Expandable broad heads for JH

JackHarris · Jan 13, 2016

vdep217 said:
Are there some good expandable heads out there yes. I know guys that have success with swaker spit fire dead ringer ect. But my feeling is this as taught in basic gun safety a saftey is a mechanical device that can someone's fail. Any mechanical object has the potential to fail that's yy I shoot fixed blade.. that's my opinion and my belief...

That's why I carry a backup tru-fire release in my pack

It is mechanical In case of failure (or loss)

Hit Em Nasty · Jan 13, 2016

Jack, if you're looking for a head with superior penetration on bone and achieving a better percentage of a pass through look into a single blade, single bevel head with a tanto tip. More blades don't equal to more blood, but will give less penetration! There is long and extensive research done by Dr. Ed Asby that can be found with a search on Google. There is hundreds of pages of research and data collected from mostly big African game animals on broadhead designs, penetration in bone and through flesh and many other aspects. Some love to argue it and say we are shooting deer and not African big game but if a deers bone can and does stop arrows I feel that it's important and more hunters should really look more into it.

JackHarris · Jan 13, 2016

I would have no issue with a bone-splitting two blade. Not looking to switch any time soon these performed great since 2011 in 100gr and are even better at 125gr which I switched to in 2015.

Erick23 · Jan 13, 2016

I shot a deer this year with the grim reaper whitetail special and she went 20 yards and the blood trail was great. I've also shot a buck with a muzzy trocar and he went about 10 yards. It's all about shot placement. But I can say that a bigger hole makes them bleed more and will make the deer go down quicker. I love mechanicals but I also love fixed blades. I especially like grim reapers. I shot 1 buck with a rage and the deer was destroyed (ran 60 yards) and there were 2 blood trails at least 8 inches wide parallel to each other.

You can't beat the put down power of a mechanical, but you also can't beat the reliability and penetration through bone and thick tissue of a fixed blade. Next season I want to try the wasp drone. They seem to get good reviews

Pintail · Jan 13, 2016

JackHarris said:
Ok lets turn it into a rage sucks thread - been a while since I ranted about watching a perfectly placed arrow on a quartering away 130"+ buck at 8 yards literally bounce off the ribs as the buck ran away laughing... I believe that was 2007 or 2008. I don't know if it opened in flight, or just couldn't "process" the same angle that I put dozens of thunderhead and muzzy's through and many a VPA head since... I killed several deer with Rage, but they were one and one disposable head, and definitely penetrated for shit. I also had some luck with Rocket Steelheads, never lost a deer with them but did see some odd deflections where the arrow hit just above the heart and exit back by the rear legs even though it was damn near broadside... If I had to hunt with mechanicals today - I would go with grim reapers for sure in full confidence. IMHO the "perfect" all around BH is a 1 1/8" solid steel cut on contact 3 blade fixed head with no replaceable blades. 2nd to that would be same size 3 blade head but with a chisel or trocar tip and replaceable blades. Plenty of blood letting, penetrate perfectly and hold up well on bone... I probably aim more forward than most, right in tight to the crease just above the heart. I want something tough in case I have to blow through a shoulder which the VPAs seem to do with ease. All that being said - shot placement is the most important thing because when you put something razor sharp where it need to be and get a full pass-through, they will drop in site, and dead is dead. Broadheads always been one of the more fascinating things to me, and I switched a lot just because they looked cool, but I am done playing around. Now I like a head I can practice 100x with, shoot 10+ deer with, and it still spins true and sharpens right up to shaving in seconds... I do think there are some quality mechanical heads, and don't begrudge anyone shooting them. Some of the most successful hunters I know shoot them. But I will march lock step with Dan in that Rage are junk and its not a matter of "if" but when they will fail you. Life is too short to play Russian Roulette with your BH... To each their own, but my apologies to the Ragers - be careful you were warned, and no I don't "wish" it happens to you but you need to listen when good experienced hunters with tuned bows tell you the horror stories...

