Let’s talk broadheads!!!

This is gonna be my first year puttin any serious effort into bow hunting, and i would like all yalls opinions on which mechanical broadheads to use! I have a guy offering me a deal on some rage broadheads but I’ve heard some ugly stories about rage. And i would like personal experience options from some more experienced bow hunters please, not what your cousins buddy’s uncle swears by. Thanks in advance!

If it was my first year I would shoot fixed....I would mark my arrows 1..2..3...And go from there...02 Learn the flight of the arrow....

Id get real good at hittin what i was shootin at before i carried it to the woods...theyll all kill if you get that head in the rib cage. Theyll always be alot of oppinion... For a general purpose head in the 100grn variety id say a slick trick or a ram cat from my personal experience. As for rage..theys been alot of deer kilt withem...ive killed several deer and pigs withem...dont care forem but i got buddies that lovem...ive become indifferent to heads...got more to do with wer you putem in my oppinion. I will say this tho...there are heads that are less likely to give you an exit wound and in my years bowhunting...that exit wound is a crucial factor in bloodtrail quality.

No input here, im a fixed only guy

I’m gettin better at hittin what I’m shootin at lol. I’m gonna try and shoot every day until opening day.

I've killed more than I can remember with the muzzy 100 grain 3 blade.
It's the only broadhead I will use.

Why are you wanting mechanical versus fixed? I've used both,I love the rage trypan, its strong and big, but I also love my fixed qad exodus and ram cats. But I honestly don't think you can beat the exodus. That's a tough head and it penetrates and flies amazing.

This forum has a search function.

Shwacker 100's. 2" cut. No problems for years. Switched from the Grizztricks awhile back. Never had an issue with the Grizztricks just wanted a change. Both do the job but the shwackers seem to fly a little better for me when practicing.

Yet there isn't a mandatory reply button. But here you are replying with no useful info. Good job.

Good to know, still not relevant to his question.

Maybe when you been here for awhile, you'll get tired of the same old questions.

Good point. Maybe the place should be shut down since all the hunting questions have already been answered.

Yeah, you're right. My bad.

Oh is that what it is? Maybe you could just not open the questions you know have been asked so many times since you're so experienced? I would think that since you've been around so long you would know how to not click on every new topic. Even as a "new guy" I know how to do that.

You would think someone who’s been here for a while and been hunting for a while would actually wanna help out someone who’s less experience.

60+ lbs and NOT aiming for the shoulder and Rage 2 or 3 blades will be fine.
There will be some to come along and say shooting the shoulder is fine. Rage will make a big hole and they do much better when entering soft tissue is large bone.

Apparently it's an annoying question.

I’ve shot NAP thunderheads since I started bow hunting in 1994. They’ve always performed well for me, flew true and I knew if I did my job there would be a dead deer within 150 yards of my stand when I touched the release.

After reading some of the slick trick reviews here on the forum, I picked up a few of them to try. I haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet, but they do fly well.

I’m a fixed head guy but wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a Rage if I could find them at a discounted price and wanted to try them. I’ve seen some nasty entry/exit wounds but I’ve also heard enough from Otis and Shelby Lou to know that putting one in the shoulder is a no-no.

When it all comes down to it, a well placed arrow is 100% more important than the head. I don’t know about you, but I can’t shoot a 12 ring 100% of the time, so those times when I need one to punch through shoulder, I want to be confident in my equipment.

Just my $.02, which is probably worth less than that.

I typically use Grim Reapers. I use the standard model with the 1 3/4 inch cut. Love them and never had a whisp of a problem.

My only problem with Rage broadheads is that I think they are way overpriced. I guess they have to be to pay for all that advertising. Other than that they are fine. I have friends that have used them and as long as they did their job the Rage heads did theirs.

As for all this talk about shoulder hits, well much depends on what part you hit. A deers shoulder appears pretty big but the shoulder blade is much smaller. If however you do actually hit the shoulder blade/bone itself then penetration may be a problem with either a fixed or a mechanical broadhead. Best course of action? Don't do it.

The main reason people get poor penetration with a mech head is they use one with a cutting diameter that is just too big for the energy their bow is generating. The energy needed to open a mech head, despite what many think, is actually miniscule. But it takes a powerful set up to push a 2 1/4 inch wide broadhead through a deer. Especially if you hit heavy bone. Know the kinetic energy your set up is producing and stay within it's limits.

Do not use a mech head as a cover for not tuning your bow. Tune your bow so that field tips and fixed blade broadheads group together or have a proffesional do it for you. Then use whatever head you like.

