PICS:Hammerhead TradLites Thanks Badger Arrows

[owlbait]

Thanks Paul,
PM'd Saturday, got my arrows today. can't wait to shoot them. ONLY $5 shipping too!
Mike Gerard  owlbait

[Gray Buffalo]

WELL???????
How did they shoot???
Old men need to know  

[ishiwannabe]

Hey...arent pics required in instances like this???    
  :D

[owlbait]

C'mon. You should know by now that digital pics are me holding a chisel in my fingers carving something on the cave wall. I do like how they shoot. I had Paul put in the unibushing and G-nocks. Takes some getting used to. I didn't like how the other nocks wouldn't stay straight.

[Paul Mattson]

Mike the G-nocks have a little diff feel to them because of there size.  But, on the up side you can find replacements very easy.

[Steel]

I haven't thought about trying the G nocks in the AD's but I haven't had any issues with the factory AD nocks myself in over a year of shooting them almost everyday.You will have to give us some feedback after you shoot them for a while and let us know your thoughts on the hammerheads vs the regular AD shafts after some use as well.I have been shooting the AD lite wood grain arrows for over a year now and love them my favorite arrow type/brand so far and believe me I have about every brand out there sitting in my arrow barrel at home. The fact  that the AD's shoot so well in every bow I own right now just makes it too easy to have a single arrow type/size.Before I had different brands/sizes to match this bow that bow and so on.

[owlbait]

That's where I'm at Steel. Still trying to find a combo I feel comfortabe with. Unfortunately, I have changed a few things lately and it makes it hard to shoot well. My nocks in the AD lites were loose and would not stay lined with the fletch. When I tried glue I didn't like the results. The g-nocks are not turning. They do seem to fit looser on the string then the other nocks. So far, I am shooting tighter groups with the hammer head trad lites.

[amar911]

Cody,

I have been shooting some heavily weighted Hammerhead originals (not the lites) with uni-bushings and g-nocks, and I like them a lot. Of course, I am shooting these arrows out of a heavy bow because this outfit will hopefully be used on a cape buffalo in a couple of weeks. I think the g-nocks are very nice. They do fit the string a little looser, but the nocks come in a smaller size too for thinner strings if that is a problem. Mine are perfect with just a little pop when nocking the arrow. I like the Hammerheads and imagine the Hammerhead lites will be outstanding too, especially on such things as huge hogs, elk, grizzly and brown bear, and other animals where more penetration may be needed. They certainly aren't needed for deer and probably not for most other North American animals. My Hammerheads fly great, but drop fairly quickly due to their high weight of 900 grains. Paul Mattson of Badger Arrows built them for me and did a very good job.

Allan

[Steel]

Allan I think I will stay with wild hogs,deer,and turkey for now you can have the cape buffalo! Are you going to use one of your Shrews on the Cape Buffalo hunt? 900grs of arrow is alot of arrow I thought my Ad lites dropped fast when adding a 300gr Extreme broadhead up front a 900gr arrrow must be like throwing a spear  :D .

[amar911]

Cody,

Yes I will be using a new Super Shrew Samurai with solid phenolic riser and Bow Bolt that was made up just for the hunt. I am going out to shoot it right now. Shooting those Hammerheads does feel a lot like chucking spears!

Allan

[Lost Arra]

I've shot Allan's buffalo setup and I'm pretty sure a quiver-full of those buffalo arrows weigh more than his buffalo Shrew even with the phenolic riser!  

[amar911]

Bob,

I think a dozen of the arrows are about the same weight or maybe a little more than the bow. I can't find my larger digital scale right now or I would tell you for sure.

I had a good session with the buffalo bow and arrows tonight. Everything went well and the arrows were usually flying to a point near where I was aiming. My brain is finally getting used to the weight of the draw, the mass of the bow, the mass of the arrow, the trajectory of the arrow, and the "instinctive" feel of the hold to make the arrow hit where I want it to at various ranges. I have been trying to practice more out around 25 yards so it will be easier to hit things that are 10 to 20 yards away, which is the distance I plan to be when I shoot the buffalo, if I get the chance. Getting prepared is half the fun.

It is interesting to me that the heavy arrows seem to hit much lower than the lighter arrows, but as I back away from the target the heavy arrows appear to flatten out their trajectory. As I think you said Bob, it must be that the arrows are still rising at the closer distance and are at their zenith out around 25 yards, so it just seems they are shooting flatter. I do know that the arrows are maintaining their velocity very well as one would expect with their high ballistic coefficient.

I really like the tapered design of the Hammerheads (actually double tapered on that model). The design lends itself to a wide range of spine tolerance. I can shoot those arrows out of my buffalo Shrew and my mid-weight bows and have excellent flight from all of them. In the bows that are in the mid to low 40's in draw weight, the tails of the arrows start kicking out to the left (I am right handed) pretty significantly. I have my arrows at 31" and they seem to work for bows down to about 50 pounds. My buffalo bow is just under 70 pounds at my draw of 29 1/2". I am finally getting used to the draw weight of the bow and can now get full extension in the draw. That extra one-half to three-quarters of an inch more that I am getting now versus a couple of weeks ago makes a significant difference in the cast of the arrows. I think my bow is shooting more like a similar bow would that was drawn to 28 inches and 75 pounds. Now if I just had BobW's 32" draw I could really make those arrows zing!      

Allan

[owlbait]

 
Finally, pics added. Beat my buddy at 3-D yesterday. First time in a while. Was it the arrows????

[Guru]

Maybe just the pic or an optical illusion...but that pink nock looks real crooked????

Those are some great shafts....wouldn't mind giving them a try someday...way to go on the 3-D        

[owlbait]

Yes, I'm a terrible photographer. I will delete that pic and try another.

[Paul Mattson]

I have been getting a few PM's on the shaft wts.  A full length bare shaft with no inserts weighs 385 grns.  There is no gpi due the extra carbon that is up front.