Tuning and broadheads

[JApple]

Hey guys,  I wanted your opinion on broadheads and tuning. I shoot a 50# @28"  Sarrels BlueRidge, I pull 30.25 on my draw. I have been fluctuating between 75-80 spine with 125 head and 80-85 spine with 145 head. Both target points fly nice, but I have for the last year just had a tough time tuning my broadheads. I"m shooting Surewood premium shafts which I love.  My question is do the spines seem about right and do any of you shoot broadheads all year?  I think that to get this right I need to shoot the BH's more than targets and simply tune for those.  It seems that I just procrastinate on tuning until crunch time and I don't like it.  I feel like I'm close to "getting over the hump" and getting tuned but it 's been a little frustrating the last two years. When I bareshafted, the 80-85's probably flew the straightest but the 75-80's showed a little weak. Thanks for input. V/R..(shoot split finger)

J

i don't shoot wood arrows, so I can't answer any of your spine questions! But I do shoot a Blueridge and have my bow tuned up very well with my Gold Tip arrows. I have not found a 150gr BH that will not fly well on my tuned arrows. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if your bow is indeed well tuned to your arrows with field points, then most any BH of the same weight should also work.

Bisch

[damascusdave]

I shoot broadheads a lot...just seems to me that if you are going to hunt with them you should be practicing with them

DDave

[SAVIOUR68]

Japple I shoot a Sarrels Sierra that is 54@29 with a 29.5" arrow 65-70 Surewood shaft with either 125-145 gr heads.
Have you tried to shoot groups with field points and broadheads on both shafts that are fletched to see the best grouping, I prefer a very slightly weak bareshaft and once fletching is added seems perfect for me.
With a 30-30.25 " shaft IMO the 75-80 would be a better choice for you with 125-145 up frt.

[Fletcher]

Figuring 2.5 lb per inch you are shooting about 55 lb and a 31" BOP arrow.  Depth of shelf cut makes a huge difference in spine needs and it looks to me like the Blueridge is cut to center.  55+15+10=80 lb spine.  That is a quick and close estimate.  With wood arrows, paper tuning works much better for me than bareshafting and once I have the bow and arrow shooting bullet holes with field points, my same weight broadheads have always tuned right with them.  Elite Arrows has a good piece on paper tuning on the website.  As with any tuning, form is important so make sure you are getting a good release and consistent draw.  If you know someone with a spinemeter it would be worthwhile checking your arrows to see just where you are.

[JApple]

Thanks guys, great points and I think I might try paper tuning again. I like bareshafting but I usually lose a few arrows from breaking!  Thanks to all for advice...

J

[Looper]

At this stage of the game, there's really no need to paper tune, unless you really want to. Your bareshaft flight indicates your close enough to just tune with your broad heads, and, based on the 75-80 flying a touch weak, that's the ones I'd choose.

Verify that they hit in the same spot as the same weight field points, and you're good to go.

For what it's worth, you mentioned the very reason I don't bare shaft tune wood arrows, broken shafts. I have a test kit made up of various spines that is perfect for finding the right spine. I just make sure my best educated guess for the right spine is pretty close. You don't want to  be 20# off in spine weight. That can be really dangerous with a broad head and can also break shafts.

As far as shooting broad heads all year, well, no, not really. Once you're tuned, a broad head isn't going to fly any different than a field point or a blunt or a judo, unless it's windy, of course. Besides, broad heads tear up my targets.

[bigbadjon]

There are a couple of things that usually baffle broadhead tuning with wood arrows. First your arrows must be straight, a crooked arrow may fly straight with a field point by it will not with a broadhead. Next is make sure the width of your fletch exceeds the cutting diameter of the broadhead. Lastly if you are shooting mismatched spines, like a 80-85 range, you will have to tune each arrow individually as a broadhead will magnify spine differences.

[Fletcher]

Something else bbj's post made me think of is to make sure your broadheads are mounted perfectly straight and true, not just pretty straight.

[Wudstix]

I have found that for 125-145 grain heads I need @5-10# over draw weight.  For the 160-190 grain heads I shoot it is close to 15# over.  This is all for tapered wood arrows.