Accurate arrow placement is far more important than any other factor.

Yep they ain't fancy but I've had no reason to change in 20 years

Rage Xtreme 125 grn is deadly as long as u don’t hit bone.

Take a look at the NAP Killzone and NAP Slingblade. No clips, rubber bands or o-rings to worry about.

I shot Rages for 1 season many, many years ago and had NO problems with them. The reason I went to something else was simply cost related. I'm not one to sharpen blades, and at least way back then you couldn't find replacement blades anywhere (and they were still nearly $30 when you ordered them offline)...when I'd shoot a Rage I'd basically throw it away and use a new one. At that time we were hunting property near Auburn that was crawling with does (like you kicked the top off an ant bed) and it was nothing to shoot a doe in the morning and another one in the afternoon literally every day. I was spending $100+ a week sometimes on broadheads.

I started with 3-blade Muzzys, and after those few years of experimenting with mechanicals and other brands, I went back to 3-blade Muzzys and haven't looked back since. I now shoot the fixed 3-blade "Trocar" Muzzys and they fly QUIET, kill everything they touch, and (for me) I can't tell any difference whatsoever in accuracy between them and any mechanical I've ever shot. I can buy a 3 pack for $25 and get replacement blades for $15 at the store next to my office any time I want them.

With hands raised high, preach!

get you some SIMMONS 165 gr, and kill every thing you shoot !

I like a solid constructed, 1-piece broadhead such as VPA, VanDeiman, Tooth of the Arrow, Iron Will, Valkyrie etc.

All mechanicals and most all the fixed blades on the local shelves like Muzzy, Slicktrick, etc are extremely fragile and will not break through a bone.

Of course, nothing will break through a bone without proper weight, but structural integrity is the #1 factor for penetration that why I like a solid 1 piece broadhead. I'm shooting a near 700 grain arrow so it'll blow right through with the proper head.

At some point, the search function has been changed to only go back 12 months max....

I have shot rage extremes for a few years and never had a problem. I also resharpen the heads after every kill so I never have to buy replacement blades. Saves some money being able to re-use them. I have lost two deer with the rages and both were shoulder shots. Mistakes on my part, not the head. I had one of the does I shot show back up on camera that lived through the experience. Ill see if I can find the picture if your interested in seeing it.

+1 killed quite a few with them myself.

Don't need to be fancy, just lethal.
We know what works and we don't try to fix what ain't broke.

I have used Rage chisel tip and Trypans with great success. The only one that was not a complete pass through was a bad shot by me that severed his spine and wad protruding out the opposite side by a quarter inch.

I deal with mechanical stuff everyday for a living, if it's mechanical it can fail.

Which is 100 percent true, but if that's going to keep you from using something to hunt with then you might as well quit hunting, because that bow is mechanical too.

I thought we were talking about broadheads ???

Wasp Jak hammer 3-blade. They are tough, sharp, and made in America. I've killed my 3 biggest bucks with them and untold number of does and hogs.

If you watch enough outdoor shows, you will notice they hit a deer behind the shoulder, and get very little penetration. I’m usually thinking wth was that?

Then I remember most of them advertise and use some type of mechanical head.

I appreciate every ones answers! Reason I’m going with mechanical instead of fixed blade is bc I’m new to the sport and a mechanical flys almost identical to a field tip and i want to take the factor of the fixed blade flying off course out, and also mechanical broadheads from what i have understood leave a bigger hole and the animal will bleed out a lot quicker therefore less suffering in the deers part and a quicker/easier find! From everything I’ve seen y’all talk about it seems that any of the ones i could use will kill and it’s all down to personal experience and finding out what you like! Thank you all and happy hunting boys!

Ram Cats fly better than field tips for me.

I like to minimize the problem. The more potential problems you can eliminate the better. That's why I think the whisker biscuit is the best hunting rest there is.

I've always shot 100gr 3 blade muzzy's and never had an issue. 90+% of the shots have been complete pass throughs. Muzzy has recently come out with a hybrid head. It is a two blade fixed with a big mechanical incorporated into it. I'll probably put a couple in the quiver this year and shoot a doe with them just to see how they perform. Seems like a best of both worlds scenario. You've got the two fixed blades in place just in case the mechanical fails to open. I'm interested to see if incorporating the larger cut diameter mechanical into an already proven design will decrease the pass throughs. As a new bowhunter you will quickly learn that pass throughs are your friend. They bleed good and tracking is easier when they've got holes on both sides of their rib cage.

