broadhead mounting

[coachdog]

Hey all,

I've got my broadheads on order, now I'm wondering how to mount them. They are 2 blade Magnus II's. Should I mount them so the blades are vertically oriented (12 o'clock/6o'clock), horizontal, ###or other? It seems vertical ###would be right, but I don't know why I think that. Please advise, thanks a ### lot!

[Grey Taylor]

It doesn't matter a bit. ###Some people like them one way and others like them the other. ###I'd suggest you do them all the same so your sight picture doesn't change from one arrow to another.

Personally, I like them vertical so the broadhead blade doesn't obstruct my view... but that's just me.

Guy

[Speckmisser]

Coachdog,

From another newbie who is using the same broadheads... ###I mounted a half-dozen for practice (I bought a dozen.. six for practice and six to sharpen for the real thing) and played with all kinds of different orientations (read, haphazard). ###Nothing really made much difference in how they shot. ###Or at least not that I could tell.

I decided to mount my hunting arrows vertically, because it seems to give me the best picture when I shoot. ###But like Guy said, I really think it's whatever you get used to. ###

By the way, when I first got them, they seemed to shoot a lot different than my field points. ###But now when I go out there and shoot, I can mix the quiver and shoot pretty much the same with both. ###At any rate, if you haven't been shooting them, make sure you get out there and sling 'em for a while before you go hunting. ###

[PowDuck]

I mounted my Zwickey Eskimos horizontally. Mostly from advice on O.L.Adcock's tuning page
Arrow Tuning - O.L.Adcock (http://bowmaker.net/tuning.htm)

In the broadhead tuning section (bottom of page) he gives these reasons for mounting the way he does:
"In theory, the orientation of the blades to the fletching or your sight window should make no difference but....I feel they should at least all be the same from arrow to arrow and I mount 2 bladed heads horizontal and 3 bladed heads "V" up. I do this for two reasons, most folks mess up a release more often than any other mistake. This results in more side to side "kick" than normal and a 2 bladed heads mounted horizontal will not plane as badly, arrow rotation due to helical fletching starts slowly so the arrow is flying for several feet before full rotation starts. The other reason I mount my heads this way is I don't like anything sticking up into my sight picture that isn't there normally when I'm practicing with field tips. Let's get shootin... "

Like he said, the release is mostly what I will screw up. It doesn't seem that I even notice the broadhead anymore. That's all I shoot now; no field tips. The thing flies like a dart, maybe even better than my field tips.

Of course, you'll get several different opinions from several different people. Kind of like asking what the best bow is. What he said made sense to me and I need all the help I can get knowing that IF I get a chance to stare at the broad side of a bull elk that's just one more little tip of the scale in my favor.

Good luck. Keep 'em flying.

[coachdog]

Thanks you guys!

I knew I could count on you. I think what I'll do is try a few vertical and a few horizontal and see how they fly. Seems there's good arguments for both ways so I might as well give 'em both a shot. Now I've just got to find a 3-D broadhead shoot in the area to see what works.
Thanks again!

coachdog

[hickstick]

are you glueing on wood or mounting on inserts for screw-in? ###if on wood, you can always tweak them later with a little heat and a twist. ###good luck wiht the magnus head...they are awsome!

Speck? ###why practice with head you aren't going to use? ###You need to get used to sharpening anyway, stick with the ones already mounted and sharpen them up before heading out. ###they are very durable heads so you shouldn't have to worry about performance or anything.

[Speckmisser]

Hickstick,

You're right on, and I do shoot some practice with my "hunting arrows" to make sure they shoot the same as the others. But after a few days of 100 shots, both the fletching and the broadheads get pretty beat up, so I prefer to keep a set of arrows and broadheads in good condition (my hunting arrows), and keep a set of beaters for stump shooting and playing in the back yard. So out of 100 arrows a day, probably 90 of them are the beaters, and the rest are some shots with the good arrows. I sharpen up on Fridays before I head into the woods to hunt.

