are never a factor.

So here's my question; If your set up is so sensitive that you can't tune any 125gr (or 145, or 160) broadhead you want, why do you hunt with it? If you can't get a head to tune, what is the specific reason?

Not looking for a fight, I really want to know. I think the responses can help folks with tuning issues.

[Lewis Brookshire III]

I always wonder the same thing.

Honestly I have shot probably 10-12 different broadheads in the last year trying to find the one I really like and I have never had one of them fly bad. Some made noises I didnt like but never flew bad.

[Brian Krebs]

I think it has to do in most cases with the broadhead being on the ferrule or taper correctly.
 I put on broadheads and then spin test them; point down arrow straight up and spin; if there is a wobble of the shaft where it is attached to the broadhead; the arrow will fly badly.
 If your using aluminum shafts or carbon; and using screw in broadheads- or if you use aluminum inserts you may never notice this wobble; or bad flight.
 But if you test your arrows for broadhead alignment and see a wobble; fix it and the arrow will fly much better- to perfection.
 At one point (    ) factory broadheads were coming out rapidly - new heads all the time; and very often they were not balanced at all. I had some razorback 5s that all were unbalanced to where the arrows went everywhere but where I wanted.
 Then too; if you use a straight fletch- your incouraging the chance of broadheads flying where ever they want. A good helical fletch can overcome some unbalanced broadhead problems- the less the twist the greater the chances the broadhead will effect flight if its unbalanced.
 With wood shafts the problem of the broadhead not being balanced is much greater; and every broadhead mounted on a shaft should be spun to make sure its on straight.
 Tapers can be off a little; glue can be thicker on one part of the broadhead than another- and it can cause unbalanced broadhead placement and bad broadhead flight.
  I always put hot melt on and then the broadhead and turn the broadhead on the taper to even the glue.
  If you have never had a bad broadhead take over your arrow your lucky- or just plain good at making arrows  
  I won't even enter into spine and bow weight stuff that might effect flight.
  I think people know if they practice with a 125 grain field point; and shoot a 160 grain broadhead things will be a little different..

           

[strick9]

I truly wish I had the same situation as you guys, I am 2 weeks away from my first trad hog hunt and my wensels fly like wood peckers.
  Just figured out some of the problem was my insert and my release, but to answer your question.I am going to hunt with my tradional set up  because I shot the biggest buck of my life this past year, 9 pt 185lb ,110 % fair chase, in the thickest cover possible. I knew every route , rub, almost track this fellow had made in the last two months. Yep I killed him at 27 yds with my 300 wsm with my swarovski habicht and it made me sick,,, at one point I coulda touched him,, I feel that I need to offer the animal more of my effort and dilligence before I .........eat him 6 ways to Sunday!!!!!! JMO

[SL]

Alot of spine and nock point problems come to light when you shoot broadheads. Arrows that fly okay with feild points suddenly start to shoot left or right etc. In fact if you want to see how well your arrows are matched put a big 3 blade snuffer on them and back up to about 30 yards.If the arrows are spined right and the broadheads are true, tuning should be a snap.
SL

[Molson]

Strick9,

It has been my experience with Woodsman screw in heads, that you must align the insert to the head right out of the package.

The first thing I do is put them on a shaft, heat the head, and pull it off the insert.  Apply some hot melt, put the head back on, hold it still with pliers and twist the arrow in the head while the glue is still hot and the head is warm.  This will spread the glue evenly and align the head.  Then you make minor adjustments until it spins straight on the shaft.

All this is assuming the shaft insert is also straight.  Always install your own shaft inserts to make sure they are aligned correctly.

If your broadhead is on straight, and spins straight, and you still have flight problems, it's time to start looking elsewhere for the cause.

[Orion]

Molson:  My experience has been similar to yours.  Haven't really ever had trouble getting a broadhead to fly right.  I do spin test them, of course.

Another complaint I often hear is that broadheads don't impact the same place as field points.  With very few exceptions, I haven't found that to be the case either.  Just about every broadhead I've ever shot, grouped in the same area my field points grouped.  Sometimes I need to move the nock point up a little, but that's about it.  Don't think it makes any difference, but I've always shot wood.

[Bowmania]

"So here's my question; If your set up is so sensitive that you can't tune any 125gr (or 145, or 160) broadhead you want, why do you hunt with it? If you can't get a head to tune, what is the specific reason?"

Answer to first: To be legal you have to hunt with a broadhead.

Answer to second:  If they knew the specific reason they wouldn't have a problem.

[Jeff Strubberg]

And to be fair, tuning is much trickier for some than others.

I have a friend that shoots a 48# longbow, an old Zebra.  He makes his own wood arros.  He can take those same arrows and shoot them off of anything I've handed him, up to around 65 pounds of draw weight.  Gets great arrow flight.

Me, I can get a corkscrewing arrow by changing point weight by 20 grains.

[hickstick]

I just got a pack of glue on WWs from 3 rivers and the QC absolutely is the pits!  the blades are all curved (meaning the edge is concave, almost look like old HH blades or like the new simmons), the brazing/welding at the points are all uneven I even bent one of the points just by pressing it against a pine block while I was seating the 75grn adaptor/hot melt.

I glued them all up, spin-tested each of them and they all required various amounts of muscle to realign.  I've never had that much trouble with any other glue-on.  gonna shoot them tomorrow and see how they fly and will return them to 3rivers if they fly poorly...even after all that work.