Broadhead reviews

[Frogger]

Lol Ice man! That just made this post step it up a notch.

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[justtracytrolling]

Nice deer for sure!  Cant argue with those results.  Bottom line is if you are successful, and I mean ALWAYS, its about the skill of the hunter,  the practice, experience,  patience, etc.  There is no bow, gun, bullet or broadhead that instantly will give consistant results if its not in the right hands.  I switched to rages 6 years ago when a guest of mine dropped 5 deer within sight of the stand one opening morning!  I switched that afternoon and the first dozen deer I shot ALL fell within sight.  Another buddy of mine lost several deer with rages and loves his muzzy's, and is very successful with them.  He obviously shoots his deer near or in the shoulder like a 3d target 10 ring.  I shoot them nowhere near the shoulder on the entry side at least. I routinely shoot deer that have just stepped on our property from the neighbors sanctuary so even a 150 yd tracking job is problematic.  

[Hop]

I`m really enjoying reading the various opinions and experiences.  Wondering if anyone can offer their experiences using a longbow.  Due to shoulder and back issues I was forced to switch from my compound to a longbow.  Currently using Muzzy`s, haven`t shot a deer with them yet.  Any other ideas on fixed blades for a 47# longbow?

[Gill-T]

Hop, I would think if you have shoulder and back problems a recurve is not the best option. I would look into a compound that has 80% let-off and get it correctly set-up to shoot at 50 lbs. Ted Nugent shoots all his deer with a 55 lb draw-weight bow. In this game of bowhunting we must often hold at full draw while we wait for a deer to present broadside. To hold a recurve any length of time is REALLY HARD!

[justtracytrolling]

Hop, I agree with Gill-t, but kudos if you can connect with a longbow. Id use a cut on contact 4 blade fixed blade head with a longbow. A modern compound at 40 lbs of draw weight will more than do the job.

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[Frogger]

Agree as well, the recurve is hard on the peak curve as there as no let off as Gill mentioned.  There are instruments based on meeting the disable requirements to get for a compound as well that holds the weight at rest once cocked so that your never holding the weight prior to releasing on a deer fyi.  I too like the traditional method, and as JTT says it doesnt take much, shot my first buck with a bear 45lb with just the bear razors when I was a kid, had to before I could get a new bow, family tradition, and man, it only went a few yards before he piled up.  Those chisel point type broadheads are deadly on wooden arrows.

[Hop]

Thanks everybody for the ideas.  I am thinking about a lower poundage compound-but for last part of last year and this year have been using the longbow.   It`s actually not a recurve, but a true long bow.  I know I won`t have many chances where I can take a shot.  My only option is to draw and shoot almost in one motion, which I actually have gotten pretty good at out to 20 yards in the back yard.  At least it gets me out in the woods.  These days it`s gotten so bring something home is almost secondary.  Thanks again.  Stay safe.

[CHAMP99B]

"RAGE 2"......put it in the boiler room....watch the fire go out !!!

[dvdegeorge]

You can keep tooting about the Rage but Slick Tricks are where it's at

Chalk 2 more up the past 2 days

Quartering away shot on very big doe thru both lungs and broke femor bone on way out

I would not trust a Rage on anything but soft tissue

Edited October 21, 2014 by dvdegeorge

[Gill-T]

My thoughts on broadheads is evolving still.  I thought I would give expandables a try for their shootability after shooting fixed my whole life.  I have gone 3 for 3 with the grim reaper three blade expandable since last year, but.....I shot a buck Sat. in the crease with the arrow stopping in the opposite side shoulder.  I was able to see the deer drop thankfully, but there was no blood to follow without an exit wound.  Sooooooo......I am considering using both types under the following conditions.   Wind over 15 MPH use the expandables for accuracy.......use fixed for everything else including areas where there is a risk for deflection.

[blacksquirrel2]

I have tried the expandables ever since the pucketts blood trailers and the punch cutters. Remember those things? They have improved them but I have never found one that would perform with the fixed blades on anything but broadside ribcage shots. I have settled on the G5 strikers. I like the replaceable blades so I know they are razor sharp. Agree shot placement is critical but the fixed blades give the penetration needed if you happen to get up into the shoulder blade area. The main reason for the greater penetration at longer range is a bow out of tune. The fletching straightens out the arrow and then it penetrates better. Get it coming straight off the bow! I have had great success getting fixed blades to fly using the blazer vanes and a 1 degree offset.

