Wide broadheads and wind drift

[A Lex]

Hi all.

Been doing a fair bit of experimenting with wind drift.

First of all my set-up:
Blackwidow PLX longbow
55# @ 28" and I draw 27.5"
30" Douglas Fir arrow
3x 5" helical feathers
160 grain points & 160 grain Tusker Delta broadheads

I did the usual tweaking to get the field points and broadheads grouping together, a little nock point adjustment, give the string a couple of twists etc. Now these are shooting together really well, like numerous hits and very near misses on a tennis ball at 25 yards. Very happy with it.

But, this tuning was done on a very rare still windless day. Today was back to normal, 15 + mph winds. Getting sick of this bloody wind I tell you. Been windy as buggery since around September.

Anyway, I shot these arrows again, in a cross wind today, and the field points drifted about 4-5 inches into the wind. About what I'd expect. But, the broadheads went a good foot plus. What the? These were shooting fantastic when it was still.

Ok, time to experiment.

I shot the four arrows, two field points and the two broadheads, at least a dozen times each way at the tennis ball at 25 odd yards and the results were pretty much identical. I tried it with the wind from the right, then set it up again, this time with the wind from the opposite direction. Yep, same thing, broadheads a good 8-10 or more inches away from the field points, further into the wind.

I got to thinking, these broadheads are pretty wide, like 1-3/8", I wonder if the wind is catching the broadhead and exasperating the drift?

More steerage I thought, so I stripped the three fletch off the two broadhead arrows, and refletched them with 4 fletch at 90°.

So off outside I went again, still windy (of course) and shot my 3 fletch field points and the 4 fletch broadheads at the tennis ball at 25 + yards.

My goodness what a difference. They all consistently grouped together, like in 4 inch groups, about 4-5 inches into the wind. I tried it numerous times, first with the wind coming from right, then I set things up so the wind was coming from the left and tried it numerous times again.

Very consistent results.

Anyone had similar experience with wider broadheads?

Love to hear your comments.

Best

Lex

[Charlie Lamb]

I went to a 5" four fletch years ago to get the most stable flying arrow I could with my preferred Zwickey Deltas. (1 3/8") I was living in Wyoming at the time which has it's own wind issues.

Later when Magnus came out with the Magnus I (1 1/2") I made the transition seamlessly. People will grouse about the extra cost of 4 fletch or the loss of speed but mostly I found those to be non issues.

If that extra fletch costs me a few cents per arrow extra or a couple of feet per second then so be it as long as I've got an arrow that is dead stable and accurate.

[fnshtr]

No issues for me with Simmons BHs. Real strong winds are not common in our "hollers".

[fnshtr]

Sorry, double post.

[Longtoke]

I get my fair share of wind too out here on the plains.  I'm no expert but I cant tell any difference when shooting different styles of non vented heads. My deltas go about the same as my eskimos, cutthroats, and kodiaks.

[A Lex]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Charlie, I guess I was suprised by just how much difference there was going from a three fletch to a four fletch in the windy conditions. Not too concerned about the extra cost, really pleased with the less wind drift result though.

Reckon I'll stick with the four fletch for the Deltas.

Best
Lex

[Charlie Lamb]

Lex, I use them for everything. Field points, blunts, broadheads. Sometimes accuracy is not just about what the archer does.

[Cory Mattson]

I shoot the large wide Simmons - no issues - that I can see anyway. I have used 4 fletch more often than 3 and it has been so long I can't remember why I picked that up? I think I went to 4 fetch in 1980? I am not surprised though that 4 helps you I think 4 fletch has many benefits - I liked the fact I could flip them and get super long working time between fletching - liked I could nock without concern for cockfeather - liked not having a cock feather - and very quick straightening after release and this point might be helping minimize wind drift as well.
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I had a set of arrow some with the bigger 160 Magnus and some with 160 original Grizzlies.  On a very windy day I took a shot at a large eight pointer, i was sitting in a plumb thicket on the edge of a picked corn field.  If I would have let him go much further he would be down wind and would smell me.  The shot was maybe 30 yards with a quartering down wind.  The shot at first looked good, but the the arrow did a huge side step and passed in front the buck.  I couldn't believe it, they never did that before.  I took a second shot, after the buck ran off, and it did sort of the same thing, I found one of the Grizzlies, it flew fine.   So I dug out my only 160 grain single bevel Hill that I had and it flew like there was no wind issues at all.  That night I put Hills on all of the arrows that i had with the 160 Magnus heads.  I then made a set of six arrows for a friend and put the Magnus heads on his arrows and told him to not shoot them with a strong quartering tail wind.

