The Archery Centre - Arrow Heads

We stock a large selection of arrow heads, but we are anxious that they do not fall into the wrong hands. The bullet points, field points and rubber blunts are available to all of our customers, but the medieval heads are for sale only to archers who are in recognised clubs or re-enactment groups. Please give us details of your membership when you order medieval heads. All hunting with the bow or crossbow is illegal in this country (the UK).

The head which looks best on an arrow is the bodkin. Used throughout the Hundred Years War, this head would penetrate chain-mail and armour, and made the longbow the fearsome weapon it was. These bodkins are machine-made, which means that they are all the same and will all shoot the same, so that your arrows will group well.

I designed these many years ago, when I got fed up with my arrows bouncing out of targets on the rare occasions when I hit them. Since then other makes have come on the market, but ours are still the best. (One maker of arrows is even using my text!) The reason why ours are best is that ours are a parallel fit, which gives a much stronger glue bond than a taper fit, and also the front of our bodkin has four cutting edges, which gives greater penetration. They don't make a bigger hole, they just go in further. They have been tested and accepted by the National Field Archery Society (full details of the testing and acceptance available on request). The parallel fit means that they are easy to drill out if you snap an arrow, so they can be used over and over again. They are made from steel, they are four-sided at the business end, we stock them in both 5/16" and 11/32", and they are 1.75 inches long. And I have never had one bounce!

Some of our customers have queried the fact that the short bodkins are a little bit wider than the shaft they are putting them on, which leaves a little lip of the bodkin on the shaft. This is because the wall thickness is wider so that the bodkin is strong and so is slightly bigger than the shaft. If you are not bothered by this then continue to buy the 11/32" bodkins for the 11/32" shafts, but if you want the bodkins to be flush with the shafts then order 5/16" bodkins for the 11/32" shafts. You will have to reduce the diameter of the end of the shaft more to take the bodkin, but you will get a flush fit. If you don't understand any of this, give me a ring!

To order, ask for SHORT BODKINS, and state the size you want. 5/16" are 95p each and 11/32" are £1.20 each.

We have sold out of the 11/32" size and are trying to find a new engineering firm to start making them for us at a reasonable price. As an alternative, we are now stocking Modbods in 11/32" 125 grain at 45p each. Sorry we have no picture at present.

For longbow archers who prefer a bullet point to a field point, these are stocked in 5/16", 11/32" and 3/8". The 11/32" will give a flush fitting on an 11/32" shaft, but the shaft will have to be reduced quite a bit to take it. Some archers prefer the 3/8" point which will give a slightly proud point, but is much easier to fit. The 3/8" point will also give a flush fitting on our 9mm shafts after you have reduced the diameter of the shaft quite a bit. All of these points are 42p each.

We stock these for making target arrows, all in parallel fit at 46p each.

The usual "stepped" point much used in field archery, which we stock in 5/16" and 11/32" in taper fit at 44p each.

Blunts were originally intended for small game, but now they are often used for roving because they don't bury themselves in the grass, nor do they stick in trees. Ideal for shooting down pyramids of beer-cans (drink the contents first to get the best results). In the Autumn I have fun using them to knock down conkers. Overseas customers who do not know what conkers are will understand straight away when I tell them that they are the fruit of Aesculus Hippocastanum. 80p each (the blunts, not the conkers!).

These are a new British blunt that is becoming very popular. 75p each.

FORGED MEDIEVAL HEADS

These are replicas of English arrow heads, made in England by an English blacksmith. They are a taper fit, which means they can be fitted to 11/32", 3/8", 9mm, and 10mm. Because they are made entirely by hand, beaten out on an anvil in the old way, they vary just a tiny bit from one to another. If you got an order from King Henry for twenty thousand heads to be delivered early next year and you'll be in trouble if he doesn't get them on time, you wouldn't worry too much about getting them all exactly the same, would you? Because of the growing demand for these heads we sometimes run out of a particular model, so you might like to check with us first before you order.

About 2½" long, £2.15 each.
About 4" long, £2.75 each.
The 4" one needs an extra stiff shaft to fly straight because of the extra weight.

Similar to the Type One in the London Museum Catalogue, about 3" long, at £2.70 each.

Similar to the Type Sixteen in the L.M.C., about 2 " long, at £4.00 each.

Four-sided, about 3" x ½", just under 2oz in weight, and made by our blacksmith. £2.75 each, or £2.50 each for five or more. We have sold very few of these, but perhaps we will sell more now that we realise that we put 1" diameter by mistake in our last price list instead of ½". Oops!

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Last updated: 14/07/2010