A Little Info on Trad Broadheads

Almost without fail, when I post something about my stone arrowheads on any Facebook group, I will get several comments about them being too heavy. As an FYI, these are some store bought broadheads specifically for traditional bows. My bow is long (68”) and heavy (90+ lbs). I have a feeling that most bow hunters don’t shoot heavy longbows and don’t really know how they “work”. So…here you go.

watched a video where a guy was shooting stone points against steel points.

Didn't mention his draw weight but IIRC it wasn't an overly heavy draw, probably in the mid 50# range.


Anyway, he was shooting his arrows into a fresh killed deer carcass and the stone points penetrated just as well as the steel points.





On another note, what benefit have you seen by shooting that heavy of a bow? Like most things, it seems draw weight has gotten lighter over the years with many hunting now with 40# bows as a standard acceptable weight. Is that a weight you can comfortably shoot or is it more like a snap shot ( not critical of snap shooting as it can be extremely accurate for some people ) ?


I would imagine a 90# longbow with a appropriate weight arrow and a 275 grain broadhead would blow thru most anything. On that note, what arrow material do you use to get to an acceptable weight?

I bought this bow from Dan Quillian years ago. He was going to build me a 70 pound bow but ran out of time and had this bow on hand. He said I’d have no trouble shooting it and he was right. I make one slow draw and when my thumb touches the corner of my mouth, I release. I guess you’d call that a snap shot but my “aiming” is done before I begin to draw. I can shoot it easily for an hour with no problem. If a person doesn’t shoot a bow like this, they would think it’s harder than it is. And I have to say…trad shooters aren’t at all concerned about current trends in archery. We stubbornly refuse to buy into the latest greatest fads. What I use works and that’s good enough for me. That’s a good video. I use full length, compressed, tapered white cedar shafts spined at 95-100. I shoot full length because if I have to replace a point, I lose about 3/4” off the shaft. And a couple of inches shorter doesn’t affect the flight.

Oh how I wish that was true.......some of the groups I'm a member of on FB is nothing but fad driven.


You gotta stick with what works and not try an re-invent the wheel.....these methods have been proven now for centuries

^^^^^

I don't consider it 'snap' shooting. That is the same method I've used for over 50 years of traditional bow-hunting. TRUE instinctive shooting doesn't require you to 'anchor' the draw. Once you've hit the corner of your mouth (or other spot) its time to release. All the calculations have been done in your brain and waiting or adjusting can add nothing to it IMO.

For those who 'sight down the arrow' maybe...but that isn't instinctive shooting.

All of my bows are 70 # at my draw length (33")...yeah I know. So I shoot uncut arrow shafts. I like hardrock maple when I can get it. My finished arrows will weigh 700-750 grains. You won't hear anything but a muffled 'thuump' from my bow. Your arrows don't have to be fast if they are quiet.

Quiet trumps fast for sure. But all the guys boasting heavy heads, none of that existed back in the early years. Ashbey started all the heavy head and high FoC stuff.
Most set ups used to have 125 grain heads on them. Aluminum arrows were king for a long time. They still work BTW.

Exactly. I’m concentrating on the point of impact to the degree that I get tunnel vision. I never take my eye off of it through the draw and release. It’s still almost magical to see the arrow impact right there. I’m not knocking the modern shooters. I shot 3D a LOT years ago with a compound but, for me, it quit being about the sport and became all about tuning and accessories. I used to play a game with my modern friends where we’d turn our backs on the target, my wife would move it to an unknown place/range, and we’d turn and shoot. The first arrow on target won. I could turn and release in a few seconds. The modern guy was still trying to calculate range so he could pick a pin, get drawn, sight through his peep, get on target, and fire. It’s not really relative to hunting but it was a fun game.

Actually, these were the early years of archery. 😁



In my experience through 40+ Years of archery and 30 years of flintknapping, most anybody can make most anything work if they put in the time and effort. It’s all about what you want out of it and it’s all good.

Yep!

Those are just cool.

Funny how they did it without an arrow scale, spine tester, taper tool, fancy glues, or weight forward calculator.

Experience is the best teacher, especially for those that can learn from their mistakes and are willing to be taught by others that have been there and done that successfully.

Well yeah but success for the original bowhunter ment living another day.

I love this so much. I spent pretty much all of my free time over the past 2 weeks trying to tune my compound and my arrows, to get to where I could shoot 25 yards on a single pin sight with a high FOC 670 grain arrow and make my field points and broadheads hit the same POI.

Kind of makes me wonder, if I spent that time practicing with a traditional bow, of it would of got me to the same place.

For me, compound shooting is 10x’s easier than shooting a trad bow.

But, it’s extremely satisfying when everything clicks and you start making accurate shots.


I’ve heard it said before but it’s a very accurate analogy, that comparing a compound bow to a trad bow is like comparing a spinning rod to a fly rod.

Yeah they say traditional is the simple way. That's a load of HS. Compound tuning is easy. Compound shooting is easy if I go buy a new compound I can shoot it at the shop, they will cut the arrows, in a couple shots I'll be paper tuned and I can go kill with it that afternoon. Try that with a new trad bow

Trad is simple. That’s why I love it. Easy? Hell no, there is nothing easy about it.

I started shooting trad in July of 21’ and JUST NOW gotten confident in my shooting. Just like golf, it’s a mental game as much as it is physical

It is way easier to shoot a compound bow with a sight and mechanical release. It feels almost like shooting a rifle, but you really can’t compare bow hunting to gun hunting either.

Fixed it for you

What is a crossbow? You must be talking about a crossgun.

Which type of bow is “ easier” to shoot is very much an individual thing. Some people can’t get the hang of a compound and some can’t shoot traditional. Neither person is any smarter or more skilled than the other; it’s a matter of what feels right to you. I shot a compound for a lot of years for fun, for hunting, and in competitions. I ended up messing up my left shoulder to the point that after I drew, I had to wait for it to pop backwards before I could aim. That doesn’t happen with my longbow. Simple? It’s very simple to me. It’s just like throwing a football or baseball. Some people can knock a can over with a ball and some can’t hit a bale of hay with one. Here’s a few pics. My quiver, my bow, my arrow rest, my silencers, and my knuckle tension release. Tuning? Which component is adjustable? 😁👴🏻✌🏻

Yep, keep it simple and practice.

I can definitely appreciate the simpler approach, and reliance on discipline and skill. I love you guys bows. Simple and elegant.

I feel like my setup is simple but brutish. But I love my bow

This is such a cool thread. I love some of the stone work shown here. Incredible.

Beautifully knapped heads, there PrimitiveHunter, and they look very well matched. From Texas flint or chert? Have you ever worked with footed shafts?
In a former life in Oregon, I turned a lot of lovely obsidian into useless chips and shards, with almost nothing to show for it, so I greatly admire your work.

Thank you. Yes they are Texas chert. I live just outside of Georgetown TX so that’s my rock of choice. When you get started knapping, you have to have 2 things…determination and acceptance of failure. In time, the first one will reduce the second one. I’ve been knapping for 25+ years and still blow one up ever so often. Obsidian is nice material. I’m waiting on some Mexican Velvet and Lassen Creek right now.

Here’s a few pics. My quiver, my bow, my arrow rest, my silencers, and my knuckle tension release. Tuning? Which component is adjustable? 😁👴🏻✌🏻


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I kind of thought I’d get an answer on this. There actually is a tuning adjustment shown in this pic.

it's the string

Winner winner chicken dinner!

i agree with this post, know your bow and your arrow and pratice and it will all work out!