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MOGC Offline OP
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I'm a knife guy and a sharpening fanatic. My knives can whittle a hair. I use fixed blade heads with inserts like the QAD Exodus and Slick Trick. When prepping for the hunt I test these best I can to make sure they are sharp. And they are... mostly. Occasionally I find an insert that needs replaced or a head that is dull feeling. I always feel I could make them sharper than they are out of the box. I'm probably over thinking it, they zip right through deer and leave good blood trails. Heck, most deer are down within sight. Do any of you sharpen the head and/or inserts on broadheads like this? If you're the OCD type like me, what do you use to touch up those blades? I've been looking at the KME diamond kit for broadheads.


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Sharpened every head I"ve used on paper wheels on a grinder, even the insert blades. You have to be really careful.

I do so if they don't pass muster or if I've shot them through a deer and ready to shoot another deer.

Hit anything with a file if I need to change angles, and then hit on the paper wheels.

If you use wheels, make sure to turn the grinder backwards so the wheels spin away from you and sharpen on top so if the wheels grab the blade, it throws it away from you and not through you....


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I always sharpen them shaving sharp, but I am not at all certain it is all that critical. Sharp enough to cut is probably OK if you put the arrow in the right place and if not, then sharper won't make enough difference to make up for the mistake.

I shot four last fall and the distance they moved after the hit varied from six feet to over 200 yards. All the shots were dead perfect. Three heart shots, and one dead broadside just above the heart which cut the heart loose from the lungs and almost left it loose in the chest. Obviously, all four dropped blood pressure to zero instantly. The results varying so widely with very sharp blades tell me that sharpness is not the major concern to worry about.

The arrow results match what I have learned with rifles. Shoot 'em in the right place and they can still go a ways, or they can drop in their tracks. The deer arrow shot through both lungs that severed the heart loose from the lungs made it 200 yards pumping huge spurts of blood with every heart beat. How the hell does it manage that distance I cannot guess. I have killed a lot of deer whose wounds produced no blood pressure and couldn't make 100 yards, and never saw one get close to that distance. You wouldn't think that with a double pneumo-thorax and no BP they could make any more than the normal 50 yards or so.

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Originally Posted by MOGC
And they are... mostly. Occasionally I find an insert that needs replaced or a head that is dull feeling. ...Do any of you sharpen the head and/or inserts on broadheads like this?


I inspect every broadhead before I use it, generally right out of the package, usually before each hunt, and as often I think I need to during the season.

I had two packs of Rage CoC broadheads come with the contact blade stamped, but not sharpened. Might have penetrated, might have not, but it sure wasn't going cut anywhere near as well as it should have.

I haven't had any concerns with Slick Tricks coming sharp out of the package, but I still check every one. I have run a couple blades over an Arkansas fine stone that dulled from "quiver wear".

I used G-5 Montec for a while, tried their diamond stone, and ended up on a Cabelas diamond stone that was quite a bit larger. I like shaving sharp, but I agree that a good shot placement is going to be effective with "just sharp".

I hit a yearling last Fall with a Rage, did cut the heart loose, and she went 60-70 yards leaving a trail that was graphic and large for the size of the deer. Really surprising how far some will make it with no oxygen in the system.

Last edited by AH64guy; 08/18/16.
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RE how sharp a blade needs to be.... a rough cut will coagulate a lot quicker than a smooth cut.

A smooth cut comes from the sharpest you can get it.... a rough cut comes from sharp, but not that sharp.

Shaving sharp has never failed me... OTOH hand a mentor shot file sharp black diamonds all his bow career without issue.

I am fairly sure once we started making sure they were extra sharp, fixed heads that is, we had better blood trails to follow.

Amazingly though, almost every blood trail, good or bad led to a dead animal.


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I shoot the old style bear ss razors with the replaceable bleeder inserts. I have always kept the heads timed with the knock and hand sharpened to shave at all times. It just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling....

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Something along the lines of the old Bear Razorhead are simple to sharpen. It's the 3 & 4 blade heads with replaceable inserts that get complicated.


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Use my Lansky kit w extra fine stone. My eyes bleed from looking at the blades when I am done. New blades get same treatment.

Super blood trails.


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When I used slick tricks, the new ones were checked for an edge and shot as-is. Always did the trick. After practicing with them or taking an animal, I always re-sharpened with a Lansky, even the tips sometimes with a file. Now I shoot magnus 2-blades and either compound/fingers or recurve. So they get shot at a block much more in the preseason, so always sharpen them before hunting.


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I think I hit on a system. The steel point gets Figure 8's on some silicon carbide sandpaper finishing at 1500 grit. That leaves a sharp point and sharp edges leading to the inserts. The point edges have a bit of gritty bite to them. I have a Gatco diamond kit that I can get a 22* bevel on the inserts with and get them razor sharp with a fine diamond hone. Diamonds leave an edge with a bit of a bite to it. I'm happy with the results. These are much sharper than out of the package.


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I use Rocky Mountain broad heads. I have bunches of replacement blades

Last edited by hanco; 08/22/16.
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Did some Magnus way back with a file, got them VERY good.
Figured I had the knack and was all cool and smug the next season............and couldn't get the SOBS close to what they were the yr before.

Worked fine pitch stuff, so am pretty good at such things............but it was a no go for that week of trying.

Said screw it and bought an Accusharp. Rolls the edge but gets it kinda sharp. Blew through my deer no sweat (recurve).

Tried G5, bought the diamond stone and other, even had guy show me how he did it at ATA.

Killed deer with 'em.

Decided to not use 60 degree blade angle stuff ever again.

Replaceable blade head? G5 Striker. Scary sharp.
Old style Snuffer? File for diff edge angle and Accusharp.
Magnus Stinger (or other of similar type).....stones and flats w super fine paper.

Back when NAP had their first Spitfire mechs (2 blade) I made a jig to hold the blades to resharpen on 0 and 0000 paper (had a X section lab, so lots of goodies to make things shiny/sharp).

Worked fine.

Just like the hole a 2 blade w bleeders (or a 3 blade ) makes.

Regular 2 blades.........work, but think the other stuff works better.


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Have been happy with Magnus 2 blade Stingers (w bleeders).
No probs getting the main blades resharpened.
The little bleeders I tried.
Said screw it and just bought new bleeders.

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Originally Posted by 10gaugemag
Use my Lansky kit w extra fine stone. My eyes bleed from looking at the blades when I am done. New blades get same treatment.

Super blood trails.


I use a Lansky also, usually medium, fine then extra fine stones.
I won't shoot a head that can not be sharpened on my Lansky.
These days I am shooting Slick Tricks and Exodous.
I sharpen 100% of my heads before hunting with them.


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