Arrow Ballistic Study

Not sure I remember reading it, but I remember Yates stating that on a podcast about this study.
OK, thx. He stated in the beginning criteria for the study was detuning the bow- and explained how he did it.

I skimmed most of the study so I could have missed it but I didn't see where he BH tuned the bow for part of the study.
 
OK, thx. He stated in the beginning criteria for the study was detuning the bow- and explained how he did it.

I skimmed most of the study so I could have missed it but I didn't see where he BH tuned the bow for part of the study.

I missed it the first time but detuning then shooting four more arrows was implied:

Each distinct arrow design tested during the study had 6 arrows built in that configuration (two shooting rounds of 6 arrows each). The following arrow build components were tested:……..

To estimate the effects of lift recovery, the bow was intentionally brought out of tune horizontally………

All fletching configurations were shot at 70 yards with a field tip, mechanical, and fixed blade broadhead, a total of 4 shots each.
 
It is a very cool study, and very interesting to look at. It also makes me feel fortunate to not have had a never ending supply of information when I started
Half the fun is testing this stuff out for ourselves, so we didn't really miss anything when starting out.........we just tested it, and still do. This test didn't even have the two vanes and BH's I use, but they all work very well for me so that doesn't concern me at all. I like shooting BH's year round just because........so they have to be hitting the same as my FP's. Especially since my 7-pin sight is set for 30-90 yards.
 
Incredibly detailed study....Kudos to Mr Yates.

Interesting they decided to run everything from a detuned bow.
Only the Lift Recovery testing was done with a detuned bow.
This was an amazing study and I really enjoyed the attempt to minimize variables! So cool!

Do you think that the results would be similar if applied to other arrows? I.E-if the same study was conducted with Easton 5.0 vs RIP TKO vs HLR vs Altra vs brand xxxx. I guess what influence does arrow design/materials have on flight dynamics? Some arrows are advertised to have no spine or recover quicker. How (if any) would that factor into how the vane applies control to the arrow?

I can theoretically see how the arrow reacts due to it's design and materials causing variables the vane must overcome, but again that's all theory.

My other question, does the variance in drag from broadhead to broadhead matter in practical application? Like does it matter that broadhead A has a .2 greater drag than broadhead B? Like at what point does the marginal difference in drag begin to create a practical difference? Many times there a statistical relevance, but little when it comes to practical application.

I realize that much of this might be speculation, but I'm not a physicist or engineer, so hoping someone can provide some insights based on expertise!
How much does drag difference matter, Tristan has posted this in the past, it depends on the distance, here's a Facebook post where he talks about it

 
You can find raw data, testing procedures, images, all kinds of things through the various links here: https://www.precisioncutarchery.com/research/arrow-study-2025

For example, someone asked about how the groups where measured for the restorative lift portion:
"Impact Measurement and Image Analysis
Each group of arrows was photographed at the target using a Lumix S5MII camera, positioned consistently for all shots.
A 36″ piece of tape was included in every photo for scale calibration.
Photos were converted to PDF and analyzed with Blue Beam software. A digital marker was placed on each arrow impact, and the X-coordinate (horizontal displacement) was recorded.
To correct for slight camera alignment variations, a fixed reference point was marked on the left side of the target and its X-coordinate was also recorded.
Only horizontal displacement (X) was considered; vertical displacement (Y) was not analyzed for this study as there was variation in drop due to aerodynamic drag.
A scale factor was applied using the tape reference, and the horizontal distance from the fixed point to each arrow impact was computed in inches.
Data are presented as horizontal deviation from the reference point for each arrow and broadhead type.

95% confidence intervals were computed based on the t-distribution, with degrees of freedom equal to the sample size minus one, to appropriately reflect the increased uncertainty associated with small sample sizes."

 
Great test and videos. I switched to a mechanical because of this study. A little more forgiving and I am hunting mule deer. For elk I’ll opt for fixed.

Going to give the new sevr Ti hybrid 1.75 a shot. Good to know that my iron will s100s fly better than single bevel!
 
Back
Top