Broadheads v. Field Points

Every season I have the same discussion and see the same subject on various Bowhunting sites. The questions vary but the subject is always the same.... "Do your broadheads and field points shoot the same?" or "How do I get my field points and broadheads to hit in the same spot?" From experience I know that there are people that are going to disagree with what I am about to say, but that's the cool thing about a "blog!"

An arrow with a field point is a TOTALLY different projectile than the same arrow with a broadhead. I wouldn't shoot a 150gr SoftPoint and a 150gr. Boat-tail Hollow Point out of my 30.06 and expect them to hit in the same hole because they are DIFFERENT. I personally don't give it a second thought where they hit in relation to each other. During the 8 months of "off season" I shoot 99% of the time with field points in my arrows and the bow is perfectly set-up to shoot THOSE. When I start to get ready to go hunting I will shoot my Broadheads. Sometimes they hit a little right, sometimes a little left, up or down. As long as I can CONSISTANTLY shoot the same type arrow (in this case one with a broadhead) in the same spot, I know my bow is "tuned." Only you know what an "acceptable" group size will be for you, but if you can keep the arrows inside that group, you are good to go. Move your sight so that your group is now in the middle. After all, that's why they make sights that are so easily adjusted. Don't be afraid to move it!!!

Now before any of you think "Toby doesn't care about bow tuning" let me clarify some things.

1. If your bow is not "tuned" you will not be able to shoot a group with your broadheads. You now have "wings" on the front and the back of the arrow and if they are not both headed in the same direction you are going to have problems.

2. Arrow SPINE is always critical, but it is super critical with broadheads. If your arrow spine is too weak you will never get satisfactory broadhead flight. A good match between draw weight, arrow length and arrow spine is a must.

3. Good shooting FORM is a must. Any flaw in your form or shot execution will be magnified when shooting broadheads.

4. An "acceptable group" with broadheads is the same size as an "acceptable group'' with field points. One person's group may be the size of a quarter, another the size of a softball and yet another may be the size of a beachball at 20 yards. While I hope the beachball shooter practices before going in the woods, thats as good as it gets!

Are you seeing a pattern? Broadheads are going to magnify any problems that you have with spine, set-up or shooting form. But if they are shooting well enough for YOU to shoot as good of a group as YOU are currently capable, move your sight to center your group eactly where you are aiming and be done with it.

It is crucial that the broadhead is perfectly aligned with the shaft. If it's not you will never achieve the accuracy that you are capable of. Just as I said above, you now have "wings" on the front and the back and if the broadhead is not straight, you are doomed before you even let go of the string. Most of the newer broadheads will spin perfectly true straight out of the package, but if they don't you need to "true them up." You can sometimes do this with plastic washers that come with some models, other times you will need to actually bend the head so that it is perfectly in line with the shaft. You will need to spin the arrow in order to tell if it is true. (no wobble) If you spin it in your palm... BE CAREFUL!

There ya go! My 2 cents worth on broadheads. Post me some comments...... agree/disagree questions/statements... let's hear it.

See Ya At The Shop!

Toby

Shooting a Release....PROPERLY!

It seems that every day while at the shop something comes up that I wish I could share with lots of people. This Blog will give us the ability to do just that. Hopefully if you read this and have any comments, questions or totally disagree with me, you will post it here and we can all learn from it.

Today's Subject... Shooting a release CORRECTLY. I personally think that how you operate your release is the single most important part of your shot sequence. I firmly believe that there must be a "surprise" element every time your release goes off. If you are doing it correctly, you know exactly what I am talking about. Most everyone who is reading this has shot a gun before and I am sure have had someone tell them to "squeeze the trigger." While it is very important to do so with a gun, I believe it is at least 10 times more important with a bow. Imagine trying to shoot a gun with no barrel. Sounds crazy doesn't it? But that is exactly what we archery folks are doing. Every time you release an arrow it is "propelled" from the rear with nothing guiding it except the archer. (a.k.a. "the nut on the handle") When done correctly, every time the shot goes off there is an involuntary flow-through by the archer, the release hand will fly straight back, your shoulder blades will "click together" and there will be some movement of the bow arm. If you have heard the term "explosion" this is what they are talking about. It is uncontrollable.

Why is this important? Lots of reasons.... here are my favorites.

