Editing Arrowhead (section)

== Variants ==
[[File:Fleches-japonaises-p1000615.jpg|thumb|Japanese arrowheads of several shapes and functions]]
[[Image:Crécy-en-Ponthieu 24-09-2008 12-11-33.JPG|thumb|left|Modern replicas of various [[medieval Europe]]an arrowheads]]

[[File:BroadheadTip.jpg|thumb|200px|A modern broadhead tip]]

Arrowheads are usually separated by function:
* ''[[Bodkin point]]s'' are short, rigid points with a small cross-section. They were made of unhardened iron and may have been used for better or longer flight, or for cheaper production. It has been suggested that the bodkin came into its own as a means of penetrating armour, however limited research<ref name="royalarmouries.org">{{Cite web |title=Armour-Piercing Arrowheads |url=http://www.royalarmouries.org/what-we-do/research/analytical-projects/armour-piercing-arrowheads |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324192153/https://royalarmouries.org/what-we-do/research/analytical-projects/armour-piercing-arrowheads |archive-date=24 March 2016 |access-date=17 February 2010 |website=Royal Armouries}}</ref> has so far found no hardened bodkin points, so it appears likely that it was first designed either to extend range or as a cheaper and simpler alternative to the broadhead. In a modern test, a direct hit from a hard steel bodkin point penetrated a set of fifteenth-century chain armour made in Damascus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pope |first=Saxton |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8084/8084-h/8084-h.htm |title=Hunting with the Bow and Arrow |quote=To test a steel bodkin pointed arrow such as was used at the battle of Cressy, I borrowed a shirt of chain armor from the Museum, a beautiful specimen made in Damascus in the 15th Century. It weighed twenty-five pounds and was in perfect condition. One of the attendants in the Museum offered to put it on and allow me to shoot at him. Fortunately, I declined his proffered services and put it on a wooden box, padded with burlap to represent clothing. Indoors at a distance of {{convert|7|yd|m|0|spell=in|disp=sqbr}}, I discharged an arrow at it with such force that sparks flew from the links of steel as from a forge. The bodkin point and shaft went through the thickest portion of the back, penetrated an inch of wood and bulged out the opposite side of the armor shirt. The attendant turned a pale green. An arrow of this type can be shot about {{convert |200 |yd |m |spell=in |disp=sqbr}}, and would be deadly up to the full limit of its flight.}}</ref> However, archery was minimally effective against [[plate armour]], which became available to knights of fairly modest means by the late 14th century. 
* ''Judo points'' have spring wires extending sideways from the tip. These catch on grass and debris to prevent the arrow from being lost in the vegetation. Used for practice and for small game.
* ''Broadheads'' were used for war and are still used for hunting. Medieval broadheads could be made from steel,<ref name="royalarmouries.org" /> sometimes with hardened edges. They usually have two to four sharp blades that cause massive [[bleeding]] in the victim.  Their function is to deliver a wide cutting edge so as to kill as quickly as possible. They are expensive, damage most targets, and are usually not used for practice. Two main types of broadheads are used by hunters: the  ''fixed-blade broadhead'' and the ''mechanical broadhead''. While the fixed-blade broadhead keeps its blades rigid and unmovable on the broadhead at all times, the mechanical broadhead deploys its blades upon contact with the target, its blades swinging out to wound the target. "There are three requirements to making a broadhead. 1. It must be wide enough to cut through tissue to produce a quick, clean kill. 2. It must be narrow enough to penetrate well. 3. It must be of a shape that can be sharpened well."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Quidort |first=Darryl |date=February–March 2014 |title=Handmade Massey-Style Broadheads |magazine=Traditional Bowhunter |page=50 |issn=1076-6537}}</ref> A few models known as ''hybrid broadheads'' have both fixed and replaceable blades, most often two relatively small fixed blades and two longer mechanically opening blades. 

The mechanical head flies better because it is more streamlined, but has less penetration as it uses some of the kinetic energy in the arrow to deploy its blades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mechanical vs. Fixed Broadheads |url=http://www.huntingblades.com/mevsfiblbr.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925203752/http://www.huntingblades.com/mevsfiblbr.html |archive-date=25 September 2009 |access-date=17 February 2010 |website=HuntingBlades.com}}</ref>

* ''Three-bladed'', ''trilobate'', or ''Scythian'' arrowheads appears in regions under influence of the [[Scythians]] and [[Achaemenid Empire|ancient Persians]]. It was the type normally used by the [[Achaemenid army]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Delrue |first=Parsival |date=2007 |title=Trilobate Arrowheads at ed-Dur (U.A.E, Emirate of Umm al-Qaiwain) |journal=Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy |language=en |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=239–250 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0471.2007.00281.x|url=https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/409091/file/6800978 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
* ''Target points'' are bullet-shaped with a sharp point, designed to penetrate [[Archery butts|target butts]] easily without causing excessive damage to them.
* ''Field points'' are similar to target points and have a distinct shoulder, so that missed outdoor shots do not become as stuck in obstacles such as tree stumps. They are also used for shooting practice by hunters, by offering similar flight characteristics and weights as broadheads, without getting lodged in target materials and causing excessive damage upon removal.
* ''Safety arrows'' are designed to be used in various forms of reenactment combat, to reduce the risk when shot at people. These arrows may have heads that are very wide or padded. In combination with bows of restricted draw weight and draw length, these heads may reduce to acceptable levels the risks of shooting arrows at suitably armoured people. The parameters will vary depending on the specific rules being used and on the levels of risk felt acceptable to the participants. For instance, [[Society for Creative Anachronism|SCA]] combat rules require a padded head at least {{convert|1+1/4|in|cm|0}} in diameter, with bows not exceeding {{convert|28|in|cm|round=5}} and {{convert|50|lb|kg}} of draw for use against well-armoured individuals. The Australia/New Zealand based SCA Kingdom of Lochac use {{convert|30|lb|kg|adj=on}} bows and much smaller safety arrow heads similar to modern rubber bird blunts for their combat archery as these more accurately simulate real arrows.<ref name="stone-glossary-arrow" />