broadhead/bolt combo to stay away from..

[DesertRat]

Sorry about your luck! I have shot nothing but Thunderheads (100) for years. I wouldn;t even dream of shooting them at the same dot becuase they land in the same spot every time.

Did you buy a pre-assembled bolt? I always buy the bare shaft and do my own fletching and inserts. L2's and T-heads are a deadly combo!

[weezy]

I gave up on thunderheads when I first got my phoenix.I switched to G5 striker Magnums which are even bigger than the thunderheads but fly right where my field points do. ...I've had spectacular blood trails with the striker magnums unlike my experiences with the thunderheads.The 3 deer I shot with thunderheads all died within 150 yards but there was no bloodtrail.2 were lung shot and the other was heart shot.I thought it was a fluke but after 3 times in a row with no blood trail I gave up on them.

[WTB]

Why doesn't anyone use the Excalibur 150 grain bolt cutters?

I use them on Easton firebolts and can often get good groupings with them.

I to would like to know reveiws for the 150gr boltcutter. Excaliburn states that they done extensive speed and accuracy testing to come up with the Firebolt/Boltcutter combo.

Out of 12 new fire bolts I have four that consitanly "fly away". The other eight consistanty hold 1 1/2" grops out to 40 yrd with150 feild tips.

How much POI difference should I see between the 150 boltcutters and the 150 Feild tips.

I am shootiing a Vortex w/FFF

[DesertRat]

I don't understand how you could lung shoot 2 deer, kill 3 and have no blood trail? A broadhead kills by bleeding the animal. Where did the blood go? The only scenario I can think of is a spine shot and top of lungs with the chest cavity filling up and the animal dying beofre the blood reached the level of the hole.

Sounds odd to me. Any chest cavity that a thunderhead has hit for me left massive blood trails.

[sumner4991]

Sometimes a very small or subtle change in the entire combination (bow-arrow-broadhead) can produce very noticeable results. . . .. . . . . .Hard to believe such a small change could have such a dramatic impact on results, but it's something you must consider in ever case.

wabi . . .you are definitely on the right track. My experience with the Exomax when I was actually "testing" broadheads, brought me to this conclusion. The faster the projectile goes, the more precise it needs to be.

So, manufacturing variances can contribute to these odd flight occurances among different users. That's from every item we use to make the arrow including the shaft.

Next thing I found out the hard way. Fixed blades will bend when shooting into a broadhead target. Either upon impact or while pulling the broadhead out of the target. The bend does NOT have to be severe. I actually had a couple that bent so slight that I could not tell by looking. They went from flying straight to being eight inches off. I had to replace the blades to get them flying straight again. Some of you guys that think your scopes just started going crazy . . .well, it could be your blades.

Sharpening your blades can lead to bad flight. If those edges are not equal, then it can cause accuracy issues.

I found that taking as many variables out of the equation as possible is best for good flight. EVERYBODY wants their broadheads to fly like field tips. Field tips have less things that can make them fly bad. Put them on a straight shaft and they are very likely to hit their mark, with or without fletchings.

All the target practicing with your broadheads is NOT a good thing. Especially if you are shooting over 300 FPS. A small amout of damage and that broadhead will not fly straight the second time you shoot it.

Thus why I started using mechanicals.

Most of the guys on this forum have heard my rants on this subject. However, I'll be glad to start a new thread on Mechanical vs. Fixed for the new guys if anyone cares to hear my spill.

[Petersen]

I use firebolts with 150gr boltcutters. Great accuracy, but the inserts do not stay in. Beware when using Brodhead on target.

[DesertRat]

Who cares if boradheads hit where field points do? SIght in for broadheads and go killing.

[sumner4991]

Who cares if boradheads hit where field points do? SIght in for broadheads and go killing.

That would be great if I spent all my time hunting.

Why spend the time sighting in broadheads at all? I don't. No need, they hit the same point of impact as my field tips. Every time.

[bob1961]

i found out the higher your FOC is the better fixed BH's fly to POA....wabi hit on 8* helical on his vanes to get good groups with slick tricks, but i use a straight fletch on my arrows and get good groups with 125gr tricks that match my target tips....between slick tricks and target tips i get 2" to 2 1/2" groups at 50yds that shrink as i get closer and that's with straight fletching on my 2" blazers from my 08 exocet 200 and a 550gr arrow....kinda strange hearing/reading the differences with "almost" the same arrow set up........bob

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[strum]

every one here has great advice and as we can tell by the number of replys what works for one dosnt work for another..
I had what works for me which was the boss 100gr wasp. and lazer 2's...and i had great confidance in them ,,
i like to target shoot but its huntin season so all i want to know is are my bolts on with broad heads,,
if im doing an evening hunt i always shoot a couple time before i go out just to make sure im one,,then i can hunt with confidance,,its hard enough to kill a deer with a good shooting rig so as it stands im not to sure i want to go out till i get on again..i just cant fling an arrow in hopes that it will magicly hit ..
I guess since i bought the firebolts and excal recomends boltcutters that is what im leaning on ..but man those wasps
were never off and the hole they punched was as good as it gets..my thing is, dead is dead and where you hit is more important than what you hit it with ,,see pic,,
..i guess what im looking for is more boltcutter info..
i dont see yall using them much,,,why?

