Got a quick question for you guys. First let me give you all a little background so you can better answer my question.
I shot a doe back in October. Clean pass through, double lung shot, couldnt have asked for anything better. Retrieved the arrow and broadhead, both ingood condition. Well we sharpened the broadhead a bit cause it did stick in the ground. I got a new crossbow for Christmas, and am trying to take another doe, so i figured i would just use the same one i took my other one wiht. So i have been sighting my new bow in with that broadhead and arrow and have shot it into a foam target around 10 or so times? It still flies true so there is nothing wrong with it. I need to resharpen it i think. So my question is how much would it take to return it to "razor sharp" I'll be using a G5 broadhead sharpener. Also how could i test its shaprness??
Some guys will only use a broadhead once, but if you do choose to reuse one then G5 makes a great sharpener, I do not own one but I have seen it in action.
As far as determining your current state of sharpness there is always the thumbnail test, cut lightly into your thumbnail, if it shaves then you are good to go!
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A bowhunter with a passion for firearms
Exocet 200
The G5 is a nice start, then take an aarkansas stone and polish the edge till when you shave the hair of the back of your hand it pops off and dont drag. Lee
yeah, what type of broadhead would be the big question...
I havent used a fixed blade BH since I had my recurve, I ran the two blade zwickey's with that setup, but thats been years ago, and those usually required a sharpening to even be useful...
after they've been through a hard impact I always just swap out the blades on the replaceable blade BHs I use even if they look alright, it doesnt take much side force to stress those hardened steel blades and I dont want one to snap offprematurely and/or fail during another impact
however, I know guys that shoot the same broadhead(s) over and over without much more than a cleaning off and they dont seem to have a problemkilling deer repeatedly with them, so its all in how you want to look at it I guess...
I like hanging on to the old B-Heads and arrows. But with the Tekans I have been using I will practice with them and then sharpen on a flat Diamond stone until they shave the hair on my air with little pressure, then pop new slider blades in for the hunt. With a good stone and it does not take much time at all.
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Hunting is like Marriage, you get out of it what you put in it. Sometimes you score and sometimes you don't, but its always fun going out!
I would visually check the broadhead, and all components for any damage and check and the arrow in a spin tester with the broadhead attached. If it passed the visual and spin test I would then shoot it at varies hunting ranges to determine accuracy.
If it does not pass any one of the test, I would discard it. If it passes all the test I would sharpen it as the final step after it has been shot in any target.
This is what I do before each hunting season:
I weigh all my broadheads and all components and assemble the ones which are the closest in weight.
Then I weight the final arrow with all components in place to assure I have at least 6 arrows within 3 grains.
Next I number the them for idenification and test them on the spin tester to assure each broadhead is seated properly, thus no wobble.
Finally I take them to the range to shoot, Shoot a few arrows for sight adjustments and make a chart for each numbered arrow and record the result of each arrow individually.
At this point I replace the blades with new blades and put the arrows which perform best in my quiver and store the remainder in a safe place.
I use NAP spitfire mechanicals and have used the same one on 4 different deer. I change one OF the blades if it get outta shap in any manner.
After a kill, I take them apart,clean, wash really good,put a drop of oil on them and wipe it off.then I have a diamond plated finger nail file.it sharpens them with ease.I hit them until they shave with no resistants.put them into the carbon arrow and into the quiver.ready for the hunt.
"IF IT DOESN'T SHAVE CLEANLY,I DON'T PUT IT INTO AN ARROW PEROID".
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I am not a hunter ; I am a whitetail population reduction specialest
remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.
Look at it with a loupe. Anything other than a straight perfecly sharp line is dull. Blades tend to dull by rolling over slightly. A few swipes of a carbide sharpener will sharpen enough for a broadhead. Then check again. also, run your finger off the edge, opposite of cutting on both sides to check for a burr.
Broadhead Shaprness Question
