Which broadhead to use

[rocky]

I bought a Matthews LX a couple months back with the PSE Carbon Extreme arrows and now I need to purchase broadheads. I have used the 100 grain thunderheads in the past with my previous bow and am using 100 grain field tips this time also. How do you begin to decide which broadhead to use with all the choices out there. Are fixed blades better or mechanical? Is there a certain criteria that I should be considering with the bow I am shooting? I asked the Archery shop I bought my bow from but I am a little leary. They broadhead recommened looked cheap; maybe it had a bigger mark-up or something. any help would be appreciated. thanks

[Pooh]

i would NOT consider mechanical broadheads from what i found out from another topic. i use fixed 3 blade broadheads with a replaceable tip. if i had to do it over, i would buy the broad heads that are 1 solid piece in a three blade, no tips just a blade, or a flat 2 blade with the 2 tiny kicker blades. my opinion i would shoot 100 grain for hunting as long as that is what you are shooting for target.

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this is just my 2 cents
Pooh

[Ben1022]

rocky,

it's totally personal preference between the two. Both do a great job w/the caveat if anything can go wrong it will likely go wrong w/a mechanical moreso than a fixed blade. I haven't lost an animal to a mechanical but for some reason, I have longer tracks to them vs. fixed blade broadheads. Not entirely sure but I think it's due to the blades opening up a little later than if it were "open" on contact. That being said, the fundamental difference is that typically, mechanical broadheads will be easier to tune/sight in than a fixed blade. That is not to say a fixed blade takes hours of work to fly good. It just means some more time is needed to shoot them and you cannot simply twist them on and hit in the same place as field points. One of the manin reasons for fixed blade broadheads is the ability to shoot them longer distances w/better results. However, fixed blades have really come along and fly quite well at longer yardages. Thunderheads are arguably one of the best and it's for a reason. They shoot well and do their job. I would stick with them if you'd had success in the past.
It would be interesting to see if anyone experiences the same thing I do between fixed blade broadheads and mechanicals. I've had both short and long tracks w/both types of heads but if ever I have a longer one, it's with a mechanical head. To qualify this, the shot on any animal is where I would've shot them if I ever had it to do again.

[TomBow]

I used Thunderheads for a few years but had trouble following sparse blood trails a few times and heard good things from a buddy about G5's Montec 100gr. Shot 2 deer last year with the Montec and the trails were obvious AND short. These are solid, one piece broadheads. I resharpened them and will use them again this year. Fixed bladed broadheads will be more sensitive to a bow that is not perfectly tuned and that's the advantage that mechanical bh's have. Many people use mechanicals with great success, they are relatively new so you'll hear some that say they're bad, no good but many of these have never used them. There is also a theory that some of the penetration energy is lost when the blades open. If you're bow is tuned well, there's no reason why you can't used fixed blade bh's. Even with mechs. the bow should be well tuned so you maximize penetration energy by having a straight flying arrow pushing the energy straight behind the broadhead. Another fixed blade that's getting good reviews is the Slick Trick 100gr. Best of Luck!

[BLACKJACK]

I also use the Thunderheads. They've worked well for me so far and what I like about them is the replaceable blades. My rule is that once the broadhead hits the ground, I always replace the blades. That way I always have razor sharp blades and its easy, I don't have to spend a lot of time sharpening. The guy at the local archery shop was trying to talk me into different broadheads "these will be hot this year". Why change (and spend more money) when the Thunderheads work?

[bigbucks]

I've always used Thunderheads & have had good luck with them. I've made bad shots before, but I've never felt it was because of the broadheads.

Personally I'm intrigued by the one piece broadheads. I've shot deer & lost a blade or two inside of them & don't like the idea of gutting or butchering with a blade "somewhere" in there. I won't change though until I need more.

[bmc]

I've tried a few different broadheads in the 18 years I've been bowhunting. My dad has also run his own archery pro shop for the last 25+ years, so he knows his stuff. When I first started I used a broadhead he and a friend designed.....anyone remember the "professional" broadhead? The aluminum ferrule heads were alot stronger than the plastic composite ones. I had good luck with both, shooting 2 blade and 3 blade. They're no longer made now, so we switched to NAP Spitfire 100 grain 3 blades. These are mechanical heads and I had both good and bad experiences with them. Now I shoot a Muzzy 3 blade 100 grain and have had great luck with them. My dad is gonna shoot the Montech 3 blade this year. It's all made out of a single piece of steel. I've seen what a Muzzy will do to a whitetail shoulder blade and it's unbelieveable!!! Not that a shoulder blade is a recommended shot, but if you do hit a bit forward, it's nice to know that if you're shooting a bow in the 55 lb and up range you should penetrate one shoulder blade. My dad has penetrated both shoulder blades on whitetails on 2 different occassions. They were on average 20 yards shots, broadside, and the arrow was sticking out of both sides of the deer. Now if that doesn't impress ya', I don't know what will!!! If you aren't shooting broadheads now during practice, get on it, and make sure to change the blades out or sharpen them up every year.

