Broadhead help

Started hunting with a new to me crossbow this year. Lights out accurate with field points, but very inconsistent with fixed blade broadheads. Can anybody recommend a mechanical broadhead that is field point accurate? Yeah I googled it, but I trust your opinion more. Thanks!

Slick trick fixed blades

Wife has had good luck with Swacker heads on bear and deer

Fixed won't work in my wife's either. Swhacker kill good but nearly cut the insert base in half when the blades open and contact the insert making it impossible to get a true spin out of the next broadhead. The NAP 3 blades doe great and now shooting the rage, found a bunch on sale with the red collars and they make a devastating hole! Only issue I have is that for nearly $15 per head, they are all one shot wonders. Every time they go through a deer the blades and shaft are usually toast. I shoot fixed blade Thunderheads in my bow and can kill 8 or 10 deer with the same head sometimes.

GRP, I had the same problem a week ago. Tried several brands (9-10) fixed blade and mechanical. Ultimately tried KIllertechs, and they were as accurate as field points. I don’t understand why there was such a difference, but there was. It was like finding the correct load for a rifle. I’m shooting a CenterPoint 370 with 100gr points.

Swhacker! I use the Levi Morgan model. I double band them since they are intended for compound bows. I have killed a ton of deer with them and they leave great blood trails.

RAGE hands down no comparison !!!!!!!

NAP Killzone for deer and bigger game.

NAP Spitfires for turkeys.

Grim reaper broadhead flys like a field point, and is devastating on a deer, I have killed 3 this bow season and the farthest any of them ran was 50 yards.

Solid choice for a mechanical broadhead.

My son and I we're at the at range shooting our crossbows. I'm using rage orange band mechanical broad heads which fly just like my field points. My son who bought his bow from a friend. His bow shot field points just fine. But he had fixed blade broad heads that came with the bow. Those things hit good up and down but all over left and right. So we went to the archery shop with the idea to get him some different broad heads.
When we got to the shop told the tech what we were trying to do. He looked the bow over said the timing was bit off. Said if time is off just a bit could be why broad heads were good up and down but not left right.
So he reset the timing for my son and he still picked up some mechanical broad heads. Back at the range he tried the old fixed broad heads first. They shot just like the field point and the mechanical which he also shot.
Anyways I would check the tune in your bow before you disregard using the fixed blades. Got buddy shot deer last Sunday. He never shoots anything but fixed blades in crossbow or compound. Shoulder is bad now so shooting crossbow last 3 season.

Mac

I'm not into archery myself, but a friend of mine who shoots a crossbow swears by Muzzy broadheads.

Can't speak for crossbow, but the Rage broadheads have been fantastic with my compound. Have used them for years. Very accurate and make a great wound.
Have a couple of friends who swear by the Swackers.
Good luck! Hope you find something that works.

X2

My bro uses Muzzy

Rocket broadheads meat seeker

x3

Rocket Meat Seeker broadheads are what ive been using for years, very happy with them. But as mentioned on here there are alot of good mechanical broadheads on the market.

We have shot several with grim reapers. Last year my son shot one in the shoulder with them. Only one blade made it into the chest cavity. It was a down ward angle quartering to. The bolt stoped in the sternum and was in 3 pieces upon recovery. The deer only went 60 yards and it was not a great shot into the shoulder yet I was not impressed after seeing muzzys go through more bone and never break a blade. But I'm cheap so will use the 3 I have left before I buy any others.

I used 3 blade rage once. It's the only broadleaf I have used I won't buy again and I gave the two I had left to a guy that shot them at work. Perfect behind the shoulder shot at 15 yards went between the ribs so no bone hit. Deer went 45 yards and stoped to look back for over a min then fell and started kicking. No blood trail and the blades bent so bad it would not close back up.

I used jackhammers for several years with good luck.

I believe I'm going to try to go back to fixed 3 blade muzzy and see if this x bow will shoot them
I heard the fast x bows needed expanding to shoot well. But mine is slower at 320fps so it may be ok. Plus muzzys are much cheaper in addition to holding up

This is what worked for me, a new crossbow owner/shooter as of this fall. At the recommendation of an employee at a local sportings goods store I tried the Grim Reaper crossbow heads. My CB is rated for 470 fps and the heads are supposed to be good for that speed, and are. He recommended using dental floss to tie the blades in place so they don't open in the target. That worked but had to be redone every shot. I had some VERY fine SS wire that works as well and lasts much better.

I found the accuracy to be equal to that of field points but they were 6" left at 50 yds. A minor scope adjustment fixed that. I had no problem keeping shots at 50 yds within a 1 1/2 inch circle.

