Broad heads shooting way different than field tips???

ZSL · December 20, 2015, 03:38:00 PM

I've built a bunch of sherwood douglas fir arrows for my juniper self bow. They all seem to shoot and group great, correct spine, etc. 5" right wing feathers.

As soon as I put broad heads (Zwickey's) on this same set up they fly terrible, don't seem to group other than a trend towards high and left. The broad heads are a couple grains lighter than the field tips, could this be the problem? Should I try a right wing single bevel head maybe?

9 Shocks · December 20, 2015, 03:50:00 PM

If you make adjustments, go one thing at a time.

1. Raise nock point
2. Shoot!
3. Analyze the data at hand

Then try the next thing to fix the problem

BigJim · December 20, 2015, 04:22:00 PM

Likely the arrows weren't quite as "right" as you thought they were. It is pretty easy to get field tipped arrows to fly decent and group. Brodhead are a different story. If you have heavier heads, try o e. If that doesn't help, maybe taking one shaft and trimming a little off of it if you have room. As mentioned above, only make one change at a time.
Bigjim.

Shooter#21 · December 20, 2015, 04:55:00 PM

Hey BigJim what does "if you have heavier heads, try o e mean? Forgive me if that is elementary, but I'm kinda new to trad shooting.

damascusdave · December 20, 2015, 05:01:00 PM

One thing we often forget to ask in a situation like this is how experienced you are...often a high member number combined with few posts indicates someone rather new to shooting a stickbow...as Big Jim says field points tend to be a lot more forgiving than broadheads...the poor flight might simply be a product of less than consistent form

DDave

dnovo · December 20, 2015, 07:11:00 PM

Did you make sure the broadheads all spin true. If they are not mounted straight, you arrow flight could be all over.

ZSL · December 20, 2015, 09:09:00 PM

Thanks for the ideas guys. I'll start trying one thing at a time, and see what happens. I'm fairly confident in my form, although I'm a little new to building and shooting selfbows off with now arrow rest.

ChuckC · December 20, 2015, 09:13:00 PM

Shooter, I am guessing it was supposed to be "one"
ChuckC

KSdan · December 20, 2015, 10:19:00 PM

The fact that all the arrows fly high and left suggests to me it is something consistent. I would check it out with some bare-shafts. If you shoot right handed it would not surprise me if the shafts show weak.

Just my 2C

Dan in KS

durp · December 20, 2015, 11:55:00 PM

i wouldn't bare shaft woodies...just sayin.

check and make sure ur tapers are stright so broad heads are stright

KSdan · December 21, 2015, 12:30:00 AM

durp- I have not shot woodies in decades. You may absolutely correct.

Cyclic-Rivers · December 21, 2015, 07:29:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by durp:
i wouldn't bare shaft woodies...just sayin.

check and make sure ur tapers are stright so broad heads are stright

Whatever you do, do not bare shaft with the broadheads.

keep asking questions and when you get frustrated, walk away for a while.... Its supposed to be fun.

Archie · December 21, 2015, 08:14:00 AM

Are you experienced with tuning your arrows to the bow? Something that really helped me was the video that Black Widow put together on how to tune. They have it posted on their website under "videos". I used to have problems like you are experiencing, so know how frustrating it is.

Michael Arnette · December 21, 2015, 10:53:00 AM

I would bare shaft woodies...just take a risk of breaking them at impact if your tuning is way off

monterey · December 21, 2015, 12:54:00 PM

Hitting left seems to indicate over spine (too stiff). Your field points may be able to correctly fly straight as they recover after paradoxing (sorry for the grammatical chaos) while the broadheads are catching enough air to plane off to the left.

Try big Jim's suggestion and shoot with increasingly heavier broadheads. You could also play with the brace height and degree of center shot.

Friend · December 21, 2015, 08:45:00 PM

***Radical thinking by today's apparent reality ***

Which came first...the Broadhead or the Field point?

Tune your Broadheads first and the inquiry would have been reversed or perhaps not at all.

Note: An actual bareshaft with possibly a sharpened point would have preceded the former

ZSL · December 21, 2015, 11:28:00 PM

I think I'm going to try and get some heavier broad heads, and take extra care in mounting them straight....Any recommendations on a good taper tool? Thanks for all of your comments! I've played around shooting some 400 spine carbon arrows with 300 gr. steel force single bevels out of the same bow and they fly great, but I just don't feel right shooting carbons out of my self bow.

monterey · December 22, 2015, 08:34:00 AM

I've been using the V2 tool for the past year and have been happy with it. You may already be using fereltite or one of the other hot glues, but if not try it. It is easier to get good alignment with it.

kennym · December 22, 2015, 09:01:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by ZSL:
Thanks for the ideas guys. I'll start trying one thing at a time, and see what happens. I'm fairly confident in my form, although I'm a little new to building and shooting selfbows off with now arrow rest.

If that is sposed to be with NO arra rest, you will need a more limber shafts or heavier point than usual. Just sayin......

Tajue17 · December 31, 2015, 09:55:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Michael Arnette:
I would bare shaft woodies...just take a risk of breaking them at impact if your tuning is way off

stand very close to the bale or Mike is right,,, but a lot of times you don't notice they cracked mid shaft and now very dangerous,,,, always stand close as possible to get a decent reading of flight and no more! when I bare shafted woodies I would hardly go past 10yds and that's only when they where being fine tuned and already flying very good.

people who say don't bother are right too bare shafting woodies is a PIA!!! I would only fine tune to try to get the best broadhead arrows from the bunch and that's all.