In this review, I’ll be discussing Iron Will Components. Arrow components might not be the sexiest thing to discuss regarding our bowhunting tools, but they are one of the most crucial factors in a clean kill. They can make or break the mission of a launched arrow.
Changes Driven By Failure
I have had my fair share of broadhead and component failures in the field. And even while practicing on the home range. In 2016, the integrity of my arrow cost me the largest buck I had ever loosed an arrow at. It forced me to look at how I built arrows and what pieces were going into the system.
I switched to a slightly heavier overall arrow and went back to micro-diameter shafts. I found an individual in a machine shop making custom-weight Deep Six inserts for himself but could not sell them (patent issues). He was kind enough to give me a handful to try out.
Discovering Iron Will
Fortunately for me, I also discovered Iron Will Outfitters the following spring. I ordered a three-pack of the V100 Deep Six heads to try out with my new system. Never before had I built an arrow, screwed in a broadhead, and seen such tight spin on my arrow spinner! I was used to having to “tune” a broadhead to spin well by bending the feral on a table to make it parallel with the centerline of the shaft. This Iron Will head and the custom-made insert were perfect.
Still, Room To Improve
I used this basic arrow configuration for several years with great lethality, but there was one problem: every year, I would mushroom the tip of a few carbon shafts behind the BH or field point. Whether after a pass-through on an animal or at home, when I randomly forgot to move my sight after walking back to a longer yardage, the end of the carbon was the weak point in my system.
I looked into making footers out of aluminum shafts with an inside diameter that matched the outside diameter of my arrow, cut into tiny lengths, and glued over the outside of the carbon shafts, but l found a better option.
Iron Will HIT System
Iron Will released their HIT Inserts and Impact Collars at just the right time. They would prove to be the answer to my problems. Now I had the inserts I needed and available in different weights to play with different weight arrows and FOC. Initially, I was way more excited about the heavy HIT Inserts. But, after a season of using the new parts, the Impact Collars’ ability to protect and strengthen the business end of my arrows was proven to me.
I can say that since I started using the Impact Collars, not only have I not mushroomed a shaft tip, but I have only broken one shaft, and that was fired into a vertical rock wall (don’t ask). It is incredible how a tiny collar can enhance the durability of an arrow and only add 10 grains.
Strong System
The adage that a team is no stronger than its weakest player can be applied to our projectiles that we shoot out of our bows. The broadhead-tipped arrow is our point of connection to the animals we are trying to quickly and humanely kill. It is my opinion that this is not an area to skimp on.
Perhaps only second in importance to perfect arrow flight, the integrity of your arrow, broadhead, and components upon impact can be the difference between a lethal or non-lethal hit.
Options For Everyone
Iron Will has insert and collar size and weight options for almost every shaft. No matter how heavy or light you want your overall finished arrow to be, they have what you need. They also have a one-piece glue-in variant called the Snyder Core, which results from a collaboration with Aron Snyder.
I cannot recommend Iron Will’s arrow components enough; they have never let me down. Even if you use other broadheads besides Iron Will, their HIT inserts and Impact collars will strengthen any arrow setup. Check them out here.
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