Dan I fully understand your point about wasted energy when I bury my VPA 2 feet in the dirt and my deer only goes 30 yards and falls over, had I used a 2.5" cutting Vortex or something of that nature, I could have gotten a full pass-through (perhaps) and only 1" of penetration in the dirt, and the deer would have only gone 28 yards... So I really see the advantage

8 yards??? Really?? what were you shooting a 15 pound Mathews? I won't argue the facts about Rage broad heads being inferior to others (could never see why anyone needs a 2" cut for anything) but at 24 feet you could punch a broom stick through the animal unless it came out of the bow sideways? Losing a 130+ class animal in this scenario would make me change a lot more then just my broad heads!! LOL

LBI Surfrat · Jan 13, 2016

Guys are so obsessed with speed these days. Shooting as light an arrow as possible. Whether some want to admit it I think that's a huge factor. I'll choose a slow heavy arrow over a lighter faster one. If guys killed deer with 200/fps fiberglass arrows 40 years ago then we can do it with 300 fps arrows. I have a short draw at 26". Bow is 64lb. I could shoot 350 arrows instead I shoot 400s. I shoot a 125gr head instead of 100gr. I punch right thru deer. I would blame myself, and my arrow before I blamed the head.

archer36 · Jan 13, 2016

It's common knowledge that most expanding heads do not do great on angled shots. It's just physics. If you use an exp., choose one that has the blades as far away from the tip as possible if it's a front deploying style (like Steelheads, Grim Reapers, etc.) This would allow some penetration before the blade(s) deploy and reduce the possibility of a "jack knife". As far as rear deploying heads (like Rage), they have a tendency to "skid" along the hide rather then penetrate. I have used mechanicals as much as fixed. Never had a deployment issue with them and my failure rates are about the same with each. It's the quality of the shot that matters.

archer36 · Jan 13, 2016

LBI Surfrat said:
Guys are so obsessed with speed these days. Shooting as light an arrow as possible. Whether some want to admit it I think that's a huge factor. I'll choose a slow heavy arrow over a lighter faster one. If guys killed deer with 200/fps fiberglass arrows 40 years ago then we can do it with 300 fps arrows. I have a short draw at 26". Bow is 64lb. I could shoot 350 arrows instead I shoot 400s. I shoot a 125gr head instead of 100gr. I punch right thru deer. I would blame myself, and my arrow before I blamed the head.

It applies to everything we do. Faster bullets too. Speed has it's advantage with flatter trajectory. The rest is just an exercise in KE. Light and fast or slow and heavy. KE is what matters.

swampbuck · Jan 13, 2016

Although I shoot two blade traditional style heads exclusively, the Ramcat is probably the most innovative and devastating head I have seen in 30 years. The only complaint I heard about the Ramcat is that it destroys quiver hood foam / rubber. Oh and by the way its NOT a mechanical.

outdoorslife · Jan 13, 2016

Im happy with my Dead Ringer Rampage 3's. Ive used this head the past two seasons and have 100% success rate so far. The only time I had penetration issues was when the 8 point I shot went to chase a doe as I squeezed off on the release. The shot was high and back but thats no fault to the broadhead and it still only went 60 yards after hitting the major artery that runs down the spine

Im like many of you guys and just into broadheads in general. I like to tinker and try a few each year while practicing.

No matter which head you choose, and I am on the rage hate bandwagon, its about shot placement and KE

JackHarris · Jan 13, 2016

Pintail said:
8 yards??? Really?? what were you shooting a 15 pound Mathews? I won't argue the facts about Rage broad heads being inferior to others (could never see why anyone needs a 2" cut for anything) but at 24 feet you could punch a broom stick through the animal unless it came out of the bow sideways? Losing a 130+ class animal in this scenario would make me change a lot more then just my broad heads!! LOL

It hit high on the last rib, should have exited opposite armpit. It rode down the ribs never penetrated only had some fat and flank meat on the arrow. The arrow visually looked like it bounced and did a cartwheel. The buck was fine, he was shot following year locally and scored 152.

I honestly think the blades came open in flight which caused the arrow to go sideways and slap rather than hit straight-on. I was rabid about constantly pinching them back together as they would open in the quiver, and even if you bumped them while nocked, they would come open. Again - why bother with all this BS for an unreliable head that cost $14 a shot and was then tossed in garbage?

