HIT inserts

[heartshoth]

Once glued in, can they be removed?  If yes how?

[JRY309]

They are usally there to stay.I have removed some of the aluminum HIT inserts by slowly and carefully drill them out.The aluminum is soft and drills easliy,just get something to hold the arrow shaft securely as you drill,use a drill bit that just fits inside the shaft.

[Ray Lyon]

If epoxied in, I've taken out with a lot of heat. My preference is to install with hot melt glue (Quick Stick from Kustom King) and I've never had an insert failure with it.  To remove, insert a field point most of the way into the arrow and heat it with a torch.  Keep checking from time to time with a pair of pliers to see if you can pull the insert out with the field point.  If not heat some more. It takes a good amount of heating to get the epoxied inserts out and I don't know if that compromises the shaft, but I have done that and reused the arrows. As I mentioned above, it's better to install with hot melt from the get go.

[eview326]

Like ray said I never use epoxy for the simple fact if you want to play around with insert weight its always better to use hot melt. To take them out do like ray said and use a torch on an insert just be careful bc you can ruin the carbon real fast if you're not careful.

[ALDO]

I too have been successful with taking inserts out with heat, my only difference is I use a long 8/32 screw this way I can bottom out the screw into the insert.  Apply heat to screw and use vise grip on screw head to pull out insert.  This way I am not taking the chance of the heated field point melting the end of the carbon shaft.  And yes I do use hot melt hobby glue for all my inserts. Hope that helps.
ALDO

[ishoot4thrills]

Do what you want but I'm gonna tell ya that heat + carbon arrows equals trouble.

I have applied heat to the screw-in point of a carbon arrow and it doesn't take much to cause the end of the shaft to warp, whether the insert is installed with some type of hot-melt or whatever.

It just ain't worth it to me to get the inserts out using heat.

[macksdad]

Hot melt from the getgo I have had absolutely no problems of any kind using hidden inserts and hotmelt I have also used hot melt with regular inserts and carbon arrows absolutsly no problems and I have shot a bunch of them.

[LCH]

If you use the 2 part epoxy that comes with them forget it. Heat messed mine up and the drill could get a little off center. LCH

[onewhohasfun]

Just curious, for those that use them, what is their real advantage?

[Ray Lyon]

Skinny Axis style shafts penetrate like a runaway frieght train. I never had any strength/breakage/impact issues with these shafts or the inserts. They setup well with high FOC with my Super Shrew bows and flew perfect.  If I hadn't switched back to wood, I'd still be shooting Axis (and I've used Blackhawk Vapors, Grizzly Sticks, Arrow Dynamics Traditionals and Beeman MFX).

[Ragnarok Forge]

The local archery shop uses a drill bit that fits in the shaft.  They swing the tail down and then rapidly swing the shaft with a snapping motion to slam the bit into the insert.  It takes some effort to get the epoxy to break loose.

[TxAg]

Ive used heat. Wouldnt want to do it on a lot of arrows, but one or two is fine