Brian

[Stratosman]

Everyone has their own favorite, I like the 4 blade Muzzy 90 grain. Shoots good and blasts through everything. Shot one last year at 10 yards, the deer didn't even flinch, complete pass through. He continued to walk and I think I actually saw him eat an acorn? Walked about 50 yards and dropped dead. I couldn't believe my eyes and was wondering if I somehow missed him until I saw the blood pouring out the bottom of his chest. Crazy. But anyway, shoot until you find one that flies tru with your setup and use it. They'll all kill deer.

[treeclimber]

I have bow hunted for 20+ years and have used alot of different broadheads. I my opinion the cut on contact broadheads are by far the best. My broadhead of choice is the Bear razor heads. They are durable and very easy to resharpen. Not only that they will shoot the same as your field points as long as your bow is tuned properly. with a tally of over 80 deer under my belt I have had tons of experience with broadhead use and by far these have performed the best. Just my opinion though.

[rocky]

I appreciate all the replays. I have had a couple of bad moments with the mechanicals, although I like the concept,but I am sticking with the fixed blades. I am gathering from all the replays that there is really no rule of thumb when picking broadheads; it sounds like more of a personal preference thing. Does one brand of fixed blade seem to fly a little truer than others or all they all about the same?Thanks

[frozen toes]

I used Thunderheads for years until I switched to the Wasp Jac-Hammer expandables. I had shorter blood trails with the Wasp then the Thunders. I have no problem with the Thunderheads but liked the cutting diameter of the Wasp heads and that is why I switched. There are very few heads that do not work on the market anymore. It is all personal preference.

[simplefish]

I tried thunderheads a couple years ago, 100g pro's and was losing blades in my 3D just after I had sighted them in. I thought that maybe I just had a bad batch or something but the guy at the pro shop told me he had the same problem. I tried muzzy's last year and they work great. My only problem was keeping them sharp. In my limited expirience it's all about penetration. Kenetic energy is the best way to get it, and to get that you need a well tuned arrow. As for broadheads, this year I'm shooting a 4 blade, 100g Magnus Stinger. It's a cut-on-contact broadhead, just what you need for the best penetration. It has 2 little bleeder blades so there is less drag on your arrow shaft. This thing flies really well, and keeps a good edge. If you are looking for penetration than a good cut-on-contact is the way to go. I don't recommend mechanicals. I tried a number of them and found them to fly well but there was a loss of penetration and if you hit something from the side, like a good quartering away shot it had a tendancy to kick out. They may have fixed this problem in the couple years since I tried them however. I've heard good things about the Montec also. Hope this helps.

[panolo]

I shoot the wasp jak-hammers and the muzzy 4 blade fixed. The mechanicals definately fly more true at greater distances in my opinion but you also have to be careful on where you shoot them. Shoulder shots or straight down shots through the spine are very tough shots with mechanicals. I also will not shoot any mechanicals through the screen on my double bull blind. One thing about the mechanicals that is nice is that the cutting diameter can be larger. My Muzzy's cut at 1" and the wasp's cut at 11/2"

I believe that shot placement is the key. You could wack a deer with a field point if you are dead on. But if you aren't I want a broadhead that is going to blow a hole through there like the animal was shot with a slug.

[BLACKJACK]

panalo, how do you like your Double Bull blind? Is it worth the extra money? I've been lusting after one for several years....

[panolo]

It is some of the best money I have spent. I have had does and fawns come up and try to lick it and eat it. Very easy to setup and pretty light too. When I get a little restless I can move around some in there. Just have to find the rigt spot to put it that helps it blend in!

[thore]

rocket 75 grain mechanical works for for me. But as the gentleman stated before go with what you are most confident with. But I swear by rockets. But this is coming from a guy who used to shoot thunderheads and never had a problem with them either. I went to rockets because I wanted a lighter grain. Does it waste energy having to open, maybe but I know it's flying faster so maybe it's a horse a piece.