Broadhead Tuning
- Eli Rooney- Boss Crew
- Jul 4, 2015
- 5 min read
Well folks, it’s that time of year again. It is time to start shooting our hunting arrows with broadheads on them. Some people think that all it takes is to buy some arrows and the broadheads that claim to be the best. Many broadhead companies out there claim that they fly true to field points. This may or may not hold true. The truth is, as ethical hunters, we owe it to the animals we are hunting to test our equipmentand verify that our shots can and will hit the mark when that crucial moment of a lifetime is upon us. So in this article, I will be covering how to properly check, set up, and test your equipment to make it ready for hunting camp.
The first step in this tuning process is first and foremost your bow. When was the last time that you had your bow tuned? If you don’t know the answer to this question, or if it took longer than a few seconds torecall, then your bow is due for a checkup. At the very least, you should take your bow into your local shop to be looked over annually. No bow is perfect due to the fact that any mechanical machine needs regular maintenance. Just as you change the oil in your car, it is just as important to maintain your stringsbecause they stretch and even dry rot from the inside out. The average shooter replaces strings every 2-3 years. Dependent on how much you shoot or how well you wax your strings, that timeline could be shorter. With a bow being properly tuned in the shop, this is only a starting point in the tuning process.
The next move is to choose the proper arrow. Any arrow can do the job and get it done right. But how doI know what is going to fly the best? Start by asking the bow shop to make sure that your arrows are spined correctly. If they are, you are ready to start shooting! But what about the different prices of arrows? Usually, the more you spend in an arrow, the better the tolerance of the arrow is. A better tolerance means that the arrow is straighter and will spin more true with broadheads. While building your arrows, an arrow spinner is invaluable in this situation. After gluing your inserts, attach the broadheads and spin test them for wobble. Only keep the best spinning arrows in your hunting quiver as those are more apt to fly better than others. Broadheads are a big controversy that will always be present. The truth of the matter is this, with the proper tuning and with paying close attention to the arrows and bow setup, one can make any broadhead fly that he or she so chooses. Are some heads more likely to fly better than others? Sure. But will that same head always fly true? More than likely not. Archery tuning is essentially a giant puzzle. There are three primary pieces and many of which may fit, but it takes a lot of work to find the perfect pieces to fit together properly. The arrows, the bow, and the broadhead. Not every set up works for every drawlength and poundage, as they are all different. So choosing the right broadhead is only a matter of testing and shooting the head to observe whether or not there is proper flight.
Our tuning starts with walk back tuning. As you shoot your field points, the most common method to walk back tune is to hang a weight from a string on the target and shoot at the string with your 20 yard pin. Starting at 10 yards, and shooting one arrow at increasing distances in 10 yard increments, adjustments can then be made based on the pattern that the arrows are making. These adjustments are made by simply moving the rest in very small increments as small as 1/64th of an inch. If your arrows are shooting progressively to one side of the string, causing greater variance as distance increases, then move your rest towards the string. Repeat this process until your arrows are shooting in a straight line rather than a slanted line.
After the walk back tune, it is then important to repeat the process again only with broadheads. Begin with shooting a broadhead and field point at a target at whatever distance you plan on shooting for hunting. Analyze the flight the same way you would with the walk back tune. For example, if at 20 yards, your field point and broadhead hit identically, but at 40 yards, your broadhead starts to shoot progressively more right, this means that the rest needs to be moved. In this case, the rest needs to be moved towards the field point (to the left). Repeat these steps as many times as necessary until your broadheads no longer deviate left and right. Also note, that as you move your rest, your sight is also going to need to be adjusted as your point of impact will change. Now let’s assume a case where the broadheads hit 4 inches to the left of field points, only at every distance. This means that your broadheads are flying straight, just not true to field points. In this situation, you may decide that you want to adjust your rest to alter the point of impact. If you choose not to, it may be much more simple to not make any changes and only move your sight to account for the broadheads and not the field points. This method is most common amongst hunters.
All in all, it is apparent that broadhead tuning can be very labor intensive and intimidating at times. The great news is that there are many resources out there that can be extremely helpful in this process. Forums such as Archery Talk, or other websites are full of information. Any bow shop, including Dead On Archery, possess knowledgeable employees that have put these methods to practice and are willing to share them with you given that you are seeking answers to such troubles.
I’d like to leave this article on a quick note and thank you to reading this through. It is our responsibility to practice and test our equipment to make ethical kills. Take this opportunity to share this information with your hunting buddies. Send them this way. Take a broadhead target to camp and help others test their equipment.
Shoot true, stay confident, and good luck this season!!!
- Eli
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