Editing Arrow (section)

=== Arrowhead ===
{{main|Arrowhead}}
[[File:Arrow Head 01.jpg|thumb|[[Africa]]n Arrowhead]][[Image:Arrowhead.jpg|thumb|[[Obsidian]] broadhead]]
[[Image:Arrow-head Olynthus BM GR1912.4-19.4.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] bronze arrowhead, 4th century BC,  from [[Olynthus]], [[Chalcidice]]]]
[[Image:Fleches-japonaises-p1000615.jpg|thumb|Various Japanese arrowheads]]
[[Image:Native American arrowheads.JPG|thumb|Native American arrowheads]]
[[Image:Field points.jpg|thumb|20th-century field points]]
[[Image:Crécy-en-Ponthieu 24-09-2008 12-11-33.JPG|thumb|Modern replicas of various [[Middle Ages|medieval European]] arrowheads]]
The arrowhead or [[projectile point]] is the primary functional part of the arrow, and plays the largest role in determining its purpose. Some arrows may simply use a sharpened tip of the solid shaft, but it is far more common for separate arrowheads to be made, usually from metal, horn, or some other hard material. 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 mistakenly suggested that the bodkin came into its own as a means of penetrating armour, but research<ref name="royalarmouries.org">{{Cite web |url=http://www.royalarmouries.org/what-we-do/research/analytical-projects/armour-piercing-arrowheads |title=Royal Armouries: 6. Armour-piercing arrowheads |access-date=2008-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324192153/https://royalarmouries.org/what-we-do/research/analytical-projects/armour-piercing-arrowheads |archive-date=2016-03-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> has found no hardened bodkin points, so it is 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 [[Damascus steel|Damascus]] [[Mail (armour)|chain armour]].<ref>{{Gutenberg |no=8084 |name=Hunting with the Bow & Arrow |bullet=none |author=Saxton Pope |accessdate=18 February 2020|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 {{convert|25|lb|kg|spell=in|disp=sqbr}} 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.<br/>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 not effective against [[plate armour]], which became available to knights of fairly modest means by the late 14th century.<ref>Strickland M, Hardy R. The Great Warbow. Sutton Publishing 2005. Page 272</ref>
* '''Blunts''' are unsharpened arrowheads occasionally used for types of target shooting, for shooting at stumps or other targets of opportunity, or hunting small game when the goal is to concuss the target without penetration. Blunts are commonly made of metal or hard rubber. They may stun, and occasionally, the arrow shaft may penetrate the head and the target; safety is still important with blunt arrows.
* '''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 by cleanly cutting major blood vessels, and cause further trauma on removal. They are expensive, damage most targets, and are usually not used for practice. Broadheads are illegal in the UK.
:There are two main types of broadheads used by hunters: the '''fixed-blade''' and the '''mechanical''' types.  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. 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|url=http://www.huntingblades.com/mevsfiblbr.html |title=Mechanical vs. Fixed Broadheads |access-date=2010-02-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925203752/http://www.huntingblades.com/mevsfiblbr.html |archive-date=2009-09-25 }}</ref> Preferences for fixed or mechanical broadheads vary widely in the hunting community, typically varying by species. In general, both types are widely used on game up to the size of [[white-tailed deer]]; as game size increases, fixed blades become more common. Broadheads used for hunting dangerous game such as [[African buffalo]] are almost always fixed-blade.
* '''Field tips''' or '''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.
* '''Target points''' are bullet-shaped with a conical point, designed to penetrate [[Archery butt|target butts]] easily without causing excessive damage to them.
* '''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, such as the large foam ball tip used in [[archery tag]]. 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|abbr=on}} in diameter, with bows not exceeding {{convert|28|in|mm}} and {{convert|50|lb|abbr=on}} of draw for use against well-armoured individuals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sca.org/officers/marshal/docs/marshal_handbook.pdf|title=SCA marshall's handbook|access-date=2008-12-16|archive-date=2016-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610060416/http://www.sca.org/officers/marshal/docs/marshal_handbook.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Arrowheads may be attached to the shaft with a cap, a socketed [[Tang (tools)|tang]], or inserted into a split in the shaft and held by a process called [[hafting]].<ref name="stone-glossary-arrow" /> Points attached with caps are simply slid snugly over the end of the shaft, or may be held on with [[Hot melt adhesive|hot glue]]. Split-shaft construction involves splitting the arrow shaft lengthwise, inserting the arrowhead, and securing it using a [[ferrule]], sinew, or wire.<ref name="TBB-steel_points">{{cite book |last=Parker |first=Glenn |title=The Traditional Bowyer's Bible - Volume Two |year=1992 |publisher=The Lyons Press |location=Guilford |isbn=1-58574-086-1 |chapter=Steel Points }}</ref>