MissionCRAZE1

guys and gals, I currently shoot a Mission Craze at 26" draw pulling about 60-65 pounds. I currently shoot GT expedition hunter arrows and g5 havoc heads. I want to change my entire setup.... Any thoughts? New arrow and new broadhead. I like the Vaps as well as the maxima reds and have considered the pile drivers... But I will consider any arrow. Also, is a heavy arrow, like the pile driver going to drop a lot more than light arrows?
Thanks, CG

cjclemens

I shoot GoldTip Velocity XT's, so I'm a bit biased. Since your draw length is fairly short, I think the Velocitys might make your arrows a little too light. The Hunters you've been using are a decent choice. The Kinetics might actually be a better choice, to give you a little more mass for energy retention. You will have a little more arrow drop with the heavier shaft, but I don't think it will be more than you can manage. GoldTip makes a good, tough arrow at a decent price. IMO, the Maxima Reds are way overpriced and over-hyped. Not saying they're bad arrows by any means, just that there's a lot of arrows out there that give you way more bang for the buck.

P.S. I noticed you were talking about Grim Reapers and NAP Spitfires on another thread. Both of those are fairly large expandables. With your shorter draw length, you might think about using some fixed broadheads. Where you're at is kind of marginal as to whether an expandable will work well or not. Just something to consider when you start building your new hunting arrows.

super_hunt54

Yep those Maxima Red's are salty to say the least. I've shot CE's for years. Pretty much ever since they came out. But I'm getting a little tired of the ridiculous prices. CJ's suggestion on going to Gold Tip's is pretty much spot on. Really good arrow at a reasonable expense. As far as broadhead choices, you already shoot a very good brand but I too would suggest you go to a fixed blade. Give the Montecs a try. Been using them since a rep sent me a pack in mid 2000 to test out. Never had one fail me yet. You put the arrow where it's supposed to go and it will do a splendid job. Also with those shorter arrows I would suggest fletching them up with Blazer vanes. Quicker stabilization.

MissionCRAZE1

Thanks CJ!!! Should I use the Muzzy Phantoms? And will that tremendously change my arrow flight? Thanks guys... Only my 2nd year bowhunting

MissionCRAZE1

And I really like the montecs... I am a little confused on which path to take... Should I be this worried? Or will the broadheads preform the same if I do my job

super_hunt54

There are good broadheads and bad ones out there. Many like mechanical's many like fixed. I shot mechanical's for a little while and was not impressed really at all. Some swear by them but I'm about as old school as one can get and just didn't see what all the fuss was about. Get a good cut on impact style broadhead such as the Montec or another excellent brand is the Slick Trick. I use those on my slower bows and my Traditional recurves. Both of those will fly right dead on with your field tips, or at least they do with all of my rigs. Never had to change a thing on my bow to switch from FT's to BH's while using either brand of them.

cjclemens

I had some older Muzzy Phantoms and I wasn't too impressed with them. Muzzy has a new Phantom SC out that people are pretty excited about, but I've yet to get my hands on some.

Fixed heads I've used and know are good would include Slick Tricks, Magnus Stingers, NAP Thunderheads, and Montecs. I currently use Magnus Stingers. They fly great and come with an unconditional guarantee. If you bend or break one, they will replace it - no questions asked. Slick Tricks would be my second choice. There's nothing special about them. They just fly great and come out of the package with a scary sharp edge on them.

Lastly, Montecs are a good solid design. They fly well, and are made to be just about bullet proof. However, they're not known to leave the best blood trails. Some feel that this is because of the wider blade angle, making it sharp like a knife. This is in contrast to the thinner blades of a Slick Trick or Thunderhead, which are sharp like a scalpel or a brand new razor blade. That being said, Montecs have been around for a long time and there's quite a few guys who put deer down with them every year.

If you do your part, any of these broadheads will likely give you a full pass through (unless you hit a shoulder bone). If your bow is properly tuned, you shouldn't see any difference in flight, at all. A well tuned bow will stack fixed heads, mechanical heads, and field points into the same group.

super_hunt54

One thing I did forget to mention about the Montec's. While the edge on them out of the package is good, more than sufficient to slice through a deer hide, I always put a little better hone to them out of the package. Couple of swipes across my honing stone and a couple swipes across my leather strap and them puppies will shave a frogs hair. The Slick Tricks, as CJ pointed out, are indeed scary sharp out of the package. I've never had a bad blood trail from the Montecs but I ALWAYS go for a double lung on live game with bow. A deer doesn't just drop right there unless you nail him in the spine with a bow shot. You hit in the heart area and you don't have the pumper to make a fine blood trail. You hit them lungs passing through and you have a nice double faucet spraying you a nice trail. Plus, in my experience anyway, they seem to go down faster from a double lung than they do from a heart shot. Maybe the shock from not being able to breathe.