# Molt man's broadhead attracts national acclaim



## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Story available at http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles ... adhead.txt

Published on Thursday, September 06, 2007.
Last modified on 9/6/2007 at 1:47 am

*Molt man's broadhead attracts national acclaim*
By BRETT FRENCH
Of the Gazette Staff

It may be a one-man show based near the tiny prairie town of Molt, but Chris Sanford's Piston Point Broadheads company has quickly become the new darling of the U.S. archery industry.

Sanford's design for an expandable broadhead - a metal arrowhead for hunting that has blades that pop open on impact - has in its first year captured the imagination of hunters nationwide and the interest of large retailers such as Cabela's.

"I didn't expect it to take off like it did," Sanford said. "I expected to have a whole warehouse full of product, and it didn't happen."

Sanford's foray into the archery industry came after almost 30 years of archery hunting and a fondness for building. He has a business degree, worked as an account manager for a trucking firm and then went into business as a general contractor.

"I like building stuff and tinkering with stuff," said Sanford, 41, who grew up south of Lewistown. "And I always wanted to do something in the archery business because I just love hunting."

For nine years, he has been building his own broadheads for personal use. But he found his designs weren't unusual enough to carve out a niche in the competitive industry.

"Broadheads are a very personal thing," said T.J. Smith of Superior Archery in Billings.

He compared it to car owners who become loyal to a brand and are hesitant to change, like Ford vs. Chevy owners.

Such loyalty to manufacturers, as well as diversity in design, is evident just by looking at Cabela's Web site, which lists more than 50 broadhead designs by 30 manufacturers.

Sanford's design stands out among the pack because of its unique technology. Expandable broadheads such as Sanford's are made to fly through the air like field points - the tips archers use on target arrows. The blades of expandable broadheads deploy, or expand, on contact with the game, popping open by different means to inflict large entry wounds. Sanford's three-bladed Piston Point Broadheads are just over a half-inch wide in flight before opening up to an 1½ inches upon contact.

Past versions of expandable broadheads have met with skepticism by some archers, while others have embraced them. Proponents like the fact that expandable broadheads fly more like target arrows for greater accuracy and distance. They also argue that fixed broadheads of the traditional variety are too prone to fly off target because the blades can act like wings in flight, especially at distances greater than 40 yards.

Archers opposed to expandable broadheads cite a variety of problems such as the blade deployment deflecting the arrow off its flight path, especially in angled shots at game. Others argue that some of the mechanicals don't open quick enough on contact, creating small entry wounds. Another complaint is that when expandable broadheads hit, they lose kinetic energy to the expansion and won't punch all the way through game. Since many archers feel an exit wound is vital to help track an injured animal's blood trail, lack of an exit wound concerns them.

But Sanford claims to have solved all of the problems cited, and to prove the point he has killed six animals with his new broadheads, including a 7-foot-2-inch bear that ran only 45 yards before dropping. Smith said he has seen about six antelope taken with the points so far this fall.

"From everything I've seen, they work great," Smith said. "It's probably been the best-selling broadhead this year."

Sanford said that to come up with his unique design, he shot every broadhead he could find, examining their pros and cons.

Most expandable broadheads, using what's called a catapult design, on the market were designed to open from the front backward. Sanford recognized this as one of the reasons for deflected shots.

"I figured the only way to get them to open from the rear was on a cylinder basis," he said, hence the piston on his Piston Point Broadheads.

Here's how it works. There's a small space between the tip of the arrow and the cylinder. When the tip strikes its target, the cylinder moves forward and the blades are popped out from the rear, releasing a small rubber band that holds the blades closed in flight. The cylinder also serves as a lock to keep the blades open on contact, but releases when the arrow is pulled back so archers can remove their arrow when shooting foam targets for practice.

The broadheads also have a couple of other features. The blades can spin, allowing the arrow to stay on trajectory during angled shots without deflecting the arrow. The tip is scalloped, helping to eliminate planing and wind resistance. The tip, shaft, insert and blades are made of heat-forged stainless steel for greater hardness. And the blades, at a thickness of .039 inches, are some of the heaviest expandable blades made.

Sanford said that at 100 grains, the weight at which broadheads are measured, they are capable of taking any big game and have been used to kill everything from Dall sheep to an African lion.

The broadheads are crafted to work in bows ranging from 40 pounds of pull to crossbows that shoot faster than 300 feet per second.

It took Sanford three years to refine, test and tweak the design.

Then two years ago, he thought he got beaten to the punch when the new Rage broadheads came hit the market. The Rage also opens from the back. After spending heavily on advertising, however, the company had to recall some of its three-bladed Rage broadheads this year due to a design flaw.

Smith discounted any similarity between the Rage and Sanford's Piston Point.

"There's no comparison in my mind," he said.

Sanford debuted his new broadheads in January at the Archery Trade Association show in Atlanta - the industry's largest marketplace for manufacturers. But he was worried.

"Even though I thought it was cool, I didn't know what everyone else would think," he said. "I couldn't bounce it off anybody until I got six patents filed."

Sanford shouldn't have worried. Some writers voted his broadheads as the No. 1 new item at the show, broadhead manufacturers offered to buy him out, and Cabela's was interested enough to negotiate a deal, something the outdoor giant rarely does with new, unproven gear.

"It was overwhelming," Sanford said. "The top people in the industry have been calling me and want to shoot it."

Internet archery chat sites are abuzz with talk about people searching for information on the Piston Points. And Sanford said local shops, such as Smith's Superior Archery and Scheels, have been incredibly supportive with advertising.

Such quick interest caught Sanford a bit off guard.

"We got off to a late start on manufacturing because we ran into problems, so that put us back a little bit," he said.

As a result, he had to make a quick turnaround from production to shipping.

"It's a pretty small operation," he said. "My wife Lesley and I do the majority of the stuff out of Molt.."

Although three manufacturers build the parts for the broadhead to Sanford's tight tolerances, he personally inspects each broadhead before packaging it for shipping.

"I'm really picky about it," he said. "My whole concept is - it's hard to get the shot of a lifetime and I don't want the equipment screwing it up."

It's been a wild ride, sometimes requiring Sanford to put in 15-hour days and becoming a full-time job in the past year.

"There are days I want to get rid of this, when it's driving me crazy," Sanford said. "But this is what I want to do.

"My philosophy now is to keep moving forward, so I'm coming out with two new heads."

Brett French can be reached at [email protected] or at 657-1387.


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## SODSUCKER (Mar 24, 2005)

Can we get them around here?


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Cabela's is mentioned in the article.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true

Bob


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## nomrcy (Jul 14, 2005)

Scheels carries them also.


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