Broadhead Blades and Arrow Vanes

My wife, Michelle, will be bowhunting for the first time ever this season, and yesterday at lunch, I sat down to assemble broadheads for her arrows. Bow season opens in Kentucky one week from Saturday. It's a little last-minute, I know.

We shoot Muzzy 100-grain 3-blades in this household, so that's what I was piecing together. Once they were all in place, I flicked a cigarette lighter and heated the inserts until I could turn them within the arrow with a broadhead wrench. I did this so I could align the blades with the vanes of her arrows.

Now, this is something I've been doing since the first year I bowhunted. Personally, it's like a "finishing touch" for me to get a broadhead super-sharp and perfectly aligned. And, knock on wood, I've never had any trouble with fixed-blade broadhead flight from any bow, and since this has always been part of my formula, I've never seen the need to change it. Dad always told me his arrows flew better like that, since it reduces drag from the blades. But, I've also been told by folks who shoot more than me that the difference is minimal, and truthfully, when I've shot arrows from my bow that weren't aligned, I've never been able to tell much difference. I suppose we'll know with Michelle's bow after she tries her broadheads on target this weekend.

So, what say you Rack Report readers? Do you try and align your fixed broadhead blades with your vanes, or just screw them on and let 'em fly?

-Will Brantley
Down in Dixie
Counting down the days