BROADHEADS: CHOOSING THE BEST
When selecting your broadhead, there are a few things to consider.
Most bowhunters choose their broadheads with reverence and care, because if a broadhead fails to perform, a hunt can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye.
When selecting that all-important broadhead, we must consider factors such as size, design, durability, weight, accuracy, sharpness, and the animals to be hunted. Much like bows and arrows, new designs, coupled with stronger materials and improved production techniques have improved broadheads far beyond my wildest childhood dreams. Today the countless choices and price range can make the selection process confusing.
KNOWLEDGE IS ALWAYS GOOD
Like many experienced bowhunters, I know a fair amount about broadhead design and performance. Still, strongly held opinions are common, so my choices and views might differ from those of some readers.
Views regarding broadheads are usually based on the “design”, our beliefs, and our varying degrees of experience. My background includes 60 years of bowhunting with involvement in broadhead design and controlled penetration testing. During those years I have shot over 2 500 animals. In the course of the last 8 years, I have been involved in an African culling and genetic improvement project where I often shoot over 100 animals per year.
For many years prior to that, I booked bowhunting safaris to Africa. I videoed others and I myself hunted for months at a time. This involved spending time with bowhunters in camp, so I heard the stories and was able to examine many animals. In addition, Africa provides an opportunity not available in America, because there it is not legal to use firearms during the bowhunting seasons. In most African locations, it is legal to use firearms and dogs for follow-up on those not-so-perfect bow shots. These situations provide opportunities to examine broadhead wound channels on animals that may not have otherwise been collected. Recoveries under these circumstances are extremely educational.
Some bowhunters tend to judge broadhead performance on a small number of results which I think is wrong. Primarily, if a shot was successful, the broadhead is fantastic, but if the shot was not effective, the broadhead is junk. It is not that clear or simple because shot placement is more significant than the broadhead used, but shot placement is not always perfect so those marginal hits must be considered. Consequently, just a few kills may not provide an accurate assessment.
A controlled animal recovery study conducted on a US military base during which over 1 000 whitetail deer were shot, is a good example. Expandable broadheads accounted for an almost 7% better recovery rate. That is an important improvement but it’s difficult to notice when dealing with single and even double-digit numbers.
Blood trails are also quite variable. I believe that it takes an even larger sample of them to get an accurate representation. To obtain a preponderance of evidence, we need a large data base for both subjects.
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING BROADHEADS
When choosing broadheads, however, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t “see” with our eyes and “judge” with our minds. For example, some broadhead ferrules are made from a single piece of steel. Others have an aluminium ferrule, with a steel point screwed or pressed into the front. Two-blade, traditional heads may be stronger if machined from a single piece of steel and supported well to the tip. The steel must be of good quality and hardened correctly. All broadheads should be razor sharp and be easy to sharpen and/or repair. I’ll mention more »
» about the repair issue below when I address my preferences.
Because many bowhunters chase arrow velocity, 100gr broadheads are the most popular and they dominate the market. I think the minor arrow velocity gain with light broadheads is usually a bad deal. Light broadheads may be weaker and they add less weight to the arrow. In addition, they don’t move the balance point forward as much as their heavier counterparts.
Lightweight arrows are also detrimental to the performance of the bow’s internal ballistics. When starting at 300 grains of arrow weight, the addition of 100 grains might improve the internal ballistics of your bow by 4%. This is the bow’s ability to transfer stored energy to the arrow – dynamic efficiency. The next 100 grains – moving from 400 to 500 grains – might add an additional 2 to 3%. The arrow’s external ballistics also improves with added mass. This is the arrow’s ability to maintain its velocity. So, although launched slower, heavier arrows will actually shoot flatter at longer ranges and contain more kinetic energy. Additional arrow weight also quiets the bow a little.
The speed craze started before the advent of accurate laser rangefinders. When a rangefinder is used, arrow velocity is less of an issue.
Today’s carbon arrow shafts are light and stiff so there is room to add more weight to the front end of the arrow. Currently I use 125 and 150gr broadheads. Choosing the best broadhead design for the job depends to a large degree on kinetic energy. The arrow’s kinetic energy is a result of the bow type, its brace height, the shooter’s draw length, the draw weight, and arrow weight. The size of animal to be hunted is also an important consideration.
To calculate an arrow’s kinetic energy in foot/pounds (ft/lbs) use the following formula: arrow velocity (in fps) x arrow velocity x arrow weight (in grains), divided by 450240.
