OPINIONS ON THIS BROADHEAD DESIGN

[Rodd Szmania]

Might be good for turkeys.

[Jake Fr]

well i think that there is alot of insight for your head here but i thinkh if you make the ferall outa steel you could flutte it like they do on gun baralls to help with the weight also

[Ethan Grotheer]

I concur with Bill, but I also like your original concept of width for thin-skinned game. Take away the barbs and you'll really be on to something. Keep up the good work man. It's a very cool plan!

[hedgetree]

Make it longer and with a steel ferrule, keep up the good work

[outbackbowhunter]

First thing, why reinvent the wheel.

Take a look at the broadhead designs  that have been doing the job for the last 30 to 40 years.

Proven performers.....not many short fat wide ones that have stood the test of time.

My idea of the perfect head is a 3:1 design, and Howard Hills book, Hunting the hard way, has a chapter about broadhead design, and why.

Also, I would read through Ed Ashbys work, about broadhead performance tests. and fast track your self to designs that work, and why it is so.

Your ferrule is the easy part, any good repetition engineering shop can churn them out by the thousands, it just takes money.

If your serious about making broadheads, the hardest part is bevel grinding the blades.

You need to consider being able to do at least 2000 blades per week. Unless you have some very good machinery, this is a job where the novelty wears off real quick.

A straight edge is easier to grind than a curved one..........

I also dont like ferrule designs with pins or screws fixing the blade, as the hole through the ferrule can create a weak point.

If you must use a screw or pin to affix the blades to the ferrule, try to design it into the ferrule towards the back where the ferrule is wider.

Also the blade designs, that are similar to the Bear heads, (not the old green glue ons) but the blue ones with the alloy ferrule, that have a fixing point at the front of the ferrule and then a big vent that sweeps around to meet the ferrule at the back, are not good design.

They are weak at the front and often bend where they are fixed at the ferrules front.

 The other thing that is a problem, is heat treatment. Getting a good heat treater that doesnt warp the blades during the heat treating process is very difficult.

If you are serious about being a broadhead maker, and doing it well, I would expect an investment of between 50 to 100 thousand dollars to get you up and running........

[Chinook]

Ryan,
Here in Wisconsin - this would be considered a barbed head, and illegal for hunting.  As mentioned above - the back side of the blade has to be 90 degrees or more.  Look at the old Bear Razorheads, or Bodkins, etc.

I think if you are intending to appeal to the tradbow guys (and gals) - you should add a bit more length.  A lot of shooters are heading towards lighter draw weights, and I think penetration with lighter draw weights will be helped by a more streamligned profile.  With your 1 5/8 & 1 3/4 widths - you may drive up the total weight of the heads by making longer.  Of course there are many shooters in that market too.
Chinook