It used to be that I only had to worry about the expense of breaking arrows. Now I'm looking at some of the broadheads available and I can't believe it! $30 a piece? :scared: Now, they look like you could just show an elk one of these things and it would keel over, but I have a hard time wrapping my brain around letting fly with basically a $50 bill (every shot). I've read the marketing and read the Ashby work on penetration so part of me is interested in these things, but are they really going to outperform a Zwicky - which I can get for $4 each?
My real question is for those of you that may be shooting some of the expensive heads. If you misfire and hit something that was not your intended target, are these things fairly durable? Would I be looking at tossing one of these things if I miss or pass through and catch ground? I'm always up for trying new gear, but I am way too cheap to head down that road.
As always, thanks for the input!
I missed and stuck one into a rock pulled it out and could have shot it again no problem
The Aboyers are pretty dang tough and they are not as expensive as some of the other top end broadheads. Still not cheap at 13 bucks apiece but I've managed to stick several in trees and cypress knees with no damage. I've also ran them thru a couple of deer and hogs with nothing but a quick sharpening needed after.
I shoot a two blade glue on STOS 145 grain broadhead. It's a very durable and strong broadhead. Flies good also. Inexpensive too at $26 for a 6 pack at Braveheart Archery.
I been using the Silver Flames for a while now. Although I use them on all big game I see where you could just use them on a certain hunt.I dont see the big deal. When your talking a out of state hunt like elk. For the $500 just for the tag plus the food, driving or airfare etc. What is $30 for a broadhead. Its really a small percentage. But other heads will do the job fine. To each there own, in my book I feel just fine paying that price for them and are very happy with the result. Every person I hunt with that sees them and what they do to a animal says ya there worth it. I just got another dozen of them and some more blades to stock up since there going to be made in China. With all I have Im good for the rest of my life.
$30 a head is rediculous, unless its explosive or something. There are sooo many realy good heads out there for $30 or less for 6.
I do like the new woodsman/VPA 3 blades though but cant make myself hack up the $12 ea. for them. Think I'll prolly just get 6 new 160 snuffers and put 30g of lead in the nose.
Unless your going to hunt some serious beast, I woundnt waste the money. IMO the Woodsman/VPA or Abowyer are all the head anyone would ever need for ANYthing.
Eric
$30 broadheads fall into the same category as $30 bass lures.....designed to catch more fishermen and hunters than fish and game.
QuoteOriginally posted by WESTBROOK:
$30 a head is rediculous, unless its explosive or something. There are sooo many realy good heads out there for $30 or less for 6.
Unless your going to hunt some serious beast, I woundnt waste the money. IMO the Woodsman/VPA or Abowyer are all the head anyone would ever need for ANYthing.
Eric
I feel Grizzlies and zwicky and the like are the way to go for deer and smaller. As far a damage after a miss....lets face it if ( that's IF )the Zwicky or grizz is damaged you could damage 6 or more for the price of one of the expensive heads.
For bigger or dangerous game I'd feel better..FEEL better with a thicker head.
Abowyers are GREAT. little more expensive. I can't think of another head I'd rather use on tough game.
my 2ยข
My experience: 3 of 4 big game hits with Ashby Broadheads resulted in chipped points. The only one that did not chip was a moose pass through without bone contact. Abowyers now.
I'm sitting here thinking about how often my arrows bury under leaves and grass.
I think I would be too afraid to lose it to let the string go.
"WHAT IS 30DOLLARS FOR A BROADHEAD?" seeing how I bring 2dozen on my Wyoming trip, that makes $720, you gotta be kidden, I need a new job! :scared:
If I remember correctly, there is one gentlemen I know that did some serious durability testing with the Ashby head and the Grizzly.
The Ashby head had significant problems compared to the Grizzly. I haven't seen it. Just what I was told.
The Ashby head as well as the entire line of those type broadheads really look tough.
I have some grizzly broadheads, but I also have a few abowyer, silver flame, magnus II, vpa terminator, snuffer, and trad tusker. They are all good heads. I guess hunting primarily in the Northeast, I don't think that I've lost a dozen total in 3 years, so I don't think the price is as overwhelming for me. I practice almost exclusively with field points, but have a foam target that I use to make sure the broadheads are flying true shortly before hunting. Most of the time if a broadhead is chipped or damaged it still can be resharpened/re-used, irrespective of the type of broadhead. The biggest thing for me is if I can touch it up in the field or the metal is hard enough that it has retained it's edge enough to be shot more than once between sharpening. I was primarily shooting three blades because I can do a tolerable job of sharpening them in the field. All I need is a flat surface. I like the VPA terminator heads, but I'm not sure that they are really worth much more money that a good snuffer. It's just convenient that they come as screw-in heads of multiple weights. Grizzly heads hold an edge like crazy, but even with the new bevel it takes a little work to get them ready to go. I am finally at the point where I think I could sharpen them in the field. Probably the best bargain overall for a head that retains it's edge, can be touched up in the field, and since it is a glue on can be used with lots of different inserts for different total weight heads. The trad tuskers are priced nicely, but I actually find them more of a pain to sharpen that the new griz bacause of the better bevel on the griz. The abowyer heads are awesome, super tough, can be touched up in the field, and can be bought scary sharp, ready to hunt. I can see why people would buy them. If you plan on losing 12 on a hunt, might not be a good idea. As far as the silver flames go, I really just don't know what I was thinking. As always, IMHO.
