Broadhead sharpening ?????

[richard roop]

#144250

Sharp is good therefore extremely sharp must be extremely good…………………… Yes ???

For a long time I shot Wasp type broadheads with pre-sharpened razor blades. Good heads. A wee bit fragile for roving but good heads for making things dead.

However, lately I’ve been using Zwickey 2 blade broadheads and trying to give them the ‘razor edge’.  I can get them sharp but the shaving razor edge seems to elude me.  Then I remembered a long time ago when Dick Garver Sr. demonstrated to me how Howard Hill sharpened the concave edge on his broadhead by dragging the edge of the file along the broadhead’s edge to raise a rough burr. Research seems to indicate that Fred Bear also favored this raised burr type of edge.

This morning I double lunged a Javelina with a Zwickey sporting a rough burr edge and it died well.

So …………………. Is the ‘Conventional Wisdom ‘ today  leaning toward the smooth razor edge or the rough raised burr ????

Thanx !!!!

[Stephen Graf]

#144254

You’ve opened quite a can of worms there.  Firstly, congrats on your hunt!

Some folks claim that a shaving sharp broadhead is the best at causing hemorrhage and the deepest penetrating.  Others claim that a rough file edge is best as it tears the tissue up more.

You can read through the Ashby stuff on this website to learn more I am sure.

In my own experience, I don’t see much difference between the two with a well placed shot (or a not so well placed shot, either).  I find it hard to keep the super sharp edges keen in my back quiver.  I usually start out the season with my broadheads all shaving sharp, courtesy of my shop grinding wheel.  By the end of the season they’ve been roughed up by the file.

I do like narrow,single bevel, cheap as possible,  heads.

[Raymond Coffman]

#144367

Richard

I pretty much do what Steve mentioned. My tendency is to make them razor sharp and keep them that way – but carry and use will cause resharpening issues, especially In the field. I use a bow Quiver, so my broadheads stay sharp a little longer. I also carry a a file and stone for touch up on me ( like papa bear), and a complete sharpening kit in camp.

I have and use a lot of different broadheads, but I like tuffheads mostly anymore, especially on Big game. Although I have used zwickeys on Javelina and they worked fine.

Scout aka Ray

[David Coulter]

#145748

I adopted Steve’s method of using a paper wheel on a bench grinder. Feels like cheating, but I get a head or knife shaving sharp in little time. I use a safari tuff side quiver so they don’t bang around much at all. I do strop now and then. It amazing how just stropping can bring an edge back.
I was still new to this when the Ashby reports started coming out, so I dove full bore into that. 635 gr arrow, 225 gr tuffhead, 27% foc with a 46# longbow. It works so I’m sticking with it.
I think one of the most important aspects is that you can hunt with as much confidence as possible. That goes for your skill as a shooter, as a woodsman and with your gear. But you gotta get that time in the woods to gain the experience and the confidence that follows.
man, I can make a short answer long!

[Raymond Coffman]

#145753

Hi David

Yes on the bench grinder – fast and razor sharp. I will use it to set up a broadhead . I am not lucky enuff to able to hunt from home, or a place that has one handy very often.  Therefore I usually have to maintain edge quality in the field as I mentioned in my other post.  I like and use tuffheads too —

Scout aka Ray

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