A couple of weeks ago I had a 40 yd shot at a doe that hit right at my point of aim. The arrow went thru the ribs just behind the shoulders and exited, breaking one rib. The doe ran about 50 yds and died. Surprising to me, there was no blood on the arrow nor was there any to track, but plenty where she dropped.

One of the blades was bent but I was able to disassemble the broadhead, straighten the bent blade, and resharpen all 3 to hair shaving sharp. I have not used the broadhead again and prefer not to, but would if I needed to.

Grim Reaper sells replacement blades and springs so their mechanical broadheads can be rebuilt and that seems a reasonable option, although they are a bit dedious to disassemble and reassemble.

Find a "good" mechanical.

Grim Reaper. Watch ‘‘em Drop. Eric

Had similar issues with rage. It was when they first came out and I gave them a try. 17yds right behind the shoulder. Doe ran about 100yds straight away then angled back past my stand and collapsed. I thought that was a ways to run with a broadhead, but thought nothing more about it until I got to her. No blood, and no entry or exit to speak of. Went and got my arrow and it never really opened. No blood at the shot area and none I could find even though I’d watched her route. Upon skinning I’d hit the top of the heart basically with a field point. That was the only and last rage I ever shot.

Watched my son shoot three last year with G5 MegaMeat and one actually ran for about 50 yards before dropping and one walked all of 10 yards while the other walked 50 yards and he watched it fall. Saw two first hand and he even videoed the big buck that walked off. Blood trails were extremely easy to follow, lol.

Something is wrong with your bows set up if it won't shoot a small diameter fixed head well.
I wouldn't shoot a Rage head at a turkey.
Well, maybe a little one.

Best advice on this thread
Same thing goes for copounds, if they are tuned correctly they will shoot any head consistently.
I can shoot field points, fixed blades and mechanicals and they group consistently.
I have fixed, mechanicals and a varmint head in my quiver. All have same POI

Thanks guys! I've got some options to look into. May very well have to treat it like a rifle,looking for the right load. And make sure the bow is working correctly.

Me and my son have shot many deer with rage, probably for ten plus years taking. Both good bucks and doe, they are awesome! My best friend has shot blood runners and killed a pile of deer and probably 10 great bucks over the last 15 years. I just ordered 12 of them they are very affordable and have a good entrance that will kill even if they don’t pop open, give them a look.

Wouldn't it just be better to shoot a head that doesn't have "to open"

Rage

I got tired of messing with mechanicals because getting the blades back in position after a kill or somehow got out of the retainers is a pain.

Just shot me a buck tonight with a fixed blade, arrow hit rock after passing through:

One can never go wrong with a fixed head. I like the QAD Exodus.

I'm a "one set of blades per deer" bowhunter. Doesn't matter how sharp they seem to be after passing thru a deer...I use them once. I check the ferrule to make sure it's wobble-free, put new blades on...and back in quiver it goes.

I could care less if a broadhead is damaged by impact with bone, rocks, or the dirt during the kill shot as long as it performs its job on the deer.

I used Muzzy 90 gr 4 blade fixed for 3 decades...killed many deer and hogs with them...1" cut. Had several blood trails that were tough to follow.

I tried Wasp Jak-Hammers..1.75" cut mechanical...about 5 or 6 years ago. Goodness what a blood trail they leave....everytime. I'll never go back to a fixed blade.

1. Magnus Stinger.
2. Magnus Stinger Buzzcut.
3. Magnus Stinger Buzzcut Killer Bee.

All in 4 blade 125 grain.
They come from the factory very sharp, but I hone mine until they are sticky sharp.

Trophy Taker Shuttle T Lock looks small blows a big hole. Shots POI of field points in 2 crossbows and a compound.

I’ve had previous success with fixed blade Muzzys and Thunderheads. Went with Rage when it became the Rage… shot a lot of deer with amazing blood trails.
My son shot a nice 10 one year with a Rage- we backed out that night because we seconded guessed arrow placement- found the deer the next morning, perfectly placed arrow pass through and when we found the arrow, the broad head never deployed. My son said- hard to bring down a deer with a field tip!
We both went back to fixed blade and now shoot Stingers.

I shoot muzzy in my Excalibur.

I’ve messed with a lot of broadheads . Started with thunderhead, then slick trick, then rage and now swacker. My consensus is, they all kill deer if you hit your target. Shoot through the lungs , stay away from that shoulder blade. This will extend the life of your broadheads. The 3 blade fixed heads, I had to line up with my fletchings for best flight. Rage was good, but fragile and expensive. One or two deer and they were done. Swacker is what I’ve settled with. They are simple, solid, and can replace blades . I shoot the green 100 gr.

My brother likes grim reeper.

My dad was a fan of the old razorbak 5.

A broadhead topic can go on forever! Good luck. Hope you find one that shoots great for you. Gotta pick one and go get confidence with it.