CONtryUSA · Jan 13, 2016

ive been using 100g thunderheads on my compound. 5 for 5 during bow season, furthest deer went 40 yards. simple is better. and so is non expensive broadheads

John B · Jan 13, 2016

A poster said they wanted to try WASP done. Well I use them with my xbow, this is what they do. Deer was down in a few seconds.. This is the exit from a 3 blade 1 inch head.

vdep217 · Jan 13, 2016

To as top exit holes this is from a cut on contact 4 blade

40 yrds went threw bone and in dirt.. deer went 10 yrds

archer36 · Jan 14, 2016

John B said:
A poster said they wanted to try WASP done. Well I use them with my xbow, this is what they do. Deer was down in a few seconds.. This is the exit from a 3 blade 1 inch head. View attachment 50247

I have used the Wasp Crossbow Boss. I shot a deer with a frontal shot at 20 yds. The arrow/bolt penetrated the entire body, exited out in the rear leg. The deer spun around and collapsed. Blood gushing as it turned. The heads are great.

JackHarris · Jan 14, 2016

archer36 said:
I have used the Wasp Crossbow Boss. I shot a deer with a frontal shot at 20 yds. The arrow/bolt penetrated the entire body, exited out in the rear leg. The deer spun around and collapsed. Blood gushing as it turned. The heads are great.

I will take small, tough, and SHARP any day, over a lot of things out there.

hammer4reel · Jan 14, 2016

JackHarris said:
I will take small, tough, and SHARP any day, over a lot of things out there.

But , here is the real point of this thread.

ALL the heads of d=shot mid lungs are going to work.
I laugh at some guys who want to post 1 deer that they got a good harvest and blood trail,
DO it 25 times then give me the results .
( especially the guys who think rage are OK )

ALL broadheads ( except rage of course) have good points as well as weak points.
I would rather have a Bigger head, in the chance of a paunch shot deer, or one that ducks , allowing the head to possibly nick something vital.
Your post show you want a tough head in case of possibly hitting leg bone, and I think that the depth of the ferrule on the VPA heads lacks the toughness for that type shot. and I would almost bet on a super solid shot due to their lack of threads in many inserts that they would stop splitting the leg and the arrow would bounce back.

I shot one of them with my Dale Dye into a 2/4 and thats exactly what happened, the arrow bounced back off the head, ruining the brass insert in the process.
It they made those heads the same length as every other head on the market , I would also probably shoot them.

as I like sharpening my own heads especially for the recurve,
I think the red feather broadheads of the same design are stronger

swampbuck · Jan 14, 2016

Dale make a really nice bow. Have you tried the Zwickey? That's my all time favorite

hammer4reel · Jan 14, 2016

swampbuck said:
Dale make a really nice bow. Have you tried the Zwickey? That's my all time favorite

I have shot both the black diamonds and the eskimo since the late 70's.
most times with both the recurve and the longbow im shooting bear razorheads

hammer4reel · Jan 14, 2016

swampbuck said:
Dale make a really nice bow. Have you tried the Zwickey? That's my all time favorite

heres a list of heads I have shot deer with

Been hunting with the bow since 1974.
I have shot ALOT of heads over those years.
and ALL except 1 have done everything a broadhead should do.
I wouldnt hesitate to shoot ANY of these heads EXCEPT for the RAGE expandable .

Bear Razorheads ( ORIGINAL)
Bear Razorheads (Greenie chisel point)
Bear razorhead ( stainless steel )
Pearson Deadhead
Pearson Switchblade
Zwickey Delta
Zwickey Black diamond
Zwickey Eskimo
Bodkin
AFC
Wasp Gillette blades
Wasp Camlock
Wasp Jack hammer
Savora
Savora swept wing
Satelites, 3-4 blades
Anderson 245
Anderson 345
Anderson 363
Thunderson 1 3/4
Thunderhead 125
Thunderhead 100
Thunderhead 150
Thunderhead 180
Razorback 4
Razorback 5
Rocky mountain supremes in 100-125
Rocky mountain premier in 85-100
Kolpin
Gold key
Muzzy 100
Muzzy 125
Muzzy 90
Muzzy 75
Leithal
Snuffer 125
Snuffer 180
Grim Reaper 1 3/8
Grim Reaper 1 3/4
Grim Reaper 2"
Slick Tricks
Toxics
Rage

a few different cabelas generic heads
..

And Im sure I have missed a few others.

That being said my favorites are

Muzzy 100 3 blade
Grim Reaper Whitetail special
Bear Razorheads ( recurve)

Expandable broad heads for JH

JackHarris

Hit Em Nasty

JackHarris

Erick23

Pintail

LBI Surfrat

archer36

archer36

swampbuck

outdoorslife

JackHarris

CONtryUSA

John B

vdep217

archer36

JackHarris

hammer4reel

swampbuck

hammer4reel

hammer4reel

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities