c903

Since the PRIMARY purpose of a broadhead is not to penetrate dense bone -nor metal, wood, or rubber, and the ongoing debate is based on STANDARD PENETRATION performance and values of a hit in the universally accepted " kill zone" of a live and aqueous target, all other penetration aspects, especially unscientific experiments that fall outside the primary design purpose, should be considered to be inconsistent variables that can occur, but are outside the norm. Therefore, the argument must principally be based on the commonly accepted standard i.e., a hit in the universally accepted " kill zone" with an arrow shot from low AND high-energy bows.

Common sense suggests that a sharp-pointed and sharp-edged object that is basically flat, has less surface drag (coefficient of friction) and slices into and through rather than punches into and through, will undoubtedly penetrate easier and more efficiently. Less surface (one pointed blade with two edges vs. a larger diameter semi-rounded point and ferrule with three or four blades) reduces the drag which (drag) sheds off energy rapidly and increasingly.

Does the fact that a slice-on-contact blade will undoubtedly penetrate easier mean that the 2-bladed fixed-blade will always perform better? No! Can a quality fixed-blade bust or penetrate bone? Yes! Is a chisel point or a mechanical blade supreme? Definitely not!

The only reason I use a ferruled head with replaceable blades is that the head tends to plane less and I can change the blades rather than sharpen the blades.

However, after observing the flight characteristics and penetration performance of " Wensel Woodsman" fixed-blades shot from a 50-lb. recurve this past weekend, I may be doing some rethinking.

There have been quite a few analogies given, some that are ridiculous, concerning penetration capability of one type of object vs. another. Try this one on for size.

" Don' t take a chisel to a knife fight. If you do, make sure you also have a sufficiently weighted hammer (KE)."

Rangeball

Would you please start a new thread and expand on this. I' d love to read more about your direct experiences with this head... Thanks.

JeffB

Another fun topic as always. How’d I miss this?

I think it’s all relative really, and I see what Navy is getting at, and I agree. In deer sized game with sufficient energy anything will work. For lower poundage setups, short draw lengths, etc your best bet is a cut to the tip head.

I also think more folks should worry about tune, accuracy, shot placement and angles, and what kind of energy they are putting out. If you are not getting pass-throughs on deer sized game (and not contacting major bone) with modern replaceable blade heads, you have a problem somewhere.


That said, I’ve used a few different Cut to the tip heads and I don’t anymore, for several reasons

1) most models plane at the speeds I shoot even w/ big helical feathers
2) weight variance can be atrocious on some, especially after re-sharpening
3) Some designs do very poorly on shoulder or other hard bone hits and “curl”
4) I have a hard time sharpening a pencil.
5) I prefer a 3 blade over a two or four blade design

I wouldn’t mind trying the G5 Montecs, as they seem to offer the best of all worlds. Flight is great at higher speeds, stout design w/ little chance of curling, 3 blades etc. But I shoot a pretty hot set-up and I like the wider cuts of mechanicals, and they work for me. That’s not to say if I had a mechanical broadhead related mishap I wouldn’t consider something else, just that for hunting whitetails IME, I don’t see any need to change.

Now, for larger game, I’d certainly go back to a Wasp Bullet or SST/ Muzzy, the G5’s etc.

Dr. Ashby’s report is a good one and there is plenty of food for thought in it. I haven’t read it in years, but it is interesting reading regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his methodology.

And Arthur….C’mon..let’s look at both sides of the coin here ..OF COURSE the SteelForce did better in their own video test. Just like NAP’s do better in theirs, Rockets in theirs, WASP in theirs, etc. Geez…are you falling for that stuff like you did w/ the carbon arrow ads? Yeeesh....I thought you were wizened and experienced! That wasn' t a foam block, that was a CINDERBLOCK!..couldn' t you see it?

Seriously, that’s why I like 5 shots reports. Independent testing, and while not based on shooting game, I feel they give a good indicator for actual field experience (and as far as a few of the heads he has tested goes, I would concur w/ his findings based on my own).

david in oklahoma

I also was not sure what broadhead to shoot , I had some shockwaves 100 gr, i bought some montec' s 100gr and shot them from the same bow , the same shafts, and into the same target. the shockwaves went right at 75% through, then i took of the shockwave and installed the montec and shot at the same target, in a new place so not to use the same hole, the montec went through the target 100% and put the shaft 5 inches into my backstop, my own test made my mind up on this question . thanks for letting me put in my 2 cents . David,

Todd1700

There is no doubt that all things being equal a two blade COI head will outpenetrate all other heads. Does this mean they are the best? Not necessarily. I have found that three or four blade heads produce better blood trails. Also unless you are using some of the heavy duty COI heads like the 190 grain Simmons Interceptors they can bend or break with heavy bone contact. I shot a deer 3 years ago with a 100 grain Steelforce and it completely shattered after passing through the ribs on the right side and hitting the offside shoulder. I recovered the deer but there was nothing left of the head but the center ferrule. I have never had a 3 or 4 blade Muzzy do that. Besides penetration with a fixed blade head should be a non-issue with anyone shooting a modern bow of 60 or more pounds and over 27 inches in draw lenght. I' ve read a lot of Dr Ashton' s study but it seems as if its geared more towards game larger than whitetails. If I ever go after a Cape Buffalo in Africa I will heed his advice but for whitetails I think you are better off with more blades and a trocar type tip.

strick9

Rocket testes all there heads at multiple angles and distances on dead animals I dont know what the places are called but its where the take road kill and dead cows etc rocket makes the best mechanical heads in my opinion and the heads have all been tested in this manner you cant beat A rocket mechanical.

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BobCo19-65

Navy, I still don' t believe that you addressed my question.

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Rangeball

Navy, if you can wait at least 3 years, you' ll have your answers. Dr. Ashton is doing another study, with many of the modern heads in question.