Grizzly BH's aren't So Tough

[GANDGOLF]

Ask one of our great knifemakers on here how to heat and hammer it back out. Great bunny..  

[JimB]

Again,I wasn't knocking the Grizzly's.This was a 700 gr,32% FOC arrow drawn to 54#'s that made a solid hit on a rock.

I said earlier Ray,that I don't put any heat on my blades,know mechanized sharpening.If you look in the How To resources section,I explain how I hand hone each Grizzly start to finish.I'm a fan of the Grizzly's.

The other night I decided to see what I could do with this head,mostly out of boredom.I knew part of the tip would snap and it did,as I slowly tried to uncurl it with pliers.I lost 3/8" of the tip.

I had no intention of applying heat.there is no way to retemper steel properly without knowing what steel you are dealing with.It is only a $5.00 head to begin with.

I hammered out the curl of the blade using my tip alignment jig to tell me when I had it perfectly straight.I then turned it 90 degrees in the jig and marked the exact center so I could re-file the tip.

The tip is perfectly centered and surprisingly,the head only lost 6.2 grs of weight.And yes,I weighed carefully,before and after.Those heads are pretty heavily weighted already but I think I could replace that 6 grs with some tungsten putty.

I doubt if I'll hunt with it but I have no doubt it would do the job.

Autumnarcher,it was one tough rabbit but I was careful not to hit the shield.

[Ray Hammond]

Jim,

No scathing intent here, bud. I went through the whole thread and there were a bunch of "me too's" on the bending of the heads...so it was more directed at everyone...not you...

I'd definitely use it on wabbits!!

[JimB]

No problem Ray.I was a little surprised at how much it bent but I just know that every other 2 blade head I have used over the years would have been damaged much worse.I have about 5 dozen arrows made up for my bows and all wear 190 or 200 gr Grizzly's and I probably won't change until I have to.

I took those shots knowing how bad the rocks were but was thinking more of breaking the arrows.I was real happy to be able to keep using both arrows.I do hate to lose any Grizzly's right now,not knowing when they will be available again.Next stop,Tuffheads.

If you don't tell any deer or elk you shoot, that the broadhead has been ground down and ruined, they probably won't know the difference. I bet you cannot get it to bend again in its current shape.

[JimB]

I believe you are right Pavan.

[emac396]

Good story thanks for sharing, I just purchased grizzly heads they are on way. I will hunt with them next year I am set up with Tuskers for this season.

[JimB]

emac396,where did you purchase the Grizzly heads from?

[straitera]

At least you're hunting already. I'd sacrifice antelope/bear/deer arrows pdq! Thanks for the story & pix.

[Don_G]

I used a few dozen Grizzlies back in 2004. I found that the hardness varied a lot from head to head. They also seemed to vary in hardness from tyep to type, with the 190 gr Grande's being the hardest.

I shot over 2 dozen test arrows into the two bulls I took with a rifle, and had one head bend on the scapula.  I also had two steel ferrule/adapter failures.   I don't want to fly under a false flag: I was and am a compound shooter, not trad.

The three arrow/BH failures did not achieve killing penetration. All the rest got to the far chest wall, including three through the scapula. Three arrows pierced both sides of the chest, with one hanging on the fletches.

Arrows were right at 880 grains total. CT Rhino Safari (32") + 190 Gr Griz + steel adapter+ original insert and 5" vanes.  From an 80# Bowtech Allegience at 220 fps. 0.86 momentum and 95 ft-lbs KE.

Never got a shot opportunity on a bull with the bow.

Getting ready to go back, hence the renewed interest.

[Friend]

By shooting an Ultra-EFOC arrow, you have upped the ante. The 700 grain arrow in effect according to Dr. Ashby's calcs would be equivalent to a ~ 940 grain normal FOC arrow.

As already repeated all too often, I shot a 32% Ultra-EFOC  611 gn arrow from a 51# bow into a 18 in 1 Rhinehart target , which is warranted for one year. The target survived 3 ½ weeks.

[Steve O]

Originally posted by JimB:

I hammered out the curl of the blade using my tip alignment jig to tell me when I had it perfectly straight.I then turned it 90 degrees in the jig and marked the exact center so I could re-file the tip.

The tip is perfectly centered and surprisingly,the head only lost 6.2 grs of weight.And yes,I weighed carefully,before and after.Those heads are pretty heavily weighted already but I think I could replace that 6 grs with some tungsten putty.

I doubt if I'll hunt with it but I have no doubt it would do the job.

Autumnarcher,it was one tough rabbit but I was careful not to hit the shield.
 

Jim, do you have a picture of your "tip alignment jig" or could you explain it?  Sounds like a handy item to have.

[JimB]

Steve O,this is the jig.The rollers came with an arrow saw.You can build one using wood and just cut two "V" bocks or use some metal angle to make the "V's".When aligning broadheads,I mount a field point that I know is straight and true,and you can spin it to verify,establish a dot and that is what my broadhead is aligned to.

I'm using 2 blade heads right now.I put the arrow on the rollers with the blade vertical and I am looking down on the edge.I get the point aligned with that dot.

I then turn the arrow 90 degrees so I am looking down on the flat of the blade and then get the tip aligned.Once that tip is aligned from both directions,it is perfect,assuming the point is centered to begin with.Aligned like this,from a  tuned setup,those broadheads often group better than my field points.Don't ask me to explain why.I don't know but it happens fairly often.

[JimB]

Keep in mind,if you change shaft diameters,the "dot" will move up or down but not side to side.

[Steve O]

Perfect...I have some rollers just like that.

Another project!

Thank you.

[JimB]

Steve,I used to spin my broadheads on their point,for decades and always knew some weren't perfect but I fought with them and got them as close as I could.After making the jig,I checked some of those old arrows and it wasn't good.With this,you can see if the point is a minor fraction of an inch off and fix it quickly.I align broadheads quicker now and much more precisely.It is a fun little project too.It never occurred to me I may need it to re-establish a point.