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For the hunter, this is the bottom line, broadheads that
fly true and straight where you look every time! It would be nice to think that with all the tuning you have done to this
point that you could just glue on matching weight broadheads and get perfect arrow flight, that rarely happens but you should
be close! The blades of a broadhead try to plane and steer the arrow so any small tuning problems that were not detected prior
will be magnified greatly. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to shoot your broadheads and correct any flight
problems BEFORE YOU GO HUNTING WITH THEM! After tuning and practicing with your broadheads, be sure to re-sharpen them to
a razor edge. The first step in tuning your
broadheads is to go through the tuning process for your field tips, next is installing the broadheads. Straightness is a must,
spin them on a flat table or in a cresting jig to check for wobble. You can spin them on the tip but the very tip can be filed
slightly off center showing a wobble that won't cause a flight problem or vice versa. 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... Get back 20 or so yards from a suitable broadhead target and start shooting field
tips and broadheads. Our goal here is to get your broadheads and field tips grouping in the same spot. If they don't,
you will try to make adjustments in you "aiming" depending on which arrows you are shooting and that won't happen
with a case of buck fever! Take a look at the diagram below:
If most of your broadheads and field tips are grouping
together, but one broadhead strays once in awhile, check to see if it is the same one that strays. Look for mis-aligned broadhead,
nock, or bent shaft. If it's a different arrow each time that strays, slightly increase your brace height with 2 or 3
twists in your string, make small adjustments here, it usually doesn't take much. If that doesn't work, decrease the
brace height slightly. A brace height adjustment usually gets rid of occasional flyers and small spine problems caused from
tuning, but won't do much for the "human" caused flyers however. If all your broadheads are grouping together but somewhere other than with your field tips, slight nock point changes
and spine changes will bring them in. Make all adjustments one at a time and small, evaluate the results before making more
changes. If you make a change in something and things get worse, put it back and go the other way! If most of your broadheads
are shooting stiff and a brace height change doesn't work, adding a touch of lead in front of a short wood taper or broadhead
adapter should fix it, or arrows a 1/2" or so longer will soften them a little. For weak indications, going from a long
broadhead adapter to a short will knock off a few grains, shortening the shaft if it's a little too long will stiffen
it up a little too. Once you get them grouping
together at 20 yards, if you want to fine tune even better, wet the feathers of your broadheads until the feathers are matted
down, repeat the process! Having that huge buck show up with matted feathers after a rain storm, is not the time to find out
you have tuning problems!
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