STOS broadhead test results
04-20-2003, 07:53 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Vinton VA
Posts: 2,978
STOS broadhead test results
This is a repost of a test I did a while back. I made a mistake and called this head a Modoc. This was incorrect, so I felt the need to repost the results with the proper broadhead name. I am sorry for an confusion as a result of the mistake.
Stos 145grain, glue on, two bladed broadhead.
Plywood 3 points
Steel drum 4 points
Tire 4 points
Cutting diameter 4 points
Accuracy 4 points
Blades 2 points
Non-mechanical head 2 points
Total score: 23 with a blade sharpness rating of C
The Stos is a large, two bladed broadhead. It weighs 145 grains without adaptors. The total weight of the head as tested was 190 grains. This is by far the heaviest head I have tested to date. The big surprise was the accuracy. I found it to be excellent, even with 4” vanes and carbon arrows. I was surprised at how little it dropped at 30 yards compared to the 125grain field points.
In the plywood test it penetrated up to the back of the blade stopping short of full penetration. Two blade heads tend to penetrate less in the plywood than 3 or more blade broadheads. I believe this is because they tend to “slip” into the wood, rather than bust a hole in it. Most of the smaller two blade heads do manage to fully penetrate the board however. I feel the total size of this head stopped it from getting all the way through. In the steel drum the head penetrated the first side, with the tip sticking in the far wall, there was no damage to the broadhead. In the tire the head penetrated the first side, but the tip slightly curled back. It was very minor and easy to fix with a file. I shot the head again into the tire without any damage. I would suggest that if you choose to use this broadhead, take a file and remove the “needle” point. This will increase the strength of the tip, and did not hurt the performance in the least.
The Stos head is geared more towards traditional archers, but I see no reason why it would not work great for modern gear as well. It was surprisingly accurate, and fairly durable as well. With it’s 3:1 ratio design it should penetrate soft tissue extremely well. If you are looking for a more traditional style head that fly’s well and adds some weight up front on your arrows, this may be the one for you. The tip curling was a minor problem that can be fixed in less than a minuet, and the overall performance of the broadhead was very good. With it’s long wide profile it looks pretty impressive on the end of my arrows as well!
Stos 145grain, glue on, two bladed broadhead.
Plywood 3 points
Steel drum 4 points
Tire 4 points
Cutting diameter 4 points
Accuracy 4 points
Blades 2 points
Non-mechanical head 2 points
Total score: 23 with a blade sharpness rating of C
The Stos is a large, two bladed broadhead. It weighs 145 grains without adaptors. The total weight of the head as tested was 190 grains. This is by far the heaviest head I have tested to date. The big surprise was the accuracy. I found it to be excellent, even with 4” vanes and carbon arrows. I was surprised at how little it dropped at 30 yards compared to the 125grain field points.
In the plywood test it penetrated up to the back of the blade stopping short of full penetration. Two blade heads tend to penetrate less in the plywood than 3 or more blade broadheads. I believe this is because they tend to “slip” into the wood, rather than bust a hole in it. Most of the smaller two blade heads do manage to fully penetrate the board however. I feel the total size of this head stopped it from getting all the way through. In the steel drum the head penetrated the first side, with the tip sticking in the far wall, there was no damage to the broadhead. In the tire the head penetrated the first side, but the tip slightly curled back. It was very minor and easy to fix with a file. I shot the head again into the tire without any damage. I would suggest that if you choose to use this broadhead, take a file and remove the “needle” point. This will increase the strength of the tip, and did not hurt the performance in the least.
The Stos head is geared more towards traditional archers, but I see no reason why it would not work great for modern gear as well. It was surprisingly accurate, and fairly durable as well. With it’s 3:1 ratio design it should penetrate soft tissue extremely well. If you are looking for a more traditional style head that fly’s well and adds some weight up front on your arrows, this may be the one for you. The tip curling was a minor problem that can be fixed in less than a minuet, and the overall performance of the broadhead was very good. With it’s long wide profile it looks pretty impressive on the end of my arrows as well!
04-21-2003, 07:16 AM
#2
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blossvale, New York
Posts: 21,199
RE: STOS broadhead test results
I think a LOT of people would be surprised at how accurate a head can be if they got away from these 5 and 6 and 7 percent FOCs. Hardly anyone goes above 8 or 9 anymore. They' re all trying to sneak out that extra couple feet per second. People say they can' t get their field points and broadheads to hit together but they forget the old tuning recommendations of 10-15 FOC for hunting.
04-21-2003, 07:28 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Vinton VA
Posts: 2,978
RE: STOS broadhead test results
David, I agree I have found some of the heavier heads, those over 125 grns to be very accurate out of my bows. It' s funny but a good stiff arrow and proper tuning can go a long way toward good accuracy.
Nub, yes these heads had the long 45 grn adaptors already installed when I got them.
Nub, yes these heads had the long 45 grn adaptors already installed when I got them.
