Here's another twist on the never-ending discussion on which broadhead is the best
I shoot an Exocet 165 and it has been suggested to me that for a "lower power" bow such as mine, a smaller diameter broadhead with a cut-on-contact point would be better in terms of penetration and overall effectiveness on deer.
Does the power of your bow influence your broadhead choice?
Ninepointer
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Exocet 165 retrofitted with Magtip Limbs
Boo Custom String
Big John's Custom Arrows
Slick Trick 100 gr. Standard broadheads
Groundpounder Quiver Mount
i look for a broadhead that flys good in relation to field points.
so for fixed heads i use slick tricks and mechanicals i use rocket steelhead's series
with the energy of a xbow(even a 165#)-penetration should not be a problem in deciding if you need a cut on contact bh. if you had a 45# recurve bow shooting 160 fps then it would be an issue
When I first tried an Excalibur Vixen I decided to try a mechanical. I picked the Wasp JakHammer 1 3/4" cut. That was several years ago, and I have owned 2 new Excaliburs since, but the 1 3/4" cut JakHammer is still my favorite broadhead. Never had anything but a complete pass-through and never lost a deer with that broadhead.
I tried other styles and brands of broadheads, but always come back to the Wasp JakHammer.
IMHO with any of the Excalibur hunting crossbows energy is NOT an issue with whitetails! A good shot and a hit in the "boiler room" will find you digging your arrow out of the ground on the other side of the deer every time!
Here's how I understood it..... correct me where necessary.
Ideally-
The bigger a broad head the more damage; and the less penetration. The smaller the broad head, the less damage, and the more penetration.
Therefore if your arrow doesn't go all the way through, you're broad head is too big. if it goes through, then buries itself in the ground/trees... perhaps the broad head is good enough.... but you could have got away with a bigger one..... that way instead of expending the energy on the ground/trees... you could use it towards cutting more flesh.
A "Perfect" shot would be one where the arrow just rolls out the other side of the deer.... that way you know all the energy possible was spent in the deer. Therefore bigger bows "should" have big broad heads; and smaller ones "should" have smaller ones.
What about Accuracy though?-
Bigger Broad heads are usually less accurate.... therefore you have to think.... is a head that causes less damage; but is more accurate more or less deadly than one that causes more damage, but is less accurate.
Its a trade off that ends in personal choice.
Accuracy Vs. Damage (Entry/Exit hole size)
To Confuse you Even More-
I think this is where the invention for Mechanicals came from..... A head that flies like a small broad head; but cuts like a big one..... but thats opening up a new can of worms based on mechanicals flashing open before impact, and durability.
Therefore-
I conclude with.... its all personal choice. there are way to many quality options to spend countless hours trying to perfect your bow/broad head relationship. Find one that works.... and stick with it.
When I first started shooting compounds, 1991, I found that the trusted 2 blade cut on contact heads that I had used with my recurve often bent and curled on the tips even on ribs. These same heads had penetrated ribs with no problem from my recurve. I found that there is a physics property called a time/force curve that put more stress on these simple heads than they were designed to withstand.
I went to the Muzzy with the trocar tip that I had used with my more powerful recurve for about 2 or 3 seasons. They have a trocar tip that takes advantage of a physics property called force concentration. I now use a 4 blade Muzzy 100 grain in my Vixen arrows and in the arrows I make for my boys Exomag. It has 4, 1/2 inch blades for a total of 2 inches of cut. I have never had one fail in any way and that includes bone in, bone out, complete passthrough on whitetail deer and feral hogs. They do, however, put a lot of energy into the ground on the out side, but, they have never failed to kill cleanly.
I think accuracy is the most important thing, That is what I strive for. If my exocet can hit a 1 inch bull at 25 yards from a benchrest then I know if I make a mistake in the woods I will still probably get my deer. My exocet likes slick tricks and sonicheads 100 grain, goldtip bolts with 3 inch duravanes, 4 degree offset. 13% foc, 390 grains.
Good luck, Stosh
Gold Laser IIs with brass inserts weighed in at 329Grains
with a 125Grain Rocket Stricknine Broadhead. (Totals 454Grains)
I have only had an opportunity to target shoot this setup from 20yards; but it seems exactly the same as my field points. they open up to a 2" cutting diameter; I am looking forward to short recoveries!
I'll fill you in during next deer season how short the recoveries are.
(BTW for those interested Stash let me chrono the bow last night at the Bass Pro Shops... with a 414Grain arrow (Gold Laser II + Brass insert + 85 Grain field tip) it shot at 332FPS)
