Broadhead blades are vented to reduce surface area, maximise cutting diametre, and minimize possible planing problems, but the downside is, some have a whistle in flight, noise problem.
I am curious, as to your favourite cut on contact broadheads with vented blades, and how do you rate it for its noise or queiteness in flight.
What design features are good to make a silent vented broadhead.
What can be done to make a vented blade silent in flight.Has any one done any research on this type of thing.
Most often, noise in vented broadheads is a product of misalignment of the head on the shaft.
Next would be the sharp angles of the vents themselves.
Make sure your broadhead spins dead nuts straight and if it still has noise problems, try lightly filing the inside edges of the vents.
I like shooting my Woodsman heads into a sand pile until all the paint is gone.... helps with any noise issues, though I don't find a slight "hiss" to be a problem.
Charlie,
Why do you think the paint makes a head noisy. Or do you think the sand may be rounding the edges of the vents a little.
Do you think that a vented design with rounded corners in the vents may be a quieter flying head.
Allan...it's not the paint. It's just that after shooting into sand long enough, all edges are nice and rounded.
Rounding the corners a little in the vent might make a difference, but that's stuff for manufacture testing.
Charlie said,
Rounding the corners a little in the vent might make a difference, but that's stuff for manufacture testing.
Exactly, thats why I like fishing for ideas, LOL
Why not just use an unvented head? I'd like to see Woodsmans made unvented. Maybe 150 grain?
Wouldn't that be a BAD NASTY head!!
I'm not sure what people were doing when they started having problems and decided to go to vented heads, but man...the non-vented heads shoot better than anything I've tried. For grins I put a few non-vented head thru my single cam to see what happens at speeds in the 300 fps range. They are hands down the best flying broadheads ever shot thru that bow. I can't even get close with a vented model. The non-vented fly great and shoot exactly where the field points do.
The only thing I can think is maybe people didn't have their bows tuned and blamed the broadheads???
The vented thing is really more about trimming weight than anything. But then again, ever notice how well the old Razorhead flys? Without the bleeder in, those things are like lazers. The Howard Hill is probably the most accurate broadhead I've ever shot, and it's kinda vented too. I think the profile has way more to do with it than the vents though.
I use 125 gr 4 blade Magnus glue ons. But I don't use the bleeders and mount them on an aluminum adapter for a total weight of 150 gr. The slot where the bleeders should be makes a noticeable whistle when I shoot. It's not the alignment because they all do it. I usually just fill the slot with glue, or Vaseline, no more whistle.
My 150 gr. Razorcaps don't whistle at all, just perfect flight all the way to impact!
You all are convincing me to shoot non-vented.
I would have to side on the non vented as well. In the days when I needed training wheels on my bow I used a popular tip with vents in the blades. I made the transition to a cut on impact 2 blade then later to a traditional bow. I enjoy better arrow flight, less noise and better penetration. Perhaps the leathality report addresses this as far as penitration goes.
I've never had a problem with noise in vented blades but I like a heavy head so I might go with non vented for a little more weight.
1 9/16" x 2 3/4" 165gr http://www.shrewbows.com/simmons/index.html
(http://www.shrewbows.com/2007_images/sb-33-2.jpg)
Vented, 150gr
(http://www.shrewbows.com/2007_images/sb-32-2.jpg)
My Ace Super Express 175 grain are vented and don't seem to make any noise, unless you count the sound of breaking ribs! Maybe it is slower then the speed of whistling?
The Ace super express has rounded corners in the vents, I wonder if this is a reason for quiet flight.
Does anyone else have a favorite vented head that is a silent flier, or does anyone else use one that is a bit noisy.
I'm wondering what design features the queit ones have in common. :)
All my snuffers seem to hiss.