New to Excalibur + Need Broadhead Help

[Dayelight]

Hey everyone. I just got my first bow a week ago. I picked up an Axiom for a decent price. I have to say that I'm impressed with what Excalibur bows bring to the table.

I bought 125 grain NAP spitfires and 125 grain field points to practice with. I got my bow sighted in to shoot the 125's consistently and was curious to see how the mechanicals flew. Im glad I tested them because they are shooting high and left.
Now to the reason for that story-- I want to know what grain people are shooting in mechanicals, and what seems to shoot consistently. Im using the stock string and the firebolts that come with the package.

I also just ordered some NAP spitfire MAXX broadheads in 100 grain to test them out.
Any help would be appreciated.

Daye

[georgiaboy]

Welcome to the forum!!
I have one of my bows ( axiom ) sighted in with the 125gr spitfires. I've killed many a deer & hog with the spitfires...a deadly broadhead.
Mine shoot to poi of my field tips but there could be several reason's why your's are not, fletching could be one. I'm shooting 2" blazer's on my firebolts.
Easiest fix is to buy you some practice blades and install them on one of your heads & sight the bow in with it. The real deals will be very close...minute of critter i'm sure!!

[Dayelight]

GB, thanks for the reply.

Well, since I already have been shooting one of the mechanicals into a target I'll just designate that as the one to sight my bow in with. Has anyone had any experience with the regular spitfires on quartering shots? I have read quite a few bad reviews saying they sometimes slide off target.

Maryland season starts on September 7th so I'm kicking into overdrive trying to get prepared. This will be my first year with a bow. I've always hunted rifle and shotgun and I'm super excited to be in the woods before the deer are completely skittish.

What should I expect to get out of the axiom, as far as groups go? I don't shoot the same spot because I don't want to robin hood an arrow. Are tennis ball size groups pretty good at 20 30 and 40 yards? I don't want to keep adding questions, but I have alot.

[georgiaboy]

I've killed a couple of deer & one nice hog with the spitfire's ( regular ) on quartering away shots...no problem.
Golf ball size groups off a rest at twenty, tennis ball at thirty/forty, and if you tweak your setup ( fletching, arrow, weight, broadhead etc. ) you can improve on that.
Good luck

[maine hunter]

welcome, that's not bad grouping, with practice that will shrink to golf size grouping. my axiom get's 1'',2'' at 20,30,40. just keep shooting. good luck.

[robertyb]

Personally I do not understand why folks think that fieldpoints and broadheads have to shoot the same POI. Some will, others will not. If I pick a broadhead I want to try out and it does not shoot the same POI I simply adjust my scope till the broadheads hit where I want them to. Once hunting season is in I am not going to be shooting fieldpoints anymore anyway. When the season is out and I go back to fieldpoints a click or two on the scope and I am right back zeroed in again.

[strum]

Personally I do not understand why folks think that fieldpoints and broadheads have to shoot the same POI. Some will, others will not. If I pick a broadhead I want to try out and it does not shoot the same POI I simply adjust my scope till the broadheads hit where I want them to. Once hunting season is in I am not going to be shooting fieldpoints anymore anyway. When the season is out and I go back to fieldpoints a click or two on the scope and I am right back zeroed in again.

im going to give a big AMEN to that Robert...
I dont know how many time i hear guys say that they just got some new heads and because it says on the package "flys like field tips" they screw em on and go huntin..
i want to shoot what im using so that when the moment arrives i know what I got..
welcome to the forum Dayelight. sounds like you got a great setup going there..

[Cossack]

You can't tune a crossbow to shoot like field point, gotta work on tuning the ARROW. I find that high FOC arrows (18-20%), with small vanes set at rad helical and low profile 4 bladed heads or mechanicals that don't open in flight, shoot (nearly) to the same point of impact as field points (FP). The trick is to capture consistent flight out of them and adjust the sights to match POI. That said, my slicks and spits fly so much like FPs that I no longer practice with broadheads.
Lower FOC and larger vanes accentuate small differences in arrow concentrically and can any broadhead to plane somewhat. Also found that even a slight vane inconsistency, like back edge becoming loos, affects arrow flight.

[mr meat]

Welcome to the forum!!

[vixenmaster]

GB, thanks for the reply.