I concur. That's why I was intent to point that out in my response about the Muzzys. I can truly (I'm not fudging) shoot 3 field tips, 3 Rages, and 3 Muzzys and they'll all touch. I reckon back in the "old days" (and I've been bow hunting since I guess the early/mid 90's) there was a distinct difference, but today I just don't think there is.

But technically I don't shoot field tips. Literally, I don't own one, doubt I could find one anywhere in my house or shop, can't remember the last time I shot one. I practice with what I hunt with. If I shoot 200 arrows a year (and honestly that'd be a lot for me) they're all broadheads.

I understand! I wanna be able to use the rage practice tips so i don’t destroy my targetbwith broadheads

If your bow is tuned correctly there's little difference between field points and fixed broadheads.
Most of my deer, shot with a muzzy, are found dead inside 100 yards.
Usually there's no tracking, I hear them fall and walk right to the general area.
On the occasions when I did have to track one, the blood trail was very easy to follow.

Rage 2.3 Extreme entry wound on a 120 lb doe quartering away at 35 yards!! Won’t shoot anything else!!

A property tuned bow will shoot fixed heads just as well as field tips. Lots of folks shoot mechanicals to hide tuning issues.

Bigger hole is not always true, especially when mechanicals fail and you wind up with 2” of arrow hanging in a deer or a shoulder stops it.

To be the most ethical, you would build an arrow set-up that won’t fail and has the momentum/arrow weight to penetrate to vitals no matter what bone comes in front of it.

You can PM me and I’ll lead you down the rabbit hole if you are interested.

I've several dozen to sleep with a Thunderhead

Lots of good quality mechanicals out there. Ive killed deeer with wasp jackhammers, swackers, rage hypos, and nap killzones. I’ve also killed them with a few different fixed heads. I’m sure I just missed it but what bow and poundage are you shooting?

I love ram cats since I started using them.

I shoot NAP Killzone and have been more than pleased. Shot a ~225lb 8 point last year and it performed perfectly. Left a big hole and penetrated until it hit the back shoulder. If it were me I'd shoot an expandable, they fly much more accurate imo.

Only way they more accurate is if the bows not tuned well. I shoot 2 brands of fixed blades and they hit with my broadhead to 70yds. Haven't shot my broadhead past 70 this year. I think the difference may be noticed by a pro but, no difference for 4 of us that shoot together.

I am going to disagree with this just a little. I have never had trouble getting a bow tuned and therefore my fixed blade broadheads and field points to fly to the same point of aim. But a fixed broadhead tipped arrow is a little more affected by minor glitches in shooting form. A minor glitch in your shot that would cause a field tip to hit 2 inches off at 40 yards will cause a broadhead to be off by twice as much. I find that fixed heads tend to be more affected by wind as well. Mech heads which fly like a field tip do not exhibit these same tendencies.

Same here.
I’ve used rage, muzzy, tekan, but as long as I can get ran cars that’s what I’ll use. Having your bow tuned properly has MUCH to do with arra flight. I finally got mine right last season and it makes all the difference

I wasn't talking wind or poor shots, I'm talking shooting an arrow accurately. Wind will affect any arrow including a field points. I hunt NW Oregon, we have a little wind. IAlthough illegal here, I would never use a mechanical. That's just my preference. I've seen 2 mech heads fail to open and that's why I'll avoid them. They do kill lots of animals though

Never seen a mech head of any type fail to open; rear deploy or fold from front either one. Never had any of my friends have one fail to open. Some buddies and myself used to tie some shut with dental floss and shoot them at targets in an attempt to get them to fail. They broke the dental floss and still opened. Every time. I believe that 99.9999999999999% of "It didn't open" claims with mech heads are horse pucky. Typically these claims are offered up as an excuse for a lost animal. Hey, why take the blame yourself when you can blame the mech head.



But I was and those things do happen. I am no pro shooter. Never had any interest in it. But I have put an awful lot of arrows down range in my 52 years. Enough to say that I do not believe that anyone, much less an average shooter, will shoot fixed blade broadheads as accurately out to all ranges as they will a field tip. And for the reason I listed. A fixed blade head will not be as forgiving as the field tip. Therefore a mech head, which flys just like a field tip will also be a little more forgiving and thus a little more accurate.

I would call myself an average shooter. My field points and broadhead fly the same to 80yds. I went today and tried it since i had only tested to 60 this year. Anyway, it's all preference and what's legal...

fixed - Slick Trick standard 100grain. mechanical - NAP SpitFire 100 grain both shoot field point accurate with out having to tweek them to the arrow.

65lb

Deadringer- got to check out the Deadringer mechanicals. I love the Rampage 3 blade mechanical