Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

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Deaf jeff
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Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by Deaf jeff »

interesting read on the fixed vs. mechanical debate

https://www.qdma.com/does-broadhead-choice-really-matter/?utm_source=eblast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019-08-08
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by nchunterkw »

I saw this article (or one similar) a few years ago. It is very interesting. My take is this.....as he says shot placement is a very big factor

"One common theme in these discussions is that accuracy is paramount. If a bow hunter hits a deer in the heart/lung area, the choice of broad-head likely doesn’t matter, and deer recovery is almost certain." (In my mind "heart /lung" means 2 lungs not 1)

So one can assume that the non-recovered deer are probably not hit in the heart/2 lung area.
So if the deer are not hit well, then that comes down to accuracy, possibly shot angle if guys are in tree-stands.
Fixed blades are more affected by things like wind, and if arrow flight is not verified, what you think is a good arrow could plane and hit far off the mark.

So my take away is - verify every arrow you plan to hunt with. And this is even more critical with fixed blades.
Keith
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and walk in it and find rest for your souls. - Jer 6:16

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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by Bcxbow »

nchunterkw wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 10:49 am
I saw this article (or one similar) a few years ago. It is very interesting. My take is this.....as he says shot placement is a very big factor

"One common theme in these discussions is that accuracy is paramount. If a bow hunter hits a deer in the heart/lung area, the choice of broad-head likely doesn’t matter, and deer recovery is almost certain." (In my mind "heart /lung" means 2 lungs not 1)

So one can assume that the non-recovered deer are probably not hit in the heart/2 lung area.
So if the deer are not hit well, then that comes down to accuracy, possibly shot angle if guys are in tree-stands.
Fixed blades are more affected by things like wind, and if arrow flight is not verified, what you think is a good arrow could plane and hit far off the mark.

So my take away is - verify every arrow you plan to hunt with. And this is even more critical with fixed blades.
I couldn’t agree more :thumbup:
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by xcaliber »

Yep, well said!
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by Boo »

nchunterkw wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 10:49 am
I saw this article (or one similar) a few years ago. It is very interesting. My take is this.....as he says shot placement is a very big factor

"One common theme in these discussions is that accuracy is paramount. If a bow hunter hits a deer in the heart/lung area, the choice of broad-head likely doesn’t matter, and deer recovery is almost certain." (In my mind "heart /lung" means 2 lungs not 1)

So one can assume that the non-recovered deer are probably not hit in the heart/2 lung area.
So if the deer are not hit well, then that comes down to accuracy, possibly shot angle if guys are in tree-stands.
Fixed blades are more affected by things like wind, and if arrow flight is not verified, what you think is a good arrow could plane and hit far off the mark.

So my take away is - verify every arrow you plan to hunt with. And this is even more critical with fixed blades.
To tag onto what Keith has said, I see a couple of things worthy of mention.
Arrow fight can rob you of your ability to place your broadhead where its needed.
It is easier to get a large cut mechanical broadhead to fly well than a large fixed. If you're shooting a fixed, aligning your broadhead and squaring your front insert is imperative. Mechanical broadheads are coming with a larger cut then they did in the past. Mechanicals are getting more reliable than they were in the past.
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by amythntr »

Boo wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:56 pm
nchunterkw wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 10:49 am
I saw this article (or one similar) a few years ago. It is very interesting. My take is this.....as he says shot placement is a very big factor

"One common theme in these discussions is that accuracy is paramount. If a bow hunter hits a deer in the heart/lung area, the choice of broad-head likely doesn’t matter, and deer recovery is almost certain." (In my mind "heart /lung" means 2 lungs not 1)

So one can assume that the non-recovered deer are probably not hit in the heart/2 lung area.
So if the deer are not hit well, then that comes down to accuracy, possibly shot angle if guys are in tree-stands.
Fixed blades are more affected by things like wind, and if arrow flight is not verified, what you think is a good arrow could plane and hit far off the mark.

So my take away is - verify every arrow you plan to hunt with. And this is even more critical with fixed blades.
To tag onto what Keith has said, I see a couple of things worthy of mention.
Arrow fight can rob you of your ability to place your broadhead where its needed.
It is easier to get a large cut mechanical broadhead to fly well than a large fixed. If you're shooting a fixed, aligning your broadhead and squaring your front insert is imperative. Mechanical broadheads are coming with a larger cut then they did in the past. Mechanicals are getting more reliable than they were in the past.
.......Spitfire MAXX 100g all the way....and if you be worried about premature opening....put a dental band or two on the BH and you be good to go....one other thing with regard to the SF's and I would imagine all of the other mechanicals....you should not open and close the BH blades to show your friends....the dimple on the little piece of aluminum that holds the blades in place flatten out and most probably are the cause for premature opening.....

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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by nchunterkw »

Boo wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:56 pm
nchunterkw wrote:
Thu Aug 08, 2019 10:49 am
I saw this article (or one similar) a few years ago. It is very interesting. My take is this.....as he says shot placement is a very big factor

"One common theme in these discussions is that accuracy is paramount. If a bow hunter hits a deer in the heart/lung area, the choice of broad-head likely doesn’t matter, and deer recovery is almost certain." (In my mind "heart /lung" means 2 lungs not 1)

So one can assume that the non-recovered deer are probably not hit in the heart/2 lung area.
So if the deer are not hit well, then that comes down to accuracy, possibly shot angle if guys are in tree-stands.
Fixed blades are more affected by things like wind, and if arrow flight is not verified, what you think is a good arrow could plane and hit far off the mark.