John

Rage

Dont need a trail when they fall within 40 yards :P. With the xbow, you can be a bit more aggressive in with shot selection.

You need to hold a blood runner and see it before commenting, I don't see how it wouldn't open up. My sons friend shot a 180" with a cheap Walmart mechanical that didn't open, went 80 yards. I have never
had a rage not engage? End of day, hit em right and they will die.

If your broadheads do not shoot like field points then your bow is not tuned properly. Take it to a shop and have it tuned.

I know from experience the fixed are harder to tune, after tuning each one you have to sharpen. A lot of guys don't know how to sharpen and/or won't put in the time. Rage fly like field
points and have practice heads to use. I'd have to think Rage is one of the better selling heads today and for good reason. I shot Bear for probably my first ten years before lots of options
came about. Great head, easy to tune and easy to sharpen, also very lethal just not the glamour or marketing of todays heads. Get proficient with what you believe in, go for it and it'll work.

Every once in awhile the stars and moon align and I totally agree with JByrd.

Are you talking about out of a bow or crossbow as the OP is using a crossbow.

Can anyone explain why a target point hits dead-on, but a broadhead doesn’t? Is the bow able to shoot the field point accurately while being out of tune, even though the field point and broadhead weigh the same?

I had this problem. I shot Rage and still had issues. Every broadhead shot low, some worse than others, except one, the KIllertechs. I shot the same bolt for every shot.

I’m completely new to the Xbow world. Don’t have a favorite. Just wanted something that worked. I’d still like to understand what is going on and why.

If a bow is out of tune, how does it shoot field points accurately time after time, but not a broadhead? Just don’t get how the “out of tune” theory works.

A properly tuned bow will shoot both field points and broadheads accurately. When a bow is out of tune a broadhead will catch more air drag and magnify the problem.

watching this thread.

I'm in the exact same boat...

Many videos on YouTube on how to tune your bow

Need to be a bit more precise getting fixed broadheads lined up.

Take your bow to an archery shop with qualified archery techs, they will get your bow in tune. We are lucky to have one within short driving range and he is good. Yeah, they’ll try and get you to purchase the latest and greatest, but also have a soft spot for those that won’t give up on what works. I got new a new string and cables last year and it was like shooting a brand new bow. We got it sighted in out to 30yds before I left his shop.

With field points the fletching's will correct some problems. Putting broadheads on is putting fletching's on the front. Shoot bare shaft and see what happens then make the corrections. Not all corrections are made to the bow, some to the arrow.

Untill you have that one time thay do not preform. Untill then thay are the best thing ever.
Plus

I'm more economical when hunting. The mechanicals are flimsy rage especially and they are expensive When you get down to it. $ 20 plus for arrow 39 for tag 100+ for gas for every 2 days If you drive an hour each way. Hours spent hunting. It's much cheaper per lb to buy a cow.

Turkey tags are $24 or were they probably went up to last year with every other license. I can buy a turkey cheaper at the store and it will taste better.
.
The Hassel of finding a place to hunt let alone a good one. I only hunt to take the kids once thay are gone I probably will be priced out of it. I will put up some fence and buy some calfs and a walk in cooler.


Edit: just checked turkey tags went up to $32.

You're right a bow, there may be a difference?

Untill you have that one time thay do not preform. Untill then thay are the best thing ever.
Plus

I'm more economical when hunting. The mechanicals are flimsy rage especially and they are expensive When you get down to it. $ 20 plus for arrow 39 for tag 100+ for gas for every 2 days If you drive an hour each way. Hours spent hunting. It's much cheaper per lb to buy a cow.

Turkey tags are $24 or were they probably went up to last year with every other license. I can buy a turkey cheaper at the store and it will taste better.
.
The Hassel of finding a place to hunt let alone a good one. I only hunt to take the kids once thay are gone I probably will be priced out of it. I will put up some fence and buy some calfs and a walk in cooler.


Why sure I just spent $1600 on a new shotgun for my annual first Iowa pheasant trip of the two I make. Pheasant meat should cost me about $300 a pound when I'm done. How many guys spend $900 getting ready to trap and get a $400 fur check.
Its for the love of the game. BTW shoot them thru the lungs and they will perform 100% of the time, marginal shots maybe not, If you're trying to crush through bone maybe not the head for you?

Only thing you have to worry about is blade/fletch alignment and weight of heads

Thats kinda what I meant most times you have to heat up the insert glue and twist the head to get it lined up right with fletching. Shoot to make sure its true, resharpen. Theres a process involved.

Bass 10 I guess you missed my post above about the one deer I shot with a rage. 15 yards slipped between the ribs only one blade nicked one on the way out. Top of heart bottom of lung hit.