First off, it FORCES you to aim. When I say aim I'm not talking about sticking your pin on the spot and "lettin' it rip." I'm talking about really aiming.... burning a hole in the CENTER of the spot, centering your pin in the peep sight, centering your pin in the center of the spot and and HOLDING it there. As soon as you get the sight aligned perfectly you begin your squeeze and you hold your sight there until the release goes off and scares the dickens out of you!! That's what I mean by aiming! After a few shots you will get used to the fact that you don't know EXACTLY when the release is going to go off but the "surprise" should always be there. It forces you to aim because since you don't know exactly when it is going to go off you don't dare let it drift off the spot because if your luck is like mine, that is definitely when it will go!! Why is the surprise element so important? ...Glad you asked! It really is simple when you stop and ponder it. There is still plenty of time for an archer to "screw up a shot" after the release goes off. It is only a split second, but the arrow is still connected to you from the time the release goes off and the arrow leaves the string and clears the rest. If you anticipate the shot there is a very good chance that something is going to move, jerk, or do something that is inconsistent in comparison to the previous shot or the next shot. If you don't know when the release is going off, there can be no "anticipation" and basically doesn't leave you enough time to "screw it up"! Line everything about your sight up, hold it on the spot, squeeze off the shot..... sounds easy enough!!!

Secondly, it is much more consistent. While there are a few exceptions, most people who "rip" or "punch" a release are not very accurate. The aiming sequence is usually not nearly as precise simply because they do not hold it there long enough to get things lined up as accurately as they should. As soon as it looks good, they shoot it. Many "command" shooters never even stop on the spot, they just shoot it as the pin passes through. Snap shooting will eventually lead to "target panic." If you have ever experienced it you know what I am talking about, if you haven't, it would take a week for me to explain it. Just take my word for it.... it's ugly!! Squeeze your release EVERY shot and you will never have to live through the agony of target panic.

It's easy to tell if an archer is a "Squeezer" or a "Ripper". I can spot a ripper from across a crowded room. Watch their release hand. A squeezer's hand will fly back when the shot breaks while a ripper's hand will barely move... or worse, fly out away from their face. Watch their bow arm. A ripper's bow arm will barely move at all when the shot is ripped while a squeezer's bow arm will have a definite controlled explosion when all the pressure on it is suddenly removed. My favorite ripper tipper is to watch their bow hand. Watch it closely and you will see many rippers actually close their grip BEFORE the shot goes off!

There are many aspects that go into a single "good shot" but none are as important as how you operate your release. Great form, solid aiming and blazing arrow speed are all useless if you rip the shot. Squeeze off every shot, every time!

See Ya At The Shop!

Toby

The New C & S Archery

I hope everyone can stop by and meet Charlie and Starla Grant, the new owners of C & S Archery. C & S was formerly Double B Archery and we plan to pick up where Double B left off and run with it! Double B had a great run but frankly it just got to be more than we could handle with the current arrangements (other full-time jobs) and I personally couldn't give the shop the kind of attention that it deserved. Charlie and Starla came along at the perfect time with the perfect situation. Charlie was recently retired but was not ready to stop working and looking for a new challenge.

So, what will change?

You will immediately notice increased operating hours. Through "peak season" we will be open Mon-Fri from Noon til 8pm and Saturday Noon til 5pm..... and as always we wont run ya out at closing time.

You will also notice an increased inventory with more of the mid to lower priced equipment.

We will be having more leagues.

In the near future we will be adding additional lines of various equipment (stay tuned for more info..)

What won't change?

I personally guarantee that you will still receive the the same friendly, honest, and expert technical support that we have been giving for the last 2 years.

The address and phone number will remain the same.

The "shop folks" that have always been with us and willing to help me or other customers are still around and that elite group seems to be growing daily!!

I will still be doing the majority of the "tech" work but will have a couple of very able bodied helpers.

I hope you can tell that I am excited about this new arrangement and hope that you stop in soon so I can show you what all the excitement is all about!

See Ya At The Shop

Toby

Welcome to the new C&S Archery Blog

Welcome to the C&S Archery Blog.  Thanks for stopping by!  We will post shop news and updates, including sales and league information on the blog.  C&S Archery, formally Double B Archery, is locally owned and operated.  The new owners are Charlie & Starla Grant.  Toby Ragsdale will be managing the shop. 

Bow season is just around the corner and we know you need that season tune-up, so make sure and stop on by.  Make sure to come by and meet everyone and we look forward to serving your archery needs.