Well, since I already have been shooting one of the mechanicals into a target I'll just designate that as the one to sight my bow in with. Has anyone had any experience with the regular spitfires on quartering shots? I have read quite a few bad reviews saying they sometimes slide off target.

Maryland season starts on September 7th so I'm kicking into overdrive trying to get prepared. This will be my first year with a bow. I've always hunted rifle and shotgun and I'm super excited to be in the woods before the deer are completely skittish.

What should I expect to get out of the axiom, as far as groups go? I don't shoot the same spot because I don't want to robin hood an arrow. Are tennis ball size groups pretty good at 20 30 and 40 yards? I don't want to keep adding questions, but I have alot.

Once you shoot a spitfire into a target includin a bag n let it expand, it will need blades changed. You will bend the alum. ferrule after a half dz shots n it will get squirrely on you. 100/125 gr are good weight fer BH's unless you want a heavy FOC. Groups wid an Axiom as good as any other Excal golf ball sized at 40 with a good scope or less! Ask away thats why all of us are here to learn! Welcome to the Forum. My personal opinion on serrated edged BH's not a good design. You want sharp slicin blades not draggin rippin in flesh meat n such

[Ont_Excal]

[quote="vixenmaster"
Groups wid an Axiom as good as any other Excal golf ball sized at 40 with a good scope or less! Ask away thats why all of us are here to learn! Welcome to the Forum. My personal opinion on serrated edged BH's not a good design. You want sharp slicin blades not draggin rippin in flesh meat n such[/quote]

Yeah, what he said!
Two thumbs up on that for sure.

[Dayelight]

Thanks for the replies and warm welcomes.
Definitely alot of good advice and things I didnt know before.

[nchunterkw]

Welcome Daye...for what it's worth I experimented with all kind of feathers and vanes last year and have settled on (like so many others) the 2" fletchings. I like Gateway's Rayzr feathers, but the 2" Fusions or Blazers work just as good. All of those fletched with an Arizona EZ fletch bolt fletching tool. They seem to stabilize about any BH I put on the arrow and I primarily shoot fixed blades. The groups you describe are definately "minute of animal" so don't worry about going out on the 7th and smacking a deer with your setup. Just limit your shot to what you are comfortable with. If you can, practice at a distance farther than you plan to shoot at a deer. It will help you tune the setup, and see what arrows are flying the best. And I agree with vixenmaster - not a fan of serrated blades as they tear more than slice. You want the animal to bleed as much as possible. Think about when you cut your finger with a really sharp knife - you likely barely felt it and it takes forever to stop bleeding. That is because there is not alot of trauma to the tissue so your brain doesn't start the clotting procedure right away. That is what you want with your deer.

[Big58cal]

I'll echo a lot of what others have said, but add that you should probably figure up what your FOC (Forward of Center) percentage is. Do a Google search for "FOC Calculator" and you'll get a ton of results. Basically, you just need to know your total arrow length and the length from the balance point back to the nock end. Crossbows shoot best with at least around 12-15% FOC. Use a 125 grain tip for your initial calculations. If you come up with a low FOC, then you probably need to go up to a 150 grain head. If you're within the 12-15%, you should be good. Keep in mind though, the 12-15% is just a general rule of thumb. Also, generally if you have a heavier FOC, you'll have better flight (generally). Each broadhead/arrow combination is different and will yield different results in flight. I read an article recently on Outdoor Life where they tested broadheads. One of the things they checked was weight. It was amazing how much the "practice" heads varied in weight from the actual broadheads, vs. the actual advertised weight of the head.

[Dayelight]

Thanks for the replies.

The in-laws came in last week from Germany so needless to say I havent had any time to get in the woods. I just got back from a New York city tour last night and today was nothing but rain. I did manage to get into the woods for a bit and then I left because I was thoroughly soaked. I jumped a few does on the way in.

So Monday morning I plan on being in the woods by 5. I am set-up on a couple of nice rubs and a few scrapes. In MD its legal to bait as well so I have a nice corn pile set-up. High hopes for Monday!!!

Is it ok to get the excalibur bows wet? I dried it off and cleaned it like I do a gun but does it effect the string at all? I have had a fan running on it for several hours and it doesnt seem wet.