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Broadhead orientation

floydfreak

floydfreak

Active Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2019
Messages
134
Location
Ontario, Canada
This is my first time building arrows. Just picked up a pack of Grizzlystik Maasi's and I'm not really sure how to orientation them.

My plans was to nock tune the arrows without having the inserts glued in until everything was flying perfect. Then once they were tuned Fletch the arrows and finally install the inserts with the Broadhead pointing straight up.

I've seen videos where guys install their inserts first testing for true spin and then nock tuning. Wouldn't this end up with you having boeadheads pointing in every direction?

Apologies if this is a dumb question but I've searched high and low and can't seem to find a straight answer.
 
Uniform broadhead orientation was/is mainly a thing with trad bows because of the wild paradox of the arrow coming out of the bow. Large fixed blade heads would react the same when catching the same air leaving the bow.

It's typically not an issue with the much stiffer arrows and cleaner flight from modern compounds.

Maybe use a very low temp hot melt on the inserts, then go back and epoxy them in once you're satisfied with nock orientation.
 
I've watched all the Ranch Fairy stuff and it was actually a podcast that he was recently on that made me question which way my broadheads should be orientated.

I just found it weird that out of my 3 hunting arrows there is a potential for all 3 broadheads to align differently. I'm not concerned about the visual aspect, just want to make sure they are all gonna fly the same.
 
With a properly tuned setup, broadhead orientation should have no effect on arrow flight with a modern compound bow and an arrow that spins straight. If there is a difference in flight it could be a whole myraid of things including but not limited to:
  • arrow/broadhead straightness (does the arrow spin true?)
  • bow tuning (is it really tuned?)
  • grip torque (are you squeezing the life out of your riser?)
I can slap any one of my broadheads (assuming its straight) onto any one of my arrows (verified straight on arrow spinner) and get it to group with my field points regardless of orientation.
 
floydfreak said:
This is my first time building arrows. Just picked up a pack of Grizzlystik Maasi's and I'm not really sure how to orientation them.

My plans was to nock tune the arrows without having the inserts glued in until everything was flying perfect. Then once they were tuned Fletch the arrows and finally install the inserts with the Broadhead pointing straight up.

I've seen videos where guys install their inserts first testing for true spin and then nock tuning. Wouldn't this end up with you having boeadheads pointing in every direction?

Apologies if this is a dumb question but I've searched high and low and can't seem to find a straight answer.
Click to expand...

people will spin broadheads/inserts to get the position with the least wobble

I’ve found that if properly tuned that broadheads orientation makes no difference because you tune so that the broadhead is not windplaning

this has also been tested (don’t have reference)

however when I shot a traditional bow without sights I kept my broadhead orientation consistent so that my sight picture at full draw was the same
 
I shoot three blades and I try to keep the "cockblade" not pointing straight down because I have a habit especially wearing gloves where my pointer finger can be imperiled by that. My old man about cut his finger off that way when I was little.
 
floydfreak said:
This is my first time building arrows. Just picked up a pack of Grizzlystik Maasi's and I'm not really sure how to orientation them.

My plans was to nock tune the arrows without having the inserts glued in until everything was flying perfect. Then once they were tuned Fletch the arrows and finally install the inserts with the Broadhead pointing straight up.

I've seen videos where guys install their inserts first testing for true spin and then nock tuning. Wouldn't this end up with you having boeadheads pointing in every direction?

Apologies if this is a dumb question but I've searched high and low and can't seem to find a straight answer.
Click to expand...
It is not a stupid question whatsoever and although I do believe that the most critical issue is that your broadheads are mounted square and concentric to the shaft so they spin perfectly when testing them with an arrow spinner, I am somewhat OCD about this and always like my broadheads to align with my fletches ( I use three blade VAP 150's). You can use the Bohning cool melt for your inserts so you can spin them once you have your shafts nock tuned. An alternative is the use of Zinger fletches or FOB's. so once you are nock tuned and your broadheads are mounted, you just have to slide on your zingers the way you need them to maintain clearance from the cables or your rest (if it isn't a dropaway). The zingers make this super easy to do so you get everything else lined up and then install your fletchings last.
 
