100g brass insert broke on big buck!HELP!

[bttsj1]

To make a long story short, I shot a huge public land buck yesterday. 15yds, shot slightly quartering to me. The hit was a little high. I had 3.5" of penetration and the brass insert broke where it neck downs and touches the shaft There was no bone smacking sound, he turned and ran.
Basicaly I sat there sick and disgusted with myself. The shot didn't go exacty where I wanted but I never considered the insert breaking.
Now I'm second guessing everything. Any suggestions on a strong setup. Thanks

[DHR]

Foot your carbons with aluminum, makes a very strong arrow.

[lil jake]

use a collar on the point end of ur arrow... it will not break or mushroom out

[lpcjon2]

Steel insert or just use wood shafts.

[saumensch]

i second (third) the sugestion with a footing.
My arrows were already tough, but with my backstop on my indoor training range i had some mushroom or breaking and also inserts breaking (though mine were alu). I footed them with alu shaft 1,5" long, didnt affect the spine but now they are bomb proof!
Just for testing i took an arrow and shot it against the concrete wall from 15 yards 4 times in a row with 57#, i lost three nocks, that was all.

To make even the insert stronger you could file the insert collar down till the footing also pushes over the insert till it touches the point, then glue it with epoxy.

[Mr Green 740]

Are there any tutorials on this?

[Dustin Waters]

I had this very same thing happen on a doe this year.  The shot was right at the heart but unfortunately I hit a leg bone or something.  When she spun it caught the nock end of the arrow on a tree and the force snapped the brass insert about half way down.  It also snapped the steel broadhead adapter as well.
Left me confused and concerned for the setup but I switched broadheads and kept on trucking.  Still waiting to see how this will help.

[Stumpkiller]

That truly stinks.  

Wood may be crude but it's proven.  I fly large R/C models (chainsaw engines) and many of us use wood props because they are lighter and stiffer than most modern composite props.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Collars on carbon arrows toughen an arrow on a direct impact only.  Angled hits kill collared arrows as easily as non collared arrows.  I have lost plenty of them to rocks at 3D shoots.  They all break right behind the collar.  Your hit must have impacted bone at an angle to break that insert.

The real answer here is to wait until you have a broadside or going away shot.  Angled to you shots are always risky.  Sorry you lost the buck.  It is always rough when you wound and can't recover an animal.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Originally posted by Ragnarok Forge:
Collars on carbon arrows toughen an arrow on a direct impact only.  Angled hits kill collared arrows as easily as non collared arrows.  I have lost plenty of them to rocks at 3D shoots.  They all break right behind the collar.  Your hit must have impacted bone at an angle to break that insert.

The real answer here is to wait until you have a broadside or going away shot.  Angled to you shots are always risky.  Sorry you lost the buck.  It is always rough when you wound and can't recover an animal.

Here is your answer.  Your problem wasn't the arrow or the insert, it was the shot angle.  The angled impact is much harder on an arrow than a direct impact.

Another thing to remember is that a 3.5" penetration from a broadside shot could be fatal.  However, depending on the severity of the angle, a 3.5" penetration on a quartering animal(quartering to or away) could be little more than a nasty cut.  

People feel differently about it, but most people here would never take a quartering to shot simply because of the shoulder.

[Biggie Hoffman]

Very well said Buckeye....I am in agreement 100%

[gjarcher]

This one reason why a quartering-toward shot is not a good choice:
 

[KentuckyTJ]

Another thing is assuming your bow is tuned properly and you had good arrow flight when a deer is shot at sometimes in their effort to flee and as they twist or dip their muscles and bones can pinch a perfectly flying shaft cutting way down on penetration. The more arrow weight you have when this occurs the better.

[Last of the Breed]

Originally posted by bttsj1:
 
Basicaly I sat there sick and disgusted with myself. The shot didn't go exacty where I wanted but I never considered the insert breaking

Sorry, but it sounds like the problem is not with your arrow setup...

[monkeyball]

Just say "NO" to quartering towards you shots.

[reddogge]

That's one of the really low percentage shots and shouldn't be taken.  Not arrow's fault, user error.

[Bill Carlsen]

What Buckeye said.

[elknutz]

Some good advice given, so now go on back out there and learn from it.  Good luck!

[stalkin4elk]

Awhile back there was a great thread about internal footing carbon arrows with about 7 inch wood dowels that handled angled impacts. Info by Ol Adcock/Ashby I think. I'll try to find the link. Help me out guys if you remember the thread.

[Steve Kendrot]

Did the same thing with the same result on a big sika stag this year. Knew the shot was a bad angle but had come to full draw expecting it to keep coming. It stopped at eight yards and I talked myself into thinking I could slip it in front of the shoulder as it was angled towards me. It looked so close. I am ashamed I took the shot. Square hit on the shoulder. Snapped the insert in half. Stag shrugged it off like a mosquitoes bite.