If you wish to use 2” expandable broadheads on animals much larger than hartebeest I feel it’s wise to shoot arrows that possess at least 65ft/lbs of kinetic energy.
My 125 and 150gr two-blade, expandable broadheads, give a total arrow weight of between 475 and 500 grains. From my 58lbs Mathews Vertix bow I achieve 67ft/lbs.
By today’s standards that is midrange arrow weight. For the majority bowhunters, game animals and bow choices, a good arrow weight range is between 400 and 500gr. I use my setup to hunt everything up to and including eland.
DESIGN ENHANCES PENETRATION
Certain broadhead designs enhance penetration. The broadhead type should be matched to the power of the bow setup and the animal you hunt. The best penetrating broadhead styles should be considered by those who choose (or are forced by physical limitations) to use low energy producing bowhunting setups. Coupled with heavy arrows (600 to 900gr) from high energy producing bows of all types, the best penetrating broadheads designs are good choices for giraffe, buffalo, and pachyderms.
SHOULD THERE BE AN EXIT WOUND?
Many bowhunters strongly prefer to have an exit wound. Rifle hunters, however, often choose to have their bullets stop just under the hide on the far side, thereby delivering all of the bullet’s energy to the animal. I too prefer to use all of my arrow’s
energy cutting tissue. If my broadhead creates a large entrance hole and wound channel, and then stops on the far side of the animal, that’s fine with me. If I make a reasonable shot, the animal will be recovered in a surprisingly short distance and, in most cases, the blood trail will be easy to follow.
With my 2” expandable heads, I achieve exit wounds about 25% of the time. This is for broadside shots on animals such as kudu, wildebeest, gemsbok, and eland. On smaller animals such as impala, springbok and duiker I often get full penetration unless the shot is taken from a quartering-away angle.
Because of my reduced number of exit wounds, I have attempted to compare blood trails with and without exit wounds. Blood trails are so variable though that I have not been able to find a correlation between an exit wound and no exit wound. This study is ongoing because I will always be extremely interested in blood trails and their causes.
BROADHEAD TYPES AND PENETRATION TESTING
It is generally agreed that traditional two-blade (blade-to-thetip) broadheads penetrate best. But most broadheads in that style feature a fairly narrow cutting width – about 1⅛” on average. Therefore, they usually do not cut large wound channels. In large cutting widths these heads often encounter flight and accuracy issues.
Because of narrow cutting widths (and sometimes long lengths) their blade angles are reduced. This usually gives their blades a sleek length-to-width ratio – one reason they penetrate well. As mentioned before, they can be a good choice for bows that produce low amounts of kinetic energy. Combined with heavy arrows, they are often the best choice for bigger animals.
Central column replaceable blade broadheads are typically next in line in the penetration department. I tested trocar-tipped, central column, two-blade heads against two-blade traditional broadheads of the same cutting size and found a 3% difference in depth of penetration.
Another test showed that the addition of a third blade reduced penetration slightly but increased the total tissues cut by 36%. In most cases that’s a good trade.
This broadhead design features removable blades that can be easily replaced and/or sharpened. The Striker offered by G5 is one of many such three-blade designs in this category, and they employ some of the sharpest blades I’ve used.
Expandable broadheads penetrate less than the other types mentioned but much depends on their cutting width. Larger expandable broadheads cut more square inches of tissue, so they cannot be expected to penetrate as deeply as the smaller fixedblade and traditional broadheads.
Expandable broadheads are sometimes criticised for not opening. Many of these reports might come from the fact that the blades are often found in the closed position, but some designs close easily, once the forward pressure ceases. So, unless the animal is recovered and the wound channel is examined, there is no proof either way.
Unlike other broadhead designs, expandable blades do not have support struts touching the ferrule at the rear of the blades. They are like airplane wings – out there on their own. So naturally, without this strut support, the blades are more susceptible to »
» stress and damage. However, I don’t find this a major problem and nowadays I prefer 2” twoblade expandable broadheads.
With good shot placement, they provide shorter and better blood trails on average than the smaller, fixed and replaceable blade heads do. And, with marginal shot placement, they also provide shorter and better blood trails on average than the smaller fixed and replaceable blade heads. Shorter waiting periods (before following up) are also likely on those marginal hits. For example, with stomach/gut shots, I previously recommended waiting 8 to 12 hours. With 2” expandable broadheads four hours seems to be a long enough waiting time in most cases.
