This is my first year shooting a longbow. Its an older model of Big Jims Thinder child 40# @ 28", GT traditionals 1535 full length, 100 grain point.
I'm not only looking for a broadhead that flys easy (true), but mainly one that is easy to sharpen and is durable. Also, I'm considering bumping it up to a 125grain, any thoughts?
Thanks
With your setup I would suggest a solid 2 blade broadhead such as a Magnus MAII. It is available in a 125 gr screw in. They are easily sharpened with an Accusharp. I use a Lansky jig. But before setting up with a broadhead make sure your arrows are tuned to your bow.
You cant go wrong with a zwickey eskimo 125gr+15gr adapter. Or a zwickey eski-lite 100gr+ 15gr adapter. You can either buy them with the adapters already installed so all you have to do is screw them into your inserts, or you can buy the heads seperately and then the adapters in a grain weight of your choosing and glue the inserts in yourself. Couple things to keep in mind if you choose to glue them in yourself is that the inside of the zwickey head will need to be cleaned with acetone and alchohol and the exterior of the adapter will need cleaned as well. Then choose your glue and coat the adapter with it and after you insert it into the head it needs to be twisted and then the point placed against something wood and spun to make that it seats correctly and aligns on the adapter. If it wobbles when you spin it, even slightly it will affect trajectory. I like to spin the arrow against something wood with my palms on either side of it and rub back and forth exerting downward pressure on the shaft like I'm trying to start a fire with the primitive stick method, then I spin it by the nock to make sure its not wobbling.
I would bump it up quite a bit, that said VPA Terminator 3 blades, get a jewell stick and you can make them so sharp when ya look at them your eyes will bleed! Shawn
get yourself some Magnus Buzzcuts, good price, good quality and good performance!
All the heads mentioned are great,there are others that are high dollar,look cool,,and do really work good but the old standards like Zwicky,magnus,and the old bear razor heads still work as good as any of the new high dollar heads for most things.125gr heads have worked for years and if you want,,even heavier works good too. Get them sharp,use an arrow that is not too light in weight,and a combo that shoots tuned for your bow and you will be set up good.Even a 40# pull bow is plenty for deer if you have the right arrow set up and get close,and we all have to get close no matter what we are shooting but that part of the fun. My bows are anywhere from 55# down to 35# and it still amazes me how little diffrence it actually makes in performance.What im trying to say is,for deer anyway,it seems the right arrows seem to be more important than anything else in a set up.
Magnus stingers, either the buzzcut or the straight edge are as good as any and better than most, come razor sharp and are easy to resharpen. In my experience they also spin true without any adjustment.
Magnus Stingers :thumbsup: Fly great, and are really easy to sharpen.
Bill
Widowmakers are my choice mail order from Australia, $35 per half dozen they are german-kinetics style
You're starting down a very fun path!
A true flying broadhead is super easy to find.
..the trick is tuning your arrows to fly well.
Very close second to that is your form.
Thirdly is mounting your head straight..which is really pretty easy.
..they need to be at least pretty darn close.
With screw in heads this is basically done for you.
With trad bows 10 grains per pound of draw weight is about the norm for total arrow weight. Some go higher..some lower.
..Normally those who shoot lower draw weight bows tend to use a little more than 10gpp in order to have some more momentum.
Your shafts probably weigh around 275 grains.
the 100 grain tip will put your at around 375 grn.
The 125 will get you to at least 400 grns total.
That will do the trick on a deer.
I'd personally go with a 175 grain or more head.
Most "trad" heads made these days are pretty darn good.
The lighter the head the less tough they are...in general.
But still more than tough enough for most animals.
You hit a shoulder bone and you can wreck even the best heads.
I have found it frustrating at first to learn how to sharpen single bevel, double bevel, and 3 blade heads.
But I find it very rewarding having done so....In time maybe you will to.
For the truly easiest to sharpen, more than high enough quality head I'd have to say using an accusharp sharpener ($10) and some screw in double bevel tuskers of your choice of style and weight from http://www.braveheartarchery.us/tusker_broadheads.htm
The reason I vote for the tuskers is they're a good head that only have one thickness of steel through the blade. This makes them even easier to sharpen with the accusharp.
The tri-lam tips on zwickeys and other blades with similar designs are a touch harder to sharpen evenly.
..hope this helps.
Good luck! :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by Rock 'N Bow:
With your setup I would suggest a solid 2 blade broadhead such as a Magnus MAII. It is available in a 125 gr screw in. They are easily sharpened with an Accusharp. I use a Lansky jig. But before setting up with a broadhead make sure your arrows are tuned to your bow.
X2
The MAII is the easiest broadhead I''ve come across to sharpen with the accusharp.
The 15/35 full length are on 218 grains even with nock,feathers and insert you will be around 250 grains plus 100 is 350 that is almost 9 gpp. I say bump the head weight up a quite a bit cause I would think with a 100 grain point they will be a bit stiff for you. I say you could go to 175 and still get great flight and increase you penetration quite a bit as well. Going to a 175 grain point will get you to around 425 grains and that would be great deer or turkey medicine. Shawn
Got to agree with Shawn on VPA broadheads...take a look at the 2 blade Penetrator as well...I use both the 175 and 200 grainers...easier to sharpen than the 3 blades in my limited experience...still plenty effective
DDave
magnus 2 blade, Woodsman or grizzlies would be my choices. (and I would/will drive myself crazy trying to decide.)
Good luck.
Joe
ps. only 4 months, 1 week and 5 days until Elk season.
I would highly suggest STOS! Supper easy to sharpen and they hold an edge great. They are extremely though