Dubbya

This is just a thought I had earlier when I was shooting. Do you think that shooting with broadheads all the time can makeyou a better shooter? I was just thinking about how everything ismagnified when shooting with BH's as opposed to the more forgiving field tips. I feel that sometimes I focus more or I'm more maticulous in my shooting with BH's. This may be a bad analogy, but it kind of seems like the difference between shooting a 12ga. and a .410, they both can provide excellent results, but onehas more room for error. What do youall think?

pass_threw

yip your on to something there dwd2001
i tend to focus a lot more with broad heads. maybe for the simple reason of not wanting to miss the target and blowing money to replace the heads.
or maybe because i have to be sure they are in perfect tune for a securestate of mind.
i dunno,
but good point.

PT

Dubbya

Thanks Pass, good to know that all my pointless thinking isn't going to waste.

PABowhntr

I would definitely agree. Shooting with exposed blade broadheads may not only make you focus more but it also allows for you to obtain a better tune on your bow. This is an essential, in my opinion, part of our sport.

bigbulls

I don't think it makes you a better shot because if you suck then you suck. If you are good then you are good. However it does tend to make a person "pay attention" more to exactly what they are doing when they are shooting broadheads.

Kind of like shooting a rifle for tight groups. You pay attention to your breathing, grip, trigger control, shooting form, etc... etc...

With actual hunting equipment you try to take out as many variables, or at least try to control them, so that you can see what your killing equipment is really capable of. If you are sloppy and not concentrating then you really don't know if your screwing up is you or the equipment.


I hope I am mking sense here.[8D]

MASTERDIVER

I agrree with all. I work on groupings with both my FT's and BH's. There's days I couldn't hit water if I fell out of a boat. The key is to not give up. Sometimes you have to walk away and clear your head so you can focus. anyway it does suck when you put one into the back stop because of a simple fundamental mistake. Best of luck everyone.

atlasman

I don't understand why anyone would practice with field tips to go hunting. I shoot my field tips for a few months in the spring and early summer just to get the kinks out from not shooting that much over the winter but that's it. At least 2 months before the season I screw on my broadheads and that is all I shoot.........then with about 1 month to go I shoot from a ladder stand in my yard only...........I don't hunt with field tips in a t shirt and shorts standing on the ground in perfect weather.............so I see no point in practicing that way. I know many guys that can shoot tips pretty well but if you strap a broadhead on and send them up a tree their shooting goes down the tubes.

Paul L Mohr

I don't understand why anyone would practice with broad heads once thier bow was tuned? It is more dangerous and you are messing up expensive tips. Not to mention once I find my best arrows and tune the broad heads I don't shoot them again until I go hunting. That is what "Practice Tips" are for.

And field tips will group better so you can get a better idea of how consistant you are shooting. Grouping broad heads is going to get very expensive very fast. Even if you shoot multiple spots it will just ruin your target faster. And if your bow is not tuned that well it will probably not help you that much since your groups will bigger and it will be easier to have fliers. I'm not saying it is not a good idea to practice with them. You should shoot them enough that you know how they fly and what sort of groups to expect out of them. I just would not do most of my shooting with them. There are too many things that can effect fixed blade flight to get an accurate reading of what you are doing wrong when practicing.

A better way to practice would be to concentrate less on where your arrows go and more about your form. You should blind bale and blank bale shoot more than you shoot for groups. I will admit I don't, but I know I should. And I bet if I did I could shoot better than I do. I don't shoot nearly as well as I did when I did it more often. There are plenty of posts on this site that describe good ways to practice and get rid of target panic.

That's my opinion any way.


I wil add that I shoot hundreds of arrows a week, if not a day. I couldn't imagine doing all that shooting with a broad head. I could ruin a 3-D target in a day if I practiced that way. Now if you don't practice very often, then I guess using fixed blades would work OK. I think you would be better off just shooting more though.

Paul

Fieldmouse

I totally disagree. I no longer practice with broadheads. I practice only with my fieldpoints and never had my broadheads fly differently except when I once used Hoyts.

ButchA

Here's my take on it.....

I start out shooting field tips just to get myself sort of "ready". Kind of like what Atlasman said above. Work out the kinks, you know? It really helps....

Then I start looking at different broadheads and reading all about the latest ones and this one versus that one, so on and so on....( i.e. Ialways had a set of Thunderheads around, but what elseout there better than a Thunderhead? )

Once I start shooting 1" groups or betterat 20 yards, it's time to break out the broadheads. But I start out doing something utterly goofy. I take a roll of duct tape and make a 2" by 2" square withthe tape and tape it to the center bullseye on the target. I shoot one field tip into the 2x2 tape. Then I go get one of those orange target hole markers for rifle shooting, and stick an orange market on the hole from the field tip. Then it become a matter of pure fun with broadhead testing! Which broadhead can hit or or near the orange target marker sticker? No tweaking the bow,no moving a nock point, no tuning anything. Call me an idiot, call me lazy, call me whatever you want.... I don't want tomess with my bow if I don't have to. I want to shoot a broadhead that flies straight like a field tip, right out of the box.

My two main broadheads (in my signature) are the best I have found so far. Both fly exactly like a field tip - without question. I keep one of each separate from the main hunting broadheads, and use that particular broadhead over and over and over for practice. I also practice oddball distances and even up on my back porch roof of my house!

Long story short - shoot broadheads in late summer and early fall. It will really get you ready and in tune with your bow. You don't want to go into the woods with a bow that has only shot field tips!

Good luck!