[Total Chaos]

Well, I've read all the reviews and I finally have to repost. All the Rage haters here it's your choice to shoot what you want but there's no doubt Rages work just fine. When I get home in the morning I'll dig up some pics of what Rages can do and post.

 

The basic facts are, if you're shooting 60lbs or less and using IBO weight arrows don't bother using the Rage. You won't have the power to push them thru. The problem with most archers now is the speed craze. Everyone is trying to get 300+ so judging yardage isn't as critical. This high speed can only be accomplished by dropping arrow weight which leads to less punch at the deer.

 

I hunt Illinois and I have 2 bucks and 3 does in the last 4 years. The 2 bucks were well over 200lb and both were 4 1/2 yo deer. The 1st was quartering to me at 20 yrds and the arrow passed thru with easy and the deer went 20yrds and dropped. Last years deer was quartering away at 27yrds and again a pass thru( I had to go back at night to find the nockturnal glowing 15 yrds past the deer) and the deer went 70 yrds and dropped. 1hr later I shot a mature doe at 25yrds and it went 30yrds and dropped. The arrow broke both shoulders and passed thru and she snowplowed for the entire 30yrds. I've made borderline hits on deer here in NY that I know if it was a fixed, normal 1 1/8" cut I would never had found it. And last the most inpressive kill was a heavy 6 point here in NY that was quartering away so bad I had to shoot just in front of the hind quarter and the Rage angled all the way up to and thru the front shoulder. That was the only Rage shot that didn't pass completely thru but the buck went 50yrds and dropped. I literally passed thru the entire body.

 

That said I shoot a Mathews Drenalin set @ 71lbs, 28.5" draw and a 520 grain Carbon Express Pile driver arrow. It's only going 290 fps but it packs a devistating punch. Sure it's not as flat but I set up my stands for 20yrd shots so it's not that much of an issue. I set the pin for 22yrds and I can shoot spot on from point blank to 30yrds and kill it.

 

It's your choice what you shoot but I think most of the problems archers are having with the Rage is underweight arrows and low poundage. I only speak of Rage as there are other mechanical heads that I think are junk. Basically any over the top head will yield less than desired penatration. One last thought, Chuck Adams was so dead set against mechanicals it was almost like he had it out for the manufacturers. When the Rage came out he endorsed it. I know money talks but that goes against who Chuck Adams is. If he thinks it's a quality product then it's good enough for me. However the proof lies in my experience with them and the mounts hanging on my wall. Since 2006 I've only lost 1 out of 12 deer with Rage and that's because I made the dredded high shoulder hit. And even with that I still poked the arrow out the other side because while trailing you could see the deer was bleeding out of both sides.

Total Chaos

Here's a few that I killed with the Rage.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Total Chaos

[Chas0218]

Well, I've read all the reviews and I finally have to repost. All the Rage haters here it's your choice to shoot what you want but there's no doubt Rages work just fine. When I get home in the morning I'll dig up some pics of what Rages can do and post.

 

The basic facts are, if you're shooting 60lbs or less and using IBO weight arrows don't bother using the Rage. You won't have the power to push them thru. The problem with most archers now is the speed craze. Everyone is trying to get 300+ so judging yardage isn't as critical. This high speed can only be accomplished by dropping arrow weight which leads to less punch at the deer.

 

I hunt Illinois and I have 2 bucks and 3 does in the last 4 years. The 2 bucks were well over 200lb and both were 4 1/2 yo deer. The 1st was quartering to me at 20 yrds and the arrow passed thru with easy and the deer went 20yrds and dropped. Last years deer was quartering away at 27yrds and again a pass thru( I had to go back at night to find the nockturnal glowing 15 yrds past the deer) and the deer went 70 yrds and dropped. 1hr later I shot a mature doe at 25yrds and it went 30yrds and dropped. The arrow broke both shoulders and passed thru and she snowplowed for the entire 30yrds. I've made borderline hits on deer here in NY that I know if it was a fixed, normal 1 1/8" cut I would never had found it. And last the most inpressive kill was a heavy 6 point here in NY that was quartering away so bad I had to shoot just in front of the hind quarter and the Rage angled all the way up to and thru the front shoulder. That was the only Rage shot that didn't pass completely thru but the buck went 50yrds and dropped. I literally passed thru the entire body.

