[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Arrow Shafts #54088

Shane, use of a steel insert with a steel screw-in broadhead adaptor is a big improvement, but use of a one-piece steel insert/adaptor is much, much better. Whenever you have the choice, opt for the one-piece insert/adaptor.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: troubled grizzly #50647

You can’t beat the KME knife sharpener system for putting a razor edge on the Grizzly. Get one, and if you still have difficulty just call Ron and he will spend whatever time necessary to walk you through the process, until you CAN get that true razor-edge finish. Just the sharpening ‘know-how’ education Ron will give you is worth the cost of the KME Sharpener.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Tuffhead testing #49646

ausjim wrote: Doc, when I hear slow cure epoxy I think 5 minute or 30 minute epoxy. Is that the kind of stuff you’re talking about or is it something else?Jim

Jim, I’m referring to the 24 hour cure epoxy. It’s a lot stronger then the faster curing epoxies.

It’s my understanding that Frontier Archery is no longer operating and the business was up for sale at one point, and may still be.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Tuffhead testing #48911

Dr. Ed Ashby wrote: the 2 best – toughest – wood shafts tested were the Forgewooda and hickory; especially the tapered hickories

The Forgewoods and tapered hickories came out as #1 and #2 in toughness among all the hardwood shafts tested, with the Forgewoods SLIGHTLY beating out the hickories. Third was the laminated birch, but there was a pretty big ‘durability gap’ between the top two and the laminated birch.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Tuffhead testing #48705

ausjim wrote:

Thus the reason for all the experiments into one-piece brass and steel inserts,internal footings and slow-cure epoxies … and the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of arrows destroyed against armor plate!

Dave, the 2 best – toughest – wood shafts tested were the Forgewooda and hickory; especially the tapered hickories (I think it helps to lower the shaft’s “push’ from its rear mass). These woods proved more durable than heavier hardwoods, such as Ipe and purple heart. The key to decreasing glue failure is good shaft and ferrule prep and fit, and the use of slow-cure epoxy.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Tuffhead testing #47826

“When something works all we get are a few measurements for comparison purposes. When something fails we get an opportunity to find out why it failed.”

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Bow Poundage for Pheasant Hunting #43449

It’d been over 4 decades since I bowhunted any pheasants but back then, after trying several bow/arrow setups, I settled on using my 70# Bear Kodiak bow with six-fletch flu-flu’s, rather than the ‘spiral fletch’ flu-flu’s. The heavier bow, coupled with the six-fletch flu-flu’s seemed to get to the target a bit faster, making hits a bit easier.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Introduction of new member #39016

Welcome, Paul. Great to have you aboard.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: EFOC & Tuffhead combo #35998

Ptaylor wrote: When that book comes out let us know, even though its for compound shooters, I’d like to take a look.

Will do. I’ve had a chance to look over the first draft of the book and it covers a lot more about bowhunting than just the arrow setups. I think it will be an interesting read for any bowhunter, regardless of the bow he chooses to use. It covers a lot of bowhunting skills, techniques and ‘lessons learned’ the hard way.

Not all compound guys are just game ‘shooters’. There are some to whom the hunt is the important thing. This year, the young man writing this book literally stayed on a single bull elk for near a week, following it through the mountains day and night, sleeping in brief naps on the ground, before getting the clear, close shot he wanted. Not many traditional bowhunters go to that extreme. The shot itself is a most interesting story … but I’ll have to save that for him to tell, someday. BTW, it is, most certainly, the biggest bodied elk I’ve ever seen … and the rack is pretty impressive too, though not the very biggest around.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: EFOC & Tuffhead combo #35720

Preston, that’s not “think”; from the folks who contact me I’m certain that there are more compound shooters – number wise – using heavy, EFOC/UEFOC setups with trad-type single-bevel broadheads. Many of those are folks hunting the larger game; everything from elk to elephants. I’ve been working with one bowhunter who is writing a book for the compound crowd on what he calls the “Ashby Arrow System”. He hunts the larger North American game, with a particular focus on BIG elk, and just got sick of the poor arrow performance he was getting with “regular arrows”. He uses his 850 grain, EFOC arrows on everything – rabbits and up, and is in the process of tuning up some heavy, UEFOC arrows. That’s from a 70# compound.

It’s unfortunate that there are a number of trad bowhunters who are very dead-set against the heavy, EFOC/UEFOC arrows – and even some opposed to single-bevel broadheads. Most have never even used such a set-up, but it is not what THEY deem to be ‘traditional’.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: EFOC & Tuffhead combo #35410

Gamagoat wrote: Anyway my real question is that he is now verry much interested, as am I, in knowing if he can set up his compound in the same way that we set up our trad bows with heavy arrows and a tuffhead?

The answer is: Absolutely. An arrow does not know what type of bow launched it. Every performance factor in the arrow’s design applies, regardless of the bow type used. There are many compound shooters using heavy, EFOC/UEFOC arrows with single-bevel, ‘traditional-type’ broadheads, and with great success. In fact, I’d say that, in actual numbers, there are far more compound shooting bowhunters using those setups than there are traditional bowhunters using them.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: EFOC & Tuffhead combo #34776

I am ELATED that y’all are taking the time to really look and see what happens on your hits. Whenever folks do that they can readily SEE the difference a truly sharp, single-bevel broadhead makes. Put it on the ‘right’ arrow setup, properly tuned, and the wound-loss rate drops drastically. That was my original goal, and it remains the goal today. Thanks to all for the feedback.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: Arrow Selection Prior To The Hunt #11998

R2 wrote: In my experience … no two pieces of wood bend the same. They may spine really close but where they bend, how the they do their harmonics, they’re all are individuals. The grain runs different in each shaft so they can never truly totally match. Close sometimes but never exact, close to exact anyway, like carbon or aluminum.

An absolute truth. Even with carbons, if you want the maximum in tuning, bare shafting each shaft is not a bad idea. It amazing the variation one sometimes finds among the carbon shafts.

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: hunting tip from my little girl #60919

It don’t get no better than that!

Ed

[Ed Ashby]

in reply to: sharpening tuffheads with kme sharpener #50405

Give Ron a call (1-800-561-4339). Ron’s personal service to his customers is second to none. He will walk you through the process step by step.

The degree marks on the KME sharpener are only a relative guide. The exact angle will depend on how far the edge being sharpened is from the ‘guide bar’. With single-bevel broadheads having an already-established 25 degree bevel, like the Tuffhead, just match the stone’s sharpening angle to the broadhead’s angle.

The KME sharpener is a very easy way to get a truly sharp edge on the single-bevel heads. Well worth the effort to learn how to use it correctly, and Ron will work with you until you have the technique down perfect.

Ed

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