These arrows are more likely to shoot to the same point of impact as field points and usually provide better accuracy than fixed blade broadheads.
MY BROADHEAD PREFERENCES
Currently, my first choices are the Rage Hypodermic 125gr head and the Rage Trypan 150gr with shock collars. Please note, I have not used any other broadheads in the Rage line; therefore, I make that distinction here. I have used the 125gr Hypodermic heads since about the time Rage introduced the Shock Collar blade retention system. I have used Rage Trypan 150 grainers for two years now and have shot over 350 animals with those two similar broadhead designs. So, I feel that I know them well.
The blades slide rearward into place, rather than flipping over the top. As mentioned, there have been stories about expandable broadheads not opening on impact and deflecting. Even with my high number of shots, I have not experienced either situation, but I am careful about my shot choices and shot angles. The Hypodermics and Trypans always make a large entry wound (see photos).
The ferrules for both heads are made of steel and feature a sleek, modern design. With over 350 shots, I have seriously damaged just two ferrules. They were on small animals where complete penetration took place after which the arrows struck rocks and got damaged.
The blades are susceptible to bending, partially because of the lack of a strut. Because I always do repairs and sharpen and use the blades again, I have been conducting a blade durability test. I am convinced that the stress caused by large animal impact shots weakens the blades to some degree, and that the weakening is cumulative. In other words, the blades become more likely to bend or break, the more often they are shot. This stress-related blade weakening is not much of an issue, because they are easy to replace. I track the number of shots on my blades by employing different coloured nocks.
Another fantastic thing about these heads is that they are simple to repair. The blades are also easy to sharpen. Because the ferrules are tough, I purchase mostly extra blades and shock collars. The Rage heads are expensive but by replacing just the blades and shock collars my cost per shot is reduced significantly. I estimate that I’ve used several of my ferrules 15 to 20 times and the blades about three times on average.
I also experience less arrow breakage when using the expandable broadheads because they often pull out before the animal falls. This I think happens because the wound channel is large, and the blades often slip forward, making the head smaller. My arrows sometimes pull out without being damaged while the animal is running.
Currently the 125gr Rage Hypodermic and the Rage Trypan 150gr rate at the top of my list in initial performance and reparability.
My choice of fixed-blade broadheads is the G5 Striker 125g 1½” replaceable threeblade head. The 125gr ferrules will also accommodate the 1⅛” blades. The Strikers offer three thicknesses of brass retention rings, which fit just behind the blades. These rings allow for some small adjustment to the broadhead’s weight.
The ferrules are made from steel and the blades recess into the triangular point of the ferrule, which should improve strength and penetration. G5 also offers the fixed, threeblade Montec, but I feel the Striker is a better choice. Please note though that G5 has recently changed the design of the Striker and I have not used the new style yet.
OTHER BROADHEADS I HAVE USED
I’ve shot many animals with the New Archery Products 125gr Kill Zone when I was testing them. They are a 2” rearward deploying, expandable broadhead with an aluminium ferrule and steel point. They functioned very well on the first shot but were extremely difficult to disassemble and repair.
I’ve also shot many animals with a variety of the Grim Reaper expandable broadheads. Most feature three or four blades with 1½ to 1¾” cutting diameters. They are “over-the-top” deploying expandable heads, with an aluminium ferrule and steel point. They function well but do suffer blade breakage and bent ferrules on occasion. These arrows employ a spring-loaded blade retention system which functions well, but that design uses several internal parts which makes repair work tedious. They often cost a bit less than other expandable broadheads.
I have shot hundreds of animals with the Rocky Mountain Titanium 100gr three-blade (mostly on heavy aluminium arrows). This broadhead is currently offered by TruGlo. I used the 125gr G5 Strikes for several years on aluminium and carbon shafts. Both these heads are super strong and perform extremely well. However, I feel my current choice in broadheads is even better.
CONCLUSION
Some of the broadhead selections on offer in pro shops and recommendations in articles are not always the best. When separating the top performing broadheads, it takes good observational skills, experience, record keeping and no pre-conceived ideas. Clearly, I see improved recovery results when larger cutting diameter broadheads are used.
Most of all, the shooting accuracy, point-of-impact and sharpness of all broadheads must be checked before hunting.
Enjoy your hunting! Questions are welcome at dhafrica@ juno.com