Broadhead Sharpness

[LostHawg]

Okay, so you've just pulled your tackle box out from under the bed and are getting ready to mount those broadheads.

You've chosen to use the old standby. A head you've had many years and it has seen action. Zwickey, Magnus, Eclipse, Bear, etc. These are all durable heads with two edges on a single piece of metal. Cut on contact.

You're setting on stand and watching a couple fawns playing near by with the quail running back and forth in and out of the tall grass occassionally rolling in the dust. The pasture is just alive with the wild antics of the animals and birds that've gone undisturbed since mid-winter.

Then HE shows up. You know it's HIM. He's got the walk, the stature, the head gear and the savvy of seasons slipping through the hunter's grasp.

You raise your bow as you pick your spot and draw to anchor. You're locked on and there's nothing between you and HIM except open air. HE lowers his head to nibble on some late fall green, onside leg forward, offside leg back. Now, he's quartered ever so slightly away and his head goes behind a paddle of prickly pear. You see fletching slip through the air and...

I once hunted with this guy who felt that a broadhead out of the package was a broadhead ready for the hunt. However, unlike that of Muzzy, Thunderhead, and others of the replaceable head design that come with a razorsharp edge the above mentioned heads require the users attention prior to the hunt. It is our responsibility as traditional hunters (as with modern hunters) to ensure our game bleeds out and expires as quickly and humanely as possibly. Just gluing on that Eskimo or Journeyman and spinning the shaft doesn't give you a huntable arrow. The broadhead HAS to be sssssssssssharp.

[LostHawg]

...as the dart impacts the tightly coiled muscle and hide you see you've made a near perfect hit. All in microseconds you're watching the flight and impact and exclaiming inside of a successful hunt. BUT, what's this? That arrow sure didn't seem to penetrate as well as I'd expected. The deer bolts in shock of the jolt just delivered to his ribcage. He runs for the nearest trail of fastest egress. You know you made a good hit, but you force yourself to sit there for the recommended 30 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile all the different though blossom through your head. Questions of if the arrow was really as good a hit as it appeared to be. 45 minutes and you can't take no more. You find the point of impact. Awesome only 12 yards. There's blood, but the dust and grass is so fine and thick dry you can't make out the quality of blood. So you track. 48 steps through the thick CRP grass and there lies your quarry, it's last breath spent.

As you field dress the deer you find to your relief, the arrow sliced through the hide, the ribs, and heart as it punched through the lungs. All veins and arteries it contacted were severed. You had done your part. Just last night you took down your file, stone and oil, or your preferred method of honing and keened the edge. A necessity of a successful hunt.

[LostHawg]

The key to bleeding is the time that it takes for the wound to recover. A keen edge will cause the would to bleed out quickly as if the body itself didn't know it were compromised.

Constantly you hear, "Which broadhead" this, or "which broadhead" that? Any broadhead will be effective providing it causes bleeding. A magnus is as effective as a zwickey, a zwickey an eclipse, a zephyr and so on. Providing the edge is sharp.

I generally use a 6" mill b* (name supressed for PC reasons) file to remove any nicks in the edge then true hone it with an Arkansas stone, using honing oil to keep the filings raised from the stone and the blade cooled. Generally come October 1 my left forearm is somewhat bare of hair where normally I can compete with the chimpanzees.

[LostHawg]

...I followed the path of the buck easily through the tall grass. The deer bled in sprays spaced about 3 feet apart. With both lungs collapsed and the inner chambers of the heart exposed, the deer quickly and humanely expired. A clean kill, tastee fare for the table.

I recommend a cut on contact broadhead. Whether you're trying for punching power to penetrate or cutting power to penetrate, the cut on contact head will do the job. Many a lightweight arrow with a chisel point will spend it's energy upon impact. A cut on contact with use the momentum of a heavy arrow and continue on despite impact. It opens itself a path to traverse through.

My Zwickey Delta entered the beast and opened both lungs. As it passed the heart it opened that as well. Any and all vessels were not pushed out of the way, but yielded to the edge.

So, sharpen your broadheads and rely on the cutting power of the cut on contact head.