I wanted to add I also saw on the youtube channel Bowhunting Soul where he uses just plain "glue gun" glue or hobby glue for his inserts and had had no problems and it is easier to work with then Fer-L-Tite (hotmelt). I would never use epoxies or anything as I want to be able to remove those expensive ethics SS inserts if I want or to move them around if I switch to a different rest or whatever.
 
woodsdog2 said:
I wanted to add I also saw on the youtube channel Bowhunting Soul where he uses just plain "glue gun" glue or hobby glue for his inserts and had had no problems and it is easier to work with then Fer-L-Tite (hotmelt). I would never use epoxies or anything as I want to be able to remove those expensive ethics SS inserts if I want or to move them around if I switch to a different rest or whatever.
Click to expand...
Same thing I do too and it's super cheap. I don't even have a glue gun. A plumber's soldering torch or a regular old lighter works great to heat it up enough to dab on the insert. Something similar to this: https://www.menards.com/main/paint/...ot-melt-glue-sticks/dt-20/p-1444430626789.htm
 
I'm not a good enough shooter to know if broadhead orientation makes a difference or not. But, I have killed 280 deer with a bow (175 with a compound and 105 with a recurve). And, all I've ever done is screw a sharp broadhead on and shoot it. I believe a lot of guys go to a lot of trouble to make something simple seem difficult.
 
WHW said:
I'm not a good enough shooter to know if broadhead orientation makes a difference or not. But, I have killed 280 deer with a bow (175 with a compound and 105 with a recurve). And, all I've ever done is screw a sharp broadhead on and shoot it. I believe a lot of guys go to a lot of trouble to make something simple seem difficult.
Click to expand...
Don't know why I hadn't connected the dots before with who you are, but I just want to say I really enjoyed your podcast with Zach from THP!
 
TNbowhunter said:
Don't know why I hadn't connected the dots before with who you are, but I just want to say I really enjoyed your podcast with Zach from THP!
Click to expand...
Can you share the link to that podcast? I'd like to listen to it.
 
WHW said:
Thank You, I appreciate you taking the time to listen. I'm a huge fan of THP..... so it was an honor to be considered as a guest.
Click to expand...
Some of my favorite THP podcasts are of you going over your hunt logs. I'm looking to try the drop a leaf kill a deer tactic you discussed, I hope to someday be half the hunter you are. I look forward to future episodes of your stories. Thank you good sir!
 
just to give you even more confusion to the conversation, I present spinning inserts, haha, I got a set of the adjustable weight ones to play with on the next arrow build
ethicsarchery.com

The Advantages of Spinning Inserts and Spin Points

Unmatched accuracy - Spinning the arrow faster stabilizes it much more quickly than a static insert arrow. Arrows fly flatter - A faster arrow creates more lift, making arrows fly flatter. Greater arrow spin rate - Arrows spin approximately twice as fast, due to not having to spin all the FOC...
ethicsarchery.com ethicsarchery.com
 
After 35 years of bow hunting with compound bows from York, PSE, Golden Eagle, High Country, Hoyt, Bowtech, Elite, and Darton, FB/BH from Rocky Mountain, Nap T-Heads, Sullivan, Slick Trick, Muzzy, few I forget and Wasp, Shoot around, through and now drop away rests, single jaw, rope and duel jaw release aids from True Fire, Scott, Fletcher, Tru ball and Cabela's DIY three and four fletched arrows with fletching's from Flexflex, Bohning, FOB and Fuzion I have come to the inescapable conclusion we bow hunters WAAAAAAAAAAAY, WAAAAAAAY over complicate things.
Get your bow tuned, get good shooting form down stone cold, use properly splined sufficiently heavy arrows with BH's that spin test perfect and practice practice practice and stop chasing the "next big thing" in archery.

I will add one thing, I can only speak to arrow speeds under 270fps and regularly practicing to 50 yards as that's the farthest range I can use with regularity. For those wanting to shoot much faster and farther than that I suspect are likely to be different.

As far as the Ranch Fairy go's and I sincerely means this, no disrespect meant in the slightest and I have no doubt what so ever he knows where of he speaks but his videos are to animated IMHO and distract for his instructing.
 
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If the arrows is coming off the bow like it is supposed to and the arrow spins true then it shouldn't matter in the least imo.
 
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