Flight of the arrow
05-31-2006, 02:57 PM
#3
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Flight of the arrow
Well, yes and no. It is true that some mechanical heads will fly very simular to field points. This is because they have a lower profile and wind plane less. With a fixed blade head, the bigger the blades the more the chance of wind planing. What this means is the blades are big enough that they catch air and can try and steer the arrow. This is why adequate fletching and well tuned arrows are a must for hunting.
However, getting mechanical heads as a reason not to fine tune you bow and arrows is not the best idea. While they may impact with your field points or very simular that does not mean your arrows are actually flying better. They just have less of an effect on the head while in flight. The problem is mechanicals need a well tuned arrow in order to function well on game. If your arrows or bow are not tuned well and they do not fly true you will lose performance when the head enters your game.
This is sometimes the cause when you hear people complain about poor performance with mechanical heads. Chances are they are either not shooting enough KE for the head to work properly, or the arrows do not fly true causing the heads to not function the best they can.
I am personally not a huge fan of the spitfires. They are a good head, I just don't like the friction opening design. It takes a bit more energy to operate them I feel. Not a big deal if you have it to spare, but I don't. I like the Nail Drivers and Snyper types better.
There are so many choices in fixed blade heads now that you should not have a problem finding one that flies well. Mechanicals were not designed as an alternitive to tuning your bow. They were designed to shoot a larger cutting head with less wind plaining problems, like 1 1/2 to 2 inch cut I think.
Look for posts from a member named 5shot. He tests many different broad heads and rates them. He has a website as well with all his findings, I don't recall the name or addy though.
Paul
However, getting mechanical heads as a reason not to fine tune you bow and arrows is not the best idea. While they may impact with your field points or very simular that does not mean your arrows are actually flying better. They just have less of an effect on the head while in flight. The problem is mechanicals need a well tuned arrow in order to function well on game. If your arrows or bow are not tuned well and they do not fly true you will lose performance when the head enters your game.
This is sometimes the cause when you hear people complain about poor performance with mechanical heads. Chances are they are either not shooting enough KE for the head to work properly, or the arrows do not fly true causing the heads to not function the best they can.
I am personally not a huge fan of the spitfires. They are a good head, I just don't like the friction opening design. It takes a bit more energy to operate them I feel. Not a big deal if you have it to spare, but I don't. I like the Nail Drivers and Snyper types better.
There are so many choices in fixed blade heads now that you should not have a problem finding one that flies well. Mechanicals were not designed as an alternitive to tuning your bow. They were designed to shoot a larger cutting head with less wind plaining problems, like 1 1/2 to 2 inch cut I think.
Look for posts from a member named 5shot. He tests many different broad heads and rates them. He has a website as well with all his findings, I don't recall the name or addy though.
Paul
05-31-2006, 03:16 PM
#4
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location:
Posts: 13,082
RE: Flight of the arrow
Paul is dead on. They don't fly better at all, if your bow isn't properly tuned. Speed is a huge hinderance to some fixed blade heads, especially the "older" style, large heads. By "old" style, I mean heads that have been around for years, the Razorbak for instance, when bow speeds weren't what they are today. The faster the arrow the more prominent the wind planing.
If you are shooting a fast bow, make darn sure it is properly tuned, ie. shooting perfect bullet holes through paper. Then find a good set of low profile fixed blade heads, such as, but not limited to, Magnus Stinger (my personal favorite), Sonic, Slick Tricks and the like. Now, I do keep mechanicals in my quiver, but I use them for turkeys.
Let's not forget, while we're tuning that bow, let's also tune our arrows. What I mean is, rotate the insert so that w/ a BH attached there is ABSOLUTELY NO WOBBLE! If the arrow comes off of the bow wobbling, it's already having to play catch up. Once that BH gets to girating, there's not much going to bring it back.
If you are shooting a fast bow, make darn sure it is properly tuned, ie. shooting perfect bullet holes through paper. Then find a good set of low profile fixed blade heads, such as, but not limited to, Magnus Stinger (my personal favorite), Sonic, Slick Tricks and the like. Now, I do keep mechanicals in my quiver, but I use them for turkeys.
Let's not forget, while we're tuning that bow, let's also tune our arrows. What I mean is, rotate the insert so that w/ a BH attached there is ABSOLUTELY NO WOBBLE! If the arrow comes off of the bow wobbling, it's already having to play catch up. Once that BH gets to girating, there's not much going to bring it back.