So my take away is - verify every arrow you plan to hunt with. And this is even more critical with fixed blades.
To tag onto what Keith has said, I see a couple of things worthy of mention.
Arrow fight can rob you of your ability to place your broadhead where its needed.
It is easier to get a large cut mechanical broadhead to fly well than a large fixed. If you're shooting a fixed, aligning your broadhead and squaring your front insert is imperative. Mechanical broadheads are coming with a larger cut then they did in the past. Mechanicals are getting more reliable than they were in the past.
I agree with these observations as well. Mech heads have come a long way, and a large cut one MAY give you a bit better chance of turning a single lung hit into a 2 lung hit on a slightly off shot. Just the sheer size may let you nick something that you might miss with a smaller head, fixed or mech.
The trade off being that it takes a lot of energy to open a large mech. head, and a lot of energy to push that large blade through a deer...so they may not be for everyone and every bow.
Keith
Stand by the roads and look, and ask for the ancient paths; where the good way is,
and walk in it and find rest for your souls. - Jer 6:16

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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by Hester0305 »

I used to be a die hard fixed blade hunter and wouldn't use a mechanical at all. I have double lunged several deer that left little blood trails with fixed heads that run off into thickets that I knew were dead but it took a while to find them. So I started looking at and shooting some of the bigger mechanicals that people had been testing and giving great feedback on. I ended up using the big 3 inch cut NAP FOC broadheads and the new Truglo Titanium X Broadheads. From what I've seen with good hits and great blood trails these mechanicals definitely make it easier recovery deer. It all comes down to shooting your equipment and getting it dialed in with it and being confident with what you have.

I really don't see me going back to a large fixed broadhead with all these great mechanicals out there.

Good luck and happy hunting
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by galamb »

I have hunted with many broadheads over the years first in my traditional recurve and now for the past (almost) 20 years with one of the crossbows I have owned.

I am also a vendor (hunting/fishing junk) and get a pile of "samples" from the trade/booking shows trying to get me to carry/plug their product - I do try most of them out.

I started, way back, shooting the fixed, 2 blade, sharpen yourself Zwicky's then eventually moved on to Thunderheads which were "super cool" because they had 3 blades which were replacable (that was about 1980). I never failed to recover a deer shot with either style of head and even took down a Cow Moose with my recurve in the early 80's - arrow was tipped with a 160 grain Zwicky Eskimo (2 blade fixed).

The first mechanicals that started hitting the market really "sucked" (technical definition of their performance :) )

They would fail to deploy, fall apart, rattle etc. but now the bugs seem to be all worked out.

I finally made the switch to mechanicals about 15 years ago - "I" was satisfied that the quality/functionality was there. I have successfully shot Rage, G5, Dead Ringer, Grim Reaper, NAP, Rocket and Axe Archery mechanicals. None of them failed and no one deer ended up "more dead" than any of the others. My "preference" from a "peace of mind" perspective is the hybrid models - I still flip/flop between shooting Dead Ringer "nasty" models (there are a few options) and Axe Archery Battle Axe's. While, as stated, I never have had a failure, the hybrids give you that "just in case" benefit and that makes "me" feel better when I shoot.

So if you show up at my counter looking for a broadhead my advice is - stick with a brand name whether fixed or mechanical and buy what "you" can look at and think "that looks deadly". They will all work perfectly if you do your part - a broadside shot on a relaxed animal. More important than design, style or colour is whether or not YOU are questioning the quality or functionality. You have enough to worry about prior to pulling the trigger - worrying that your gear is sub-standard/could possibly fail should not be a concern.
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by Ferguson Outfitters »

I’ve actually taken to shooting hogs with field points through the lungs and they die just as fast.

I went to shooting mostly lung only shots regardless of broadheads because they usually just flinch, walk off and fall over dead -vs- getting them all excited and watching them run
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by DuckHunt »

Hester0305 wrote:
Fri Aug 09, 2019 3:43 pm
I used to be a die hard fixed blade hunter and wouldn't use a mechanical at all. I have double lunged several deer that left little blood trails with fixed heads that run off into thickets that I knew were dead but it took a while to find them.
I noticed the same thing with Wasp Drone's and other 3-blade small diameter broadheads. The deer was very much dead in 30 seconds, but there wasn't a lot of blood sometimes so recovery was more difficult than it should have been. This was most apparent when the broadhead exited through the opposite leg muscle or armpit so little blood could exit the smallish hole.

Now this past season, I shot GrizzTrick II's which are 1.25" four blade broadheads. Everything I shot (3) fell within sight (40 yards). I really didn't pay too much attention to the blood trail because it wasn't necessary.

I really like mechanical heads though. I'm a fan of the 2" cut three-blade models. The NAP Spitfire XXX and Rocket Hammerheads are a couple of my favorites. They have a tendency to put down lots of blood and I think I've heard every deer crash that I've shot with either of them.

I guess to answer the question in the subject, not really. Just about any broadheads on the market today, when sharp, will kill fairly quickly if placed in the vitals with enough momentum.

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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by Ferguson Outfitters »

I do agree on the blood trail info here
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Re: Does Broadhead Choice Really Matter?

Post by catclr »

Already seeing YT videos pushing this is the only broadheads to use are mechanical's, based on this report. Seems like a slippery slope, as IMO each one of us needs to find what broadhead your bow shoots the best. To do this it takes time and work.

We as archery hunters need to test broadheads to see what works in your set up, that includes mechanical's(from different mfg.), fixed blade's(single bevel, double bevel, two, three, & four blade), and CAN'T, go by, what works for me, is what will work for you.
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