im new to trad hunting and i want to know the advantages and disadvantages of 2,3, and 4 blade broadheads in terms of blood trails and penetration.
I use all three, depending on what I'm hunting.
Before I vote I want to know your bow weight, your draw length and your arrow weight, and what u plan on hunting...
then I can make an informative vote
Three blade...31"draw, 60#, 620+gr, sometimes I use a two blade also, just for kicks.
I use a 3 blade, except when I use a 2 blade.
As Terry mentions, there are a lot of factors that will help you make an informed decision as to what to use.
Where are you in NY? You can come to the Next MHTA meeting if you are in the capital district. I can go over advantages and disadvantages then.
I assume your arrow set ups will be for deer. a good sharp 2,3 or 4 blade broadhead will do the trick provided it it sharp and placed well. The weight of your bow may help steer you toward one choice or another as well as your ability to sharpen them.
As stated above, it depends on the setup.
I shoot a heavier bow and arrow so I use 3 & 4 blade. My son's setup is lighter so he's using 2 blade.
2 for me but I'm hunting with a 45-50# bow and I want penetration.
I've personally gone to 2-blades exclusively. I used to use different heads for different animals. Now I just try to keep it simple as the brute reality is:
- Any well sharpened head will kill when it hits the boiler room
- Typically 2-blade heads will pass through before heads with more blades
- Single bevel designs can offer distinct advantages when hitting bone
- Pass throughs are better than the arrows staying in because it does more damage and more often than not makes it easier to blood trail and recover the animal
With that said, I run a high FOC arrow build using 100gr inserts. This gives me improved performance on deer and hogs. I keep head weights to 125 grains so that I can use field points, Judo's, screw in rubber blunts, steel blunts for small game hunting, and broadheads for medium to large game and all of my arrows shoot the the same point of impact. I've gone to Badger broadheads because of their helical offset and single bevel design. There are gobs of other great choices that will kill equally as well but I find the Badgers to offer an excellent blend of features and performance when limiting head weight to 125gr. Again, I
choose to limit my weight to 125, not because I think that's the ideal head weight but because it allows me to build one batch of arrows that can use 5 types of points depending on what type of shooting I am doing and all of the arrows will fly exactly the same and be tuned in exactly the same. For me the versatility of the arrow build is worth the restrictions in point weights given that there are lots of excellent heads in the 125gr range. For what it's worth I use the following points for:
- Field points - target practice
- Judo points - stump shooting and plinking in grass
- RFA Talons - small game blunts
- Rubber blunts - plinking and occasionally shooting a rabbit if a building is behind the animal (rubber doesn't hurt brick but steel blunts will)
- Badger broadheads - hunting pigs, deer, etc
I voted 2-blade because your poll asked "how many blades are on your your broadhead", and I use a 2-blade. As stated above, it depends on your setup as to what you should use.
I believe you should use the biggest, widest head you can consistently get both an entrance and an exit hole with.
Bisch
2 or 3 depending on what bow I am using and what I am hunting.
Shot placement, tuned bow/arrow and sharp are whats important.
I use all of them. To me it doesn't matter as long as they are sharp. 2,3,and 4 have all worked for me.
I voted to the question. Of course going into my decision is the fact that my set-up is "less" than average: 26" draw, 44-47# draw weight, arrows in the 414-500 grain range, and I hunt white-tail deer and bears with this set-up. Maybe antelope this fall.
Also, the broadhead I have a lot of trust in only comes in 2-blade, single bevel.
2 blade single bevel...30" draw 47#.
I have used 3 blade heads in the past, same bow, with equal success.
ok..
I like the reality of more carnage and better blood trails....so....I use WIDE 2 blades, 3 blades, and mostly 4 blades.
most outfitters and lease runners will agree.
as those that have been on a lot of blood trails other than their own
I also don't think most people give our equipment the devastating credit it deserves. ....if the set up is tuned properly and the head is sharp... even with lighter weight bows, ...that's why Gene and Barry invented the WW for lighter weight bows to have that advantage.
passthroughs aren't a problem for me, never have been unless of course I peg the off shoulder or leg bone.
I have almost exclusively hunted deer, and 2 blade heads have worked just fine. I have not shot a hog, so don't know about that, but I do listen up when these veteran pig stickers recommend 3 or 4 blade heads.
I've switched from two blade to big four blade or three blade heads.
I've found with my setup that hitting the shoulder bone with the two blade didn't penetrate. I also found the blood trails much better with the three and four blade heads.
My theory is I would rather have a shoulder bone hit deer get away with a non lethal hit rather than lose a gut shot deer since the blood trail was so poor. I figure the more blades and the bigger head has more of a chance of hitting something good also.
