Anyone on here who has shot a deer with a Thurderhead type broadhead? They are in that grey area of cut on contact heads.

I was just going to hunt with my compound this year until I went out and shot my Kodiak Special this morning. We put some string silencers on it yesterday and now it shoots very quietly, especially with heavier heads. I have 160 grain Thunderheads and 142 grain Razorback 4 blades, both of which look awfully good on my carbon arrows. The arrows fly really well with 145 grain field points.

Due to limited practice I will only be taking shots inside 15 yards and will think twice about anything past 10. I have two large tracts of land to hunt and the season is open until the end of November so I will be more than content to pass on any shot that is not a sure kill opportunity.

DDave

What is your draw weight and draw length? I would recommend a cut on contact broadhead with any bow especially trad bows. I used to shoot thunderheads many years ago and while I think they work fine on most compounds, I would be leary on a bone hit with a longbow or recurve unless it is a very heavy arrow shot from a heavy bow.

If you are under 50# and under 28"draw I would recommend a 2 blade head. And definitely cut on contact.

One of my shooting/hunting buddies shoots regular Muzzy broadheads.  His 2nd choice is Zwicky.  I like a cut on contact mysely, but his sure get the job done.

God Bless,
Nathan

At the ranges you plan on shooting they will kill any whitetail walking, which is what I'm assuming your hunting.  If you move into moose, or bigger heavier bone animals, I'd move to a true cut on contact. My dad killed a bunch of whitetail with a 3 blade muzzy chisel tip and a 57 Lb longbow before he found out that that he was doing it "wrong".

Whatever set-up you decide on, make sure that the arrow is well tuned.

Dave- I love Thunderheads and that's all I shot for years and years with my compound. I've killed a truckload of deer with them and they have shot absolutely perfect out of any bow that I have ever owned.....and I've had quite a few.

Now that I'm hunting with my Grizzly, I've found that the Magnus Snuffers and Wensel Woodsmans shoot exceptionally well, but I haven't tried my Thunderheads with the Grizzly yet. You got me thinking that maybe I should try them just for kicks.
My dad still uses the TH 125's with his crossbow....he's disabled by the way, and I hate that loud, obnoxious looking hunk of junk!
But if it keeps him in the woods with me during bowseason, then I can learn to live with it.

QuoteOriginally posted by chopx2:
What is your draw weight and draw length? I would recommend a cut on contact broadhead with any bow especially trad bows. I used to shoot thunderheads many years ago and while I think they work fine on most compounds, I would be leary on a bone hit with a longbow or recurve unless it is a very heavy arrow shot from a heavy bow.

If you are under 50# and under 28"draw I would recommend a 2 blade head. And definitely cut on contact.

45 pounds at my 30 inch draw length measured yesterday on a digital scale.

The arrows with the 142 heads will weigh about 415-420 grains.

QuoteOriginally posted by fireball31:
At the ranges you plan on shooting they will kill any whitetail walking, which is what I'm assuming your hunting.  If you move into moose, or bigger heavier bone animals, I'd move to a true cut on contact. My dad killed a bunch of whitetail with a 3 blade muzzy chisel tip and a 57 Lb longbow before he found out that that he was doing it "wrong".

Pretty big Alberta style whitetails (we grow them a lot bigger than in Texas), but whitetails nevertheless. Even if I have to pass on a big buck because I am not too sure of the shot it is a long season and I may get a better chance later.
Part of the advantage of being the only hunter on a large piece of property.

QuoteOriginally posted by SEMO_HUNTER:
Dave- I love Thunderheads and that's all I shot for years and years with my compound. I've killed a truckload of deer with them and they have shot absolutely perfect out of any bow that I have ever owned.....and I've had quite a few.

Now that I'm hunting with my Grizzly, I've found that the Magnus Snuffers and Wensel Woodsmans shoot exceptionally well, but I haven't tried my Thunderheads with the Grizzly yet. You got me thinking that maybe I should try them just for kicks.
My dad still uses the TH 125's with his crossbow....he's disabled by the way, and I hate that loud, obnoxious looking hunk of junk!
But if it keeps him in the woods with me during bowseason, then I can learn to live with it.

Did you ever shoot the Thunderhead 160's with your compound?

QuoteOriginally posted by SEMO_HUNTER:
Dave- I love Thunderheads and that's all I shot for years and years with my compound. I've killed a truckload of deer with them and they have shot absolutely perfect out of any bow that I have ever owned.....and I've had quite a few.

Now that I'm hunting with my Grizzly, I've found that the Magnus Snuffers and Wensel Woodsmans shoot exceptionally well, but I haven't tried my Thunderheads with the Grizzly yet. You got me thinking that maybe I should try them just for kicks.
My dad still uses the TH 125's with his crossbow....he's disabled by the way, and I hate that loud, obnoxious looking hunk of junk!
But if it keeps him in the woods with me during bowseason, then I can learn to live with it.

Just noticed that you are from Missouri. Gotta go by whatever you say as it is impossible to fool someone from Missouri.    :D

Thunderheads work great!! Killed several deer in the early 90s with them and my first recurve till I went to snuffers. Two holes and no problems. They are one of the few heads that the blades are allways super sharp right out of the box.

i think if you pick your shot and don't go over 20yds you will be fine with the set up you have go shoot it some more and be realy confadent and you will be fine

Just me but, if I had any concerns at all with my broadheads, I'd get some I trust. People make a big to-do about what arrow to shot & how neat their bows is but, the BH is the most important piece of equipment you own. Would hate to see you pass up a shot on a good buck cause you weren't confident in the BH.

The one and only deer that I ever shot with a compound was with a Thunderhead 125 back in the early 90's. It was an old round-wheel Jennings,60#,65% let-off, so probably slower than a good recurve. Shot the buck at 27yds. slightly quartering. Complete pass-through, never did find the arrow. Massive blood trail, 80yd recovery. So, do Thunderheads work? Yes. Are they my first choice? No. I have a basic distrust of replacable blades, especially when bone hits are involved, but then I'm a skeptic anyway. I consider that shot lucky, and have used nothing but Razorheads, Zwickey, and Grizzly since. JMO. Good luck, I'm sure yoo'll be fine.

I used the Razorbacks with good luck for a few years. They seemed to a lot of extra damage inside the deer as those rotating blades worked back and forth. I used the Thunderheads pre-Trad and they worked well then. Don't dismiss those Razorbacks!

i'm with owlbait on the razorbacks but they have changed the design of them and while they seem ok i still like the older heads better .
am trying a new broadhead this year and have 1 kill with them so far but it was kinda huigh so not a good test i guess but i am shooting an offbrand of the carbon express 2 blade with the bleeder up front instead of in the back  cut on contact .

best of luck as there are a million broadheads out they and they all work  but the question is do they work for you .

Scott

Thanks for all the input folks. Greatly appreciated.
The answers pretty much fell within the range that I was expecting.

Now I need to pick up a target that I can shoot broadheads into. Anyone here have experience with shooting broadheads into ethafoam? Otherwise I will likely buy a Morrell SixShooter.

DDave

Just rereading this thread. I did buy a broadhead target cube, but it is a Rinehart Rhinoblock. I really like it for my trad bows, although when I was shooting 2219's with my compound yesterday they were a bit difficult to pull.

DDave