[sumner4991]

There have been 15 kills with the Boltcutters . . .only 5 with the Wasps. Average recovery looks like around 30 yards on the Boltcutters.

[GaryM]

n the other hand, If you inherited 50 broadheads for your late uncle's estate and are short on cash and can't afford to try every brand mentioned, it just might be time to experiment!

I worked at a trucking company when I was in my 20's and a fellow worker came up to me and asked if I bowhunted. I told him yes. He said a fork truck had broken open a box of broadheads and they were laying all over the trailer floor. There were loose blades everywhere so the foreman told him to throw the whole lot in the dumpster. I got 50 Satellite 4 blade heads with carbide tips and two boxes of replacement blades with 1000 blades in each. I gave away most of the heads over the years but still have 1000 blades. Need any blades? Gary

[GaryM]

Who cares if boradheads hit where field points do? SIght in for broadheads and go killing.

I only shoot broadheads, even for practice. I hunt with the bolts I practice with after I resharpen the blades. Gary

[strum]

There have been 15 kills with the Boltcutters . . .only 5 with the Wasps. Average recovery looks like around 30 yards on the Boltcutters.

thats good odds on the boltcutters assuming30 folks shoot boltcutters and 30 shoot wasps,,
i took off the t heads and shot a while this eve with 100gr field tips,,i only used 3 bolts but at 20 yards i can hit a dot the size of a dime every time,,so im assuming the firebolts are fine,,
heres an idea..everyone send me 3 of your b heads and ill shoot em for you and let you know how accurate they are and how far the deer goes...caution may take a while
Sumner, thanks for the info i have noticed you take great care in giving good solid advice,,

[sumner4991]

In 2008, there were 25 kills with the WASPS . . .and two unrecovered. I honestly lost confidence in the Wasps when I found two that the tips were cut slightly off center . . .no way they would fly straight out of an Exomax. In 2008, the Wasps came in the Right Stuff Package. Apparently, Excalibur lost confidence in them too.

Anyway, there are some great fixed blade broadheads out there. They do work and work very well for some folks. What I am saying, the mechanicals are more likely to fly straight because they are basically field tips. Sure, they require a decent job of fletching, some OK FOC and a straight shaft . . .but, in the whole sceme of things, they are more forgiving than the fixed blade broadheads. It takes far less effort to get them to fly just like field points.

In hunting situations . . .mechanicals are more accurate. Mechanicals are faster. This is not my thinking, there is data to prove it. Sure, the faster thing is barely . . .like a fraction of a second due to wind drag. LOL.

Then we come to the cutting surface. The mechanicals offer the largest amounts of cutting surface. Some of the four blade fixed broadheads do a good job of cutting surface, but, none of the fixed blades have more than the largest mechanical.

Cutting diamenter is somehow overlooked. I have never seen cutting diamenter used as a arguement in the Fixed vs. Mechanical arguement. However, just seems to reason that a 2" cut would be more likely to open a large vein than a 1 1/4" cutting diamenter. I just know my longest tracking jobs were with a small profile fixed blade broadhead with what should have been short tracking jobs on double lung shots. Since switching to Stricknines . . .nothing has went over 50 yards and a couple of double lungs, dropped to their knees and expired. Double lung shots, not spined.

The fixed blades are more durable, with the thicker blades . . .however, that does not give them an advantage in taking deer. A thinner blade can actually do a better job of cutting. Will you be able to use it again, no. However, I'm only concerned with the BEST broadhead to drop a deer. I'm not as concerned with using it twice or three or four times if it doesn't do a great job of dropping the deer.

The mechanicals of today are very dependable. Are they as dependable as a fixed blade . . .NO. However, the difference is about the same as the speed difference I mentioned earlier.

It's like a car . . .lots of moving parts. However, if you use it the way it is intended, then it will last a very long time with no issues. Same with a mechanical broadhead. Cars are prone to mechanical failure, yet, there aren't any walkers out there claiming they prefer to walk because the car might leave them stranded.

OK . . .I feel better, goodnight. By the way . . .I do not work for any broadhead company. Funny you brought up sending you broadheads to test . . .when I was testing them, several members sent me broadheads to shoot . . .I still have wabi's famous Wasp Jackhammer with the two O-rings that went through the heart of his deer and never opened. Watch what you wish for . . .you can tear up a lot of targets testing broadheads.