Modifying Blunts to Minimize Backstop Damage

 Before setting up the rig in your archery range, we'll need to make sure we can shoot it without damaging the screen.  A standard field point will of course pass right through, but a carefully modified Saunders small game screw in rubber blunt will be stopped easily by the screen and instead will leave only a small dent, which will not really be noticeable from 20 yards away.

As you can see the Saunders blunt comes from the factory with small rubber points off of the front of the blunt.  All you need to do is remove these.  I have done this three ways:

• A dremel with a cutting wheel attachment
• A grinder
• A course grit sandpaper - it takes a while but you can sand them off with a little work

In all cases, you will want to be sure that you are not shaving off any more material than you have to, but still forming a smooth surface on the front of the blunt.  After grinding or using a cutting wheel, you may still want to touch up with sandpaper to get a smoother or more even finish.

At first I was a bit nervous about this approach since it would be removing material from the arrow tip and so I thought it would end up lighter than my field point (I shoot a 100 grain tip).  However, I've actually found that at least the batches of blunts that I received were anywhere from 102 to 104 grains before smoothing them down.  Removing the little points from the tip only removed around 2-4 grains so they ended up right around where we want them.  

 

Once you have modified the desired number of blunts, I recommend emptying your quiver of any arrows with any other type of field point or broadhead.  It is very easy to accidentally shoot the wrong arrow! (Of course if you do, patching the screen will be covered in a later section of this guide).