My original half-dozen "practice arrows" has dwindled to three useable arrows. I've shot the nock off of one, and bent two (a square hit on a big rock is bad news!). The fletchings on two of the three are clipped and ragged, and one of them is starting to pull off altogether. I've also lost a four broadheads in the haybales when they pulled off of the ferrules (I contacted Magna and they said just send in the box and a note telling what happened and they'll replace them). I like knowing that I still have a half-dozen that are still in really good condition during hunting season.

[hickstick]

yah, I know what you mean. I just lost a magnus in the hill I use as a backstop. Glanced of the back of the 3d deer and into the hill, hitting a rock. Snapped the woody off right behind the head. but the good thing about woodies is I can just retaper it and mount another head (as long as the shaft is long enough and it doesn't effect the spine too much).

[Speckmisser]

Hickstick,

After hunting season, I think I'm going to experiment with wood arrows (also gonna learn to fletch and crest my own). Should I expect to see a lot of difference over these aluminums I'm shooting now?

[hickstick]

not sure. its been a few years since I even touched any aly shaft. one thing you'll notice pretty quick is that woodies aren't as particular about straightness as compaired to alluminium. I make my own shafts from bamboo tomato stakes sometimes (martha stewart/k-mart brand) and its absolutely impossible to get them straight, but they still fly true. I also shoot cedar and lodgepole pine, and they fly well. once aly shafts bend (from what I remember) you gotta throw them out or by a shaft straightener, cause they won't fly well.

but alluminium is much more consistent in weight and spine, compaired to wood. the main reason I switched from aly to wood, is that its bad MOJO to touch a selfbow with an aluminium shaft http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/afraid_face.gif plus, it just doesn&#39;t &#39;look&#39; right IMO

Marc

[Grey Taylor]

Speckmisser, just to capitalize on something Hickstick mentioned...

If you want to try making bamboo arrows I&#39;d suggest getting the shafts from Orchard&#39;s. The Martha Stewart sometimes have kind of a high cull rate because you&#39;re buying a bag and can&#39;t sort them until you get home. At OSH you can pick and sort since they sell the stakes by the each. The cost is slightly higher but you&#39;ll be able to use pretty much 100% of the shafts you buy. Additionally, Kmart only carries the stakes part of the year while OSH has them all year.

Guy

[Speckmisser]

Thanks for the info. After the season when I start playing with this thing, I may very well have a ton of questions on the topic. I think making my own arrows should be a blast. Next thing you know, you guys are gonna have me making my own bow!

Gotta love the new addiction.

By the way, Guy, I like that quote a lot. Where&#39;d it come from?

[Grey Taylor]

Well, I thought I got the quote out of "The Witchery of Archery," by Maurice Thompson. But thumbing through it right now I can&#39;t find it so no telling where I pulled it from. I&#39;ll keep an eye out for it and let you know if I find it again.

I&#39;m at the threshold of making my own bows. I&#39;ve got a couple hickory staves I traded for and have one of them debarked. As soon as I rig up a vice of some sort I&#39;ll get the chips flying and see what I can do. Should be fun!

Guy

[yotegetter]

Man!! Did you guys give up firearms altogether for hunting:hair-raisin: ? Just curious because I&#39;m in the beginning stages of getting into recurves for hunting.

I&#39;m not complaining, just seems like there&#39;s a lot more to bowhunting that I thought. No problem here though!

[PowDuck]

No, Yotegetter, I haven&#39;t given up firearms. Far from it. Some do though. Bow hunting is just a really fun thing to do and the seasons generally last longer, too. Here in Arkansas archery deer season goes from Oct. 1st through Feb. 28th (or 29th).

It is a bug that usually bites hard, especially when the traditional bug bites. http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smiley-ren.gif

Lots of good info here. Any way we can help just let us know.

Good luck.

[hickstick]

Yah...I basically have (given up firearms) for hunting. I still have the shotgun but never really liked lugging it through the woods anyway.

one of the main reasons I stopped hunting with firearms is I make my own bows, and it just doesn&#39;t seem right to walk out the door with something else under my arm.

another reason is I can shoot my bow in the back yard, and not have to pay mucho dues to a gun club, deal with all the political BS and infighting that goes along with it, and not have to worry about which idiot isn&#39;t following proper protocol on the firearms range.

but to each their own, and I fully support everyones right to hunt with firearms.