Broadhead choices ????

bow4it · Post by **bow4it** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:03 am

Well I am getting ready to shop for new heads for the vortex. The big question is............ Should I go with retractable broadheads or fixed heads. I am currently shooting the retractable and I was considering going to the 125 Muzzy 3 blade.

wabi · Post by **wabi** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:21 am

All I can say is what you don't want to hear. Buy what looks good to you - and try them out.
Mechanicals usually give better accuracy than the older style fixed blade heads, but mechanicals are subject to failure. I had one fail to deploy on a deer this past fall. (luckily I put it through the heart and killed the deer)
For fixed blades the new short designs seem to be a great improvement in accuracy for higher speed arrow flight. I like the G-5 Montec and SlickTricks. The Montec groups right with field points for me, but they require some sharpening skills to get & keep them sharp.
Every bow/arrow combination has it's own tastes, you will need to do some experimenting & testing to make a selection. You might get lucky and the first one you try meets your expectations, but don't be shocked

if it doesn't.

Partikle · Post by **Partikle** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:30 am

What are you hunting, turkeys, deer? I have the SlickTricks for deer and I am very happy with them. I shoot field points in the summer and then practice with a slicktrick head just before hunting season. They seem to hit the target in the same place my field points hit without adjusting my sights.

dick195252 · Post by **dick195252** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:25 am

The Boss by WASP SST 100 grain 3 fixed blades have been very good to me so far

it will all depend on what you like and feel comfortable with,

what i like someone else might HATE

{I shoot the Exocet 200} A well placed shot will kill the Animal no matter what

so it is more important to me to be a very very good shot i practice 2 hours per week

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:32 pm

Not the word from above but it is some info that might be interesting.
http://btreviews.proboards57.com/index.cgi

awshucks · Post by **awshucks** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:45 pm

Boo wrote:Not the word from above but it is some info that might be interesting.
http://btreviews.proboards57.com/index.cgi

Good site, tons of bhead test data, has xbow forum among others and is run by a pro xbower from NY, lol. Hard as that is to believe. when i first found this site I wondered how he [BT] could afford all those bheads, turns out the tests are financed by some outfit. He calls a spade a spade for sure, worth registering, imho.

Stash · Post by **Stash** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:57 pm

Maybe wait until April for the new Excal 150 grain Boltcutters. The people at Excalibur are pretty excited about them and claim considerable improvement in long-range accuracy.

Rich · Post by **Rich** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:21 am

I shoot the Exocet and have found these broadheads to shoot best (in order): Rage II, Wasp Boss 3 blade 100's, Muzzy 4 blade 100's. I stuck with these due to they had the least differance in POI between fieldtips/broadhead. The Rage's were the best, shoot through through the same hole as fieldtips. I don't think I will use the Rages again next year due to there high costs (3 for $39). I also had great groups with Montec's and Muzzy MX-3's, but had to readjust my POI up to 3". My worse performer was the Thunderhead 100's and 125's. I hated to give them up since I had 40+ vert bow kills with them, but the groups opened up greatly after 20 yards. I think this year I will try the Slicks or new Wasp Boss 4-blades and the Muzzy MX-4, I got great flight performance out of their 3 blade models but always had poor blood trails with the low profile 3-blades. I'm hoping the 4 blade models will open up a little more. If I were you I'd start with the Slick Tricks, everyone who uses them swears by them, plus it may save you a bunch of money buying 1/2 dozen brands as I did. But then again the new Boltcutters may be worth a shot to, so many choices.

Rich

saxman · Post by **saxman** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:59 am

I guess I am different.I dont worry about the Broadhead having the same POI as field points
I pratice with BH so as long as they group together I dont care,I'll adjust the scope to them.I like fixed blade heads,I like to sharpen them.
I would think that any BH on the market will do the job as long as it flies well from your bow and you put it where it need to go,we could go all night and day about blade thickness and all that stuff.Good advice has been given to buy several kinds and shoot them,go with what lights your fire.

bow4it · Post by **bow4it** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:25 pm

Scott......
I think that I am leaning towards you attitude. I like the idea of practicing with a BH that I will hunt with......

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:03 pm

bow4it . . .take a look at this thread . . .

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/phpBB2 ... broadheads

There are several more, this subject comes up a lot.

My belief . . .if you are hunting at less than 20 yards, then any broadhead will basically do the job. However, if you are hunting longer distances, then you need the accuracy of a mechanical. Use the mechanical as directed by the manufactor and it will not fail. If we based hunting on the possibility of a freak failure, then we would not hunt. Use the best equipment available, practice and succeed . . .most of the time.

Also . . .if you do not like tracking, then use a large cut.

DOXNUT · Post by **DOXNUT** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 10:56 am

Well I personally have been against mechanicals, since they have proven themselves to fail in one way or another. Todays fixed blades are awesome, the ones I use group easy 2.5" at 50yds, free-hand. I personally don't care to hunt animals at long ranges, but it's nice knowing my equipment is capable.

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:06 pm

DOXNUT . . .what fixed blade are you shooting, free hand, at 50 yards and getting easy 2.5" groups? Is that in hunting conditions? When is the last time you experienced a mechanical failure?

My experience on the fixed blades . . .the only ones that consistantly get less than 3" groups at 25 yards are small cut, short ferrule blades. Even those, after 30 yards, have trouble grouping 3" in controlled conditions. The problem with a 3" group when hunting is factoring in human error, weather conditions, and prey movement. You have a very good chance of having a long tracking job even with a good hit with these small cuts.

Mechanicals . . .I have never had a mechanical fail. However, I've had limited experience with them. They are very accurate out as far as you want to take them. The large cuts offer room for human error. I gut shot a 6 point buck last season with a 2" cut mechanical and he went 20 yards. I'm thankful I was using the large cut blade. That experience persuaded me to switch to the large cut mechanicals. I will not use the small cut blades again.

I'd rather take the small chance of the mechanical failure than to chance losing another deer due to tracking issues. Exactly 30 days after taking the buck, I shot a nice doe with the same mechanical . . .a double lung shot that dropped the doe in her tracks. I lost a doe early in the season with a fixed blade broadhead. It looked like a solid double lung shot. The doe ran off, I found a small blood trail, but never found the doe. That broadhead is a very popular one here on the forum . . .I actually traded it to wabi for his mechanical that "failed". Failed isn't really the term that needs to be used, he still got his deer.

I can't wait to take a big buck with wabi's broadhead.

catcher · Post by **catcher** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:38 pm

I am with Saxman on this one. I only practice with what I hunt with. I personally use the four bladed wasp 100"s. And they do not fly the same as field tips. But they group awesome for me. I site in my bow with broadheads because that is what I am trying to put through a deer.

DOXNUT · Post by **DOXNUT** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:28 am

All broadheads will do the job, some just better then others. I and many others that shoot crossbows will suggest you stay away from mechanicals, due to possible failures. I'm a G5 Montec fan myself, they have never let me down.