I also have a problem with spending that kind of money for a piece of steel. The piece of steel that I shoot (Zwickey 2 blade) is sharp, flies good, penetrates great, breaks bones when needed (on deer elk, bear for me), and I've never damaged one enough that it wouldn't do all that again on the next shot, and I've shot them into big rocks (that was my fault, not the BH's). All this for $3.17 plus tax.
If I ever change from my Magnus heads, it will be to Zwickeys.
It's funny. On one extreme we have guys shooting $30 heads and at the other extreme we have guys knapping their own stone points.
QuoteOriginally posted by jsweka:
On one extreme we have guys shooting $30 heads and at the other extreme we have guys knapping their own stone points.
Not saying you just using your quotes.
I dont look down on the knapping guys so why should anybody think im silly or stupid for spending MY MONEY even if its $30 a piece for a broadhead. If you dont want to buy them dont. But when I guy ask a question about high dollar bradheads and a bunch of guys that have never used them try to sway him one way just because they dont use them. OK
Where I live,some of those heads are getting into the $60 a head range.
Add that to the arrow that already owes me around $25 an it's getting pretty costy to lose one.
Ok,If I could afford em',,,I'd use em' on big game,,,but I'd be evemn more picky with my shots than I already am.
Tuskers,Bears,Grizzlys,Snuffers,,,,the all work pretty good huh.
I was hunting with a buddy who fired one of those expensive SS heads-won't tell you which make-and he hit the shoulder of a good sized Goat...kapow! we both could hear it. The broadhead had exploded leaving only the ferrule behind. My friend got an oppportunity to shoot the same animal again and this time killed the Goat.
Later we dug out the SS pieces from the shoulder-the heavy bone was scarred and marked but easily beat the BH. A regular steel BH for 3.00 would likely not have survived any better battling that heavy bone; but for 30 bucks we were both unimpressed.
"My real question is for those of you that may be shooting some of the expensive heads. If you misfire and hit something that was not your intended target, are these things fairly durable? Would I be looking at tossing one of these things if I miss or pass through and catch ground?"
As is often the case, most of the people posting to the thread don't address the question that was asked. I include myself in this group. I will answer the question from my limited experience. Yes, the more expensive heads that I have shot are fairly durable. I include the abowyers and silver flames in that list. My first shot with an abowyer javalina light hit the one soft spot in my target and embedded itself in a cinderblock wall about a half inch. I decided to use that head as a practice head and shot it into a target that had multiple heads stuck inside it. Probably shot it 100 shots, with many episodes of it clanking off of other heads. A few strokes on the tip with a file, a few strokes with a single bevel carbide sharpener and then stropping and it was good to go. The metal used on the silver flames is supposedly very hard, but I can't say that I've shot them into a wall or anything. Does this make the more expensive heads worth the money? Only the buyer can decide that, since there are alot of other durable heads out there. I will say that I don't believe the magnus heads can stand with the abowyer heads, but the grizzly heads are very durable in addition to being reasonably priced. As to your initial question, yes the expensive broadheads that I have used are durable. If you lose them in the brush, nothing is durable.
If I was droppin' the string on a water buff at 10 yards, the last thing I would be worried about would be a $60.00 broadhead on the end of $25.00 arra.
Shoot what you have confidence in. If you don't have any confidence go out and get some!
Start by shootin' some small game with the broadhead you plan to use for big game. You'll figure out really quick what is going to work for you (and if you need to improve your shooting).
:archer2:
Shoot straight, Shinken
PS $60 heads? Never seen anything nearly that expensive. Glad I'm not buying broadheads in New Zealand. The most expensive commercial head that I have seen was a little over 100 dollars for 3.
If a person is shooting more reasonably priced broadhead arrows, they would have more of a tendency to justify practicing with them. I have seen many wheelie shooters that hardly dare to take a practice shot with their arrows and most only shoot their broadheads at live deer. Taking three grizzlies out for a practice round at the 3d target doesn't seem to be such a big deal, an arrow that is five times the cost would make me nervous when practicing. Regardless how tough it is, anything can be lost or damaged.
Thanks for tying to get her back on track, Patrick ;)
So far, CEO had 3 of 4 chip on bone hits, Bjorn witnessed an explosion, and a couple others have them going into rock and concrete with little or no damage. That's a pretty broad range.
This is a bit of a loaded question, and it's fun to read the responses. I realize that a lot of it comes down to personal preference as (to a certain extent) steel is steel.
I'd defeinitely like to hear the experience of others who've used them and had hard contacts.
Thanks.
For just plain toughness I really like the ACE. They are the oldest broadhead maker in existence and they have a triple laminated tip with a patented interlocking ferrule that is copper brazed, almost indestructable.
