Broadhead/Fletching Alignment

[sportsman450]

Thought some of you might find this interesting. It can certainly save you a lot of wasted time.

Many think that it is important to align the fletchings on an arrow with the blades on the broadhead. Not so!

From Peterson's Bowhunting:
Straight To The Point
The final step is to make sure your arrows are perfectly straight and that your broadheads are perfectly aligned. The easiest way I've found to do this is with a tool called The Arrow Inspector from Pine-Ridge Archery. One quick spin on the Arrow Inspector will reveal even the slightest bend.

This tool is also invaluable for checking broadhead alignment. It will reveal whether your insert is square in the shaft and/or if the broadhead is bent. It's perfect for mounting traditional heads too. While I've never had bent broadheads from my any of my favorite manufacturers, it never hurts to check each and every head. A warped broadhead or a bent arrow can result in terrible arrow flight.

Note that I didn't mention anything here about aligning the broadhead's blade with the fletch. This is another campfire story that's been debunked by scientific testing. Those individuals who insist this makes a difference have likely experienced a poorly aligned insert. Rotating the insert to put the broadhead's blades in line with the fletch probably improved the broadhead's overall alignment.


From Chuck Adams:
Some bowhunters believe their fletching should align with broad head blades. I have never seen one whit of evidence to support this notion. Think about it. As your arrow rotates in flight, the head and fletching act independently. When fletching passes where the broadhead was a split-instant before, rotation is different. I routinely shoot three fletch with four-blade broadheads, and I achieve accuracy as good as anyone I know.[/b]

[Dutch Dog]

Yeah, but it sure does look good when they are all straight, and I have been doing it for SOOOOO long that I can do it just as quick as not.

[sportsman450]

I'll hafta say that I agree with you there, and I'll give you a little tip that will save some time

Tune your broadheads before you fletch your arrows. Then all you have to do is turn the nock until the first fletching lines up, and the rest will follow.

[T-Bone]

sportsman450, thanks for the post. You just confirmed what I found to be true through the ol' fashion trial and error, at least with my set-up, anyway. But I do try to align them(4-blade Muzzy) as close as possible on each arrow relative to the fletch.