 

That said I shoot a Mathews Drenalin set @ 71lbs, 28.5" draw and a 520 grain Carbon Express Pile driver arrow. It's only going 290 fps but it packs a devistating punch. Sure it's not as flat but I set up my stands for 20yrd shots so it's not that much of an issue. I set the pin for 22yrds and I can shoot spot on from point blank to 30yrds and kill it.

 

It's your choice what you shoot but I think most of the problems archers are having with the Rage is underweight arrows and low poundage. I only speak of Rage as there are other mechanical heads that I think are junk. Basically any over the top head will yield less than desired penatration. One last thought, Chuck Adams was so dead set against mechanicals it was almost like he had it out for the manufacturers. When the Rage came out he endorsed it. I know money talks but that goes against who Chuck Adams is. If he thinks it's a quality product then it's good enough for me. However the proof lies in my experience with them and the mounts hanging on my wall. Since 2006 I've only lost 1 out of 12 deer with Rage and that's because I made the dredded high shoulder hit. And even with that I still poked the arrow out the other side because while trailing you could see the deer was bleeding out of both sides.

Total Chaos

 

Good read but I have had similar results with 1" cutting diameter fixed blade heads.  I'm glad to see you have only lost 1 deer. Have you only hunted with rage heads or did you use other BH before the rage?  How does you your ratio compare to your first BH that would be a good comparison.  

 

I'm not calling you out but I have tracked a lot more Rage hit deer that weren't found than fixed blade heads. I'm glad you are having success but doing the math you have a 8% loss rate. Not a bad loss rate.

 

I have a guy on the neighboring property that has hit several deer and doesn't bother looking for them after 20 yards. My father or I end up shooting them during gun season or find them later during archery on our property. Last year I whacked a buck that was hit thru the leg with a mechanical (only the blade left in the joint below the front shoulder).

 

 

I think the worst part about these large cut heads people think they can just get close to where they need to hit the deer.

[Total Chaos]

Here's my bh history. I started out with 145gr Rocky mountain Razor heads way back in the day. They were a good strong head. Then to flatten things out I used the old savora heads with the paper thin razor blades. Never killed a deer with either. The RMR was a well built head though. The Savoras blades broke to easily. Then I switched to Satelight heads and I killed a few deer with those. Not a bad head but blades were prone to breaking on bone. Then I switched to Thunderheads and they were a darn good head. I killed many deer with those but I had a lost deer with a poor hit. Not the bh's fault. For a year or 2 I shot the Mangus 2 blade cut on contact heads. They penetrate awesome but fly like crap. I did kill 2 deer with them and no losses and both passed thrus. Then I went to the rocket mechanicals. This is where it got bad. I shot 5 deer with them and recovered 2. The only 2 were broadside. I actually had 1 bounce out of a quartering away 8 point. I also wasn't shooting a heavy weight bow or arrow. Should have listened to the experts on those heads. After that I switched to the ultimate steel heads with the 7/8" cut. Killed deer great if you hit them where you're supposed to. However I managed to make a poor shot on a big IL. buck and with such a small high entry hole and no exit that buck was lost. It was at that point I decided I wanted to punch as big a hole as I could in a deer and I switched to the Rage heads. I also bumped up the poundage and arrow weight and now I have the stats from the first post. I'd say I've had some experience with a broad range of heads. And given what I've experienced I'm quite content to keep shooting the Rage heads.

Total Chaos

[Chas0218]

Here's my bh history. I started out with 145gr Rocky mountain Razor heads way back in the day. They were a good strong head. Then to flatten things out I used the old savora heads with the paper thin razor blades. Never killed a deer with either. The RMR was a well built head though. The Savoras blades broke to easily. Then I switched to Satelight heads and I killed a few deer with those. Not a bad head but blades were prone to breaking on bone. Then I switched to Thunderheads and they were a darn good head. I killed many deer with those but I had a lost deer with a poor hit. Not the bh's fault. For a year or 2 I shot the Mangus 2 blade cut on contact heads. They penetrate awesome but fly like crap. I did kill 2 deer with them and no losses and both passed thrus. Then I went to the rocket mechanicals. This is where it got bad. I shot 5 deer with them and recovered 2. The only 2 were broadside. I actually had 1 bounce out of a quartering away 8 point. I also wasn't shooting a heavy weight bow or arrow. Should have listened to the experts on those heads. After that I switched to the ultimate steel heads with the 7/8" cut. Killed deer great if you hit them where you're supposed to. However I managed to make a poor shot on a big IL. buck and with such a small high entry hole and no exit that buck was lost. It was at that point I decided I wanted to punch as big a hole as I could in a deer and I switched to the Rage heads. I also bumped up the poundage and arrow weight and now I have the stats from the first post. I'd say I've had some experience with a broad range of heads. And given what I've experienced I'm quite content to keep shooting the Rage heads.

