[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Left Wing or Right Wing Helical? #19732

I shoot left wing. I just put rubber o-rings on the ferrules of all my points and heads and there’s no issue. I’m sure I’d do the same if I shot right wing.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Epoxy and glue #16686

Doc Nock wrote:

Great Tip, SH! Thanks for clarifying!

You betcha, Doc. I’ve learned lots of good things on this forum over the years, and sharing tips is one of the things that makes it such a great place. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Epoxy and glue #16595

Doc Nock wrote:

Smithy, what is the “drill bit” technique? I just heat the field tip, and keep pressure on till it releases, then out quickly and let the shaft cool…then clean out. Curious what the “drill bit” technique of removal is!??

For adhesives that will loosen when you warm them up, it really isn’t necessary, but for glues like Gold Tip, Goat Tuff, etc. it’s very useful (for carbons):

‘”

n”.self::process_list_items(“‘.str_replace(‘
‘, ”, ‘

Remove the nock, and get the largest diameter drill bit that will fit inside the shaft.

Put your hand over the nock end of the arrow, and raise the shaft up, so that the drill bit slides back toward the arse end.

Now forcefully sweep the arrow toward the ground, so that the drill bit slides the length of the shaft, and slams into the insert. You may have to repeat it a few times.

‘).'”).”n

“‘

Easy and effective. I’ve salvaged many inserts from broken shafts this way (and vice versa), that I couldn’t remove otherwise.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Epoxy and glue #16530

I can’t say that I’ve found a need for epoxy when it comes to inserts, as there are a number of other good options that are much easier to deal with when you want to remove/switch out the inserts. Epoxy has always felt like overkill, in my experience.

In addition to those options mentioned above, I’ve been using Gold Tip glue for years and I’m very happy with the results. I’ve also used Bohning hot melt for carbons with good results.

Like Steve said, properly prepping the shaft makes a big difference with adhesion. I use a .22 bore brush inside the shaft, and then an alcohol swab to clean out the grit before gluing. I rarely ever have an insert come out, unless it’s taken a really hard hit on something it shouldn’t have.

For removal, I’m a fan of the ‘drill bit’ technique.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Darned elk #15884

I envy your lack of snow, Dave! At least at this point in the season. How are you guys doing for water in general?

A dozen elk were bedded on the south-facing hillside behind our house this evening, taking in the last of the evening sun. Hopefully before long I’ll be able to get up into the hills without skis or snowshoes and look for some sheds…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: 'Nother Thunderchild #15497

Another great looking Thunderchild! Congrats, compadre. Any thoughts so far on how it shoots?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Hammer is Zappa! #13199

I have no idea who that imposter is. Though I’ve certainly been called worse…. 8)

The mail mule still hasn’t made it over the pass to Teton Valley, so I haven’t seen the article yet. Glad to hear it looks good!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #13197

ausjim wrote:

I’ve been wildly disappointed with the lack of big shark attention I’ve received kayaking.

Plenty of bull sharks and tiger sharks, but like I said, none have come and said hello 😕

I paddled all around Australia’s biggest island national park, which is notorious for big salties, and not one of them was nice enough to come and scare the bejesus out of me either 😡

These statements really do bear further scrutiny. Probably by a professional…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Spring fever #12176

We took a big step backward today – it’s been dumping heavy snow all day….

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Southwest DIY Javelina Hunts? #12168

I’m definitely down for trying this, assuming we get some:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Practice in Less than Ideal Conditions #12000

Called up my buddy yesterday and asked him what the weather was like at his place. “Pretty windy, raining and snowing…” was the response.

“Perfect – let’s shoot!”

So here’s a quick little vid from yesterday’s session. I’m playing around with learning some new video software, so bear with me…

http://youtu.be/Oxc1s1_Tfkg

Of course, this isn’t really about “braving the elements” which are no big deal, but about what can be learned from shooting in these conditions. And yesterday’s conditions were pretty educational:

You can see in one of the shots where my friend is shooting that the cross wind is blowing pretty good – take a look at the flags.

