Deer broadheads

J

johnwilliamson062

Moderator
Received my Crossbow, put it together, almost ready to zero it in.

Problem is I only have field points.

I hope this doesn't turn into the classic 9mm v. 40SW v. 45 ACP thread.

Shortwave was kind enough to take some time and talk some things over with me by phone today. That was good b/c all I really know is I need to get out of view(in a stand) and I need the deer to be close(inside 30 yds).

With all the knowledge I have, much of it imparted by Shortwave, this is what I am looking for:
Light, probably 100 grains. I noticed there are some 85 grain broadheads and may consider those. Keep velocity high and trajectory flat for shorter shots.

Mechanical and not the rubber band kind. I won't have a lot of time with this to practice, so i want the broadheads to match field point trajectory as much as possible. Shortwave suggested Redhead Gators
I like the way they work and they are only a few dollars more expensive than most of the fixed broadheads seem to be. Problem is they are only available from Bass Proshop and shipping will be $10 for 3-6 days. I'd rather avoid that. I have to drive to Columbus Friday and can either pass Bottom Dollar or Olde English on my way to Columbus. Both have decent archery shops and enough knowledge to get by. I will call them tomorrow and see what each has in stock. Anyone have a suggestion for a broadhead that is similar in design? I will also be passing Gander Mountain, Wal-Mart, Dicks, and a few other small shops I could call and ask about any specific broadhead.
 
100 Grain grim reaper broad heads are devastating and always open. Don't go too light with your broad head though. Through my experience the more weight up front the better the overall performance. 100 grain is good but would not go any lighter.
 
+1 on what kilotanker22 says about weight. Nothing less than 100 grn. Many crossbows shoot better with 125s.

I shoot a regular bow but I use only Muzzy broadheads. They fly true, hit hard, and are not terribly expensive.
 
I'm old-school, but I've tried dozens of brands, mechanical and fixed, and find myself coming back time and again to Thunderhead 100's or 125's.

They're durable, you can buy replacement blades just about anywhere, and they will probably be around for a long time.

I've had some good kills with mechanicals (Rage, Rocket) and they do cut a good hole allowing for a big blood trail. The problem lies in that 'just slightly off' shoulder shot that requires blowing through a very tough (on bigger deer) shoulder blade. I've seen, on a friend's buck, the Rage NOT do a very good job when the shot angle wasn't optimal.

And I've heard horror stories about the mechanicals freezing up, as well. Personally, my problem with them is that sometimes they just deploy a blade or two and you have to snug them back up after walking through brush. The less you have to think about during a hunt, when it comes to equipment, the better.

Good luck!
 
Just like rifles, only accuracy matters.

The most accurate broad head you'll ever see is the Slick Trick.

Also concur that front of center weight "shoots better", as in better accuracy.

The speed difference between a 100gr and 125gr broad head is irrelevant. You lose perhaps 3fps per 10 grains. That's 8fps total.

My favorite expandable is the Hypershock Aftershock. Better penetration than the Rage with just as big of a cut.
 
Part of my reason for wanting a mechanical broadhead is the similar ballistic coefficient to the field points and resulting change in POI. I am not going to have tons of time to familiarize myself, so I want to simplify as much as possible.
 
Very few broadheads of any style, fixed or mechanical will fly to the same POA as field points. The points are a different length, which changes the spline of the arrow.

Even so, Slick Tricks fly better than any other point I've ever seen, mechanical or not. I've never seen a bow that won't shoot them close enough to the same point as field points as to not matter.

I have a friend who was a national level archery competitor (took 3rd in Atlantic City one year). He shoots these things out to 90 yards and shoots better at 50 than any body else I know at 30. He says he has never seen a broad head as good as Slick Tricks.
 
Very few broadheads of any style, fixed or mechanical will fly to the same POA as field points. The points are a different length, which changes the spline of the arr
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Exactly. That's why not practicing with the broad-heads you intend to use under the assumption they will fly just like your field points is asking for a miss or wounding and losing an animal. Shorter and lighter arrows/bolts are affected the most.
 
My son and I both killed deer with our xbows using these arrows http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/6-pk-of-victory-x-22-crossbow-bolts.aspx?a=913285 and 125 gr. Grim Reapers broadheads designed for cross bows. The combo of arrow and broadhead were amazingly accurate out of both xbows that are different draw weights and from different manufacturers. The Grim Reapers come with a practice head that flies exactly like the real broadhead.