[Frontloader]

Tracy

I know a sharp edge is needed. But just how long will a sharp edge stay extra sharp? The quiver will take off some of the fine edge as soon as you put the broadhead in some type of quiver. Then there is the other factor that will take off the razor sharp edge.

I always think about the ribs in the way of the heart and lungs. There is only one way in with the broadhead that the fine edge is not dulled by the ribs. There is no way to keep the broadhead edges parallel with the ribs.

So the fine scaple sharp edge is more then likely to be dulled a little as it goes in toward the heart and lungs. So, the extra work that is put in never reaches the heart.

I pose this because I want to know just how much of a sharp edge is really needed. Not trying to start anything but to get some info on how long should I work on the broadhead. Sharp or razor, scary sharp.

I get my broadheads sharp and sometimes leave the feather edge on the blade so the ribs will take it off as the arrow goes thru. Then what is left should still be sharp. No I have not tried this on myself to see what happens. Just want others opinions and thoughts on this. :)

[LostHawg]

:lol:

But, why not? Don'tcha wanna know!!! :twisted:

I get my edge shaving sharp. If you start with a shaving (not razor) sharp edge and it loses some. Isn't it better than starting with a feeling sharp edge and it loses some?

As you posed, "how much sharpness will it lose?" Well, I know that with that buck, it stayed shaving sharp on the off side. I tested it. A Zwickey Delta by the way. It busted through 4 ribs and ended by the shoulder blade binding the shaft on exit. It went through the shoulder blade. He ran 60 yards and left an awesome blood trail. Wish all my deer bled like that.

[biggen]

I am sharping disabled that's why I use replaceable blades! :oops:

[LostHawg]

Brad I saw the pic of the hog. I can understand why you use replaceable blade broadheads. More suiting for the genre. :twisted:

[proforce99]

Amen on the broadhead sharpness issue. Even the replaceable blade heads get dull and need some attention also, especially if you practice with them. You would be amazed at the hunters that come to the ranch and shoot the practice bale, then put the same arrow in their quiver to go hunting with. Then they wonder why they don't have a good blood trail and have difficulty recovering their game. I harvested a black bear in Canada that was a very steep shot angle, upon entry of what looked like good arrow placement, the arrow glanced of a rib and went almost straight down, missing the lungs. However due to a razorsharp head cutting every blood vessel it encountered, the bear was down within about 500 yards even though it didn't pass through the vitals. Without the razorsharp blades, that bear would not have been recovered.

[Graybow]

Get 'em as sharp as possible. I am trying Ribtek's this year. THEY GET SCARY SHARP. My left arm is bare, too!!

[Tomme]

A trick I picked up from Joey a couple of years back was to take one of those diamond sharpeners that Academy sells and even touch up the replaceable blades. I especially do this as the season goes along, because I find as does Frontloader that pushing them back into the quiver a bunch of times leaves me with a broadhead that's not as sharp as I want.

I agree with Biggen. I too am a lousy sharpener, but these sharpeners take out a lot of the guess work.

[LostHawg]

Tomme, I keep a file in my truck and one of those filet knife sharpeners in my backpack tied to a shoe string. The shoe string helps me to find it easily when I'm ready to use it. The sharpener I'm talking about generally comes with those filet knives you can get in the fishing section of Wal Mart. It puts a quick razor edge on most 2 blade broadheads, depending on how thick the feral is. I use Zwickeys and Ribteks and it works fine. An *Accusharp would do the job as well, but I can get a nice little filet knife and the sharpener for less than the price of the Accusharp. :idea:

[Tomme]

I'll have to try that on my Zwickey Eskimos that I use when I hunt trad. Course based on LSBA Grunts and Gobbles hunt this last spring I don't need to sharpen them at all. ... I mean really it doesn't matter if it's sharp or dull if you MISS all the time. :(

[Graybow]

Hey Tracy,

How do you like the Ribtek's? I'm taking them to Colorado in a few days. I sure like the looks of them and how sharp they get. Fly good, too.
Can't wait to try one out an a bog ol' bull!!!

[LostHawg]

Sorry I didn't reply to this. I hope you had a successful trip to CO.

I really like the ribteks. When it comes to my broadhead selection, I have a hard time choosing between them and my zwickey deltas. I like them.