I use the old Bear razorheads with the bleeder blades...so I guess that would make 4 blades.
3 blades out of my widow. 62# 28" draw 624 grain arrows.
3 blades out of my widow. 62# 28" draw 624 grain arrows.
4 blade Zwickie Deltas. Wide main blade with the small bleeders. have shot 2 and three blades in the past but now just shoot the Deltas.
I use 3 blade no matter what reason love them. Widow
My preference, four blade Eclipse on elk and anything smaller. For moose I take the bleeder blades out. Headed for AK this fall so the bleeders will be left at home.
FYI: I shoot a 58# selfbow, which when considering efficiency, is comparable to using a 45# glass bow.
Maybe I should change my mantra: Tuning of the bow/arrow is paramount to penetration....ie lethality.
Just my thoughts
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Tracy
2 blade single bevel Steel Force traditional series.
Just two.
Ribtek, STOS, Zwickey and Magnus are the four I have used in the last 20 years.
QuoteOriginally posted by Walt Francis:
Maybe I should change my mantra: Tuning of the bow/arrow is paramount to penetration....ie lethality.
Just my thoughts
Great thoughts Walt.... and that allows us to run more hardware through an animal if need be depending on the animal we are chasing.
2 blade single bevel for me. Ive gotten great blood trails and penetration from 45 lb bows.
2 blade has been my preference for 30+ years. Mostly Zwickey Deltas or the big Magnus I. I has some new Cutthroat and Wapiti single bevel but haven't shot anything with them yet
I have used double edge (single blade with two edges - think about it) for decades but recently found access a "hoard" of 1960 three blade Mowoc Dot broadheads available for less than a new two-edge so I picked up three dozen. Did not have a shot opportunity this past season so the jury is still out.
I really like the STOS 125 gr and if the three edge disappoints I will be back to that.
Penetration has never really been a problem for me either, thus I tend to go with "a lot" of broadhead... Last several years they have been VPA Terminators in the 1 1/4" 250 gr, or the Big Jim Big-3 at 1 1/2" and 300 gr... For my Widow curves and Thunderstick MOABs... But, with my Hill Custom I'm switching from the VPA 250 gr 1 1/4" to Zwickey Deltas and Centaur Big Game heads at 260 grains...
As many have stated above, knowing your setup, and getting it tuned properly (including getting your broadheads SHARP!!!) is of utmost importance! Then it just comes down to accuracy at the moment of truth.
I voted 4; they are 2-blade stingers with little bitty bleeders on each side.
I also shoot a 55# bow with a 29 inch draw, so I could get away with any of them.
I shoot the stingers because I have great confidence in their ability to fly where I want them to.
Blacktail Sitka 52# @ 28"
Zwickey " no mercy " broad heads,
2117's most of the time as I stump shoot often and they are durable. Cedar occasionally as they are quite and beautiful!
Magnus 2 blade stinger
Easton axis traditional shafts
4, it was easy, I just counted them. 1,2,3,4 some folks seem to make it so complicated. I also voted for 4
I voted 4 blade , stingers with bleeders
on 400 spine fmj's
The longer I hunt the bigger my broadheads get. Just have not had trouble shooting through deer with any of them and reasonable weight bows. Deer are the biggest thing I hunt anymore so that works for me.
As Terry and others have mentioned repeatedly on here, deer are not hard to penetrate presuming you hit them where you are supposed to. And as I have gotten older, my enthusiasm for pin drop blood trails has waned considerably. :help:
I have probably killed more big game with 3 blade heads than others. But frankly, I found the big 2 blade Zwickey Delta or the Magnus 2 blade to be absolutely devastating with quick kills and excellent blood trails. I have also used 4 bladed heads, but have never seen any advantage for the extra blades.
As others have said, they will all do the job if razor sharp and placed properly.
I was a big fan of 3 and 4 blade heads until I used a single bevel 2 blade. A sharp single bevel will leave a hole as opposed to a slit...I had always heard this but didn't believe it until I saw it.
2 blade Zwickeys for everything.. They work...!
I shoot 2 blade single bevel Cutthroats for elk. The massive tanto tip prevents the tip from curling when hitting an elk scapula (as happened to me with a name brand broadhead used by many on this forum).
After trying many, many types and styles of broadheads since 1973, I have settled on Zwickey Eskimo and Delta 2 edge broadheads for deer and turkeys.
fun thread.... I'm watching with great interest.
I've tried everything from 2 blade hunters head to razor back 5(that ages me) but after 52 years it still comes down to what ever I can get the sharpest and that's the old bear razorhead sharpened with a clamp. I usually get complete pass troughs shooting bows from 50 to sixty pounds.