FIELD TEST: NAP Crossfire
by Jon Silks
I just got back from the home of my good friend Gregg Keeton. He was
preparing arrows for the first day of Ohio’s archery season that is coming
up in a few short days. He pulled out a small orange box, handed it to
me and asked if I had ever seen the likes of it before-- instant flashback!
It was a new box of old N.A.P. Razorbak 5 Broadheads from the 1980's
that someone had given him. Gregg is a traditional shooter and had no use
for them and offered them to me. I gladly accepted and the story telling
was on! Razorbacks were my broadhead of choice for many years and I especially
liked those spinning blades! Several deer got a close-up look at the inside
of my freezer after a close encounter with one of my Razorbaks!
Ok, fast forward back to today. Here I am almost 15 years later evaluating
a broadhead from New Archery Products with spinning blades – the Crossfire!
It is new for 2004 and features some of today’s top technologies.
The Basics
 N.A.P.’s
Crossfire consists of three main parts and three secondary parts. The three
main parts include a machined aluminum ferrule, a one-piece 440 stainless
steel cartridge (3-blade) and a six sided nickel plated point.
The secondary parts include 2 small screws and a rubber wear-ring.
The ferrule is held to the bottom of the cartridge with a single small
screw that is inserted in the top of the cartridge and bottoms out in the
ferrule so it doesn’t tighten down on the cartridge leaving it free to
spin. The opposite end of the ferrule is threaded to screw into arrow inserts.
The rubber wear-ring is the buffer between the ferrule and cartridge
and fits snugly into a counter bore formed at the back of the cartridge.
Without the wear-ring the 3-blade cartridge spins too freely and is in
general sloppy. With the ring the fit is firm but loose enough to spin
with a smooth consistency.
The solid tip has a stud that fits down into the cartridge. A hole in
the cartridge matches up with a drilled and tapped hole in the tip stud
and is secured with a small screw. When all is assembled the tip and cartridge
spin independently of the ferrule.
The idea behind this spinning blade technology is for the head to spin
with the arrow while in flight but then rotates independently of the arrow
when the target is struck, allowing the head to follow the path of least
resistance -- increased penetration. Energy typically lost in stopping
the rotation of the head and arrow is now used to stop only the head’s
rotation leaving more energy to drive the arrow deeper.
The one-piece cartridge is packed with features starting with patented
dimpling, similar to that on a golf ball, which prevents air from “Sticking”
to the cartridge that in turn provides increased flight control. Metal
injection molding, or MIM, is a new technology in our industry and brings
with it several advantages. One advantage is blade security and stability.
The blades are a literal part of the cartridge. There are no joints,
welds or other attachment methods. Blade loss is not an issue and added
strength is a product of the process. Another advantage is consistency.
The MIM process is incredibly precise and repeatable. Basically, each
3-blade cartridge is identical in every way to the one in the pack right
next to it, down to the last dimple and blade tolerance. Each blade is
tapered for optimal strength from .040” thick at the base to .027” thick
at the cutting edge. Also molded directly into the cartridge, at the trailing
edge of each blade, is a Spintab Winglet. These winglets, like those found
on N.A.P.’s QuikSpin Vanes, increase the rate of cartridge spin thereby
increasing in-flight stability.
Testing
The first thing I did when the Crossfire heads arrived was to tear
down all three and do an initial functionality and quality check. The head
came apart quite easily once I found an object, not exactly a screwdriver,
which would fit down in the cartridge to remove the ferrule screw. A wrench/tool
is provided with the heads but you would need two of them to get the job
done. Quality was superb on all three. There were no blemishes in or on
the threads, ferrule, cartridge or tip. I took consistency/repeatability
measurements at various points on the cartridge, ferrule and tip using
a pair of digital calipers. All measurements were exact and identical from
head to head. They are truly clones!
In my opinion the “out of the box sharpness” would score about an “8”
on a scale of 1 to 10. They would not easily shave the hair on my arm but
slight pressure was enough to put a noticeable slice in the skin on my
thumb. They did slice paper reasonable well. Of course, these are not scientific
sharpness tests but I have sharpened and tested enough “edges” to know
the difference between “Oh my! Honey, grab the kids and run away from the
broadheads” sharp and “just ok” sharp. The Crossfire heads fall in between
these two extremes when pulled from their package.
Next up was a ruggedness test in which I shoot the heads into a 1” thick
rough-cut pine board. I do not equate this to a hunting situation in any
way. It is done only to see how well these heads hold up in general. The
merit of this test was proven several years ago when a manufacturer sent
me a prototype broadhead to evaluate. The blades from all six prototypes
were destroyed by this test. There was an obvious problem with the metal
manufacturing process. I called the company president who immediately set
out to discover the cause. It turned out that the tempering process was
flawed leaving the metal in a brittle state. The problem was fixed before
any product was shipped.
When the new Crossfire heads were put through the ruggedness test they
didn’t even flinch. Each head blew right through the board and emerged
on the other side looking as new as they did in the pack.
Although I do not have a shooting machine it is still worth noting how
the Crossfires flew in reference to my field points. My rig is set up extremely
well and tuned to near perfection (Thanks to Ken at Old English Outfitters)
so almost any well designed head should fly well out of it. That is exactly
the case with the Crossfire heads, they flew perfectly. When shooting them
mixed in with my field points there was no decrease in accuracy or shift
in impact point noted between the two.
Trends
I would like to make one note of observation and that is the relatively
short distance in which the Crossfire reaches its 1 1/8” cutting diameter.
It is just over 1” from the tip to the trailing edge of the cutting surface.
To see my point you have think in extremes. Imagine if there was no
distance between the tip and end of the blade edge, in other word, sticking
straight out. This of course would affect flight and penetration characteristics.
The closer you get to this extreme the more erratic flight will be and
the more power it will take to penetrate. A high blade angle will also
reduce the length of cutting surface – ½” per blade for the Crossfire.
The tip is intended to “punch” through the target and is not sharp enough
to be considered in the total cutting edge length. Will this design negatively
impact the effectiveness of the Crossfire? Not likely but I wouldn’t want
to see heads get any shorter.
General Comments
Testing results were positive in almost every respect. I am impressed
with the quality and repeatability of the N.A.P. Crossfire heads and would
not hesitate to use them in the field. New Archery Products has made an
art of constructing top quality performance archery gear. They and their
products are truly some of the best in the industry.
QUALITY: 5 of 5
I’m not sure how it could any better in this category!
PERFORMANCE: 4.5 OF 5
The heads flew well and appeared to be virtually indestructible. Area
for improvement? – Out of the box sharpness.
For more information, or to simply equip your arrows with the new standard
in broadheads, see your favorite New Archery Products retailer. Additional
information can also be found at www.newarchery.com.
New Archery Products
7500 Industrial Drive
Forest Park, IL 60130
800-323-1279 - Phone
708-488-2515 - Fax
Email: info@newarchery.com
Web: www.newarchery.com |