I was shooting identical weight/FOC arrows, but with two different fletching setups (see the “Feathers” thread in the FOC forum for more detail, and other learnings). If you look closely at my arrow flight in the video (when the camera is facing toward me in the first shot) you can actually see the tail end of my arrow kick out to archer’s left, and then straighten out again – but if you look really closely – the point keeps tracking straight, in spite of what the ass-end of the arrow is doing. At first when I watched the video last night, I thought that it must be something with my tuning or release, but I’m confident that my tuning is spot-on with this bow/arrow combo, and I’ve shot many times with it in calm weather with no such issues. So it must have been the effect of the crosswind, which makes sense, given the direction/strength the wind was blowing, and which direction the arrow was being affected.

But the important part is the end result – my smaller fletched arrows were hitting the target accurately. The larger fletched arrows were consistently grouping left of the center of the target – again, consistent with the wind direction. Even with the same point weight, the larger fletching was catching more wind, which the arrow couldn’t entirely recover from, as it was with the smaller fletching.

My friend was also experimenting with two different fletching setups similar to what I was shooting, and was finding the same thing, effectively ruling out that it was some idiosyncracy specific to my tuning or technique.

Now to be honest, the wind was definitely at the upper limit, and at times beyond, what I would feel safe taking a hunting shot in unless I was pretty close to the animal. But that’s why I find practicing like this to be so valuable.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: feathers #11915

Steve Graf wrote:

I can’t seem to get below 3 inches and feel comfortable with it. So I stick with 4 inch feathers. My arrows drill through anything (except a strong crosswind, which I’m willing to live with)

Steve –

Were you trying them in tandem with high point weights/EFOC? I’ve really come to believe that you need to have both working together to get good results. I’m currently shooting 300gr. heads with 25%FOC. And I’ve watched them plow through twig deflections, as well as track better in wind. But with lighter points, I doubt I would be able to get away with the fletching I’m using.

Steve Graf wrote:

On the steel force heads – I’ve heard that noise and won’t use those heads. I think it comes from their ferrel design. You can round the sharp edge off the high point on the ferrel and it reduces the noise some.

Interesting thought on the ferrule design being the culprit. Makes sense – I don’t know what else about that broadhead’s design would create such noise, it’s just a simple 3:1, two blade with no venting.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Different strings-impact on tuned arrows #11896

Thans for that explanation, Steve. I have played around with using silencers to tune as well, but it’s nice to get a better understanding of what is really happening when you move them around. It’s also one of the reasons I’ve gone back to useing small clumps of wool for my silencers – you can easily slide them up and down the string, which you can’t do as easily with fur strips.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: feathers #11183

I know what you mean, Jason. Even though I’ve been shooting 4 x 2-1/4″ for some time now, I still sometimes don’t fully trust that it’s going to be reliable with broadheads, and I start doubting, and then I need to go out and do what I did today – shoot that fletching setup, with broadheads, against a 3 x 4″ setup in crappy conditions (vid to come….).

And what today’s shooting session proved beyond a shadow of a doubt for me, is that there is no reason for me to not have full confidence in the 4 x 2-1/4″ fletch at all. They flew very well with broadheads, in a pretty good wind and light rain. In fact, my 3 x 4″ fletch were getting blown off course a bit – not the case with the former setup. So for me at least, and the setup I’m shooting, I feel like the issue is settled.

As an interesting side note, I shot two different broadheads today – 200gr. Eclipse Werewolves and 225gr. Steel Force Traditionals. From the shooters pov, I had never noticed any difference in noise, but my buddy who was standing off to the side and a bit downrange said that the SF’s were making audible noise, and the Eclipse heads were not. We repeated it numerous times, with both of the fletching setups mentioned above, and every time the SF’s were noticeable noisy.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The Trad Knife Thread #10970

Dig those Khuks!

I recently came across me gran-pappy’s old draw knife. Needs a good cleaning and sharpening, but plenty of life left in it:

[Author]

Posts