Another thing that aided accuracy from his Horton was the use of a cocking device. It puts the string in the same position every time. The human error factor is diminished considerably and it is much more consistent.
 
I plan to get a cocking device over the winter.

I know the POI won't be exactly the same. I will have to try it a bit with the broadheads, but the less adjustment necessary the better. I will have 3-4 hours to zero and adjust if I need it. Hoping I can shoot my 22 a bit instead of spending the whole time on the crossbow though. To start i assume cocking it will become tiresome at some point. Haven't tried it yet, so not sure, but I am guessing 120 times isn't going to be good.
 
Shoot it of a rest just like you would a rifle. A crossbow at 30 yards off a rest should be very, very consistent. It shouldn't take you more than 4 or 5 shots to zero it perfectly.
 
Start off at 10 yards get it on then move out to 20 and so forth. You may be able to use the 10 pin at 20 with just a little adjustment. If you got a scope once you get it on at 10 yards your pretty much just going to need to check the rest of the lines or red dots to make sure they are on.
If you aren't going to use the cocking device bring some gloves as the string is hard on the hands. The cocking device wouldn't work on mine without catching on the safety and I had to set mine by hand.
 
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I have used 100 grain muzzys in the past and they hit exactly like like my field points with my compound bow.

I switched to NAP thunderheads this year because they were on sale 10 bucks cheaper. They are within an inch at 30 yards but don't match up as well to the field points, they also are kind of noisy in flight. I haven't used them on a deer yet, but I am kind of wishing I had stuck with muzzys right now.
 
2 cents

I can't pass this thread up.

My broadheads are fixed blades. Vintage I might add. Yeah, I shoot carbon arrows, and a compound bow w/ fiber optic sights.

But my arrows are tipped with.........Bear Razorheads. The OD carbon steel variety.

About 5 yrs ago, my supply nearly depleted, I went searching for more. In a small town hardware store, I turned up a cardboard box with bunch in it, along with inserts and the funny little slot tools. Most liightly rusted. Box said....."$1 dollar each" . I asked the clerk/owner what he'd take for the lot. "Forty bucks". Done.

Turns out there were 214 of the rascals in that box. That's about 19 cents......each.

The press on mechanicals is impressive, as are the youtube clips. But something about parts having to deploy before they become completely effective........seems to iffy.

Spend some time tuning, don't get to carried away with short shafts and mini fletch, and you CAN stabilize full size traditional heads.
 
I still use Razorback 5's. Bought all the dealer had left in stock when they stopped making them. They are heavy, but they match my field points exactly. I just keep one dull head to check everything out. One of those if it works don't fix it deals I guess.
 
The irony of selecting broadheads from dead deer to tell us what doesn't work!
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Was thinking the same thing as I was reading the same interesting link posted by Gazpacho.

As our different deer seasons fall in Ohio, finding inside a deer, a portion, or a complete broadhead(and many times part of an arrow shaft) is not a rare occasion. Our bow season starts the end of Sept and runs till the first week of Feb. The first deer rut usually peeks sometime around Nov. 15th. During our bow only season. Our shotgun season is always the 1st Monday following Thanksgiving.
Soooo...if a bow hunter hits a deer and the shot is not lethal and not a pass through shot during the 1st rutting period, guess where the broadhead is going to be.

Like many hunters, I've shot deer during shotgun/BP season simply to put them out of their misery from prior archery as well as gun shots. Bottomline is, unfortunately, all our shots are not always lethal, the game escapes and fortunately, sometimes lives. If the projectile used doesn't pass through then it's obviously going to inside.

Having butchered deer and have found old wounds, another time...what looked like a piece of 'grown over' barbed wire inside a deer, found old buckshot and even what looked like a .22 projectile grown over in the lower leg by the foot/ankle area of a turkey(taxidermist found it, had turkey mounted with projectile in leg and you can see it under the skin ) , it just doesn't surprise me what might be hiding inside the carcass of a healthy looking animal.

IMO, the link that Gazpacho quoted, is a great reminder that we need to very careful from the time we start field dressing game till the butchering is complete at the house. Then be very careful when preparing/cooking wild game. Would really ruin a hunt to down our prize deer and when gutting out in the middle of no-where to run our hand blindly up into deer's chest cavity to pull and cut the windpipe, only to cut our hand to the bone by an old broadhead.

Can't hardly carry it afield but, makes me think of wanting to put my old metal detector to use at least before the butchering at home takes place. :)
 
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