This post is for the guys like me either just getting started or back into bowhunting. This is the first season I have hunted w/ a bow since the early 80's. I bought a new modern bow(Diamond Rock)and all the fixins...the fixed blades I started w/ did not fly like my field points and I did not have the time or confidence to try to tune my bow, so I got expandables and hunted with them. (Rage 2 blade). I never shot at a deer so I can not report on their effectiveness. I can report that they pop open alot in the quiver, and they do fly like a field point. Now that deer season is over I am going to turn to hunting hogs. I do not feel comfortable hunting hogs with expandables so I got a pack of Montecs and also a pack of the preseason prac. heads. I also slighlty upgraded my arrows to the Carbon Express Preditor w/ 2 inch vanes. The guy at the shop, cut my arrows and tuned the broadheads to the fletching. (Something I've never done). I went up to my hunting cabin Sat. Morning, hung a stand and then shot my bow. I anticipated having to make sight adjustments. I didn't. Shot dead on. Lessons Learned.....Tune your bow and your arrows and you can shoot fixed blades just as well as expandables. 2 inch vanes are quieter than 4 inch and just as accurate. I've got a pack of rages and a pack of undertakers that will be saved for turkeys, squirells, pigeons, neighbors cats... SB
can someone please explain to me why this would work?? because I frankly can't come up with a physics based reason that this would havea any effect on the flight of the arrow... sounds like snake oil to me... maybe i'm stupid or something (entirely possible i guess) but I'd hate to see people go thru this extra effort if there is no gain to be had... SB, not knockin your results, just questioning them since you had a TON of variables changed at once... just lookin for a reasonable explanation of why this would have any effect...
I don't know the techno stuff, but am simply saying what happened. I was shooting three different brands of arrows. ST Epic and then some cheap carbon arrows I got at Walmart. Using the chart I bought the ones that were suggested by the charts for 28" at 65lbs. So they are carbon arrows that I think are right for my bow. So I am shooting the same spline and the 100's.THe only real differance is the fletching. When I went into the store, I did not have my bow with me. I just told him I wanted to try the preditor arrows and the montecs. He cut them 28 inches and put the heads in the insert before he mounted them and then lined them up with the fletching. I did not ask him to do it, and he did not charge me to do it...he simply said his experaince was they flew better lined with the fletching. So then I go shoot. I'm shooting at 20 yards and am grouping about 2-3 inches dead center. THe first 7 shots were my old arrows at the bag target. My next three shots are at the broadhead target next to the bag target still at 20 yards. I had NO change. I'm not a tourney shooter and I am NOT an expert. My bow isn't magicical either it is a 400 dollar bow.(But does shoot as well as any bow I've been around this past season) So here is what I experianced.....I did NOT have to make any adjustments....however I was prepared to and expecting to. When the arrows with the two inch fletchings went past they made a small ziipping noise...the 4" make a buzzing noise slightly louder to my ears. It seems to me the only two things I changed was the fletching and the blade alignment. SB Damn, my Rock must be one bad ass Beyutch....lol
SB, has your bow ever been tuned? If not, I would suggest taking it to the dealer and having him help you tune your bow. A simple paper tuning session can save you alot of headaches and will help decrease the chance of wounding game. A bow can still group fairly accurately when not in tune, but it also can cause a decrease in penetration when shooting at an animal, and it will also amplify any form differances.
Buck Magnet, Thanks. I believe my bow is tuned as it came tuned from Huntersfriend and is shooting arrows at 260fps. I'm curious though, With the results I'm getting (dead on accurate and better penetration than my hunting buddies who all take their bows to a shop for even minor adjustments). Why does anyone think my bow is not tuned. Now if I was flinging arrows all over the place, I would undwerstandf...but my bow shoots GREAT. SB more confused now than ever.
SB, I had just read in your first post that you didn't have the time or confidence to tune your bow. Having it come from huntersfriend will help to make sure the bow is somewhat tuned and it could even possibly be perfectly tuned, but each shooter has a different anchor and form, and that can cause small differances in how the bow is tuned. It might not be nessacary, but it wouldn't hurt to go to a shop and have one of the pros help or watch you shoot through paper. The differance between a perfectly tuned bow and a semi-tuned bow can be pretty crazy. When I purchased my first BowTech I had the help of a great guy when it came to tuning the bow. He set everything up for me and then had me do the shooting while tuning. When we were finished we stepped outside and did some shooting in his yard and that good tune job took my shooting to a new level. Like is said, it might not be needed, but it can't hurt to check, and if it is needed it will save you alot of headaches.
GMMAT and Buck Magnet, THanks for the input, I do trully appreciate it. I will take my bow to the shop and get it checked. I'm shooting 350 arrows In the St. Epic and the Carbon Express...the Walmart arrows have a 4 digit # that I simply don't remember....but there was a chart and I got the ones that matched my bow. The Broadheads that came with my bow were the blue sonic 100's made by American. I could not get them to fly worth a dang. Thus I went to the expandables. We will see what the deal is...but my bet is my bow is tuned and that either the broadheads aligned with the fletching helps or it doesn't....but Montecs on Preditor w/2 inch blazers hit exactly were my walmart Wolverines with field tips and my ST Epic with Rages do. I do shoot and practice at different ranges....anywhere from 10-30 yards and an occasionall 40 yard shot....but my normal daily routinge of 50 shots for fun/practise is generally done from the ground at 20 or so yards...it is not measured, and from my deck which is about 15' high.... SB
How would a person go about tuning a 4 blade BH to their 3 fletches? A 2 blade BH to their 3 fletches? A 3 blade BH to their 4 fletches? Yes, I know, rhetorical question but something you may want to ask the guy at your shop. Also, tuning the arrow is not aligning blades with vanes. It is adjusting the shaft length and weight on either end to achieve the proper dynamic spine.
Dayum fellas..... My bow shoots great and montecs are 3 blade and they shoot just like a field point in predator 28" arrows w/ 2" fletching. I'm just sayin.
GMMAT I'm with ya.....I stepped in way over my head. I was posting because when I first joined here, I mentioned that I was going to expandables because I couldn't get the Sonics to fly right...(they shot all over the place). And I got quite the scolding cause I didn't take my bow in to get tuned. I was/am pretty confident that my bow was/is in tune because it was suppose to come tuned and it shoots better than the guys bows I shoot with.....some of them shoot pricey bows, but my bow is just as quiet, just as smooth and groups very well.... So now that I switched to a fixed blade Montec, because some of the guys on here told me about it...I did...and the cool thing was I didn't think I had a problem before I shot them(thought the Sonics were bad based on what I'd seen in reviews about that head)And Now I still don't think I have a problem as they go right were I'm aiming and the penetration w/ the "practice head" is better than my buddy's real broadhead....I'm not going to say what he's shooting because I don't want to offend anyone. SB muzzy's and a Bowtech TOmcat...errr ummm never mind
SB, my buddy used a 3 blade rage hog hunting. Very impressed w/the results. Just about cut the bottom of the heart off. Just FYI.
