Broadheads
 

Why does it seem like so many people are constantly searching for different broadheads?

What kind of problems are people having with simple straight forward broadheads thunderhead,muzzy,montec,slick trick etc.?

What is it these simple heads are not doing for you?

I mean I have shot a LOT of deer with these simple broadheads and I don't ever recall thinking "I sure wish I had a better broadhead" they work pretty great for me.

Sometimes, while what we have works, there comes along something that may work just a smidge better. Like the conversation you and I were having about the Viper Tricks. My Standard slick tricks have served me well for several years. But those Vipers just MIGHT be that little smidge better. Might fly just a touch better, may leave just that 1/8" bigger hole that may bisect a vein that the standards may have just missed. I personally like to stay in the loop with new broadhead technology and I like to use the absolute best broadhead that matches my style of shooting and my bows speeds.

From my experience it really isn't very often something comes along that really works better. It does happen and Ive made changes myself but for me it has always been minor tweaks to the same simple design. I mean there are minor changes that give you better flight out of a faster bow, more penetration from a slower bow etc. Its more the reinvention of the wheel I'm talking about.

Ive seen so many deer lost because of some of these new radical designs.

I'm not saying never adjust or make changes but I like to stay within the basic simple design that has worked great for a very long time.

Some people just like to experiment with new things. A new broadhead may be the same, marginally better, or even worse than what they've used in the past, but they won't know for certain until they try.

AHHHHH so I see said the blind man :D You're talking about all these radical broadheads coming out nowadays like with cutting rings and such. Gimmic stuff usually.

Yeah pretty much......and really I'm just trying to understand it as Ive really never had any problems with simple broadheads.

I'm just curious what kinds of problems people are seeking to fix.

Flight is the only problem Ive really had and that has been easily remedied.

Word of mouth goes pretty far! Been using swacker heads for the longest and a buddy of mine told me about the muzzy heads. I switched over and am glad I did. They fly better & from what he's told me, goes through bone and leaves one hell of a hole.

Good choice, those schwackers are one of the worst designed broadheads ever IMO. Prone to not getting a pass through and designed not to open on impact is a terrible combination.

Which muzzy did you go with?

Everything that can be invented has been invented./QUOTE]
- Charles Dwell US patent attorney 1898.

Companies are in the business to sell products. They bring these products to Market through the use of advertisements and marketing. Obviously they make every product look Superior to existing products. Some maybe. Is the Muzzys tocar better than the Mx? Are the Thunderhead razors better than the original? What about the Slick Trick line.

I always thought the purpose of this forum, was not to constantly look for something better. But rather have normal people without a rooting interest, share experiences so all could gain knowledge. If we don't test and share experiences, we're left only with our individual experiences or to believe exactly all the marketing hype.

We can simply post a fact sheet, close the Forum, and say this is how it's done. However, companies will not stop bringing new products to market, research and development and innovation. We must test and share experiences, hence the review name of the section.

Tried-and-true products are the standard. But it's always interesting to test different broadheads, bullets, etc... and get feedback from people with no rooting interest.

I used a fixed blade muzzy all the time previously and don't remember which model... Three years ago I switched to a rage hypodermic just to see and was really impressed. It's accounted for two massive blood trails now.. I'll keep using the hypodermics until they give me a reason not to. I had no problems with the muzzy, just wanted to try a mechanical...
-Jake

I swapped to mechs a couple of seasons ago and this season switched back to Slick Tricks.

I just like the simple fact they last a lot longer for me.

They will work great until you hit something hard on the exit(far shoulder)

What do you shoot rockport?
-Jake

Mostly Thunderhead razors/nightmares but I'll shoot about any quality simple fixed head....Slick trick,muzzy,montec etc,etc

Ive had some trouble with flight on some muzzy models, and I won't shoot the grizztrick as its to big much like a mechanical.

Right now thunderhead razors/older nightmares, and viper tricks are in my quiver but I just ordered some Muzzy Trocar because they are offset like the razors but $25 instead of $40

Couldn't of said it better, it is thought provoking to examine others experiences and determine if their results are worth trying to reproduce. If we didn't experiment we would still be spear hunting and fishing! Love my mechanicals.

At one point in time rifled barrels were probably seen as a gimmick. Gotta keep weeding through the snake oil to find the real winners, but it is fun to see the results others get.
I shot the NAP Killzones last year with super short blood trails, switched to Easton Injexions with the Deep Six inserts and NAP Blood Runners this year. Why? Because I can :) #Murica

NAP Spitfire Maxx... been shooting them for years.. no problems. Fly great. tear a big hole.
Very reliable.

I must not have been very clear about what I am asking in my OP.

I'm not against new ideas or trying new things providing it is based on sound logic.

I'm asking what experiences have led people to think it is sound logic to trade penetration for bigger holes because my experience tells me just the opposite

Every year I help at least one person try to recover a lost deer due to lack of penetration by a overly large broadhead and read/hear about many, many more and never once because a broadhead passed through the vitals but wasn't big enough.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the logic and "because I can" doesn't help me do that.


What experiences have led you to the conclusion that you needed a bigger hole and less penetration?

Actually yes they are.

Compound bows have advanced dramatically leaving broadhead flight with room for improvement. Muzzy and NAP have addressed this with offset blades causing them to fly much better out of modern high performance bows. Slick trick has done this by going with 4 smaller blades which is also successful at getting improved flight from modern high performance bows. Now not everybody has a modern or high performance bow which makes the older designs relevant still.

Slick trick also has many variations based on specific needs/animals. Some designed for slower bows or bigger animals to improve penetration and some designed for faster bows and/or smaller animals.

These are logically sound tweaks on a tried,true,and proven design based on the reasoning I have given.

I started using 3 blade Rocky Mountains in the mid 70s when they came on the market. Me & my bowhunting family all use them due to the fact I think they are great AND I managed to buy a ton of them at a super price direct JUST b/4 they sold the Co.. 40+ years now & many assorted biggame has been taken by us over those years.. No plans on changing.

40 years of bowhunting and having about 500 diff broadheads in my collection and having done a lot of Broadhed testing and having killed a lot of big game in that time with a lot of different brands has taught me a lot about broadheads.

Its fun to experiment. We learn through doing so. We may return to our old standby but that does not mean its not fun to try something new.

For some (wish it were more) bowhunters, there is a lot of thought and testing that goes into selecting a broadhead. In order for a head to earn the coveted spot in my quiver, it has to meet my requirements.

1. Solid construction.
2. Great flight.
3. Re-uasability/resharpenability (my current record is 7 deer with the same head, shoot sharpen and repeat)
4. Carnage.
5. To a small degree, cost/price.

There are so many good heads on the market today, I dont think there are enough tags available to try them all.

For my homemade traditional setup I use single bevel homemade broadheads.

for my compound, I use slick trick but there are so many others I have killed a ton of deer with that I would use again in a heartbeat.

When we designed our broadhead sharpener, we did so because we dont think a broadhead is a disposable part of our gear. Whether one piece or replaceable blade (we hunt with both) we want to be able to return that head to service as quickly and easily as possible.

Good thread.

Im reminded of one of the things my father said to me over and over and over while I was growing up. One thing in particular comes to mind. He would say,

"Put that down, that's expensive."

If it weren't for guys trying the latest and greatest equipment, we would all still be shooting Bear Whitetail bows and Bear Razor heads.

Does the Single bevel really work much better? I was considering making mine this year like this, but went to the double bevel as I got confused on which side the bevel should be on. i.e. right hand vs left hand fletched.

My favorite recurve used to be a Bear black bear, whats wrong with that? :)