Broadhead points flying funny

[Len]

I'm finding I can only use around half the hunting arrows I make as half of them fly in an erratic manner, very alarming to see an arrow fly off course. Could this be from the heads not sitting perfect on the shafts ?
Also , do 3 blade heads fly better then 2 blade ? I've been told only compound bows should use 3 bladers as most trad bows don't have enough power to get good penatration with 3 bladers. Any thoughts on this ?

[woody]

Please describe your bow arrow and broadhead technical specifics, and then an informed reply will be possible.

Bow weight at your draw length. Off a rest or the shelf.

Arrow type and length. Fletching details.

Broadhead type, model and weight used and details of assembly to shaft.

Is your bow paper tuned with an equivalent weight field point as to the broadhead weight.

Does your broadhead have any wobble if you stand the arrow on a hard surface and spin it like a top.

*Red lettering are must do important steps

[Matticus]

Not meaning to hyjack a thread but what is paper tuned? PM me if you like.

[Mick Smith]

Len

It sounds as though your broadhead alignment could be a fault. If the head is glued to the shaft at a slight angle, it will catch the wind and veer off course. This is a likely cause as you say that not all your arrows are flying funny. If it was a spine problem, you would think they would all fly poorly.

As Woody said, it's very easy to check your broadhead alignment. You just hold the arrow vertically and rest the point of the broadhead on a surface and then give it a good spin. Look at the shaft at the top of the broadhead. If the broadhead is poorly aligned it will wobble there.

Three bladed broadheads are less effected by wind planing as the blades are usually smaller, so they catch less wind. They still need to be glued to the shaft with good alignment though. Three bladed broadheads don't penetrate as well as two bladed ones. The Dr Ashby tests pretty well prove this. In fact, three bladed broadheads penetrate even worse than four bladed heads, according to Dr Ashby. I don't know why this is so. Another negative aspect of three bladed broadheads is that they're not easy to sharpen. Sure, you can get a mediocre edge by honing them on a flat stone, but the angles aren't good, so they will never be able to match the edge you can easily achieve with a two bladed head. If you go to the trouble of buying special sharpening tools, that take the angles into account, you will be able to sharpen a three bladed head to a razor edge.

Mick

[Len]

Thanks guys. The arrows are 11/32 POC, 28" long, fletched with 5" parabolic feathers and 145g Ribbtecs, shot off the hand. Bow is 56# @ 26" ( my draw length). The same arrows shot with 145g field points shoot fine so I'm guessing I need to do the spin test asap.
I've also just got some 125g slim Ribbtecs which I might try out as well.

[woody]

Not meaning to hyjack a thread but what is paper tuned? PM me if you like.

http://www.inberg.ca/bow_tuning_maintenance.htm

The Easton tuning guide is what you need to read about bow tuning. It pretty much covers all types and shooting styles.

If the broadheads are not aligned( wobble when spun) they will need to be realigned until they spin true.

If I was using a glue on broadhead, I would not glue it on until checking it will spin true. Sometimes the ferrule and blade assembly alignment can be out of whack.

Nothing will fix this, it needs throwing in the bin.

If they cant fly straight, you dont want them.

If the dry run is successful, then go ahead and glue them up.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

The number of blades that should be on a broadhead is one of the main causes of bar fights amongst bowhunters.

Some fellows won't use one or the other at all. Some fellows have a minimum draw weight that they will use multi-bladers with. Some fellows argue that more blades equals more blood, whilst the other fellows argue that two blades equals more penetration. Some fellows have a maximum-sized animal that they will use multi-bladers on. There are many experienced traditional bowhunters in both camps with annecdotal evidence to back them up.

Mick: I wonder if four-bladers penetrate better than three-bladers, on a centre-rib hit, because the three-blader will have to make three different splits, whereas the four-blader need only make two (and the two-blader only one)?

[otis.drum]

len,
i had the same problem with about 20% of the ribteks i glued on recently. the nasty flyers were simply not dead centre and when spun had a very slight wobbles.

are your arrows wood? my ferrules are metal so i put them in the oven on 220C for about an hour. then used pliers on the heads to seperate them and i started my glueing again.

[Len]

Looks like some of the broadies are not straight enough so I'll put them in boiling water and re do them.

[Stickbow Hunter]

Looks like some of the broadies are not straight enough so I'll put them in boiling water and re do them.

I would use dry heat like a gas burner to heat the glue a bit rather than boiling water.

A mistake some people make when using Ribtek (note spelling ) broadheads is they have the tapers on their shafts too long. The taper should not reach right to the very bottom of the ferule as the shaft will push against a curved surface - have a look see - and push the broadhead to one side and out of alingment. If you find your tapers are a bit long cut two or three mil off the end and retry them.

Jeff

[Coach]

Jeff , I know Col and you are mates ,, but towards the end of him getting out of making heads ,, his heads were not so good mate . whether it was the tools or dies , I dont know , but to get a head to spin true was a Major drama . They were also very soft .
IMO Ribtek heads are crap . Thats why they were/are so cheap .
Like a few Australian heads , the ferules are not ROUND
The Blackstumps were another one , that towards the end were so oval it wasnt funny
Australian Broadhead manufactures really need to pick up their game IMO .

We can make our shafts round ,, why arent the ferrules in the heads round ?

[Stickbow Hunter]

but towards the end of him getting out of making heads ,, his heads were not so good mate . whether it was the tools or dies , I dont know , but to get a head to spin true was a Major drama . They were also very soft .
IMO Ribtek heads are crap . Thats why they were/are so cheap .
Like a few Australian heads , the ferules are not ROUND

Well Coach from my experience (not because Col is a mate of mine) I will disagree with you about all of that. IMO one of the pluses with the Ribteks was the fact that the ferules were manufactured accurately - round and aligned properly. Anyway it is obvious that my experiences with them are very different to yours.

Jeff

[woody]

Jeff,
My apology for hijacking the thread, but I have always been curious why Col stopped making Rib Teks.

Will he ever get back in the broadhead game, or is he retired now.

Coach,
Its a difficult thing to make broadheads that are all perfect, even if you spend thousands of dollars on die tools and stamp the blades out perfect, the heat treaters can distort and buckle them. I have some empathy for the problems in making broadheads.

Dont judge too harshly, its not an easy thing to do.

[Coach]

I am not Judging Woody But I do believe if you are going to offer something for sale , it should be right and work properly , I dont think it is too much to ask for, the ferrules to be at least round . Thats all I was stating .

[Gringa Bows]

i usually only use ribbies,and ive never had problem they fly well......................Rod

[Coach]

Maybe I just got a bad batch then .