Broadheads, the good, the bad, and the ugly!

[norm70]

Used Muzzy 3 Blade 100's for deer for as long as I have bow hunted.

 

[Bri-guy]

I started with Rage and quit when I lost a big buck and found a doe (fortunately) where the blade didn't expand at all -- so I basically shot her with a field tip.

I switched to G5 Strikers and could never get them to spin clean on my arrows. Tried every combination of arrows/head and never had one that satisfied me. They were very inconsistent out of my bow for that reason.

Switched to slick trick magnums and will never use anything else. Spin great. Shoot great and straight. Since then I've shot 5 deer and recovered all 5. Most don't go more than 50-75 yards. All have been complete pass throughs. Three were shot out of a ground blind and I never found the arrow because they went through so slick the arrow just kept going.

 

[SupressYourself]

I shot two deer with Rage 2 blade, and they left massive blood trails and extremely dead deer, but I gave them up because during a stalk, they'd catch on some grass or something and pull one of the blades out. I went to a Stinger 2 blade fixed, and I like those a lot. Dropped a bull elk and nice whitetail with them. They may not leave as big holes, but they are great for penetration. I don't worry too much about hitting the shoulder any more.

 

[jr2280]

I use NAP Braxe. They are discontinued now but those have some real good penetration and fly right with my field points out to 60 yards. I have used the original Rage 2 blade and they do damage but just hear too many horror stories I guess to make them my first choice now. In my quiver I have 3 NAP, a Rage 2 blade, and always some sort of cheaper broadhead for destroying racoon/fox/coyote/squirrel's days. Usually that one is a muzzy that I found on the ground years ago and it takes a licking but it does not fly too well for me. Sometimes that last one is a crimson talon that absolutely destroys coons but I have never shot a deer with one. Racoon plus Crimson Talon looks like you hit them with a shotgun at close range blood everywhere.

 

[Enslow]

I like g5 strikers.

 

[bucksnbears]

i shot a deer with a Muzzy 3 blade and it killed it so i will stick with them.

 

[DustyG33]

Switched to shwacker 3yrs ago and will never shoot a fixed blade again. I shoot 2in 100gr but really wanna try their new 3 blade. Watched every deer/antelope drop in sight besides one deer which I hit a little back. Liver hit and deer went 150-200yds over the hill

 

[Sub_Elect]

Thanks for all the feed back guys

 

[5575]

I've shot mechanicals now for about 25 years, never had a failure "almost all were with a 2 blade Gator". That was until this sept..
Last spring I thought I'd try a pack of spitfire maxx heads by NAP for bears up in Alberta. THe spitfire is one of the original mechanical heads and is well spoken for. I shot a buck last fall with one and it went about 50 yards, but I shot it in the heart so any head would have done that.


Well this fall I was after a buck that I had been watching a couple years and he really blew up this year. I sat every day of the archery season and on the 11th day I finally had a chance at him. The shot was about where I wanted it up front but a little bit high. I found my arrow broke about 3/4 of the way so I knew he had a big nasty 1 3/4" 3 blade in him and couldn't go far.

The next morning we found quite a bit of blood that led to a bed about 150 yards away..an empty bed. Not good.
I looked for him for a couple days listening for magpies and coyotes. And on the 6th day to my total surprise instead of finding a carcass I jumped him and he took a couple bounds cleared a fence and was gone. The deer didn't even look like he had been shot, I was bummed but happy he was alive and healthy. I hunted him hard but he had turned into a prairie deer and was very hard to pattern.
On the 3rd day of rifle season my brother shot him. This is what was found in his off side neck. ;:;banghead




At the shot impact two blades busted off on his scapula and then it angled forward and somehow lodged in on the other side of his neck without killing him. Had the blades not busted or I'd been using a fixed blade with that shot I'm pretty positive I'd have the largest buck of my archery carrier. Instead I get to see it on his wall, tough pill to swallow. But in the end it was I that took the shot and really can't blame the equipment...well kind of..

For you guys that like montec heads, you'd really like the heads by VPA. VPA's are fully MACHINED, from a solid block of tool grade steel. Montecs are cast. Pot metal, poured into a form. Look close and you can see the casting mark.

 

[guywhofishes]

Wow... Amazing story 55. Good post.