Why do they do this?

[griffin73]

Ive been shopping for and buying broadheads, ive noticed on some of the ones ive bought the previous owner has taken the point off, i dont understand this because it totally takes away from your penetration i would think, doesnt make sense, can someone explain

[Mongo]

Some broadheads with sharp needle points have a tendency to curl the point upon impact.

[David Mitchell]

Way back, Fred Bear advocated dubbing the ends of his Razorheads to a more chisel point to help when bone was impacted to keep the poinbt from curling and to slide around bone. They even changed the venerable Razorhead to that style of tip.  Works fine.  Just touch up the edges of the chisel tip and it will penetrate fine.

[Stinger]

What David says is true.  Those Bear Razorheads will curl like the top of a sardine can if they hit hard bone.  Spanish goats on San Clemente Island did a number on a bunch of them.

[Matty]

I had it happen on a Magnus many years ago hitting the off shoulder of a whitetail. I only learned the trick of filing the edge off on bear quest 3 years ago. Watching my woodsman blow through my bear shot out of a #45 bow proved to me that taking it off does not hinder penetration.
Some points. Are just TOO POINTY..

[Roger Norris]

Somewhere in my boxes of stuff I have an old Bear Razorhead that my Dad curled on a whitetail does shoulder way back in the 70's.

I have never understand why broadhead manufacturers don't just make them dubbed to begin with? I realize the tanto styled heads kinda are....

[ChuckC]

When a blade starts to bend, the rest goes with it.  A sharp, pointy "weak" tip is much more likely to start to bend.  Once it starts, penetration is shot.

Some heads are more prone to it.  However, it is very easy to make them much less susceptible to starting the bend by just making a less severe point.  Bobbing it or chisel pointing it or however you do it is plain easy.  Penetration is not hindered much if at all for doing that.

ChuckC

[Roadkill]

Damn Stinger, San Clemente goats, you must be old!

[JamesKerr]

Most cut on contact broadheads being made today with the exception of single bevel two blades are made with what we call a needle tip. This is a very fine sharp tip that will initiate cutting instantly. The problem is they are generally weak because there is not much metal there to support that super sharp point, so the tip curls which impedes penetration tremendously. The easiest and best way to solve this is to file the tip to either a pyramid tip (3 blades) or a tanto style tip for 2 blades. This tip modification will not bleed off any energy as it is still a cut on contact tip, and it has the added advantage of being nearly indestructible. If you would like to see some examples of the tip designs mentioned go to VPA's site and look at the tips of their Terminators and Penetrators.

[Jon Stewart]

My dad was on Bears advisory staff at the time they brought in a bone specialist to explain that a rounded point would do more damage when striking a bone than a head with a sharp point would do.

I remember it well when dad came home from the meeting and told us about it.  We round all the points off.

I was telling a friend who lives in the U.P. about this one time and he laughed as he got his tackle box out and showed me his bear heads with rounded tips.