Exploding Arrowheads

 

So you want to be like Rambo?  Well, I bet you they won’t expect exploding arrowheads. And what they do not expect they will likely not be able to prepare and defend against. This is just logical is it not?

Specialty arrowheads are nothing new. Arrowheads of all types and for multiple purposes have been used since time immemorial. Armor-piercing ones, blunts for hunting very small game, whistling arrows for signaling in large battles, and yes, even fire arrows and explosive arrowheads. We wrote a more thorough article on types of arrows here. This article will focus on explosive arrowheads in the context of what is available on the market today, with some historical context to set things up. Here we go…

 

 

 

Incendiary Arrows or Flaming Arrows

 

The precursor to exploding arrowheads is the incendiary arrow. This technology was known and used for quite some time. The Persians under Xerxes has used flaming arrows to burn down several cities including Athens in 480 B.C. The first flaming arrows consist of arrowheads being wrapped in some dried and hence highly flammable plant fiber, such as straw or hemp.

These flaming arrows were not that effective as they could easily be doused with water. What was needed was something that burned more insidiously, something that was not easily doused by water and that would burn subtly yet for a relatively long time.

 

 

Some dangerous research, as well as trial and error, was surely conducted to discover certain chemical additives and the desired ratios of ingredients to allow for extremely stubborn and dangerous fires. Such research led to the discovery and implementation of the infamous “Greek fire”, a liquid mixture of unknown constituents that allowed for extremely stubborn and volatile fires to be lit and propelled unto targets, much like a modern flame thrower.

In the context of arrows, the first additives were the resin of pine trees known as pitch. Distillation and concentration of pitch allowed for extremely hot fires and the sticky resins were somewhat resistant to fire’s arch-nemesis – water. Arrows could be dipped into pitch, lit, then shot towards the enemy, doing great damage to wooden buildings and fortifications as well as siege equipment and other smaller wooden buildings.

 

 

Brimstone

 

Brimstone is a mineral deposit found in and around volcanic sites or other sites of geothermal activity such as hot springs. It is typically yellowish or white and foul-smelling. Brimstone literally means “burning stone” and contains a special element that is highly flammable, namely sulfur. Sulfur was known and used for its highly flammable properties and its use was recorded in warfare in ancient times.

Writing in his “History of the Peloponnesian War”, Thucydides describes how the Spartans, when besieging the fortified city-state of Plataea, an ally of the Athenians, the great rival of Sparta, piled a large amount of wood, pitch, and sulfur next to the wall and lit it on fire.

Advancements in incendiary projectiles continued well into later Roman times. Roman forces deployed the falarica, a heavy javelin or spear. The falarica had a thin and sharp iron head about 90 cm in length and a wooden lower portion of equal length. The iron head was coated in pitch and sulfur, lit then projected from large crossbow-like equipment known as a ballista.

 

 

 

History of Exploding Arrowheads

 

First some history on the infamous and elusive exploding arrowheads. The concept and first examples of these devices come to us from medieval China. The ancient Chinese were well versed in archery and warfare in general. Also, they were the ones to come up with a delightful invention known today as gunpowder. Putting the two together, archery and gunpowder, and you have the first exploding arrows.

Now, just to be clear, the very first “exploding arrowheads” did use gunpowder, but did not really explode. They were incendiary arrows or fire arrows. These were indeed the earliest types of weaponized gunpowder, being used from the 9th century onward.

Wujing Zongyao a Chinese military compendium written around 1040 A.D. describes the construction of just such an arrow as follows:

 

” Behind the arrowhead wrap up some gunpowder with two or three layers of soft paper, and bind it to the arrow shaft in a lump shaped like a pomegranate. Cover it with a piece of hemp cloth tightly tied, and sealed fast with molten pine resin. Light the fuse and then shoot it off from a bow.”

– Wujing Zongyao

 

 

 

 

Chinese Fire Lance

 

Before we get to exploding arrowheads we should discuss another one of its ancestors, the fire lance. They first began to appear in the 10-12th Century as a sort of pyrotechnic device. Consisting of a tube filled with gunpowder attached to a polearm, the fire lance was likely used for shock and awe before serious melee combat.

