This probably belongs over here anyway.
I really hesitate to even give any kind of statistical information on broadheads due the fact that is 5 shot’s domain and I highly respect his opinion. However, because in some areas big game seasons are either open or will open next month, I thought this broadhead might not get tested in time to do any of us any good. So I took the liberty of playing around with Rocket’s “Ultimate Steel 100” and here are a few interesting things I found out.
I really doubt if this is the world’s smallest broadhead but at 7/8 of inch in cutting diameter it surely ranks right up there. I know some have commented about concerns that it is to small but there are a multitude of quality heads out there that only use a one inch cut, so the size of this head is not of concern to me.
When I opened the package upon inspection the ferrule reminded me of the Rocky Mountain titanium ferrule. Perhaps a better description of the looks of the ferrule would be to picture a Rocket Steelhead without the expandable blades. The difference is, this ferrule is not black, it is silver or chrome color. The ferrule itself is 1 ½ inches from the tip to the end of the threads. It has three grooves cut in the ferrule and the blades slide in the grooves, tucking up under the point not unlike the Rocky Mountain Titanium or R.M. Ironhead. On the rear end of the blade there is a small nipple/ ear/ wing/ (pick whatever description you want) that sticks out about 1/16th of an inch that catches under a flat metal washer, which in turn locks the blade in place as it is screwed down on the arrow shaft. When I saw the “wing” on the aft end of the blade the thought crossed my mind that it seemed quite tiny and frail. But then what do I know? I can tell you this…these blades are sharp! They easily shaved the hair off my arm and in fact I cut myself putting the first one together and left a good blood trail. (what a dummy!)
I weighed each head to see what kind of variance there would be. Here are the results:
1. 102.1 grains
2. 102.3 grains
3. 103 grains
4. 102.4 grains
5. 102.2 grains
6. 101.1 grains
If you have ever taken the time to weigh your heads you will know that a weight variance of 1.9 grains is very good in the broadhead world.
Each head was spun on my spin tester and every one spun true. The head itself is so small it almost looks like a toy. It mated up well with my carbon express arrows fitting almost flush with the inserts. On larger diameter arrows however I think you will not find this to be the case.
It came as no surprise that these heads shot like a dream, deadly accurate. I really thought that I might have a contender for being the first head to completely penetrate my 3/4 inch plywood “Wall of Fame”. So far in almost 40 different heads tested from the leading manufacturers not one has been able to achieve a complete pass through. Before anyone faints from disbelief I will again remind you that for this test I shoot a moderate 60 lbs of kinetic energy with the “wall of fame” being twenty yards downrange. (Not at all unrealistic numbers that we would see from a lot of hunters.)
I was disappointed when the head did not achieve a complete pass through. There was 1/8 of an inch of the threads sticking out the back of the board and just the tip sticking out the front. Because of the way it buried itself in the plywood I couldn’t see the blades to inspect them. I did see the furrows they made where they entered so I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and say they remained in tact. As I said I was disappointed but in all reality penetration was respectable.
It zipped through the steel drum like nothing I have seen since the ‘Bonebuster’ with the arrow flying well beyond the drum. As I was retrieving my arrow I was admiring the triangular hole in the front of the drum. As I passed the drum I turned to see the exit hole and guess what, IT WAS A ROUND HOLE! It looked like a bullet hole! All three blades came off! I suspected the “wings” broke and looked in the drum. Sure enough that is what happened. I should mention that the ferrule looked unscathed.
In the tire test the same thing happened. It completely penetrated the radial but all three of the blades were lying inside the tire. Two of the three blades “wings” were gone.
I think all of us are intrigued to a certain degree with penetration (no pun intended!) That is one of the reasons we spend the time and the money to test what we use. I also know that wood, steel, and rubber do not a deer make. I do believe this head would blow through a deer like nobody’s business MOST OF THE TIME. But what if that B&C buck walked out in front of you and you caught a lot of bone??? I suppose the argument could be made that the blades then act like the old bleeder blades and break allowing the shaft to continue, but I’m not comfortable with that.
Hippo or no hippo I’m sorry Greg. While I do think you're close to making another great head, until I see evidence that the blades will remain intact I really can’t give the 'Ultimate Steel' a high recommendation.