New archery products Spitfire 3 blade

Accuracy 5 points
Plywood 3 points
Steel drum 1 point
Orange 2 points
Blades 3 points
Cutting diameter 4 points
Total score: 18 with a blade sharpness rating of A

The spitfire is a well made head, accuracy is excellent, and the blades are very sharp out of the package. They use clips to hold the blades closed, instead of O rings or rubber bands used in most other mechanical heads. This makes for a very convenient head to use, but it does slow down how fast the blades open.
In the accuracy department the spitfires were excellent, fly just like my field points.
In the plywood they penetrated ¾ of the way through the board before stopping. The blades opened about ½ way before the head stopped.
In the steel drum test the spitfire penetrated one side and bounced off the back wall. I bent one blade, and broke part of another off. The third one was intact showing no damage.
In the orange test the head was beginning to open by the time it exited the back. I would estimate it had open ¼ of the way.
I feel the main reason the spitfires had so much damage in the steel drum and did not open well in the plywood or orange is due to the blade retaining clips. They hold the blades very securely, and it takes more force to open them than heads that use rubber bands or O rings. I tested this theory by removing the clips and holding the blades closed with small rubber bands. In every test the heads preformed better. They were fully opened by the time they exited the Orange, they also fully opened in the plywood, penetrating better, and in the steel drum, the only damage was that a portion of one blade broke, just the “wing” and not any of the cutting surface. I liked the convenience of the Spitfires, and they are a very well made head, but “as is” they are slower to open than I like. When used without the clips they preformed much better, but why buy spitfires if you want to use a head with rubber bands? Besides I know new archery products does not and will not recommend using them in any other way except with the retainer clips. I know many people use the Spitfires with excellent results on game every year, and I need to say again these tests don’t indicate how a head will do on game. They only show how heads perform against each other, and in the test materials. I personally just prefer a head that opens faster.


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Thanks 5 shot. I was thinking about useing these for hunting but, like you i would prefer a faster opening head. thanks again.

thanks 5 shot, I would agree with your review 100%. out of all the mechanicals I have tried I found the spitfire to be one of the best shooting but one of the worst penetrating heads I have shot. They open slow, require a lot of KE to get them open and the wide cutting dia. dosn't help once it is open. I know a lot of guys who use them & swear by them mostly because they shoot just like field tips. I just found they are not for me at all and did not offer the performance I look for in my equipment.

Hey 5 shot... thanx for the info! I'm needed 2 hear that because i'm switching from 125 gr. to 100 gr. and was gonna go w/ the spitfires or the shockwaves but now i'm sure i'm gonna stick w/ the shockwaves. Thanks!!

"Be as a whisper in the wind."
-Jim-

5 shot, I use these heads, and although they do not perform well on those elusive steel drums, they are deadly on whitetails.

I shot a doe with one last year, got a complete pass through, and the entrance/exit wounds were impressive. The butcher could not believe the doe had been shot with a bow due to the size of the entrance wound. I am suprised the heads did not open sooner becuase they sure worked on the deer.

I have also found the blades to be slightly fragile and if I shoot the same head into my target too many times I will usually bend/break/loose at least one blade.

5er, is your rating on the shockwave higher than the spitfire? I'd like to see your write up on the shockwaves.
ArcticBowMan's Hunting Photo's

Arctic, I will do a "classic" post on the Shockwaves for you. Relamb, I know a lot of guys use the spitfires with great results, I just prefer a faster opening head.

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5er, it took some time to remember what I did with the pics, but here aer 2 pics of the doe I shot last year with the Spitfires. As you can see, both holes are impressive, and the heads seem to have opened fully on entrance. I am still suprised they did not open faster on your tests.

Entrance:

Exit:

Reylamb, nice holes, were you hunting on the ground or low on a tree? The reason I ask is the holes look almost even in height on the animal.
I wish more people would post pics of the entrance and exit wounds. Most of the hunting shows on TV won't ever show the shot location or results.

I will admit those are some <font size=6>BIG</font id=size6> holes! looks like some great eating, and excellent broadhead preformance.

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