[Terry Green]

Been shooting 4 fletch for years...for many reasons.

This is just one of them.

And don't get me started in the loss of speed claim.    :rolleyes:    :rolleyes:    :rolleyes:

[Ted Fry]

It all comes down to feather surface or resistance, you cant shoot a big point out front without big feather surface in the back, you can choose big tall feathers , extra feathers or longer feathers, just comes down to resistance on the back of the arrow and mass weight on the front
I shoot a tall three fletch and the large Simmons treeshark with great arrowflight.
Ever notice how fast a flu flu straightens out?

[Friend]

Shooting HI EFOC arrows with 2 1/16" wide Tree Sharks and 4" feathers.

Have only tested them out to 35 yards which is much further than my own effective hunting range.

Have encountered no concerns.

[Orion]

I'm interested in your finding that the arrows drifted into the wind.  So, if the crosswind is from left to right, your arrows drifted to the left?  Or vice versa?

I thought they would drift with the wind, though fletching can change the orientation of the arrow such that it points more into the wind in a crosswind.  I still thought the end result would be a drift with the wind.

[TRAP]

Originally posted by Charlie Lamb:
I went to a 5" four fletch years ago to get the most stable flying arrow I could with my preferred Zwickey Deltas. (1 3/8") I was living in Wyoming at the time which has it's own wind issues.

Later when Magnus came out with the Magnus I (1 1/2") I made the transition seamlessly. People will grouse about the extra cost of 4 fletch or the loss of speed but mostly I found those to be non issues.

If that extra fletch costs me a few cents per arrow extra or a couple of feet per second then so be it as long as I've got an arrow that is dead stable and accurate.

X2

I think I could stabilize a shovel blade with these

 

[TRAP]

[A Lex]

Hey Orion

Yes, that was what was happening, drifting into the wind, not with it. Pretty strong winds, guessing around 15-20 mph +.

What got me thinking it might have been the wide broadhead was the fact that the field points were not anywhere as near as far off the mark, like only a few inches.  Like I said before, I tried it with the wind coming from the opposite side too. Exactly the same result.

When I went to the 4x5" fletch on the broadheads, they were back right in tight with the 3x5" fletch field point arrows.

Just found that interesting.

Good to hear other people's comments and experience's too.

Best
Lex

[A Lex]

A flying shovel TRAP?
Wasn't quite that windy    :p  

Nice looking arrows too by the way.

Lex

On the case with mine, I had high profile 5.5" witha fairly steep helical.  They side stepped with the wind, like the feathers and the head were having an argument.  There could have been some buffeting coming off of a steep down grade that was sitting near.  I have not been able to duplicate it again.   It is entirely possible that the lay of the ground caused a very strong surge in wind speed.   Another time I took a long shot at a pheasant with a Deadhead, my buddy said the arrow flew perfect, but it moved over about a while in flight.   I missed the pheasant about three inches downwind.   I do wonder how much penetration potential can be lost when the feathered end of an efoc arrow is lagging downwind.   When the weight of the arrow is not directly behind the head, the head is not an optimal cutting angle and the head does not have as much weight behind it as one would think.  makes me think twice about hunting in a strong wind.

[ChuckC]

Pavan, I think you get the same result with an arrow not stabilizing at close ranges but shoot at deer at close ranges.  For optimum penetration you need an arrow entering in a straight line.

Seems to me the motion you are seeing is the same as an under or overspined bareshaft arrow coming off a bow.  In this case the wind is moving the rear and the front / shaft is steering it, a bit or a lot.  A wide broadhead makes more difference than a narrow one, or a field point.

A mild wind in this case might just move it down wind.  A stronger wind re-positions the arrow because of the parachute effect of the feathers and makes it move into the wind.  I am gonna guess low profile four inch bananas will cause even less drift in heavier wind.

Just a guess
ChuckC