Deer went 50 yards stoped and stood for over a minute looking back before she dropped and started kicking. There was only a few drops of blood by the shot and an area about the size of a coffee cup of drops where she stood for that minute nothing in-between and I looked hard in disbelief
Had she ran for that time I would never have found her. Luckily she stopped within sight to look back.
That 3 blades rage the blades were bent enough it wouldn't close back up. I really wanted to like them but preformance spoke for it's self.

Now for some background. I'm 42 and started bow hunting at 13 killed my first two deer with a bow that year sitting in a tree fork with no stand. I tagged out every year for 20 years after that. I started taking the kids and they have been doing the trigger pulling mostly now and I still see the results same as if they were mine. I have tried lots of broad heads from Walmart specials and high-end fixed bladed to most of the mechanicals. Every single one worked very well EXCEPT that RAGE. It's a sample size of one but it was enough I gave the 2 I had left that were new to a guy at work that used them. They are not for me.

Read back through and you will see guys that also used them and they were great for them untill they failed.

I love the grim reapers among other mechanicals. But one bone hit from my son showed how weak they are with only one blade not breaking off before getting inside the chest. Yes the deer only went 60 or so yards, yes it was not a perfect shot but a muzzy that I can get 6 for less than or the same price of most of the mechanicals would have keep all its blades and not broken one.

Not every thing always goes perfect and mechanical things fail. Why take chances?



Edit. I sometimes got better flight with blades the opposite of fetching other Times lined up with them. I alway used a rubber o ring and lining them up is easier than trying to get the insert turned just right.

I also had practice bladed I changed out for new bladed befor going hunting. No sharpening required.

Not trying to argue cause we're all brothers here. A practice head is great for practice but IMO each head and arrow should be shot and make sure its in tune. Then razor sharpness put back on.
I may be cussing about rage this weekend, who knows but they've done exactly what I needed for 10-15 years. My complaint is like others, cost. My last 2 pack was $40, I just ordered 12 blood
runners for $28. They are what I'd call a fixed mechanical. I'm 57 and its been my passion for 43 years although I have lost a bit of drive and enjoyment. When your knees start crying to you when
sitting in a cold, stand for hours on end you lose a little bit of enjoyment.

So I took my Xbow to the local bow shop. We went over the whole bow. Took measurements. Nothing off at all. Bow shoots within a 1/4”, and that 1/4” might be me. Was putting bolts in the previous hole on some shots. Montec fixed blade was down and to the left. Rage mechanical was in-line but low. Grim Reaper mechanical in-line but low. All would’ve probably been fatal hits, but the KIllertechs were dead-on.

Sure there’s lots of others I could’ve tried, but I just wanted something that worked and I have confidence in. I’m not out to down one product or promote another. It’s my first Xbow, have had it less than two weeks. Just sharing my experience. I would much prefer it shot anything I put it in, it’d be cheaper.

For what it’s worth, the bow shop said timing is a left/right issue, which they see and fix regularly. My issue was consistently low with all the types I tried, except one. And, I suspect I’ll find others that work equally well as I go. I’d definitely recommend test shooting your broadheads before heading out to hunt.

Stiff trigger on xbow can cause you to pull your shots to the triggee finger side. Unfortunately, trigger work on xbows is usually a custom job

Your inserts and nocks are not tuned to the arrow. Before you glue inserts in, just place them in the arrow, screw in field point and spin arrow point down on a smooth surface, or use arrow spinner. It will wobble ever so slightly, keep rotating insert until you hit the sweet spot and arrow spins perfect. Do same thing with nock, only you have to shoot it bare shaft. Keep rotating nock until you hit that sweet spot where arrow shoots perfect. Helps to find what weight, grain, etc combo that your bow likes. Takes a little work but we’ll worth the effort.

I use Rage and they work great!

I have been studying arrow design and building arrows for more than 50 years.

Consider how the arrow is cut.
It should be a 90° cut. If not, it can cause the broadhead to plane off.
Use an arrow block to spin each arrow looking for out of round behavior.

Another consideration is front of center of the arrow.
How does it balance?
I prefer a more extreme front of center.
I use brass 100 grain inserts and 125 grain heads.
Many guys could easily improve their flight performance simply by switching to 125 grain broadheads.

Flight dynamics: For ideal arrow flight you need a heavy front of center that wants to fly in a straight line with a light rear section with fletching that creates spin to stabilize the flight and corrects for any release inconsistencies. Any ideally weighted arrow has a sectional density that is heaviest at the point and is decreasingly lighter to the nock end.

This is the original and best design for a broadhead. Made of Ohio flint. Notice that it is a fixed broadhead - no need for expandable foolishness.

Thanks Bo and Willy!