Bodkin point arrows were invented in the Middle Ages, as an improvement of the earlier broadhead arrow. Broadhead arrows were used for hunting, as the sharp, wide cutting surface caused large wounds, that even if they did not kill the animal outright, would most likely make it bleed out in under a minute due to the rather serious tissue damage. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Japanese arrow (ya) and head An arrow is a pointed projectile that is shot with a bow. ... A hunt is an activity during which humans or animals chase wild animals in order to kill them, either for food or as a form of sport. ... A wound is type of physical trauma wherein the skin is torn, cut or punctured (an open wound), or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion (a closed wound). ...

The Bodkin point is simply a point. To the modern mind, it automatically appears to be designed for the penetration of armor. New information suggests that the Bodkin was not designed for this purpose, but was rather designed either for extended range or as a cheaper alternative to the broadhead. The traditional view among historians is that due to the increasing number of armored soldiers in the battlefield, the broadhead arrow showed a fatal weakness: the large head would distribute the impact force over a (relatively) large area, and in most cases, bounce off or break against armor, causing no damage at all. Plate armour was effective at preventing penetration. Even if the point penetrated, the cutting edges of the arrowhead had to open a very large rend in the plate before the more giving flesh beneath was even cut, let alone the arrowhead penetrated the inch or so required for a dangerous wound. Usually nothing would penetrate, as plate was designed as a glancing surface, and was especially thick in front. Even when shot from the famous English longbow, the broadhead arrow was not effective at range against footmen where they were armoured in mail armour and even up close against Knights with plate armour over their mail. A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment (such as a uniform and weapon) to defend that country or its interests. ... The English longbow, also called the Welsh longbow, was a powerful type of longbow (a tall bow for archery) about 2. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ...

Some historians believe that to circumvent this, metalsmiths devised a square-section arrowhead, up to 4 1/2" long and 3/8" thick at its widest point. They believe the objective of this new arrow head was to put a hole through the armor just large enough to allow the rest of the arrow shaft to enter freely. It was tapered down behind this initial "punch" shape to retain mass at the head of the arrow. These historians do not account for the fact that modern tests show that the bodkin will not penetrate good quality plate armor at anything except a perfect angle of impact. However against lesser armors, such as mail, leather, or perhaps even brigandine, their logic works rather well. The reader should remember that when the longbow was in use, most soldiers did not have full plate armor, nor did many armours cover the entirety of a person. A smith or metalsmith is a person involved in the shaping of metal objects. ...

The Bodkin point was also heavier and slightly more aerodynamic. Under ideal conditions, the effective range of the new arrow was an outstanding 275 yards(251.46m). Aerodynamics is a branch of fluid dynamics concerned with the study of gas flows, first analysed by George Cayley in the 1800s. ... The range of a vehicle is the maximum distance it can cover without needing to be refueled or recharged. ... This article is about the unit of measure known as the yard. ...

The bodkin arrow would gradually lose its place in the battle fields because the effectiveness of armor was rapidly increasing, and the gaps in the armor were being reduced until the high age of plate when entire armies were fielded in it. At this point we see the increasing popularity of firearms, even though they were was much less precise, they were much more lethal. Precision would be recovered only with the advent of the rifle, which was far, far more accurate. By the middle of the 17th Century, the bow was considered totally obsolete in battle, and the days of the bodkin point arrow became history. A firearm is a kinetic energy weapon that fires either a single or multiple projectiles propelled at high velocity by the gases produced by action of the rapid confined burning of a propellant. ... A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Making a Bodkin

Fortunately, today we don't need to worry about the iron-making side of things, so firstly, obtain a bar of round steel or iron stock about 1/4" in diameter. Light your charcoal furnace and let it settle down, then start heating the rod about 3/4" along.

Turn on the blast, and get the iron to red heat. Upset the rod to about 3/8" thick.

Reheat, this time heating the end of the rod. Hammer the end of the bar to a flattened spread arc. Next we curl the arc around into a circular cross-section, using another bar or an anvil horn, then hammering it closed. This forms the end of the arrow head that is mated with the wooden shaft.

The next step is to heat the rod just a little beyond the upset, and hot cut it. Using tongs, reheat this cut end, and hammer to a square section. Do not taper or draw the point, as a long thin point will tend to bend when it hits an armoured target, and will also tend to slow the impact down more before penetration is complete.

When happy with the squareness and straightness of the head, quench rapidly in water to harden the cutting edges and the nose, but do not quench further back than just behind the upset, as this may cause the arrow to shatter at the thinner neck on impact, rather than give slightly. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The arrowhead is then matched to a fletched shaft, and stored ready for use. Fletch is the nickname of the main character, Irwin Maurice Fletcher, in a series of Mystery/Comedy novels written by Gregory Mcdonald. ...