The expensive broadhead that I have seen bounce off rocks, cut a field point from another arrow nearly in half, and get shot into hard walls and other man-made stone and metal objects, is the 300 Xtreem three blade broadhead. the only damage I have ever seen to the broadhead was some flattening of an edge on one of the blades. Those are incredible broadheads, but my understanding is that they are no longer being made after a short production period. That is a shame, because even though they sold for $25 each, a dozen of them would last a lifetime if they were not lost. They were made using an MIM molding process that produces a very strong, uniform metal product. The 300 Xtreem may be the strongest and most durable broadhead ever made. But trying to get your hands on some will be next to impossible, as guys like me will never part with the few we have.
I also have a dozen and a half of the ABS Ashby broadheads that are even more expensive than the 300 Xtreems. I do not have much experience with shooting the Ashbys into hard objects, so I cannot speak to their durability in those circumstances. They are very well made and appear to be "hell for stout", but looks can be deceiving. I do know that some of the early Ashbys had some issues with production quality, but I also understand that those issues (mainly heat treatment I think) have been favorably resolved. I just can't bring myself to voluntarily shoot a $30 broadhead into a rock or a brick wall. Maybe the guys at ABS would be willing to do that as a demonstration. I do know that the Ashbys are sharper than any other broadhead I have ever seen and that they hold an edge very well.
Allan
okay I'll answer the original question. I shoot silverflames and this past Christmas morning I stuck a racoon to a stonewall and I did not break the broad head. It had minor chips but I resharpened it and it is still fine. Just this past week I missed a turkey and hit another stonewall(25yds) direct hit. Minimal chipping on the blade edge but no serious damage. Still razor sharp. I have never broken a silverflame. First deer I shot with a silverfalme, I chipped the tip on the shoulder blade and the owner replaced it but since then the design has changed.
jsweka ,
you would be disappointed i was.....magnus are to beat intill the new generation heads came out... One advantage with $$$ heads like aboyer an i would a sum alot of the others is the leave of sharpness.the bevale is perfect., steel is better.. I have a couple aboyers all i do out off the pack is strop them till i`m satisfied i`ve never been able to get heads that sharp with a fraction of the time it took to get other heads half a$$ sharp.. I thought my magnus heads were sharp for years, i was wrong...It seems in the long run for what i desire in the sharpness its the most economical route for time spent an satisfaction...
I'm a po boy so I'll stay with the cheaper ones. Same reason I shoot a Remington 870 instead of a Benelli or Browning. A dead duck will never know the difference.
I guess I'm old school cause I haven't gotten over a dozen wood shafts costing 30-40 bucks yet let alone $30 for 1 broadhead. Snuffers,Zwickeys and Bear razorheads have never let me down when I did my part.
New and expensive doesn't always mean durable and sharp.Look at the heads that have stood the test of time.Hills,Zwickey,Magnus and such,They are still around for good reason.
Broadheads and fishing lures. Heaven help us. H
Yeah, how'd they get all those hundreds of semi-different heads and lures patented anyway?
I was using 190 grizzlies, now I'm using the 200 grain left bevel Grizzlies. $60 a dozen for the old ones from KMG Razor sharp. I can afford $30 a head, I am just to cheap to buy them.
I guess I a the only guy that shoots razorback 5s. I got a bunch of em at a yardsale and havnt tried a deer but they work for squirrels and rabbits. And the occasional groundhog .
I started with Zwickey Eskimo 125s back in early early 90s....had a couple tips curl back on me pheasant hunting and then had one come unbrazed during another pheasant trip on Eastern Shore. Sent head to Zwickey and got another set for free...but decided to try something else.
Started shooting Ribtek heads...low weight heads first and then progressed to 160 heads and loved them. Never a problem with tips curling back or coming undone...primariy because they are solid piece of steel...put tanto point on them and still use the same heads today. I also have some Snuffers that are also very good.
I think the Ribteks (if you can find them), Grizzly, Snuffer, and other Magnus heads are the way to go. Dont use the needle point but change them to a Tanto style and dont worry about it.
These heads will shoot through most anything...
I shoot Grizzlys, Eclipse and Zwickey all are inexpensive and all kill without damaging the head. I cannot think of any reason to shoot $30.00 a piece heads as they are just steel as are the above named heads.Frank
I shot an Abowyer Brown Bear into one of my 3-D targets and ended up hitting the conduit in the the front leg. The broadhead went in one side and poked out the other. The edge was dull but the broad head was as good as new. I have done the same thing with Zwickys and Bear broadheads and they fold. But I also looked for the Abowyer I shot my deer with this year real hard (and found it). Don't know how hard I would have looked for a less expensive broadhead.
I can mess them all up, no matter what they cost!!! I hunt rocky creek bottoms, if you miss you usually hit rock. If you get a pass through on a deer, still hit rock! I usually use Magnus 2's that way I don't feel as bad when I bend one.
Personally I have found RazorCap 3 Blade BHs 100 Grain to be very good. They are strong, sharp, and fly with no wind planing when aligned correctly on the finished arrow. They can be resharpened and also the ferrule can be replaced as a separate cartridge. They cost $ 9 to 10 apiece so I don't see the need to spend too much more than that to get a good BH..... JMO :bigsmyl: