Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Arrows => Topic started by: Backer on January 12, 2022, 08:36:43 pm
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I not talking about the small stone points used by native American peoples to kill big game that are commonly called bird points. What I'm looking for are suggestions for making an inexpensive point for hunting waterfowl and upland birds when the most likely outcome of taking a shot will be a lost arrow. (SH)
I have made trade style points from 1 1/4" X .035 black steel banding material that were tang fitted into a slotted shaft and wrapped with assorted materials and glue for reinforcement. That style of head, rough cut with a tin snips and filed to a near razor edge, is lethal on birds and cheap and fast to make with used banding but I know longer have a source. New banding seems to only be available in 100 lb rolls for hundreds of dollars.
All suggestions and comments are welcome!
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Keep an eye out for yard sales?
I've made excellent points from old shovels past their prime. Circular saw blades and rusted up old capentry hand saws have done well. At one point I found some thin sheet steel at the hardward store, thout it was mild steel but it ended up having enough carbon to take a decent heat treat.
Been meaning to try messing around with junkyard steel from things like panels off of furnaces or hvac condnser units but we'll see if I ever get there.
For birds you might could look in to scrap copper pipe? Cut it down the middle and flatten out.
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Copper, brass or aluminum should be adequate for birds and small game points and would be easy to work with hand tools..
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Thanks for all the suggestions. I've been making broadheads from circular saw blades from the pre-carbide tip era and they do make excellent single bevel big game heads. In my opinion they are just too much work for an arrow that probably will only be shot once and lost and is unlikely to put meat on the table. I'm not a good wing shot.
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For birds and small game you probably don't need razor sharp heads either. Ther all have pretty thin skin and it doesn't take much trauma to bring them down.
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Why not just use standard field points? They should penetrate the body of even the largest water fowl.
Saxton Pope made his own field points from the pointed FMJ jackets of .30-06 rifle bullets with the lead melted away. Its unlikely you could find similar milspec bullets cheaply enough to do that today.
Barring that a number of members have posted of making target arrows using nails as points.
On the desk before me is a common ball point pen with a metal cap at the tip that is just the right size for an impromptu field point. A finishing nail might be inserted in the opening for the pen point.
All in all I'd just go with the common field point. The slip on type not the threaded shank kind.
If only shooting at close range a simple fire hardened tip should do the trick. You could sharpen these with a pencil sharpener.
BTW
Awhile back I looked up some small hand flaked stone points that are sold in bulk for making jewelery. They looked well made and just the right size for bird points.
The ones I was looking at were of a pink quartz but I think they had obsidian and flint as well.
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I've never hunted ducks, but I use hex blunts for grouse. Ruffed grouse are amazingly tough critters, but a hex to the chest puts their lights out reasonably fast.
For home-made, I've wondered about using chisel-shaped stone or metal heads. One of the TBB volumes talks about them. Seems like they'd be easy to make, fairly hard to lose, and would probably do the job.
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I seem to remember seeing a video once of a native type “ bouncing” Arrow. It was a blunt type they used for waterfowl. It reminded me of those bombs they used in ww2.
They shot it at water level at sitting ducks. It would skip and hit them just above water level. It also floated.
It was years ago that I saw it. Maybe Tod Beckham? I really don’t remember it I think they showed a successful hunt.
Bjrogg