Sharpening backs of broadheads

[thunnus]

I won't flatter myself and claim the idea to be mine.

Noticed Native American broadheads were sharpened "front and back" as were roman arrowheads

But people speak about wound channels and passthroughs. Hoping if the arrow doesn't exit it may continue to slice internally, if sharpened on both sides it would certainly slice w/ greater ease if not through and through.

Put an edge on my practice broadheads and will see if it makes pulling them out easier.

Have any of you tried this in the field?

[Pygmy]

Nope...It seems like it would increase the chances of accidently cutting yourself, while providing questionable advantages regarding making the broadhead more effective on game.

[philoshop]

It's not something I would do, but to each their own.

[thunnus]

Thanks guys, don't know how another edge adjacent to 2-4 sharpened blades poses significantly more danger.

I hope I never have to admit that "you told me so"

[thunnus]

It works, wrote a long story and lost it on tapatalk.

Made a poorly placed shot -that I was sincerely ashamed of - lethal.

Native Americans knew what they were doing - their lives depended on it.

Next quest is to tip the arrows w/ something that prevents deer from running far that we can ingest.

[Lawdwaz]

The pod.

Google that!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I would think the process of making and mounting the arrow heads had more to do with why they were thinned on the rear edges. whether it be flint arrow heads, thinned to more easily mount in the shaft and maybe reduce weight, or an iron Roman head that gets pounded out in the forging from the shaft to each edge. I would also think weight would have been of some concern on the iron tips. For a battle arrow head I would think they would have wanted them very difficult to pull out yet strong to pierce armor.

[thunnus]

At the most basic level I find it hard to argue for less cutting area inside an animal.

[thunnus]

The pod.

Google that!

http://books.google.com/books?id=wIW3LOy83aMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=arrow+drug+pods&source=bl&ots=tCqwpl0E5G&sig=vT_2FbJZkK5O0M9X25fSKAUvrLI&hl=en#v=onepage&q=arrow%20drug%20pods&f=false

[Doc]

Maybe if you bad the trailing edges of the blades sharpened, you might get lucky on  a marginal hit  and cut something vital while the arrow was moving around inside of a fleeing deer .... maybe. There also might be some element of humaneness involved in making the arrow come back out easier on non-lethal hits. I don't know, that's an awful lot of mights and maybes. I kind of doubt that any of the potential benefits would really be worth the added effort.

[wildcat junkie]

The pod.

Google that!

  

http://books.google.com/books?id=wIW3LOy83aMC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=arrow+drug+pods&source=bl&ots=tCqwpl0E5G&sig=vT_2FbJZkK5O0M9X25fSKAUvrLI&hl=en#v=onepage&q=arrow%20drug%20pods&f=false

I think I read that article in 1970.

Notice what kind of broad head was on the arrow?

Still one of the best.

[Doc]

  

I think I read that article in 1970.

Notice what kind of broad head was on the arrow?

Still one of the best.

About 5 years ago, I dug through my ancient collection of broadheads and refurbished a half dozen of my rusty of Bear Razorheads, and took a nice doe with one just for the sake of satisfying some nostalgic need. Yes, they could be the one broadhead that has taken the biggest percentage of deer of all the broadheads ever invented. But anyway, the old Razorhead was the workhorse of bowhunting for a whole lot of years and still is a very capable broadhead.

[dbHunterNY]

the whole blade surface is sharp on mine by design.  no need to sharpen them.  I on occasion use hell razors too though as I use them with my recurve.  I don't and have never sharpened the back sides.

[thunnus]

My shot was a responsible one (quartering away, close range) the result of the shot made me ask a hunting buddy to take my bow away for the balance of the season.

It was a marginal shot w/ a fantastic result that i attribute to the sharpened broadhead tearing things up inside.

Shot dead-on after. A left handed shooter, I fear that the puffy winter jacket I was wearing in the stand, coupled w/ the excitement of drawing on third day had string slap arm and change arrow trajectory to the right.

Through the lower back tore up femoral artery on far side (never a shot I'd wish to repeat).

Arrow snapped and burrowed deeper into deer ( 3 inches at minimum), not a drop of blood greater than 15' feet from where we found'em

[Lawdwaz]

  

I think I read that article in 1970.

 

 

I remember reading that article and others.  I was just a pup then but devoured what ever I could get my peanut & butter stained hands on..................................

 

Used those Bear heads as well as Hilbre, Howard Hill,  Zwickey, Ben Pearson etc.  I remember my good friend driving one of those Ben Pearson Deadheads up into the chest of a racoon that his dog treed in broad daylight.  Although it took about 5-6 shots to even hit it, when it did it did the job PDQ.

 

Remember the ads for Browning's Serpentine?  Try and sharpen that corkscrew! 

[Robby]

I hope this picture comes out okay, my first attempt here. These heads I forged myself, they are spade shaped and sharpened all the way around. Mounted on wood from an ash tree that I sacrificed for this purpose.

Robby

 

[Nomad]

The back side of the bleeders and main blade are sharp on Stingers. Never been a problem for me.

Edited March 28, 2015 by Larry302