I'm no expert on this as I used broadheads for 40 plus years that were sharpened with a file or drag sharpener.They killed and I knew all the rationale for using that type of edge.The real reason I used them was,I didn't know how to get a polished,true razor sharp edge.That's a fact.
After all these years,and with the help of KME and a little diligence on my part,I have been using honed,polished edge,razor sharp broadheads-2 seasons now.
I have only taken two antelope with them so don't maybe have enough data to call this a "study".But the difference has been dramatic,so far.
For those who haven't hunted antelope,they run at twice the speed of deer,are very high strung and with the best hits,can easily cover 75-100 yds or more and usually do.
Last year's antelope went down in 40 yds.I had never had that happen before.that means he was on his feet for an estimated 1.5 seconds before being completely incapacitated.
This year's antelope was quartering away and though it looked good,the arrow went under the lungs and only hit liver.The antelope moved off 35 yds,laid it's head down and never raised it back up.She went to sleep.She reacted as if she didn't know she was hit.The group of antelope with her were on high alert before the shot and they didn't even get spooked from her reaction.
Again,I had never seen an antelope react like this.They usually run much farther after a clean miss.I had never seen any animal expire so quickly from a liver hit.Blood clotting is a very important factor as we don't always make perfect double lung hits.
Go back and read Batman's last post.I think he hit a very important point.When i cut myself on a wire edged shop knife,sharpened on a drag sharpener,it hurts like crazy but I can cut myself on a scalpel and don't realise it till I see blood.
The game we hunt are by nature,nervous and high strung.I believe that a finely honed razor edge combined with a pass through,may reduce the length of a blood trail by half or more.
In the case of these two antelope,distance traveled was way less than half what I normally see.I only ever liver shot one other antelope.It was with a file sharpened broadhead,also a quartering away hit.It traveled 250 yds and it took 30-45 minutes to expire,vs 35 yds on the most recent.
Still need to use these a lot more but I'm sure I won't go back.I did a post recently on exactly how I shapened these heads called "Sharpening Grizzlies and Other Stuff" It works on double bevels as well.I was sharpening challenge as well but not anymore.
Topic: Sharpening Technique (Read 2519 times)
