What do you think is wrong here?
 

I've got a question here about broadhead flight. Please bear with me, this post could be rather long.

This year is my fourth as a bowhunter. I get help from the local bow shop with technical aspects - they help me paper tune, they build my arrows and tune my broadheads. I'm not a tech wizard.

My problem is that my broadheads never fly to the same tight groups as my field points. I used NAP T-heads the first two years, Muzzy 100s the next, and this year I'm trying G5 B-52s. In all cases, my broadheads have hit well within 3 inches of my fieldpoint center, but each arrow/broadhead combo flies to its own unique spot.

This year, I have three arrows that impact 2 inches off at 3 o'clock, one impacts 2 1/2 inches off at 2 o'clock, another 3 inches off at 11 o'clock, and the sixth hits 4 inches off at 7 o'clock. What I have resorted to is choosing an arrow, and sighting in for THAT arrow. If it breaks in season, I nudge my sights to center for arrow #2, and so on. This situation is obviously not ideal. Again, this year's shoot was with 2-blade B-52s. Last year with Muzzy 3-blades the results were substantially similar.

I really make a big project out of this process. I shoot each broadhead 15 times at 20 yards, measure each shot to the quarter-inch, and record the shots on graph paper. I then determine the arrow's "center hit" by taking the median of the 15 shots.

I don't think tuning is my problem. I have paper tuned with field points each year, and shoot perfect holes. I'm getting no vane contact. Everything looks good.

My setup: Matthews MQ-32, 30 inch draw length, 55 lb. draw weight, ICS Beman Hunter arrows, 100 grain broadheads, total weight 438 grains. I shoot with a release.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

hmmm...curious...are you spined correctly? have you spin-tested your arrows?

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Exactly what I was gonna say, spine and spin test. Sounds like your broadheads are not sitting sqaurely on the shaft. Have you spun the arrow to check for b-head wobble, nock wobble? If it wobbles AT ALL, spin the insert in the arrow 1/4 turn at a time until there is no visible wobble. Also, what size and type fletching are you using. You may not have enough fletch to stabilize the b-head. Also, straight fletch or helical may make a difference. If you are having any fletching contact with your rest, you will have trouble. I feel like it IS a tuning problem of some sort.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Are you shooting straight or helical fletching?If your shooting straight fletching I would try going to helical.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

According to the charts, I am spined correctly, and I'm not on any borderlines. I'm using the mid-spine for ICS Bemans.

Spin testing is one of the things my bowshop does for me; I've watched them do it.

My vanes are either straight or minimally helical.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

well, those were my first guesses...[&:]

as other's have mentioned earlier, this would be my next guess...i would try maybe more helical with my fletching...what size fletching are you using?

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Go helical. Feathers. If you are currently using 3 inch, go 4 inch. If you are currently using 4 inch, go 5 inch. I will say, tho, the only problem with helical fletching is rest contact. If you are using a prong style rest, you will most likely have some contact on a hard helical. If this is the case, go to a drop away, or a whisker biscuit. Good luck. You will get it tho.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

one thing is for sure, i certainly would not accept this kind of flight...[:'(] there are just too many variables in bowhunting, and i want to be able to eliminate as many variables as i can, including the flight of my arrows. i want to feel confident that my arrows will impact where i aim...

keep at it, and i'm sure you'll solve the problem.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Hmmm... not much to add to the previous suggestions. They're all on the money. Short of actually seeing you shoot the bow itself, I'd cull the "bad" arrows from your quiver and look to micro tuning. If you're arrows spin true, yet still see erratic flight, try powder testing. Was this a new or a used bow? Did the shop know what they were doing when they timed it or did the 17 year old pimply face kid with the summer job and the Fast and Furious Honda Civic parked outside put your bow in the press? Short of having a major problem, (bad riser, leaning axle, worn bushings), your bow should not be this hard to tune for the hunting heads. Check your timing and go from there... some broadheads will really fly poorly if the bow is out of time, even if the field points still group ok.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Thanks everyone for the responses. I'll be running up to the bow shop tomorrow and laying out the problem for them, and some of your ideas will give me some ammo. Thanks.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Lets see , you've got 5 arrows that are sort of close ,not close enough , but are very cosistant in that each particular arrow hits the same spot each time . Conclusion , junk arrows . Get some allunimun or acc arrows that are spined correctly and have enough fletch on them , ie 5 inches . Get a half dozen if you dont want a full dozen , and Ill bet your groups get closer together .

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Ammo? When you are going to the pro shop? If they knew what they were doing, you wouldn't need any of this info. If they can't figure it out on their own then you need to go to a different pro shop!

That is why it is called a PRO shop!

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

I've got some good news. I dug in and did a few more hours of shooting. I find this "broadhead battle" very tedious. Anyhow, I had a dozen arrows built for me back in May, and then bought 6 of the B-52 heads. I had the bowshop tune the broadheads onto 6 arrows that gave me the narrowest range of weights, all within a grain. Anyhow, in desperation I pulled out the other six arrows and started switching broadheads around. In the end, I got the two worst fliers of the original six matched up with arrows that flew well. I now have four arrows that fly to a "median group" under an inch, with the fifth and sixth arrows each grouping within 1 1/2" of the center. I wore out my block target; after about 200 hits it's starting to let arrows all the way through. I've got the second biggest model.

Ijimmy, I wonder what kind of carbon arrows you'd recommend. Mine are ICS Bemans.

Interestingly, Bow and Arrow mag came out with an article on arrow spine tolerance in their latest issue. I just bought it and read it about 4 times. While they show pictures of the ICS Beman arrow in the article, when they get to their fancy test, they don't include that arrow. Anyhow, the article says that spine consistency is the most important component to arrow accuracy, and that many/most carbon shafts aren't up to standard.

I'm very open to trying a different shaft NEXT year. I don't think I'd do well with aluminum, just because mentally, well I'll just say it, I'm kind of a spazz where archery is concerned. (I'll never admit to saying this if anyone ever throws it back in my face on another post!) I think the possibility that a shaft could get bent would absolutely make a nervous wreck of me. Every time I shot a bad arrow, I'd be convinced it was bent, then the target tension would kick in, and pretty soon I'd be convinced the whole stinking lot was bent. Then I'd toss my bow AND my nine-iron in the nearest body of water! Actually, I don't own a nine-iron, but you get the point.

RE: What do you think is wrong here?
 

Check out my tuning section on my website. It should offer some help as to what may be the problem
http://www.broadheadtests.com/TUNING.html