Later, as gunpowder recipes improved, thicker and more robust tubes of metal were used. Being filled with pellets and/or other shot, these became the first shotguns and rudimentary hand cannons. Later the polearm end was discarded altogether, the wielder relying solely on the damage produced by the projectiles.

By the late 13th century A.D. the fire lance had spread to the middle east. Europe began to equip its knights with fire lances in the 14th century and the weapon spread to Japan in the 15th.

 

 

 

 

Incendiary Arrows to Rockets

 

Next in the evolutionary story of the infamous exploding arrowheads is the gunpowder propelled flaming arrow. This wonderful device is also known as a rocket. Yes, Elon Musk can thank our war-loving ancestors for his ability to attempt to fulfill his extraterrestrial desires. Anyhow, gunpowder technology evolved slowly at first, but solid-propellant rockets seem to have come into use for military application in the 13th century.

Blackpowder, the ancestor of gunpowder, was known since ancient times. Consisting of charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate (saltpeter) mixed together. The potential of this compound slowly began to be apparent when the Chinese began using it for firecrackers.

Around the 900s A.D., the Chinese experimented with black powder-filled tubes. Made from paper or bamboo, these tubes were filled with powder, attached to an arrow, and shot from a bow. It surely did not take long after this practice to realize that the arrow could propel itself from the escaping gas out of the one end of a hollow tube. The first rockets had arrived!

 

 

 

Rocket Use in Battle 

 

The Chinese deployed rockets as weapons as early as 1232 when the Jin defended their city Kaifeng from the Mongols under  Ögedei Khan. The use of rockets and other powder weapons such as various types of primitive bombs caused much carnage amongst the besiegers.

The invention of MRLS or Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems can be attributed to the Chinese. These devices could launch up to 100 small fire-arrow rockets simultaneously. These devices were mobile, usually mounted on wheels, and some designs could be maneuvered and operated by one individual.

 

 

 

Rambo & Exploding Arrowheads

 

Now, what would an article on exploding arrowheads be without mention of Rambo?! Not much of an article at all I say! These conical, brass-colored arrowheads featured prominently in Rambo First Blood: Part II and Rambo 3.

He seems to use them to great effect shooting down helicopters and men, as well as lighting fuel-soaked fields on fire. These seem like quite the arrowheads to have in your arsenal! As far as the author knows these were strictly movie props, designed and made specifically for the Rambo movies.

The theory of such high explosive devices being made into arrowheads is however not far-fetched. As we have already demonstrated, incendiary arrowheads were well known and used in ancient and medieval times. Why not make a deadlier, more explosive variety in modern times? I’m sure some hobby enthusiasts have pulled this one off. Just don’t try this at home and if something goes wrong tell the authorities it was this website that inspired you. This is of course only for educational purposes only and does not encourage the use of explosives, arrows, or weapons of any sort for evil ends.

 

Check out this video of an enthusiast recreating the Rambo exploding arrowheads below!

 

 

 

Rambo Exploding Arrowheads 3D Printer Project

Do you have a 3-D printer and a desire to make the exploding arrowheads from Rambo? Well this is possible. Check out the link below. Bear in mind these are non-functioning props made for shits and giggles.

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/exploding-arrowhead

 

Modern Exploding Arrowheads

 

What is currently on the market in terms of exploding arrowheads? Well there are arrowheads available currently that can house within them a bullet. Technically when a round goes off, an explosion takes place, the expanding gases propelling the bullet forward. So there you have it, exploding arrowheads.

These arrowheads are the Bow-Mag .38 / .357 Magnum arrowheads that are basically a plastic housing with a firing pin fixture that accepts either a .38 or .357 magnum round. While this sounds like it has some serious potential, it seems much of the energy is disputed as it is not concentrated within the confines of the hollow tube that is a rifle barrel. Nevertheless, you are here reading about exploding arrowheads so it is worth a mention. Check out the video below for more insight.