Broadhead for elk- 2 vs 3 blade

[snag]

2 blade? 3 blade?....they both will do the job if you are within proper range, take an ethical shot, and are competent with your bow.
I have not killed an animal with the RFA Phoenix 3 blade heads...yet. But looking at the head, how it is made out of tool steel, the dimensions and then how great they shoot they will going elk hunting with me this year! Tough heads and easy to sharpen!

[Ari]

I've never hunted Elk before but personally I would go with a heavy arrow and a super sharp 2 blade because if it comes out the other side then you got two hole for blood.
I can also stuff more 2 blades in my quiver, so that's a double bonus.

As said what ever you can get sharp is probably your best choice.

[longbowben]

Stick with the three blade you have plenty of power with your setup.Stick with what you have confidence in.

[NBK]

Going on my first elk hunt this Sept. and been following this thread.  62# @ 29 1/4" 585gr. arrows enough horsepower for my preferred Snuffer 160's?  With all the planning and preparation, what it all boils down to is your broadhead and your mettle!

[Jesse Minish]

What Rik said...

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Autumnarcher:
Picking through my pile of broadheads, I still cant decide which way to go. I shot Woodsmans deer huntin last fall, and wasnt completely sold on them. Tough to get sharp, and dont hold an edge worth a darn. The other thing is the fine needle point you  get on 'em when you sharpen, Im worried about it bending if it hits bone.

That said, I know a lot of folks have good results with them.

....

woodsman's can kill any critter on north america stone dead.

 

woodsman's can EASILY be made razor sharp  - in fact, i'll say that a tri-blade is easier and faster to sharpen than ANY twin-blade.  and YES, you need to "pyramid" the needle point off when sharpening.

as showed to me by master blade sharpening guru, sensei ron @ kme ...

1. the blades must be straight and sometimes with new woodsmans there's a bit of concave showing.  there are 2 basic ways to remove the concave ...

[list=A]

• use a sanding belt (table belt sanding station or a handheld belt sander that's clamped to a table top) with 120 grit or so and lay down the head so that the belt is moving from the back of the head to the point ...
  
       
  
  ... put a bit of added pressure on the tip to remove that needle point - it can be a subtle set of angles to each blade side or it can be a very chiselled pyramid look.  i opt for the subtle angle (which is hard to see in the pix) 'cause i think that works best with bows 55# and under ...
  
       
  
• OR, you can hog the blades flat on a good mill bastard file such as a 12" grobet (also making sure to remove the needle point!) - just lay the head down flat on the file and push from the file's tip to its handle base end ...
  
       
  

2. after getting the blade edges straight, work the blades using that good mill bastard file ... that is, press and push the broadhead from the front of the file to the files base end.  i do 5 pushes on each duo of blades, then 4, then 3, then 2, then 1.  this will significantly raise a burr on the edges that can readily be felt.  this head is now sharp enough to efficiently and humanely kill deer and hogs if well placed.  but we can do lots better ...

3.  remove the burr on the blades ... basically, this is blade stropping and can be done with a fine stone, or hard leather - i like a fine stone.  the blade is LIGHTLY pushed on the oiled stone, just a few strokes on each pair of blades.  VERY LIGHTLY.  all yer doing is removing the burr which will reveal the razor's edge that's underneath ...

     

4.  i like to do a bit of "final stropping", as ron showed me - just a few really LIGHT strokes on a piece of corrugated cardboard ...

     

don't ditch the woodsman, that's a mistake imho - the big, WW thread is  HERE

[Autumnarcher]

Rob, thats for the pics. After reading a lot more input on the WW, I suspect I may not have given 'em a fair shake.

I read somewhere else here about using a mill smooth file rather than a mill bastard. The smooth is a finer cut and gets 'em all kinds of scaryt sharp. So I'll be checkin that out.

I suspect my sharpening technique needs a few tweeks, but rest assured when I turn my truck west onto highway 80, there will be some broadheads in the quiver sharp enough to scare ya.

[Rob DiStefano]

ron @ kme sez use the coarsest file or stone possible to both set the blade angle and raise the burr.  taking off the burr requires the smoothest file or stone or strop as possible, with very light strokes and pressure.  he was right on, it works amazingly well and my woodsmans are incredibly sharp.

[DesertDude]

Great info Rob,  maybe this needs to go in the "How- To" section.....

[SlowBowinMO]

The KME ceramic stones that Ron is selling are the absolute bomb for finishing up 3 blade heads.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Braveheart Archery:
The KME ceramic stones that Ron is selling are the absolute bomb for finishing up 3 blade heads.

+1