How much does it affect arrow flight?

[Evoac05]

I was wondering how much your broadhead and fletching (if not inline) would affect the flight of the arrow? Anyone have experience with this? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

[300UltraMagShooter]

zero, none, notta..


the blades create a vortex much like on an airplane wing....  by time it gets to the feathers/vanes, it makes no difference at all where it is positioned.

just make sure your getting clearance and your broadheads spin perfectly...

if your new to shooting, i'd recommend bigger vanes/feathers and  a drop away rest...  clearance and a quickly stablilizing arrow are much more important...   

[throttlejocky20]

I agree with 300 if you shoot bigger vanes with a helicoil your arrows will stabilize quicker. I shoot a 4 vain arrow and a 3 blade broadhead theres no matching them up.

[Trailstrider]

  Line up probably not but big solid blades on your broadhead could cause a problem with flight and here is why; The faster the spin the harder the drag on the broadhead if solid and not slotted for air flow, in a perfect world the broad head would match the heleciol of your arrow by free spinning/ or having some way to allow the air to not drag when spun,,, Think of it this way, if you took a small peice of paper or cardboard and placed in front of a fan the drag in a staight line is minimal at best, but if spun and the air catches the side then it wants to find its own path ( like your hand out a car window when driving) But take that same peice of paper and cut out its center leaving thin sides and the air resistance lowers in proportion to the amount removed.... so match your arrows and blades for what you are hopeing to accomplish..... Hope this helps.... and sorry if I tend to dissagree with the other posts....

[TheHunt]

I shoot three vanes and I align them up just because it is in my head it makes a difference. 

[Instinct]

It makes a difference. I notice if my blades arnt then they are speratic but if i line em up then they all hit with in each other.

[GoldTip]

300Ultra is exactly correct.  The broadhead being perfectly aligned with the arrow is the only important thing, the broadhead blades being in alignment with your fletches makes absolutely no difference.  If it did, how would you ever be able to get a 2 bladed broadhead to fly correctly?

[sirfunkeybut]

i think that it matters more that your bow is properly tuned. I always aligned them before because when i would switch from FT to BH the BH would hit lower and to the left. After watching a few videos on youtube and getting my bow properly tuned it doesn't matter if they're aligned or not. All the way out to 60yrds they hit the same. 

[sakoshooter]

300Ultra is exactly correct.  The broadhead being perfectly aligned with the arrow is the only important thing, the broadhead blades being in alignment with your fletches makes absolutely no difference.  If it did, how would you ever be able to get a 2 bladed broadhead to fly correctly?

Exactly my friend.

[Evoac05]

Thanks everyone for all your input. I haven't shot any arrows with broadheads yet, but I guess I'll just have to see what happens with my arrow flight when I do. Thanks again

[RadSav]

If you have good FOC and you have adequate fletching it makes no difference at all if shooting sights. 

That is not the case if shooting instinctive as your point of reference, which is usually the broadhead, will change slightly depending on how the blades are oriented.  I always shot four blades when shooting instinctive and did not have the issues I did with three blades.

If your arrows are not coming out of the bow cleanly and your FOC is backward you might see some improvement by aligning the broadheads with your fletching.  However, all that means is your poor arrow flight is repeating with consistency not that you are seeing improved flight.

I have to make a point about vented blades here as well.  Back in the day when everyone wanted 1.25 - 1.5" broadheads and a blade design that was 3X longer than width broadheads were very heavy averaging over 160 grains.  Most of this weight was carried in the blades and it took a good bit of fletching to get them rotating.  Some manufacturers started venting them and called them "Improved Flight" models.

These models did have a tendency to fly better and since they averaged a much lighter 145 grains bowhunters saw immediate trajectory improvements they related to the vented blades rather than the decreased weight.  As has always been the case with bowhunters "Theory based conjecture" began to run ramped until most began to believe as Trailstrider does that air changing angle twice and passing through at least one orifice is more aerodynamic than a smooth surface of the same length and external profile.

One does not have to apply complex physics to visualize the absurdity of the conjecture in this application.  Simply ask yourself these two questions:  Is a car traveling at highways speed more aerodynamic with the windows rolled up or the windows rolled down?  And, If this same car is traveling at the same velocity through a tight corner does it change the answer to the first question?

In today's light weight broadheads with smaller profiles the mass held within the entire mass of the blade even located an above average distance from the axis of the shaft is insignificant.  Thus, the benefits of vented blades is strictly held in the ability to hit a specific weight.  And, in the marketability of a product based on popularity of an emotional based supposition.