Bow hunters are only as lethal as they are accurate. A precise shot ensures clean, ethical harvests, increases confidence in the field, and helps extend your effective range. The more accurate you are, the more consistent and successful your hunts will be.

In this video, we break down the key factors that impact broadhead accuracy - from stable arrows and vane setup to proper bow tuning, spine selection, and broadhead alignment. Learn how to optimize your arrow flight so your broadheads hit the target with precision, even at longer ranges.

The number one thing bow hunters could do to achieve good accuracy with broadheads is shoot a very stable arrow. When an arrow is tipped at all when flying into oncoming wind, it will experience a sideways force on the broadhead, known as lift. Without being counteracted, this lift will push an arrow off course. To counteract the lift, bowhunters must have the right designed vane on the back of their arrow to create a lift force that is higher than the lift force produced by the broadhead. This results in the arrow being restored so it goes back on track towards the intended target. 

To adequately counteract the broadhead's lift, it's recommended to use vanes that are at least a half inch tall. That height is necessary to create good flight and stability with a broadhead on the front, regardless of whether it's a fixed blade broadhead or mechanical broadhead, as both have significantly more drag and lift, compare to a field point. 

The next thing bow hunters can do to improve broadhead accuracy is to have a well tuned bow. A tuned bow allows the arrow to come straight off the bow as it leaves the rest. The straighter that arrow is coming off the bow, the more accurate you'll be. That said, nobody's bow is going to be tuned completely perfect. That is why stability from vanes is important. If you arrow has any tip into oncoming wind, the vanes will quickly pull it back on track and make it go straight. Having a well tuned bow will start it off right so your vanes have less restoration necessary for good flight. 

Having a properly spined arrow will also improve accuracy. If your spine is too weak and flexes all the way to the target, that creates some angle of attack with the broadhead into the wind, which can increase your group size and cause you to shoot less accurately. We recommend shooting the optimal to slightly stiff spined arrows to have the best arrow flight with broadheads on the front. 

Broadhead size also impacts accuracy. If you're wanting to shoot very long range, you're probably not going to want one of the very long or very wide types of broadheads. A more compact broadhead will fly better at long range, because it has less surface area to create lift. 

Additionally, for great broadhead accuracy, it's important that your broadhead spins true. As your arrow rotates, hunters will want the point of the broadhead to stay right on the axis of the arrow. If there's wobble and the point is going off the axis, it's going to create pressure that will make your arrow less accurate. It's very important to use broadheads and components that have tight tolerances and excellent alignment to your arrow shaft to promote this concentricity.

Also for good broadhead accuracy, it's important that your arrow spin during flight. It doesn't have to spin up at a very high rate, but you do want enough rotation to average out any asymmetries in your arrow in case it's not perfectly straight or the point isn't right on the axis. What we recommend for that are vanes that are a half inch high with a two to three degree offset or helical. That gives a good amount of rotation to make sure you'll average out any asymmetries and keep that arrow on track. 

Those are the factors that impact broadhead accuracy. Having a better understanding of those will help you optimize your arrow setup, be more accurate with broadheads, and extend your maximum effective range.