Crimson Talons worth the money?
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Vinton VA
Posts: 2,978
RE: Crimson Talons worth the money?
Crimson Talon 100 grain
Accuracy 4 points
Plywood 4 points
Steel drum 3 points
Tire 1 point
Cutting diameter 4 points
Blades 6 points
Non-mechanical head 2 points
Total score: 24 with a blade sharpness rating of B-
The Crimson Talon is a fixed 6 blade head styled similar to a Muzzy in many ways. The tip and ferrule are very much like Muzzy uses. The blades however do not interlock. While there are 6 cutting edges, the number of actual “blades” is only 3. Each Blade has two cutting surfaces, one large and one small. The larger surface is “twisted” much like helical on fletching. The smaller surfaces are short and straight, but just large enough to open up the wound channel. The manufacture claims that these heads do not require any tuning. The add say’s “ just screw them on and go hunting”. I didn’t find this to be true. I won’t go into ethics, but I disagree with any sort of statement like that. It is up to every bowhunter to tune their equipment and make sure that their hunting heads shoot where they aim.
In the tests I found the heads to be very accurate, I shot them out of two different bows, one tuned for 100grain heads, the other setup for 125grain heads. In both cases I found the heads to shoot very accurately, but not always with the field points. With The bow setup and tuned for 100grain heads the Crimson Talons did indeed shoot right with my field points, but in the bow setup for 125grain heads they shot about 3” left and 3” high. They did however group very well. In the steel drum the head penetrated the first wall with the tip sticking in the back. All of the larger blades were bent, twisted, and “squeezed” down in size to about an inch. In the plywood the head penetrated fully, but again with the same kind of damage as in the steel drum. In the tire the head stopped prior to fully penetrating the first side, and there was some bending and twisting of the blades.
Overall this is not a bad broadhead as far as performance goes. It is accurate, and it does penetrate fairly well in most materials. The 6 blade configuration should really open up the wound channel in soft tissue. The larger blades are very easy to bend. I managed to twist one while shooting into my block target. I will say though that I didn’t break off any blades, but when ever the head struck a hard object the main blades bent and twisted effectively reducing the cutting diameter to around 1 inch or so.
I have mixed feelings about the Crimson Talons. I honestly feel that they will perform well on game, as far as doing what a broadhead should do, cut and destroy tissue while penetrating into the vital organs. That said, I didn’t find their accuracy to be any better than most quality fixed blade broadheads. Yes they shoot well, but I did not find them to offer mechanical broadhead accuracy such as stated on the package. The bottom line, they will perform on game, but you will go through blades fast during practice, and they will cost you twice as much as other quality heads
Accuracy 4 points
Plywood 4 points
Steel drum 3 points
Tire 1 point
Cutting diameter 4 points
Blades 6 points
Non-mechanical head 2 points
Total score: 24 with a blade sharpness rating of B-
The Crimson Talon is a fixed 6 blade head styled similar to a Muzzy in many ways. The tip and ferrule are very much like Muzzy uses. The blades however do not interlock. While there are 6 cutting edges, the number of actual “blades” is only 3. Each Blade has two cutting surfaces, one large and one small. The larger surface is “twisted” much like helical on fletching. The smaller surfaces are short and straight, but just large enough to open up the wound channel. The manufacture claims that these heads do not require any tuning. The add say’s “ just screw them on and go hunting”. I didn’t find this to be true. I won’t go into ethics, but I disagree with any sort of statement like that. It is up to every bowhunter to tune their equipment and make sure that their hunting heads shoot where they aim.
In the tests I found the heads to be very accurate, I shot them out of two different bows, one tuned for 100grain heads, the other setup for 125grain heads. In both cases I found the heads to shoot very accurately, but not always with the field points. With The bow setup and tuned for 100grain heads the Crimson Talons did indeed shoot right with my field points, but in the bow setup for 125grain heads they shot about 3” left and 3” high. They did however group very well. In the steel drum the head penetrated the first wall with the tip sticking in the back. All of the larger blades were bent, twisted, and “squeezed” down in size to about an inch. In the plywood the head penetrated fully, but again with the same kind of damage as in the steel drum. In the tire the head stopped prior to fully penetrating the first side, and there was some bending and twisting of the blades.
Overall this is not a bad broadhead as far as performance goes. It is accurate, and it does penetrate fairly well in most materials. The 6 blade configuration should really open up the wound channel in soft tissue. The larger blades are very easy to bend. I managed to twist one while shooting into my block target. I will say though that I didn’t break off any blades, but when ever the head struck a hard object the main blades bent and twisted effectively reducing the cutting diameter to around 1 inch or so.
I have mixed feelings about the Crimson Talons. I honestly feel that they will perform well on game, as far as doing what a broadhead should do, cut and destroy tissue while penetrating into the vital organs. That said, I didn’t find their accuracy to be any better than most quality fixed blade broadheads. Yes they shoot well, but I did not find them to offer mechanical broadhead accuracy such as stated on the package. The bottom line, they will perform on game, but you will go through blades fast during practice, and they will cost you twice as much as other quality heads
#5
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 1
RE: Crimson Talons worth the money?
14mercs, I have been testing and playing with the 100 grain crimson talons for about two weeks. This all began after I had a long telephone conversation with Dr. Todd Kuhn whose articles I have read for quite some time. While it appears he is a paid consultant for 2xJ Enterprises, he is ususally very reliable. However, I can not get " perfect" target point results. Actually you can out to 20 yards but after that things do change. Plus, to 5 shot' s point, the blades do not hold up to any target no matter what you do. So, I do not feel you will be gaining anything by switching from you mechanicals. I do plan on using one on a doe early on and will be glad to let you know how effective there were on a live animal. I do not, however, plan on taking a shot longer that 20 yards with one at this time, so would not have them available once I start looking for horns with any intensity.
#6
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Southeast Alabama
Posts: 191
RE: Crimson Talons worth the money?
Ive never used the talons but if your bow is tuned properly then your BH' s should be shooting in the same place.. thats one advantage of mechanicals anyway.. I dont think they are worth the money for only using them once when on other quality BH you can replace blades or sharpen
#7
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Jacksonville Fl USA
Posts: 533
RE: Crimson Talons worth the money?
I have not shot these heads, but I myself switched from mechanicals (shockwaves) to the new Montec G5. Now for the money I cant see a better deal... I have shot these heads for the last week and have never shot a fixed blade so well.... I shoot a very well tuned bow - an AR 34, and I can shoot bare shafts 2-3" away from my fletched shafts at 30 yards - this is good.... just my point, a tuned bow is a must for a fixed blade.
For the money - you should look hard at the montecs.... you can practice with them and then sharpen them bach up for hunting - they are solid and shoot VERY well.......
Good luck