Total Chaos

Good to hear the rages are working out for you.  My father in law had the same problems with the rocket mechanicals they were definitely flawed in design.  I shoot the ultimate steels you referred to and have yet to loose a deer with them and haven't always made great shots.  I mean I hit where I'm aiming but don't always take high percentage shots.  I like the little head it flys great and super light (75gr.)

[Total Chaos]

I also used the 75gr Ultimate Steel. They do fly great. The usual hunter reaction when we loose a deer is to blame something other than what it was and in this case it was poor shot placement or operator error. So to ease the mind of course the first thing I went after was the bh. I did the usual if I only had cut a bigger hole. I actually went after 2 things when I lost that buck and that was the arrows as well. At the time I lost that IL buck I was still shooting aluminum arrows with the Ultimate Steel heads. So I went to carbon express arrows and Rage heads. The thought process was stronger arrow with less flex means deeper penetration. Bigger cut means more blood and easier blood trails. In the end it has worked out for me but everyone knows the only real killer is to put the arrow in the exact spot that kills the deer. Shot placement, shot placement and shot placement.

Total Chaos

[fbg14619]

Found this on another hunting site. Thought it might be interesting to see.,

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmB13Z5yfRA

[dvdegeorge]

Not a surprise

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[Nautitroller]

Found this on another hunting site. Thought it might be interesting to see.,

That is what I'm talking about! Great video and proof of the reduction of penetration that comes from expandables.

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[Legacy]

Very informative video

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[Sea-IV]

Not that I am saying its right but there are different types of expendables and those particular ones he is shooting are way different from the Rages.

[Gill-T]

I have been reading a lot of Dr. Ashby's research on broadhead and arrow design.  Very enlightening.  Here is a good synopsis.

 

http://www.bowhunter.com/feature_articles/feature_articles_bw_ashby_0909/

 

 

So I priced out Easton FMJ heavy arrows and some heavy two blade broadheads and realized that I would be shooting fifty dollar bills at deer.  I think for whitetails we don't need to throw spears but I think I will shoot the rest of my expandables up and go back to slick tricks.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Gill-T

[Mortigan]

I have been reading a lot of Dr. Ashby's research on broadhead and arrow design.  Very enlightening.  Here is a good synopsis.

 

http://www.bowhunter.com/feature_articles/feature_articles_bw_ashby_0909/

 

 

So I priced out Easton FMJ heavy arrows and some heavy two blade broadheads and realized that I would be shooting fifty dollar bills at deer.  I think for whitetails we don't need to throw spears but I think I will shoot the rest of my expandables up and go back to slick tricks.

Right there with you.  I get to talk to bow hunters all day (high point of the new job), from the guy that was "good enough" with ONE slightly crooked aluminum arrow and a used Muzzy to the new bowhunter that insisted on starting with two dozen 5.5mm FMJ w Deep Six inserts, 9 Rage Hypo BH and 9 Nockturnals. Both extreme examples but I'm betting that old used broadhead drops another deer before the newbie gets his first.

 

I tried the original Rage last season and haven't been impressed so far, jury still out.  I'll add Legacy shock collars and try again but I'm carrying my already-proven Muzzy fixed blade BH as backup.

[Gill-T]

If you want the ultimate penetration....enough to kill an elephant, here is what it will cost

 

Abowyer Brown Bear Broadhead at $60 per 3 + Easton Deep Six 400 gr. FMJ arrow shaft at $100 per 6 =  $37 per arrow

 

or ...

 

Grizzly stick's  Ashby single bevel broadheads at $120 per 3 + Grizzlystick momentum shafts at $150 per 6 = $65 per arrow

[dvdegeorge]

This is what a Slick trick will get you

 

Entrance wound

 

Exit wound

 

Lungs

 

Heavy bone in shoulder smashed and broke in two

 

Mathews Heli-M 70lb 28.5 draw length,Gold Tip Pro Hunter and 100gr Standard Slick Trick

Edited October 24, 2014 by dvdegeorge