Broad heads

[reddeerhunter]

Vpa 2 or 3 blade non vented. Too much penetration is not usually a show stopper. My 2 cents. I think mechanical ones okay for deer, but they have failure sometimes, so I don't use them.

[3blade]

Originally Posted by Diamondhitch

Too many opinions and choices out there to settle on any onehead. Steer clear of the gimics and remember the basics.
1) The sharper and stronger the tip, the less force will be required to penetrate.
2) The fewer blades a head has, the better it will penetrate.
3) The lower the angle, the better a head will penetrate.
4) The narrower a head is, the better it will penetrate.
5) The better the quality of the steel, the longer it will stay sharp and the better it will penetrate.
6) Fixed blades will penetrate better than mechanicals

Finding the right compromise of width, number of blades and deciding between fixed and mechanicals is a personal choice. As a guideline, the smaller the game you are after, the less these factors come into play. For example anything on the market will pass through a Whitetail when shot from a well tuned 60lb bow at 50yds. On a Moose a 2 3/4" diameter mechanical will be a handicap. Exercising common sense becomes more critical when selecting a broadhead for special conditions such as larger game or lower poundage setups.

This ^ is pretty accurate.

Most important is a well tuned bow/arrow setup, in that the arrow is flying straight and not porpoising or fish tailing. If the arrow is flying less than perfect, the energy is not transferred straight in through the tip...equals less penetration.

Couple other factors:
2 blades produce a "slit" which will close/clot quickly. The animal may be dead but if you can't blood trail it, it's gonna be a long night.
3 blades produce 3 "flaps" that do not easily close, creating much better blood trails. They can also be aligned to the fletching to improve arrow flight.
4 blades also produce flaps, and may depending on design have more cutting surface...but this comes at the expense of more drag both in flight and through tissue. More drag equals less penetration.
Anything mechanical will fail eventually. Not on my arrows.

The most effective tip design is a trocar. Cric/trach/intraosseous needles used in emergency medicine ALL use trocar tips as it penetrates all tissue types with less force than any other configuration. The second best is a cut-on-contact blade. There is always argument between the two, but either will cut hide, whereas CoC will not penetrate bone as effectively.

The absolute worst is a cone tip ex rage (those little tip blades do nothing). Second worst is a "wedge" ex G5 striker/tekan. These tip designs jam in bone. Yes, they will kill, until you bury one into an offside lower shoulder and your last day buck disappears with zero blood trail. Ask me how I know

So far as the "good enough for deer" thing goes, I disagree. That may hold true in Texas where the deer are Alberta fawn sized. A 5 year old buck in AB might weigh 250-350 lbs and is not something to shoot at with a less than ideal broad head. A lot of times, our modern equipment over-powers broadhead design flaws and kills most of what we shoot at. It's the times where things aren't perfect (quartering away, hitting ribs on both sides of a moose, etc) that paying attention to these small variables make the difference between success and failure.

Recommendations: Muzzy (any), slick trick, QAD exodus, Wasp.

[ThreeD]

Heres my 2 cents worth after bow hunting 30 years.

ALL broad heads work great on a GOOD shot. Make a bad shot....and now your into a whole new world. Bottom line, a good rugged fixed blade will pay dividends on a less than ideal shot...and thats inevitable. Ask anyone who's been bowhunting a while...it doesn't always work out perfect like on TV.

Me ? G5 Montec 125 gr. Saved my bacon (and some friends) more than once as Im not a world class shot under pressure when its -20 deg. Be a pessimist and plan for a bad shot broadhead that will still do lethal damage.

[reddeerhunter]

Originally Posted by ThreeD

Heres my 2 cents worth after bow hunting 30 years.

ALL broad heads work great on a GOOD shot. Make a bad shot....and now your into a whole new world. Bottom line, a good rugged fixed blade will pay dividends on a less than ideal shot...and thats inevitable. Ask anyone who's been bowhunting a while...it doesn't always work out perfect like on TV.

Me ? G5 Montec 125 gr. Saved my bacon (and some friends) more than once as Im not a world class shot under pressure when its -20 deg. Be a pessimist and plan for a bad shot broadhead that will still do lethal damage.

Agreed. Plan for the worse. Good call. But the Montecs whistle a bit. But at 25yds in who cares. Cheers.

[Prdtrgttr]

The same argument can be made for mechanical heads when a less than ideal shot is made. If you hit back farther than you want, into soft tissue... most, if not all broadheads will whistle on through. That's where a large cutting diameter broadhead like a 1 3/4 cut Jak Hammer, Spitfire, or Grim Reaper, is deadly, and IMHO a better performer than fixed.

[Settle&release]

The ram cat 100gr broadheads imo are kind of the best of both worlds. They have features of mechanical broadheads like thin cross section for windy days and the fixed blade cutting results not to mention 1 3/8 cutting diameter. They penatrate awesome from what I've seen so far. Give em a try. They are cheaper than most mechanicals are and are razor sharp. Trust me my fingers have the scars to prove it. Haha just my .02 happy hunting